Refuelling whilst still mounted

**Mikkel** · 13th February 2010, 20:00

Originally Posted by awayatc

So basicly if you fill up your cellphone at Shell without taking your helmet off your balls may get painfully burned if you are a wanker.....?
Got it.....

Burning your balls as a wanker is doubly unfortunate since there won't be anyone around to lick them for you!

**LBD** · 13th February 2010, 20:15

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Of course. They may ping under load however.

Pre ignition or firing too early.....

**avgas** · 13th February 2010, 20:58

Originally Posted by sinned

I get off the bike to have a stretch and probably couldn't reach the pump from the seat anyway. Then I walk in with helmet on and ignore that sign to take my helmet off.
I am still waiting to be asked to remove the helmet. Then I will be pissed off.

What a rebel, good thing you don't wear it backwards like all the cool kids.
You push those limits

**sinned** · 13th February 2010, 21:03

Originally Posted by avgas

What a rebel, good thing you don't wear it backwards like all the cool kids.
You push those limits

Sometimes I scare myself.

**avgas** · 13th February 2010, 21:06

Originally Posted by MaxB

Back in the day (and Im not that old) you could sit on the bike and they would fill it for you

Drive thoughs aye. Did they have trouble getting through the underwear?

**avgas** · 13th February 2010, 21:11

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Not that I give a shit but has anyone in New Zealand ever caught on fire as a result of filling up astride their steed?
Or in Australasia?

*Queitly waits for someone to admit they lit their own balls on fire*
....
Nope Frosty, seems no one has ever done this - or they wont admit to it. Lets try something easier, then work our way up.
"How many of you ride honda's?"
"How many of you had relations with your mum?"
....
Ok now the hard one
"How many of you lit your own balls on fire?"

**Big Dave** · 13th February 2010, 21:17

Originally Posted by LBD

Pre ignition or firing too early.....

Well I know it definitely wasn't too cold a plug. I'm a Methodist.

**Lurch** · 13th February 2010, 21:17

Originally Posted by avgas

"How many of you had relations with your mum?"
....
Ok now the hard one
"How many of you lit your own balls on fire?"

Dude, yer starting to dig yourself a pretty deep hole. I love to troll forums after a few beers but it might be time to stop.

**avgas** · 15th February 2010, 11:03

Originally Posted by Lurch

Dude, yer starting to dig yourself a pretty deep hole. I love to troll forums after a few beers but it might be time to stop.

Nah just really pointing out that "public concensus" is not really a consensus of anything if no one wants to admit to it.
I keep combustables the hell away from my lads. Yet I quite frequently torch the rest of my body.
Fire is fun, but it is also dangerous. Being a bit of a pyro you learn this pretty quickly.
I am still yet to hear from anyone outside of "Jackass" who says they have lit their own balls on fire. But that does not exactly mean it hasn't happened.

**YellowDog** · 15th February 2010, 11:27

As mentioned earlier, the stability issue is a good reason not to do it. You maybe happy that you mobile phone in your pocket won't ignite the tank (it might though) but if a wasp was to fly into your helmet and sting you, which is quite possile over the summer months, then you could panic and fall over with your bike.

**Ixion** · 15th February 2010, 11:30

But were stability the issue the rule would be "Bikes must be on stands when being filled". If I don't have a centre stand, I just hold the bike upright whilst standing beside. No rule against that, yet it's arguably a lot less stable than sitting astride.

Also, I've had pants doused with petrol whilst filling beside the bike. If you overfill or it blows back it's going to go over you no matter what, by definition you have to be close to the fuel filler.

**Old Steve** · 15th February 2010, 19:12

Who cares if some riders want to sit astride their rides while refuelling, it's their choice. And I wouldn't consider the risk of fire from spilt fuel to be too high either, when was the last reported forecourt fire?

However, I should point out that petrol vaporises down to -40 deg C and when it does vaporise it takes a large amount of latent heat of evaporation from it's surroundings. Which in the case of a motorcyclist refuelling astride their bike is their genitalia. Petrol in contact with human skin, especially sensitive skin, can be extremely painful.

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Big one or not.

**motorbyclist** · 15th February 2010, 22:35

Originally Posted by wankers

I haven't thought about it much and just sit on my bike despite the warnings.

There are several reasons not to fill up whilst sitting on your bike

First and foremost, petrol + genatalia = pain
Bikes are small and cagers are blind - what if some numpty drives into your bike while you're on it? You end up with a hot bike pouring fuel all overitself, and you're covered in gas too... heck you might even be under the bike that's now starting to smoke. If you were standing aside your bike you could have been more visible and possibly saved it - either way your person is much better off and maybe the bike too. Yes I have had this almost happen to me but they stopped about a foot short; if I wasn't next to my bike they would've travelled much more than an extra foot before seeing me
forecourts can be slippery from spillages, your stand will maintain good grip whilst you boot may not. see above point about bikes falling on you.
There's potential for a spark caused by static electricity while filling, that would otherwise be grounded by the stand. That said my Honda has a tank electrically isolated from the chassis.
Most tanks have overflows, and I know my fuel cap isn't fuel proof and on my older honda it doesn't even have a proper lip to keep fuel in at all - overfill means overspill
It gives you a chance to observe your surroundings - I for one have been told off for using a cellphone in a gas station forecourt because the building had no signal inside it. The attendant was giving an automated response and said it was for fire safety, but I reckon the actual rule was in place because idiots like me stand in the middle of a forecourt oblivious to our surroundings. (If you can find a single documented case of a phone starting a fire I'll buy you a beer.)
If you didn't prepay and still have your helmet on, what's to stop you simply riding off with the fuel? Unfortunately they can't take that risk (think about it petrol thieves probably wouldn't be above fake or stolen plates either)

My point here is if we think about these things they don't antagonise customers for the sake of it: there are reasons

Originally Posted by Headbanger

Makes no difference to my day, In fact I can't think of anything or anyone it could make a difference to.

well there's the poor attendants getting told by the manager to go deal with that grumpy biker over there, and there's bound to be an ongoing ACC claim from some biker who hurt themselves in this way.....

**Berries** · 15th February 2010, 22:50

Originally Posted by motorbyclist

There are several reasons not to fill up whilst sitting on your bike

Like ?

After 11 pages I am still waiting to hear one other than being such a spastic that you overfill the tank or are one of the many hundred rear ends that occur on garage forecourts every day. I can't believe people who get off their bikes to fill up are getting so wound up about those that don't.

Originally Posted by swbarnett

Worry about your own risks and leave me to mine.

What he said.

EDIT - As if by magic after I posted you added some content to your post so I now look like a dick and have to respond. All your points, except number 7, are perfectly valid. On my daily internal risk analysis starting with not breaking my leg getting out of bed or electrocuting myself on the toaster, through not getting killed on the ride to work, or getting food poisoning at lunch time, they just don't feature. Some risks are so small that they are not worth worrying about, IMHO, so I don't. I'll worry about the bigger ones thank you.