# Motorcycle etiquette - sharing a parking space? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761 "2010-04-20T16:30:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/21 "2010-04-20T19:35:18Z")
If I’m riding with a friend, I share the space. If I know there will be a lot of bikes coming (motorcycle show, rally) I leave a space. If I’m out riding, and parking is normal (grocery store vs. game 6 of the world series) I park my bike in the middle, front out for a fast and safe getaway. There, it seems a personal space issue, and I don’t want some clumsy ijit scraping in next to my nice bike. Then again, half the time I’ll probably park on the sidewalk near the door. \*\*All \*\*the time if I’m on a scooter. Fire lane if I’m on the Ural. I’ve often found mommy letting little Billy sit on/in the bike when I return to the parking lot. I give kids (and grown-ups) rides all the time, and spend hours explaining the bike to folks, but I’ll blow a small gasket when women (sorry, it’s always women) just throw their spawn on my bike like it’s the little pony ride in front of K-Mart without asking. I don’t need Little Ricky pressing up against the toasty mufflers and taking off like Richard Pyor because he’s still in his chinese Sure-Flame® jammies. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/22 "2010-04-20T20:27:32Z")
I always park to one side to allow room for another bike. I’ve never seen anyone accidentally kick over a $20K touring bike. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/23 "2010-04-20T20:53:42Z")
> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone accidentally kick over a $20K touring bike. Indeed, not likely to be kicked over, but scratching it up with an errant boot isn’t hard. The tipover happens when Tall, Dark, & Stupid’s bike falls over into yours. Maybe he didn’t put his sidestand down all the way, or maybe he dumped the bike as he was coming to a stop. Sorry, I don’t know you, there’s lots of spaces over yonder; go park over there. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/24 "2010-04-20T21:25:55Z")
I don’t share, not a lane not a parking space. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/25 "2010-04-20T21:27:35Z")
> [@Telcontar](#): > > My office recently set aside two spaces for motorcycles, cutting each in half so there were a total of 4 slots. Seems to be working out well. Y’know, they’re in the middle of repaving and repainting the parking lots at work. Maybe I should ask HR/Facilities if they would consider doing something like this. My bike’s not really big, it’s a small cruiser, so it doesn’t take up anywhere close to a full spot. It just surprised me when I looked out and saw another bike parked behind my bike. And from the angle I was looking at it, he looked like he parked it awfully close to mine, although when I went to leave for lunch there was more room between us than I thought. If this is normal then no big deal, I guess - it just took me by surprise, and seemed unnecessary since there were plenty of other open spaces in the lot (but mine was in front). ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/26 "2010-04-21T01:38:18Z")
In your company parking lot, you should got out and give the inconsiderate fool good tongue lashing (just hope it is not someone who is higher up the food chain) . Out in the rest of thew world, might wanna get a look at the other guy before you get all self righteous… Or not, do what you are big nuff to do. Nobody knew anyone else. No damage done. [Nobody knew anyone else. No damage done.](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_dhRsv7QUKHI/S8p-ZIiqLFI/AAAAAAAAXKk/yqxxFZ3nbCM/s800/SPITO075.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/27 "2010-04-21T02:12:52Z")
Gus, is that your Glide? I don’t see what the big deal is. I share a spot whenever I can. No problems so far and I have a pretty big bike. I’ve yet to see someone who can’t mount a motorcycle without scratching every bike near them. (well ok, taverns are excluded) Now that we have the little stuff out of the way, let’s sit down and discuss loud pipes on bikes :D. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/28 "2010-04-21T04:18:41Z")
Some people consider it wasting a spot by parking one motorcycle in a parking spot, but it’s no different than one person parking a car in a spot. Anyways, I usually park in odd places like the yellow or white stripes at the end of rows or other strange spots. When I do that, anyone is free to park another bike around me. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/29 "2010-04-21T06:00:39Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Why? Is there something I’m missing (I only ride bicycles) about motorcycles that makes it so you’re hurt in some material way by sharing ‘your’ parking spot? It depends. I had a stranger on a dresser park next to my Sportie; close. So close that once I got on I couldn’t pull my bike upright without hitting his or getting my bars and mirrors tangled in his. I had to slide it off the kickstand and pull it back supporting more weight in my arms that I was really happy with. (and I would NEVER straddle someone else’s seat and shift his/hers bike for them - stuff like that can get ugly) I’ve also had the case now and then when someone on another bike would crowd me but not too badly - until that car decided to pull in beside us hugging the line and making things tough. Scratched paint, chipped mirrors, dropping your bike on your own foot trying not to do one of the first two to some stranger; the costs add up over a course of years. Remember we’re talking a few hundred to many hundred pounds more than your bike. Given an tight parking situation we can’t easily pick it up and shift it. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/30 "2010-04-21T08:04:25Z")
> [@Telcontar](#): > > My office recently set aside two spaces for motorcycles, cutting each in half so there were a total of 4 slots. Seems to be working out well. My workplace has done this with six slots. Given that it’s bike weather about nine months of the year here and our parking lot is often overcrowded, it makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/31 "2010-04-21T10:50:34Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Some people consider it wasting a spot by parking one motorcycle in a parking spot, but it’s no different than one person parking a car in a spot. Except if I parked my compact car in a large parking space intended for an SUV or a extended cab pickup truck, there’d be a lot of people who (rightly) thought that was wasting a space too. I like the idea of cutting a couple of parking spaces in two for bikes, and have seen it before - I’m pretty sure that’s how the bike spaces at Old Orchard began life. Where I work people do tend to share spots with another bike unless it’s a rather large one which understandably needs the room. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/32 "2010-04-21T11:27:16Z")
Why aren’t you putting your bike in one of the dedicated bike parking bays? ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/33 "2010-04-21T12:34:04Z")
> [@Belrix](#): > > Wanna deal with whether it’s better to park on the yellow hashed lines at the end of a row? One driver in my office says “more spaces for me” and the other says “get out in the spaces like all the other vehicles”. [Ok, I will.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12366426) ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/34 "2010-04-21T12:46:15Z")
Some of the old school bikers around here seem to see it as some sort of show of solidarity. It’s just another way to discourage young punks from screwing with the bikes; sort of like slapping a Bandido sticker on the back. ---
**Author:** ![Neverender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neverender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverender)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/35 "2010-04-21T14:04:36Z")
If the space is adjacent to a wall, and your bike ends up closest to the wall, and the other bike is between yours and the ‘road’ of the parking lot, I could see it being a good thing, if someone blindly pulls in and hits the other bike first it may stop them plowing into yours. Just a thought, might not be applicable. I wouldn’t be too bothered, unless I was paying for the spot or it inconvenienced me somewhat, such as having to push my bike around theirs before mounting - I could see this being a problem if you ride a big or heavy bike. Otherwise it makes no sense two spots being taken up when you can get away with one. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/36 "2010-04-21T14:10:26Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why aren’t you putting your bike in one of the dedicated bike parking bays? Most places don’t have dedicated motorcycle parking. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/37 "2010-04-21T15:19:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Most places don’t have dedicated motorcycle parking. Interesting. It’s pretty normal - but not omnipresent - in the U.K. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/38 "2010-04-22T03:52:00Z")
Always share. Though, I get annoyed if they don’t follow the unwritten etiquette and cause me inconvenience (i.e, huge cruiser essentially parks you in, or parks so that you can’t stand your bike up). I find that most of the time, cruisers tend to get their own spaces (or share with the group if they’re in a group) while sports bikes seem happy to share with strangers. Probably because the average cruiser takes up more room than the average sports bike It doesn’t happen often though - I rarely park my bike in a parking spot anyway ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/39 "2010-04-22T09:07:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Most places don’t have dedicated motorcycle parking. And the places that do receive a lot of complaints from Hummer drivers that the parking stall lines are too close together when they park in them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761/40 "2010-04-22T12:09:28Z")
It’s rude if there’s plenty of open spaces. Like someone mentioned above if the second rider parks too close the first rider could get trapped by not being able to stand their motorcycle up. When you’re riding with someone you’re arriving and leaving at the same time so then you always share. In a regular size space if you park over to the left enough to make sure you don’t get trapped your motorcycle top ends up too close to the line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorcycle-etiquette-sharing-a-parking-space/536761.md?page=1)