Ducati Monster Forum

I always do... force of habit from learning to drive on and owning manual transmission cars for over a decade.

I'm always surprised by the number of riders who park their bikes in neutral.  The only time I leave it in neutral is when I back it in to my garage and put it on the rear stand.

I only do it if the ground isn't level, but it's probably better/safer to always park it in gear...

Same here.
Keep thinking I should leave it in gear but never do.

Nope, neutral for me.  That way when I start it up, I don't have to be on the bike.  I let it warm up while I'm putting my gear on.  Saves some time in the morning and when I leave work.  I also use my steering lock every time I park my bike.

+1
Exactly the same
Also for moving it around the garage...

I leave it in gear too from manual driving experience. Only time I leave the bike in neutral is when I get home and am going to roll it into the garage to put on stands.

+1 here

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45103.msg813973#msg813973 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45103.msg813973#msg813973)

You don't have to get on the bike to start it.  I just snick it into neutral, depress the clutch and start it right up.

I guess it just seems to make the most sense to me from a safety standpoint.  I was thinking about this because I stopped by the dealer last night and as the guy went to roll my bike into the shop he found out right away that it was in gear.  I told him I always park my bike in gear and was surprised when he said he does too.

Getting in the habit of parking in gear.

 [thumbsdown] After my Kawasaki ZL1000 rolled forward and toppled over in 1987, I've always parked up in gear.

There was another thread with the same topic a few months ago with similar replies. I was surprised how many people leave their bikes in neutral. Keeping it in gear will keep it from rolling if not level. You should always pull in the clutch when you start the bike so it's your own fault if you start it in gear.   If you need to roll it then put it in gear. It is basically just like a car wih a manual transmission.

^^ look 4 posts up  :D

out of habit, I always park my vehicle in neutral.  There is always an off chance that the safety feature might fail and you end up launching your car/bike when you start it.  I only park in gear when it's on a hill.

I only park it in gear when i get home from a ride, other times I park it wearing a t-shirt.

... I was wondering when someone was going to do this ^

Thanks, I needed that.

I'm trying to remember how I park my monster ;D ... I always parked my sportster in gear, so I guess I park my monster in gear too.

BTW, anyone knows or remember what the acronym that explain the sequence in starting a bike, something like: make sure it's in neutral, kick stand up then start the bike? Can't remember it  [bang] Following that sequence, I never accidentally start my bike in gear.

Always in Neutral. Neither do I ever park the bike on a slope.. Habit from driving manual tranny cars before you had to press the clutch to start..
Park, switch to N, hand brake up, engine off... Get in, start up, hand brake down, begin launch sequence  [drink]

Have heard too many stories where folks parked their cars on a slope, and left it in first gear, the slope was pretty steep that the gear box let go inch by inch only to find their ride in the ditch down the street  [bang]

The people are too embarrassed to tell the real story. They forgot to leave it in gear and set the parking brake.  [laugh]

I always put my bike in gear comes from driving a manual in my cager days. Never liked the neutral.  I also start it by pulling the clutch in and sitting on the bike. I know i am going straight to hell. Almost everyone i know or see startss the bike while standing beside eit.

Never understood why people in a cager never set the parking with a manual or auto, this way you get no creep should the transmission slip while parked on a hill.  That is what the damn brake is for.

I always do this with my auto cage... even when parked on a level surface.

Is FINE-C the acronym you're looking for? Fuel supply valve, ignition, neutral, engine cut-off switch, and choke/clutch.

It helps I just took the course about 3 weeks ago haha

Yes, that's the one, thanks.
I always skipped F, cause my sportster use vacum petcock so no need to shut the fuel off. Now, on the monster I skip F and C ... oh and E too, I never touch the engine kill switch now ... just kick the kickstand down in gear and the engine will die ;D

Anyway, IMO I don't think it matters whether you park in neutral or in gear. It's a matter of habit. It's the same as "do you stay in gear or neutral at a stop light" or "which foot down when you stop, left or right". What ever you do, someone who does it differently will always think that what you do is a bad habit. ;D

^^ Winner   [clap] [clap]

i snotted red wine  [laugh] [laugh]

I park in gear.  This is a habit my old man taught me when I learned to drive.  I have carried this habit over to parking my bike.  Perhaps people who learned to drive manual cars may also park their bikes in gear more than people who learned to drive  automatics?

In the garage?  It's in N, simply because I have to roll it in/out both to ride and to get my Z out.

Everywhere else, it's in gear.

JM

neutral

neutral here to

Pointed down hill at all, park in gear.

neutral unless i'm on a hill.  that applies to cars and bikes.  i learned to drive on a manual transmission.

gear

and I don't start it unless I'm sitting on it. Once I start it, I put it in neutral and by the time I get my helmet and gloves on, she's warmed up and ready to go.

Where did you learn to drive?  Just curious, because my first car was designed by Swedes and you couldn't remove the key from the ignition unless the car was in reverse.  I'm not sure why you'd ever park a car in neutral quite frankly.

In Seoul, everyone double parks in neutral so that whoever they are blocking can push their car out of the way.  [laugh]

BTW I almost always park in gear except for in my garage.  The main exception is if I have my rear wheel backed against a downhill curb, then I might leave it in neutral.

I always park cars in gear too.

when out I park the bikes and the car in gear. either reverse or 1st depending on orientation to a hill.

also, the monster has no neutral bypass switch so unless you drop it in neutral it won't start anyway. kind of an extra anti-theft measure.