Everybody thinks that parking a motorcycle is a ‘piece of cake’. Just get off your bike in style and use the kickstand to park it anywhere. On the contrary, parking a motorcycle correctly needs more skill than you can imagine. It is not like riding a bike and enjoy the environment. While parking a bike, you need to consider the location, surface, area, angle, and the skills to park it perfectly, so it won’t fall over easily or fall on any other bike nearby.
You may think parking at central malls is free, so you can park it in any manner. But that’s not the case. Because the rules still apply whether you are parking free or paying for it. So, give some thought to parking correctly. Otherwise, you may harm other motorcycles or public and private property, which could end up costing you thousands of dollars.
I hope you don’t want that to happen. If you don’t, then take a look at our tips for correctly parking a motorcycle. It will help you to do it in the right way.
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Top 5 Tips to Correctly Park Your Motorcycle
Remain Calm
The first thing you need to do is not to rush into parking the bike. Remain calm and examine the situation. Especially, riders who ride heavy motorcycles like a Harley-Davidson, which weigh around 400-450 kg. If you are in a recreation park, then make sure you have considered the exit plan.
Check the Ground
We have seen that the parking areas at shopping centers and cafeterias have some slope, which you need to consider as well. For example, when you park your bike on the roadside, you must have noticed a slope. So, we make sure when we use a side stand to park our motorcycle that it leans over at a certain angle. If it leans too much, then you may face some difficulties in lifting it off the side stand. These parking areas can put you in an embarrassing situation when you don’t have enough strength to lift the bike and have to ask a passerby to help you lift it up. So, make sure to consider the unsteady ground and parking slopes.
Correct Parking Angle
We also heard rules about the parking angles of motorcycles. How should your motorcycle be parked in parallel and angle parking bays? You know the answer to this question which is: 45 degrees. But do you know why? It is because at 45 degrees it makes the motorcycle visible to passing traffic. Just make sure you are parked within the white lines of the parking bay. This 45-degree law is not suitable for riders who own cruisers. As we know, most cruisers come with low clearance and exhaust pipes that sometimes get damaged while leaning the bike over on the side stand. So, if you own a cruiser, then you must consider this 45-degree angle or learn about any other law that doesn’t hinder your parking.
Secure Your Motorcycle
Securing your motorcycle is also a part of parking. Because the last thing you want is your motorcycle falling over on someone or damaging any public or private property. And it is here where it becomes confusing between parking the motorcycle with the side stand or the central stand. First, we will talk about the side stand. If you are going to use the side stand then make sure your stand doesn’t have any loose nuts and that it works properly. Ensure the place where you’re parking has firm ground to hold the bike and please, don’t use any metal or wooden pieces to support the side stand.
Use the Center Stand
Now, let’s talk about the center stand. The center stand looks simple and secure; however, don’t forget that if you use the center stand when uphill parking or on a slippery surface, such as sand, gravel, or concrete, then it will be a whole lot harder to push the bike off the stand.
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