How to park on a hill?

[horch]

Living in Wellington there are a fair few steep streets about.

What the correct way to park a bike on a steep street?? Or is it just not done??

If you have the stand on the down hill side the bike is on more of a lean than normal. Changing the centre of gravity and may go beyond the limitations of the side-stand.

If you have the stand on up the hill, the bike wants to lean away from it. Reducing the effective load on the stand, making it easy to topple.

(we wont even start if there's the usual Wgtn wind factor as well)

Yesterday I parked almost pointing downhill, with the front wheel up against the curb (nosed into the gutter). And right up behind a car. Only prob was getting out, I couldn't go forward as the car was in the way and the footpath turned to steps a meter or so down so going off road wasn't an option either. So had to walk and heave the bike backwards uphill - looking like a right loser in the process. <_<

So the best advice is to stay way from the gradients and park on the flat.

But is there a correct way to park on hills???

[Aa7]

not sure if its the 'correct' way but if you HAVE to park on a hill i'd be doing it the opposite of how you did it. with the back wheel against the kerb and the front wheel pointing up the hill and the bike on an angle. another option is to get yourself a centre stand and park with the bike facing uphill on the centre stand. oh, when you finally get sick of the wind and the hills you could move to canterbury and get sick of the flat and be begging for a hill ;)

[mark247]

Park it pointing up the hill and have it in gear

[avgas]

in front of a bus with full insurance

[klingon]

Park with your nose pointing up the hill. Because:
- When you need to move you can power up the hill or roll backwards so you always have a way out.
- Your side stand folds backwards. By parking pointing up the hill, the weight of the bike is pushing against the stand so it can't fold accidentally. If parked pointing down the hill, the bike can fall off the stand.

[sunhuntin]

Park it pointing up the hill and have it in gear

agreed. i had some fun figuring out how to park on a dunedin st once. i think i ended up parking like i normally do [back end hard against the kerb, nose pointing out] with the side stand on the downhill side. when i went there again, i parked on the footpath, back end pointing downhill and in gear.

[klingon]

A funny sight I saw once involved a very experienced rider with a very heavy bike. He was going down a gravel driveway, came to the gate at the bottom, and realised the gate was locked. He was stuck. He couldn't push his bike backwards up the hill to get away from the gate (too heavy, too steep, loose gravel). He couldn't turn as the driveway was very narrow and he hadn't left himself any room for manoeuvring. Couldn't even put his stand down with confidence (loose surface, pointing downhill).

He ended up sitting there straddling his bike until help arrived.:lol:

So yeah, even non-newbies need reminding sometimes - always leave yourself an escape route!

[MarkH]

A funny sight I saw once involved a very experienced rider with a very heavy bike. He was going down a gravel driveway, came to the gate at the bottom, and realised the gate was locked. He was stuck. He couldn't push his bike backwards up the hill to get away from the gate (too heavy, too steep, loose gravel). He couldn't turn as the driveway was very narrow and he hadn't left himself any room for manoeuvring. Couldn't even put his stand down with confidence (loose surface, pointing downhill).

He ended up sitting there straddling his bike until help arrived.:lol:

So yeah, even non-newbies need reminding sometimes - always leave yourself an escape route!

Good story and a good lesson to all of us that don't want to turn red while our mates have a good laugh.

[<Rhino>]

Park with your nose pointing up the hill. Because:
- When you need to move you can power up the hill or roll backwards so you always have a way out.
- Your side stand folds backwards. By parking pointing up the hill, the weight of the bike is pushing against the stand so it can't fold accidentally. If parked pointing down the hill, the bike can fall off the stand.

Sounds like great advice that, bling'n your way. Thanks.

[Irontusk]

I got myself into a similar situation when I rode round to my sister's place for the first time, got up the driveway and thought 'hmmm, where do I park', there was only one place that would've been ok, but there was no way to manouvre the bike to get it there.. I tried anyway and I ended getting stuck trying to push it up the steep driveway backwards, VERY slow progress. Luckily my sister ended up coming out and opening the garage which had just enough room for my bike next to their car :) I learnt that I don't like pushing my bike backward up hills.. it's only a 250 so I don't want to think about trying it with a bigger bike!

[wysper]

Would you also leave the bike in gear rather than in neutral?

[Grub]

The advice on pointing the bike uphill with the tail against the curb is spot on. But what about this part of your original question regarding the side stand?


If you have the stand on the down hill side the bike is on more of a lean than normal. Changing the centre of gravity and may go beyond the limitations of the side-stand. If you have the stand on up the hill, the bike wants to lean away from it. Reducing the effective load on the stand, making it easy to topple.

Exactly. So what you do is take the hill out of the equation and use the camber of the road to tilt the bike onto the stand. Huh? Well, the steeper the hill, the more impossible it is to lean the side-stand against the uphill. Yep, the bike does have to have it weight on the stand so you keep angling the bike to almost point directly uphill so that the side-stand can then use the camber of the road to tilt the bike onto the stand.

In an extreme hill, the stand is going to be in the gutter. If there isn't a gutter then you would give up having the back wheel against the curb. Look at any bikes parked on hills and you'll notice that they're all pointing up the hill to some degree or other, it sort of happens without really thinking about it.

[CB ARGH]

Would you also leave the bike in gear rather than in neutral?

Not a good idea. The world will end.

Yes, always leave it in gear when on a hill. Because it would suck for your baby to go bye byes and roll down the hill enough for it to tip over... and the damage it would do to the disc lock 9if one was present) would be nasty!

Just remember to neutral it before starting! Lucky for me the bike won't even start when not in neutral! And it stalls when I put it in gear with the sidestand down... lucky me!

[wysper]

Not a good idea. The world will end.

Yes, always leave it in gear when on a hill. Because it would suck for your baby to go bye byes and roll down the hill enough for it to tip over... and the damage it would do to the disc lock 9if one was present) would be nasty!

Just remember to neutral it before starting! Lucky for me the bike won't even start when not in neutral! And it stalls when I put it in gear with the sidestand down... lucky me!

Yeah. Often all those layers of things that stop the bike starting are a real pain in the arse and then occasionally they are just the thing to save you serious pain or embarrassment.

[CB ARGH]

Yeah. Often all those layers of things that stop the bike starting are a real pain in the arse and then occasionally they are just the thing to save you serious pain or embarrassment.

Yeah, I love it when it cuts out when I put it in gear with the sidestand down, saved my ass a few times this week! I reckon all learner bikes should have it.

Time for a ride around scenic drive again! :2thumbsup

[sinfull]

Park it pointing up the hill and have it in gear
+1 on this but i tend to angle park it, front wheel in, using the camber to give me a similar lean as on the flat or even slightly more as the sidestand has it sitting pretty upright anyway !


Yeah, I love it when it cuts out when I put it in gear with the sidestand down, saved my ass a few times this week! I reckon all learner bikes should have it.

Time for a ride around scenic drive again! :2thumbsup
Think you'll find most models of bike come out with it now lol been caught trying to start the triple in gear with the stand down a couple of times now !

[Grub]

+you'll find most models of bike come out with it now !

Yup, with good reason too. Watched a mate take off from the bike shops in Mt Eden Rd. Nice wheelie it was too. All our shouting was useless as we watched him go around the sweeping left hander going away from town ... and out of our sight.

We heard the bang and the crunch as his stand hit and catapaulted him into the oncoming car.

[sinfull]

Yup, with good reason too. Watched a mate take off from the bike shops in Mt Eden Rd. Nice wheelie it was too. All our shouting was useless as we watched him go around the sweeping left hander going away from town ... and out of our sight.

We heard the bang and the crunch as his stand hit and catapaulted him into the oncoming car.

Ouch yep seen similar, only ever done it myself on trail bikes but it deff throws ya sideways !

[Irontusk]

My bike also won't start unless the clutch is pulled in, is that common too? It's all the annoying things that are there to save your paintwork :)

[CookMySock]

I suggest you do not rely on your engine braking to solve your parking-brake problems. In my opinion, if you do leave your bike in gear, it will LOOK like its going nowhere for some minutes, until your back is turned and the compression leaks down and rolls backwards off the sidestand. Use the rear wheel against the curb trick.

I never leave any vehicle in gear.

Steve

[Tank]

I never leave any vehicle in gear.

I always leave the bike in gear - and thats how I was taught on the mentor evenings as well - its not to get around any issues with the bike - it just makes sense.

If you are there on the side stand (even on flat ground) - it dosnt take much of a knock from behind to move the bike forward and over. Esp those of us with larger high COG bikes.

[MarkH]

I suggest you do not rely on your engine braking to solve your parking-brake problems. In my opinion, if you do leave your bike in gear, it will LOOK like its going nowhere for some minutes, until your back is turned and the compression leaks down and rolls backwards off the sidestand.

Yeah - cause that's something that happens.

Not that I have to worry about that - I have a parking brake and no manual gears.

[swbarnett]

I learnt that I don't like pushing my bike backward up hills.. it's only a 250 so I don't want to think about trying it with a bigger bike!
I was out for a jaunt late one night on my CB750 in the mid 80s. Going through the Auckland Domain I decided, just to be different, that I'd take the footpath down the hill . What I didn't realise was that the footpath ended into the side of a pretty big speed hump. I got stuck pointing downhill with my front wheel firmly stuck against it. It took me about half an hour of tugging on the bars and many tiny little jumps to get the bike to the side of the hump and free.

[klingon]

I was out for a jaunt late one night on my CB750 in the mid 80s. Going through the Auckland Domain I decided, just to be different, that I'd take the footpath down the hill . What I didn't realise was that the footpath ended into the side of a pretty big speed hump. I got stuck pointing downhill with my front wheel firmly stuck against it. It took me about half an hour of tugging on the bars and many tiny little jumps to get the bike to the side of the hump and free.

:clap: Ha ha ha now THAT would have been worth seeing

[Aa7]

If you end up in a tight spot where there is minimal room to move your bike you can spin the bike on the axis of the side or centre stand and have it face any direction within the same radius as the length of the bike give or take a little. works with big and small bikes alike and is less difficult than it would seem. I would of never believed it possible until i saw it done on a large Honda touring bike (centre stand) and then a GN250 on the side stand last week. When I got home after seeing it done I tried it out and spun the RF around in the garage on the side stand just for shits and giggles.

[PrincessBandit]

Park with your nose pointing up the hill. Because:
- When you need to move you can power up the hill or roll backwards so you always have a way out.
- Your side stand folds backwards. By parking pointing up the hill, the weight of the bike is pushing against the stand so it can't fold accidentally. If parked pointing down the hill, the bike can fall off the stand.
Ha ha, reminded me of the time I parked nose first into an angle park with downhill slope and had to get a random pedestrian to pull the arse of my ginny for me to manouvre out! I hadn't been riding all that long and had a car up my bum as I spotted the park so didn't want to risk being hit from behind slowing to back into the park. Felt like a bit of a nong having to get a stranger to help me!


... use the camber of the road to tilt the bike onto the stand.

Been caught a few times discovering the camber is steeper than I thought and have had to "bouncy bounce" from my left leg pulling like hell against the bars to lift my bandit off the side stand. Never knew I had muscles in my arms till then.........(and obviously picked the wrong way round to park)




[QUOTE=Irontusk;1715397]My bike also won't start unless the clutch is pulled in, is that common too? It's all the annoying things that are there to save your paintwork :)


...
Not that I have to worry about that - I have a parking brake and no manual gears.
Yeah, Balu loves having the handbrake on his burger too!

I nearly got spat off the ginny once by accidentally leaving the side stand down and moving off, only ever did it once! Most embarrassing moment I had though was in Tauranga finally getting the bandit off it's side stand only to wonder why it wouldn't start (with a group of blokes all watching me) - turned out in the process of lifting it upright i'd hit my kill switch. Thankfully it crossed my mind to check it after a few minutes. :o and I could continue on my way with them admiring my wheels!!!! lol

[Ixion]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the obvious out, if caught parked nose donwhill and facing the kerb. Up onto the kerb, down the footpath until you find a suitable place to reneter the road, and Bob's your uncle (actually, He was my aunt, wonderful clever folk those surgeons, but I digress).

[sinfull]

I always leave the bike in gear - and thats how I was taught on the mentor evenings as well - its not to get around any issues with the bike - it just makes sense.

If you are there on the side stand (even on flat ground) - it dosnt take much of a knock from behind to move the bike forward and over. Esp those of us with larger high COG bikes.
+ 1 again ! Never seen a bike bleed down in compression and roll backwards off the sidestand in first second third or sixth


Most embarrassing moment I had though was in Tauranga finally getting the bandit off it's side stand only to wonder why it wouldn't start (with a group of blokes all watching me) - turned out in the process of lifting it upright i'd hit my kill switch. Thankfully it crossed my mind to check it after a few minutes. :o and I could continue on my way with them admiring my wheels!!!! lol
Ummm your bending over sorting out the side stand switch ! Do you really believe they were admiring your wheels ?

[magicfairy]

Go round the back of Wellington Motorcycles to see 2 rows of bikes "parked on a hill"
Then try to extract yours gracefully, without dropping it or bringng down the rest like dominos and ride away over the "off road" section at the top.

Pause when you reach the road, congragulate yourself on not making a spectacle of yourself in front of all the workshop boys. :sweatdrop

[stevewederell]

What about if I'm heading down one of the many steep hill in CHCH and have to park on left in a single park?

Normally I would curve in then out, reverse in. Now I'm just a wee lad so a)getting her back up a hill will be tough and b) if I get back and am now perpendicular with road, there is going to be a huge drop off below my left foot!

Do I just keep her leaning to right till she's pointing up the hill and hope I don't topple?

(As a side laugh for you all I got stuck on the flat at the end of the Wespac run and needed help to back out! Wet, loose gravel, knackered = red faced):clap:

[vifferman]

There's not really a simple answer to the question, as it all depends on the steepness of the hill, which way you're going, how far over your bike leans on the sidestand, etc etc.
F'rinstance, my bike leans over further than it used to on the sidestand, as I've got a taller shock than the OEM Showa one, so I need to bear that in mind. Sometimes it makes it easier to park, sometimes not.
I try to park so that the bike's back tyre is against the curb and the bike is leaning enough on the sidestand that it won't fall either way. If that's not right, then I reposition it. On occasion, I've parked it with the front pointing downhill, by turning it off while in gear, then letting it roll forward with the clutch out until all the slack in the drivetrain is gone. There's no way it's going to roll forward against compression.
Sometimes I stick it on the centrestand. Sometimes I try to park it, give up, and look for another park. No point in deciding on a park and persisting with it if it's actually eminently unsuitable.

[Rhubarb]

Side stand or centre stand ??? (on the flat).
For quite a few years I sold bearings for a living. We were constantly selling steering head bearings for larger road bikes. The bearing manufacturers told us this was because the taper roller bearings in the steering head only rotate about a third of a turn so the full weight of the bike is not evenly distributed around the bearing. Therefore, the bearing wear is excessive on only one third of the bearing race and one third of the rollers.
Also, when parking on the side stand the full weight of the bike is loaded on one point of the bearing all the time which can cause bruising of the bearing race and rollers.
True or not. I always use the centre stand whenever possible.

I also agree with the 'back wheel in the gutter - point the bike up hill on the side stand' theory for parking on hills. The up hill angle of the bike depends on the steepness of the hill. Whatever puts the required weight on the side stand to make it stable.

I don't like the idea of using the centre stand on a hill. A centre stand raises the bikes centre of gravity. A lower centre of gravity ensures better stability.

[vifferman]

I don't like the idea of using the centre stand on a hill. A centre stand raises the bikes centre of gravity. A lower centre of gravity ensures better stability.
Yeah, there is that. Also the triangle between the wheels' contact patches and the sidestand is bigger than the distance between the legs of the centrestand. (Whatever wheel's on the ground doesn't usually have much weight on it). On a ferry it's better to have the bike on its sidestand than centrestand for this reason.
I think about this sometimes when parking near/between cars, as I reckon if the bike's nudged while on its centrestand, it's gonna fall a LOT harder than if it falls off the sidestand.

[madbikeboy]

A funny sight I saw once involved a very experienced rider with a very heavy bike. He was going down a gravel driveway, came to the gate at the bottom, and realised the gate was locked. He was stuck. He couldn't push his bike backwards up the hill to get away from the gate (too heavy, too steep, loose gravel). He couldn't turn as the driveway was very narrow and he hadn't left himself any room for manoeuvring. Couldn't even put his stand down with confidence (loose surface, pointing downhill).

He ended up sitting there straddling his bike until help arrived.:lol:

So yeah, even non-newbies need reminding sometimes - always leave yourself an escape route!

<sigh>

Stick the bike in gear, turn it off, roll it forward until the drivetrain / piston is stopped, then stick the stand down and walk away before someone sees you. Or, put your left foot down, put your right on the rear brake, and then your hands are free to call someone on your cell for help (or use the Team America secret signal).

If that's too complicated, you could always drive a car instead, they're so easy that even dumb people can do it.

[madbikeboy]

There's not really a simple answer to the question, as it all depends on the steepness of the hill, which way you're going, how far over your bike leans on the sidestand, etc etc.
F'rinstance, my bike leans over further than it used to on the sidestand, as I've got a taller shock than the OEM Showa one, so I need to bear that in mind. Sometimes it makes it easier to park, sometimes not.
I try to park so that the bike's back tyre is against the curb and the bike is leaning enough on the sidestand that it won't fall either way. If that's not right, then I reposition it. On occasion, I've parked it with the front pointing downhill, by turning it off while in gear, then letting it roll forward with the clutch out until all the slack in the drivetrain is gone. There's no way it's going to roll forward against compression.
Sometimes I stick it on the centrestand. Sometimes I try to park it, give up, and look for another park. No point in deciding on a park and persisting with it if it's actually eminently unsuitable.

Like what Viff said, except I haven't used a centrestand in, well, forever. My CBX has one, but I only use it when I need to oil the chain.