Quick question to the bikers on here - if you break down on motorway what is advice? Reason I ask is saw one on hard shoulder of M8 today and he had parked his bike at right angles with rear wheel nearest the kerb.
Now on one hand I thought that if broken down he should try and get off the hard shoulder altogether if possible (like car drivers are advised), but on the other hand if he parked it parallel then it might not be as noticeable to traffic.
Was he just being stupid or is there biker advice to park this way?
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Just thinking, one possibility may be the camber too steep at side to hold bike upright? Though he could have parked it further up the hard shoulder then?
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Side on gives a better view for all the sleeping lorry drivers! Less likely to move it off completely because if people see it off the road, they think "accident" and ring it in or stop etc, whereas on the hard shoulder, it's not an uncommon sight to see something on there for a variety of reasons.
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Side on gives a better view for all the sleeping lorry drivers!
That is not the sort of prejudiced attitude I expect from a trusted moderator on here! I see far more "concertina"shunts, the classic sign of inattention,involving cars than I ever do HGV's even allowing for the percentages.
FYI most bikers tend to regard HGV drivers as more alert and courteous than the average car driver. Whilst I do see stupidity and neglect amongst ALL road users it's a view I'd tend to concur with.
To answer the OP, I would suggest that it makes it easier for the recovery vehicle to spot him in time to pull over. Not sure if they advise it but it seems a good idea.
Edited by Harleyman on 13/04/2008 at 11:23
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If the camber was too steep to park normally, assuming a side support, turn the bike round so it's facing the traffic, bike should then be nearly upright, bike would then be less likley to be hit. Parking at right angles to the road is downright daft, shows no thought just habit.
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Luckily never broke down when on the bike on a motorway - but I'd be tempted to park it in such a way to make it more visible - say at a 45' angle as far to the left hand side of the hard shoulder as possible - if its parked end-on it would be virtually invisible, especially in bad weather conditions...
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I agree with the above, that would be the instinctively sensible way to park in an emergency.
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Worth pointing out also that bikes aren't generally equipped with hazard flashers.
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I'd try to find a gap in the armco and push it though to the grassy side. And get myself behind it as well.
I once had a puncture and discovered that with only a sidestand the bike wouldn't stay upright with a flat tyre and had to find a slope to park it on ;(
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In response to Harleyman
Well actually, most modern Japanese bikes do.
My Suzuki SV1000S had them on and my new Yamaha FZ1S has as well
For those of you into bikes, here is a link to a 360 view of a bike just like mine.
www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/model360/7/0/3...x
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Well actually, most modern Japanese bikes do.
Sorry, but I'd say that hazard warning is still a rarity on bikes.
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In response to Harleyman Well actually most modern Japanese bikes do. My Suzuki SV1000S had them on and my new Yamaha FZ1S has as well
As did my 1992 FLHS Sport Glide, and my current Sportster 1200R; Harleys aren't all old-fashioned y'know! ;-)
I would suggest though (not wanting to hijack the thread) that many bikers only discover their existence by accident, bit like the rear fog switch on cars!
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By parking side on, would this give it more chance of being blown over, by passing of the lorries ??
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At the last place I lived the chap opposite used to park his motorbike on the road at right angles to the pavement until I pointed out to him that it made it difficult for me to reverse out of my drive. Never found out why he did it. I can only assume it was just plain perverseness.
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I think its a symptom of automotive OCD referred to in other threads. Shockingly, motorcyclists can suffer from this. Ask any BMW boxer owner how obsessively they check the oil !
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