Ducati Monster Forum

When you park your bike do you leave it in gear or N? Do you back in or not?

When on flat ground I pull straight in and put the bike in N. On a hill I leave it in gear. I back in if after parking I'm pointing uphill.

In gear, always.

There's enough questions here for a survey, but always in gear and as far as direction of parking- depends where I am.

N

N

Parked so I can pull straight out when I leave.

I don't (rarely, if ever) park on hills.

In gear.  Let your bike get away from you one time at a gas stop and you'll always kill your engine with the kickstand. 

Conversely.  :)

In neutral. Let your bike get away from you one time, when you forget to pull in the clutch prior to stabbing the starter and you'll always shift to neutral prior to shutting down.

He said parked, what are you talking about?

always in Neurtral... the backing in part depends on the situation.

Neutral, unless I am on a slope, in which case I park nose up in first.

If you always park in gear, you'd be less likely to forget to grab the clutch. I also lock the forks unless I'm parking in my garage.

Always in gear. Always with locked forks.

In gear, nose out, on flat ground, if I can.  I also always pull the clutch in when I start.  I've had old bikes drop into gear when I tried to start them.  A couple of thumpers and an old ATV have done it to me.  Only took once of chasing a bike for me to make it a habit.

Try this on any of my bikes, including both Ducatis, and you'll NEVER get the bike to shut off.  I promise.

I typically park in Neutral unless on a significant incline.

Let your bike get away from you one time at a gas stop and you'll be embarassed into learning how to manage your bike....regardless of what gear it's in.

In gear.  I don't get why you would ever leave it in Neutral when parking.  Why are people doing this?  I didn't know this was something people do. 

...me too. [moto]

My routine is to a partial pre-ride check, start the bike, check the lights (because I seem to spend enough time with marginal batteries in my life, running the headlight for a while before starting is a bad idea) and then put on helmet & gloves, which means it's gotta be running in neutral on the stand for about a minute. Finding neutral in the wet-clutch Monster is enough of a PITA when it's warm, much less when it's just started cold, so I'll shift the bike to N before shutting it down. It's easier to find neutral cold with the dry clutch ST2, but I guess it's just the habit I've gotten into.

I'll put either in gear & change around my starting routine if there's an incline. If it's flat, what's the strong advantage of leaving it in gear?

Neutral. I don't get why you would ever leave it in gear when parking. Why are people doing this? I didn't know this was something people do.

Honestly, I have never heard a good reason for either case. It really depends on personal preference. I park it in neutral because I dont like having to fumble around with either getting on the bike to start or awkwardly flipping the shifter.

In gear.

Always in gear. And as a note, I always survey the parking position to make sure the bike is very visible to anyone who might be looking for a spot.

-Ferg

N

I liked to start the bike in N, then put my helmet and gloves on.  Kickstand kill-switch is silly to me and I can't be bothered with finding N, pulling in the clutch then pressing start.  That is just way too much work.   

When parking on a hill, I would make sure the rear wheel was solidly against the curb, but still didn't put it in gear. 


Unfortunetly in my experiance "very visible" is relative, and there are not very nice people who knock your bike over even if there is 6' between you and them  [bang]

In gear on slopes, in N on flat ground or when parked tail-in against the curb.

Honestly, I've never given it much thought beyond always parking in in such a way that it's not relying on the motor not turning to keep it in place.

And regardless, I always pull in the clutch when starting and then let the bike warm up on the kickstand.

the reason you put your bike in gear while on the kickstand. Is so that it is unable to to roll either forward or back.  Mostly for rolling forward which would result in a crash.  While in the garage on the rear stand i keep the bike in neutral. To be honest keeping the bike on the kickstand in neutral is kinda risky but to each their own and i respect your life choices.

Pretty much the same.

When I turn the key, the first thing I do is go to N. It's part of the start-up routine. Find N, pull the clutch, hit the start, let out the clutch, lift the stand and look all around before going into gear.

I've always done it this way, so maybe it was something I was taught in MSF course.

 [thumbsup]

Back yeurr ass in to the curb and drop it in gear. It's not gonna move. I grew up in a shop and all the bikes were in geeearrr!
We could talk about how you park your car on a hill. Insurance...

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=44627.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=44627.0)
 
;D

Always in neutral.   I always check the neutral light before I hit the button.   I never use the killswitch either, that way I can tell if someone has been messing with it (people seem to always turn the kill switch to off when they mess with my bike). 

Good reason for in gear above.  I motorcycle would crush a small kid.

My first cars were all stick shift and I was taught to leave them in gear when parked.  So when I got a motorcycle I practiced the same habit.

FWIW, they teach you in the MSF to park it in neutral, though realistically it depends on the parking situation.

I tend to park it in neutral with the forks locked.

I was told the opposite by the MSF, "because you could have a kid climbing on it..." were the instructors words.

According to the interweb we are to leave it in gear when parked.

http://motorcycleviews.com/motorcycletips/motorcycletipsafety001.htm (http://motorcycleviews.com/motorcycletips/motorcycletipsafety001.htm)

In gear-it helps prevent it from rolling if it suffers a bump from some idiot. Not that it matters as much on the centerstand  :P

Great points on this thread. But I will say that because of this I've gone to always in gear... even in the garage.

The only time I leave it in neutral is when it's parked in my garage.  Nobody touches my bike in the garage but me.  Whenever I park it any where else I keep it in gear.

That's "How to Park on a Hill"     :P  :)


FWIW, I was taught in the MSF course to leave it in neutral, but they didn't really cover parking on a hill.  Then again, it may have had more to do with making extra-certain that students don't go flying off on the bikes.  ;)

same for me.  Just finished the MSF class, and they always said to find neutral.  But that was in the middle of a lonely parking lot, completely flat with no one else around.  With my bike it's in gear unless on the stand in my garage.

They told me something similar, but it was in regards to which way you should park your forks.  If you leave them straight, it's much easier for a child to pull the bike over from either side, but if you put them hard left and lock the steering, it requires a lot more force from the kid to make the bike tip over.

  I always park in neutral and back into a stall. Never gave much thought to parking in gear or the hill thing, I always seem to park where its flat.

Come to San Francisco.  ;)

 I visit San Francisco often and love it there. My wife's family is sprinkled throughout in the bay area. I often thought if i had to ride/commute in that town that my riding skills would increase 100 fold.

 Unfortunately my bike is mainly used for short blasts into the nearby Sierra Nevadas where I live, when I get some time. 

If you're worried about children climbing on your bike and wearing it, then maybe that's your best reason yet to use birth control.

If a kid is dumb enough, and is poorly attended enough, to wear one of my bikes in public, then Darwinian Selection is hard at work.  Who am I to intervene?

I thought the thread was just a quiz....how do you park your bike? .... not an argument .... you park your bike wrong!! .... was it not?

I don't believe there is any "right" answer, just lots of logical ones.  I guess it depends on your mental capacity whether you park in gear or park correctly.   ;D

 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [drink]

In my garage or somewhere flat: Neutral
Everywhere else: First

Suggestion: don't start your bike without your hand (or foot) on the brake.

In N, I've been around a few years and I do that partly as an old habit from back when the engine cut off switch was not reliable. I would add that nowdays with the type of starters we have and safety switches to protect us from ourselves I still do it because I don't trust them. Older monsters will attempt to start in gear, new monsters won't, assuming everything works as designed, but..... I'm also amazed at how many people reach over and hit the starter button while standing on the right side of the bike, where they have less control. Obviously on a hill I leave it in gear if I can't back it into a curb. I back it in, whenever I can because I don't like trying to paddle out of a parking spot, not so much of a problem with the Monsters or the XR1200, but the Vics, ST3, and maybe the PASO could be a challenge. You have to have a standard routine that you do every time, that is the thing I try to drill into all new riders, so switching routines between bikes is just asking for trouble. Anyway that is my input. - Gene

I saw a guy do this in a parking lot and the bike lurched forward even though in N. He dumped it. I NEVER start the bike without being on it.

then it obviously wasn't in neutral.

i start my bike without being on it all the time.  you can't stop me... i'm a wild man.   [moto]

He 'thought' it was in neutral.

   It's amazing how long this threads been going on, how long have You people been riding?, do You still forget to put Your kickstand down?, or up?,...Do You remember Your shift pattern?,..If You can't successfully mount or dismount Your ride, how do You ride?...come on,basic riding skills dictate this subject, GET A GRIP!...( OR AT LEAST GET IN TOUCH )

It's amazing how people chime in to say how amazed they are at a topic that shouldn't amaze anyone. Why would you even waste your time reading this and commenting? Shouldn't you be curing cancer or something?

KRJ already cured cancer.  Duh!!!!  He's currently working on the perpetual motion machine.  He has several working prototypes, but the cost is still a little higher than the average consumer is willing to pay.   [bang]

Preach on, Brother Keith.  Preach on.

speaking of kickstand usage... do you guys put yours down when you park your bike or just delicately balance your bike like me?

(http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery/Ducati%20M600%20%201.jpg)

No matter whether or not I have it in gear, both clutch and brake get pulled.  Every now and then if I'm feeling saucy (and at home, alone, in the backyard where no one can see me make the beast with two backs up if my bike takes off :)) I'll just thumb the starter before I'm on it, but that's usually after I've backed it in myself, in neutral, and no one else is allowed in my garage anyway. 

As far as trusting the little green light, don't do it.  If you can find a false neutral between 5 and 6 (well, mine can anyway) you can do the same between 1 and neutral.  Just because the switch is actuated doesn't mean it's out of gear. 

yep
false neutral dropped my 99 monster with the suicide stand.