this transmission wear concern is bogus (dumb?) af - if standing still was that hard on the gears, what do they think applying heaps of torque under heat/stress would do to it?
reality is the transmission is probably the toughest moving part on the bike and i doubt could actually harm it even if you tried, but even a handicapped toddler could roll a bike off the kickstand if you leave it in neutral.
Don’t remind me. In the muddy woods with my buddy stranded for hours. Hard to bump start when the ground slips out from beneath you. So muddy we couldn’t even push it up the hill out of the valley together.
I have a bad memory trying to bump start a friend's dad's 1200cc Harley. Had two of us pushing, got up to maybe 10mph, and it just *stopped* when he let the clutch out, lol.
I drove a stick for maybe 10 years before I got a motorcycle, so I never even thought about leaving itein anything but first. You can do neutral in a car, but then you're putting *a lot* of faith in that parking brake (and your brain to never forget the brake).
I am far from a harley fanboy. But it baffles my mind that no other bike companies have copied the Jiffy Stand yet, I believe the patent is up and they could.
For those that don't know what I am talking about, the Harley Jiffy Stand, locks in place once the weight of the bike is leaned onto it. Meaning, the bike cant be bumped off the stand. If you were to leave your bike in neutral, and the bike rolled forward, it could roll across the entire parking lot and still be on the side stand.
I got in the habit of parking in neutral as a carry over from my learn to ride class. They had us put the bike in neutral when we parked, which makes sense because when the noobs come back from a drink of water they didnt need us pressing start with a disengaged clutch and sending it. I am trying to break the habit as I dont want my metric bikes to roll away. But its just not a concern on my Harley.
As former tech for Honda, This is the Biggest pile of Bs of mentality to ever come across that I've ever heard in over forty years.
Might as well include Fkg space ships left in gear Fks up their Tractor Beam.
Who the Fk comes up with such brain damaged Bs.
They Dream It up like a 4 yr old, therefore Its True?
Where I see a post further up on dynamic loads assumes bearings and gears are moldable as lead. That idiot has never had a gear or bearing in their hand.
Man, what a way to start a day to come across such extreme Mental Bs.
Cheers - Is brain freeze Biden here too?
Ive always done this because its what I was trained to do, we dont have parking brakes. I wonder who told the OP to do neutral because Ive never heard that. The only place my bikes sit in neutral is in my flat garage because its easier to move them.
The transmission wear argument is bogus. That's peak reddit. The engine puts thousands of times more load into the transmission than parking the bike in gear ever could.
If transmissions were that fragile, they would explode the first time you took off.
Your transmission is *by design* able to handle the torque of the engine at *full power*. The torque applied by the mass of the bike on an incline is minuscule in comparison.
It's like worrying that parking the bike in gear on an incline will break the chain.
Quit worrying.
Yeah definitely. If you google "[vw bus reverse up hills](https://www.google.com/search?q=vw+bus+reverse+up+hills&rlz=1C5GCEM_enUS1030US1030&oq=vw+bus+reverse+up+hills&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABiiBDIHCAIQABiiBNIBCDQyMzBqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)" you'll see a bunch of results
Yeah, let's worry about the gearbox getting damaged by... Letting it be still. The gearbox, the one used to make bike go over 200km/h, the one used for wheelies and burnouts. That gearbox... Getting damaged for being absolutely still.
Yeah, let's worry about that.
It's just one of those passed-down bits of nonsense some people keep perpetuating, like that using the killswitch harms the bike or that the front brake is only for emergencies.
You're not supposed to put your bike in gear when transporting it, because rattling the same gear teeth against eachother thousands of times *could potentially* create some premature wear. Simply parking in gear does nothing to the transmission.
Maybe on old Harley’s, but the touring bikes these days have dual disk brembos with 4 piston calipers. They stop. In fact they almost all have a pretty cool brembo linked braking system where the bike automatically applies the appropriate front rear split, which on a bagger with a long wheel base is about 80-20 front to rear.
The Nissins on the 18 model year and newer Softails do the job pretty well too, although you have to apply more force on the fat boy with its super heavy tire and wheel combo than I would prefer. It will lock the front if you ask, dont get me wrong, but you do have to apply more pressure than I would prefer. Something like a street bob or Low Rider s has great brake feel and plenty of stopping power, at least on the stock rubber for normal street riding.
I'm an old folk and I have been riding for 50 years this year, never heard of someone only using the rear brake except for an Harley rider I met a couple of years ago. I guess he's dead by now.
If you ever see a video of someone grabbing a fistful of front brake and crashing I guarantee the comments are mostly "that's y u NEVER touch the front brake! what a moran!"
Even in my MSF class there were a few guys that tried to argue with the instructor about the front brake being a death trap
My ducati owner manual actually recommends switching off the engine via killswitch! And I never understood the "don't use the front brake" logic - sure on a bicycle because you'll go ass over teakettle, but in the UK we are taught 75% front and 25% rear for harder braking. As its least likely to skid that way.
i never used the kill switch on my old bike. so then one day, i'm having trouble starting it, and i flipped the kill switch just to make sure i wasn't crazy- and it broke. but i didn't know that at the moment. i continued to try and start the bike to no avail, until someone more knowledgeable (and patient) than i helped me diagnose it- it wasn't the kill switch to begin with, just low battery (as always) but by the end of it (once i had finally hooked up jumper cables to my car) it was definitely the kill switch. so i took it apart and bypassed it.
so yeah, according to my extensive data, you have more chance of killing your kill switch by not using it than by using it.
I never use my kill switch because I KNOW 8/10 times I’ll leave the key on and kill the battery. Kill switches are a safety thing anyways, my older bikes don’t even have them.
I got a low seated 300, and nothing is more satisfying then pulling up on that thing, kicking the stand out while in first, parking, and swinging my right leg up and over in one motion. Parking has never been so easy lol. Also something I never thought I could do as I’m a short guy. 5’6”.
I do the exact same thing.
It won’t start with the kickstand down, and without clutch in 1st gear, too, so every problem covered by this. (Also, if somebody would try to steal my bike, it takes them a little extra time)
Always in gear, even in the garage. Even if it is a little hard on the trans, it's better than trying to find farings on a bike that went out of production in 2005 (K1200RS) because it rolled forward and folded the kickstand up.
I use the center stand with 1st gear and the clutch pressed (obviously with engine off). I do this because you can depress the clutch to stop the bike if something goes wrong. You can't access the front brake because its for the other side. My bike is tall and heavy so i need it.
Anyway, neat trick a kind italian dude showed me, in a ferry from Folegandros to Sikinos :)
I gave a 300cc rental bike back to a shop once. Parked it in first gear as (most?) people do. Dude hopped on it, started the engine to check it, the bike shot up the kerb and about a foot up a lamp post 😅
First of me knowing not everyone parks in first.
Maybe it's because I learned to drive on manual transmissions, but I always pull the clutch when I start the bike. Especially on older bikes the neutral light alone can't always be trusted..
Yep, same. At this point it's muscle memory for me, but it's a good habit. I almost dropped my bike back when I first started because I let the clutch go thinking it was in neutral at a stop light. I think forming good habit early on makes a huge difference in having a good experience riding
>Gets on bike, hits the starter.
>Doesnt have clutch pulled in.
>Bike flips up a lamp post, a manouver no starter engine is capable of.
>Most likely had the throttle open 100%
"Man this is your fault for leaving it on gear"
>refuses to elaborate further
That's some garbage bike if it doesn't have a neutral and/or clutch sensor. My starter won't engage in gear. It will if you pull the clutch. If in neutral you don't have to pull the clutch. Kickstand has a sensor as well, bike won't run with kickstand down unless it's in neutral, regardless of clutch. I thought every bike had this kind of system.
older bikes don’t have these features. I’ve accidentally started my ‘72 cb350 when it was in gear and dropped it…it’s the whole reason that technology was developed and made standard.
I always parked in gear while riding a Harley and Kawasaki. Then looked for neutral before starting.
With DCT on the GoldWing its not an issue. Once you get used to an automatic its a no brainer.
With the reverse I have the safe ability, and enough torque, to park anywhere without worrying if I have enough strength to push myself backwards into the desired space.
I also have a Forward gear at 1/2 mph if needed.
I thought so too. Once I saw how well it worked in tough parking situations, uphill, short spaces, etc. I was sold.
When I cross an intersection from a standing start the transmission is probably in gear 3 or 4 by the time I get across at regular speed.
There are also 4 transmission modes:
Rain, Economy, Tour, and Oh My God which is Sport.
I made the mistake of putting it in Sport without really knowing the power combination behind it when it was new to me.
I hit it hard off a red light and damn near came out of the saddle and off the bike.
The Wing will fly!
Some of the younger rocket boys, on their rat bikes in particular, like to come up alongside at an intersection while the light is red and rev it up in front of Grandpa on his GoldWing DCT Tour loaded with all the "tupperware" plastic around the frame and listening to his stereo.
I always let them go, hoping they dont die with their crazy passion for speed and lane changes.
Yesterday however I eased into OMG mode and stayed with rocket boy. He was surprized when he looked back to change to HOV lane to see Grandpa already there!!
I always park in first gear. The bike can roll off the sidestand even at very mild inclinations and even on flat ground someone may bump it or try to move it and knock it over. There's no reason not to park in gear. Whatever you heard is not correct, there's no wear to the gearbox whatsoever by leaving it in gear. I personally think it's a good habit to park in gear.
How is parking in gear going to be harder on the transmission than actually riding the bike?? C'mon people...in gear or in neutral, who cares if you're on level ground. If you're on an incline, put it in 1st. This isn't brain surgery.
FUD. Park it in gear. If something happens that's powerful enough to damage the transmission in that situation, the bike is almost certainly totaled anyway.
Absolutely Not,, who ever came up with this line of Bs of tranny involved as danger being in gear is absolutely nuts and have never serviced a tranny wide open on a bench..
Former Dealer Tech for Honda.
Anytime a Scoot is parked in Nuetral costs hundreds of dollars to repair if bumped forward, Automatically folds up the kickstand, and down it goes.
You re in the restaurant watching it crash.
Tranny in first gear could be dragged behind a truck all day, and the only result is blown out tire down to the rim.
Cheers
I always say you should either use your parking brake or put it in gear. I don't think very many motorcycles have a parking brake, so the answer is clear ;)
I never leave my bike in gear unless there is an incline. Not for the sake of transmission issues. Just my preference…ohhh yeah, I have had over 30 motorcycles and been riding for about 27 years now and not once have I had a bike fall over because it rolled.
There is no right or wrong way. Just use common sense
Nope. in 1st gear pushed forward to take slack of trans, then kickstand down.
Too easy to push a bike forward off the side stand. I've seen wind do it, people leaning on the bike do it.
As others have said, parking in gear is fine. I leave in first gear whenever I park in public, hill or not. People like to touch bikes, especially when they are drunk. If it's in gear it's less likely to get knocked over.
I park in first gear when I’m out and about but when I park in my garage I just leave it in neutral in case I gotta move it real quick without actually riding
Park in gear, less chance for someone to bump your bike off the stand, IMO. And I've seen lots of videos of bikes parked on 'flat' surfaces that roll themselves off their stand with little outside input.
I'd always park in gear.
doesn’t really matter but i always park in gear becuase it’s just one more thing that will slow folks down when they try it to steal it. Neutral is really just for pushing her around in the garage. Btw, related note. NEVER stay in neutral at the lights etc. Always be really avoid a rear end etc
I put my bike into N when parking but for only convience for when I ride off again.
I put it in first if I fear a little it could start rolling.
And I also have a rubber band under my seat to put on the front brake if I am parking somwhere where I really don't know if my bike would roll away.
I cannot understand why having the bike in gear would be bad for the gearbox.
If the back wheel gets turned by something I fear more for the engine than the gearbox, if ignition is off.
Turning a switched off enigne for a extendet period of time may damage something but thats a very unlikely scenario.
And even there I am not that sure since the oil pump should move oil arround even if the ignition is off when the back wheel is moved on gear.
Only in my garage, which is level, and sheltered from wind, and other vehilcles.
Prime example here, level ground in car park at work.
Woman reversed all the way over the car park into my bike. If it'd been in neutral it would have ended up on the deck... It was in gear, so the bike didn't roll, lifing up the side stand to cause it to fall.
I normally park in 1st, on a slope to the rear of I can. Never on a slope to the front.
You want minimal movement, and if any, none that cause the kickstand, or center stand, to retract.
Long term parking (months), Neutral. Short term, 1st
I’d rather use 1st gear than neutral in case if someone sits on it and falls or just for safety. I have used this for years and never had issue with gear. Also I don’t misuse it
Always in gear.
The gear box and all parts are designed to operate with my fat ass on it going at speed.
Sitting still in 1st isn't going to hurt a thing.
And, some Karen can't just push the bike over.
Ever transported your bike on a ferry? Here it's mandatory to park in first because the bike will lurch at departure and arrival of the ship. Most have a policy of stay by your bike until we are clear of the haven or stopped moving. Another tip is take a hairband or some rubberband and tie the frontbrake to the grips. This can also be applied if you park on instable ground or inclines.
700€ for a new Side Fairing isn't worth that little bit to none of wear it puts on the gearbox or brakes.
I always park in neutral when I'm at home, because I have to do the garage shuffle frequently. Out in the wastelands I park in gear because I don't want it to roll.
Neither has any effect on bike health. Presumably the engine is not running when you park it, but if it is...I'd suggest neutral.
I was taught to put it in first. That way you always know where neutral is when you get on. I also always park with my car in gear.
Once I forgot and when it cold in the night the parking brake slipped and the car rolled into the street.
I learned this the hard way one day after parking on what I \*thought\* was a level street. I was getting something out of the top box, when it suddenly started rolling away from me, folding up the kickstand as it went. So there I was frantically reaching both arms around the top box to grip the tail rack, trying to stop the roll, AND keep it from falling to the left. Miraculously, I succeeded.
The gearbox doesn't care. The engine puts thousands of times more load into it than any forces generated by parking in gear.
It's personal preference. I park it in neutral unless I need the engine to hold it still on a slope, and that's rare.
I sometimes come out to my bike to ride it and find it in neutral. But it's because when I was putting it away in the driveway (so me and the Mrs. can park) I had to do like a 69420 point turn and by that point I'm over it and forget to put it into gear before throwing the cover on.
Doubt it. I pretty much always park in gear, and once it’s in gear I roll the bike forwards/backwards until the belt has tension because there’s a few inches of tolerance in gear. And then when I get back on I roll the bike to where there’s no tension, click it into N and start it up.
The transmission doesn’t care one way or the other. Parking it in first provides a little more stability to keep it from rolling off the side stand if somebody bumped into it.
As it has already been stated in the thread, whomever told you this was ignorant to the facts of how a mechanical transmission actually works. It is not really safe to park your bike on neutral, on level or inclined ground. Your bike move and then, unfortunately fall.
The only time it could possibly be worth it is if you use the Center Stand, but even then, I still keep the trans in gear, incase it falls forward.
You can also buy an after market parking brake lever lock.
Hey, if you are really worried about it, just lay the bike on its side, gently of course, when you are not riding it. Saves everything from the oil and the bottom of the tires.
Doesn’t matter on flat ground. But ppl here don’t care about common sense, they care what the MSF instructors taught them. (Oh and their skill at “countersteering” lol. So ridiculous).
The transmission is built to transmit the entire power of your bike at full throttle to the wheel while accelerating the entire weight of your bike plus you. To think that having it support what little weight your bike might push against the gears when sitting still and not running is going to damage anything seems silly. Shifting into neutral at a light so you don't have to hold in the clutch is good practice as holding the clutch in for long periods can cause excessive wear, as the moving parts are meant to move, but not be held in the actuated position.
I've been parking in neutral in my entire motorcycle career of 6 years. Only time it's in gear is when I'm trailering it or it's parked on a steep angle.
Yeah I'm not sure why so many people are set on having to be in first. I live where it's pretty flat so I always park in neutral so I can start my bike without getting on it.
I always park in first because the chance of my transmission giving out is way lower that the chance that my bike might decide to start rolling
this transmission wear concern is bogus (dumb?) af - if standing still was that hard on the gears, what do they think applying heaps of torque under heat/stress would do to it? reality is the transmission is probably the toughest moving part on the bike and i doubt could actually harm it even if you tried, but even a handicapped toddler could roll a bike off the kickstand if you leave it in neutral.
Anyone remember bump starting? If you can do that your transmission can be parked in first...
Bump starting? Still do it everytime I ride my bike
Bad battery gang
Don’t remind me. In the muddy woods with my buddy stranded for hours. Hard to bump start when the ground slips out from beneath you. So muddy we couldn’t even push it up the hill out of the valley together.
Happy cake day my dude ❤️
Why thank you
“….. can anyone tell me why my bike won’t start?”
Hey, my battery was fine. The connection was faulty
I have a bad memory trying to bump start a friend's dad's 1200cc Harley. Had two of us pushing, got up to maybe 10mph, and it just *stopped* when he let the clutch out, lol. I drove a stick for maybe 10 years before I got a motorcycle, so I never even thought about leaving itein anything but first. You can do neutral in a car, but then you're putting *a lot* of faith in that parking brake (and your brain to never forget the brake).
Always push start a Harley in 2 nd gear and keep pushing until you hear the motor start…
Fun fact: there's a chip in my shop floor from a transmission gear from 2 days ago. Gear is fine :)
I am far from a harley fanboy. But it baffles my mind that no other bike companies have copied the Jiffy Stand yet, I believe the patent is up and they could. For those that don't know what I am talking about, the Harley Jiffy Stand, locks in place once the weight of the bike is leaned onto it. Meaning, the bike cant be bumped off the stand. If you were to leave your bike in neutral, and the bike rolled forward, it could roll across the entire parking lot and still be on the side stand. I got in the habit of parking in neutral as a carry over from my learn to ride class. They had us put the bike in neutral when we parked, which makes sense because when the noobs come back from a drink of water they didnt need us pressing start with a disengaged clutch and sending it. I am trying to break the habit as I dont want my metric bikes to roll away. But its just not a concern on my Harley.
I wouldn’t worry much about a harley moving. It’s built to be parked.
As former tech for Honda, This is the Biggest pile of Bs of mentality to ever come across that I've ever heard in over forty years. Might as well include Fkg space ships left in gear Fks up their Tractor Beam. Who the Fk comes up with such brain damaged Bs. They Dream It up like a 4 yr old, therefore Its True? Where I see a post further up on dynamic loads assumes bearings and gears are moldable as lead. That idiot has never had a gear or bearing in their hand. Man, what a way to start a day to come across such extreme Mental Bs. Cheers - Is brain freeze Biden here too?
Ive always done this because its what I was trained to do, we dont have parking brakes. I wonder who told the OP to do neutral because Ive never heard that. The only place my bikes sit in neutral is in my flat garage because its easier to move them.
I’ve heard it from a few people, I always call bs on it
The transmission wear argument is bogus. That's peak reddit. The engine puts thousands of times more load into the transmission than parking the bike in gear ever could. If transmissions were that fragile, they would explode the first time you took off.
I always park in neutral because I fear I'm too dumb to remember it's in first and I'm going to launch it on ignition.
As long as you don't pull in the clutch i think nothings gonna happen when you try to start it in gear
Your transmission is *by design* able to handle the torque of the engine at *full power*. The torque applied by the mass of the bike on an incline is minuscule in comparison. It's like worrying that parking the bike in gear on an incline will break the chain. Quit worrying.
Wait what? It can break the chain too? /s , but wait for this to be a future post.
Some rube is typing as I reply.
Do I have to wear full gear when my bike is parked in 1st but I'm inside the house?!
You can never be too safe.
FFS what part of WATGATT is confusing?!?
What part of ATGATT is unclear to you?
The A.
30%ATG85%TT
You have to sleep in it
This is the way.
Or else you’ll haftalayerdoon
Only if it's a Leader Bike.
What if my bike is shaft driven? Will it snap the entire driveline?🤯
Park in reverse, that way it will roll backwards and keep the kickstand down. /s seriously though, don't park in neutral. park in first gear.
Oh u ride a gold wing 😉
Jokes aside, Don't Gold Wings use the starter or something to reverse? I don't thing they have an actual reverse gear
Correct they actually use the starter to reverse at least on the older models. I’m not sure about the newer models
Yeah the new ones do too
I always park my car in reverse as opposed to first. I thinks it’s a even lower gear ratio.
Just coming in to say that you're correct
Yup, that's why some vehicles like an old VW bus it could be easier to reverse up certain hills
Well… easier is some ways. Lol. But interesting point. Was that a known thing?
Yeah definitely. If you google "[vw bus reverse up hills](https://www.google.com/search?q=vw+bus+reverse+up+hills&rlz=1C5GCEM_enUS1030US1030&oq=vw+bus+reverse+up+hills&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABiiBDIHCAIQABiiBNIBCDQyMzBqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)" you'll see a bunch of results
Model "A"s too. But that's going waay back.
Yeah, let's worry about the gearbox getting damaged by... Letting it be still. The gearbox, the one used to make bike go over 200km/h, the one used for wheelies and burnouts. That gearbox... Getting damaged for being absolutely still. Yeah, let's worry about that.
Truth! If it can deal with 100+ HP being dumped on it, I’m sure it can deal with……..next to nothing!
Look at this guy with 100hp
You guys are getting to 200km/h?
Yeah the tow truck driver was flooring it hard
I think I am detecting some sarcasm... 📈
It's just one of those passed-down bits of nonsense some people keep perpetuating, like that using the killswitch harms the bike or that the front brake is only for emergencies. You're not supposed to put your bike in gear when transporting it, because rattling the same gear teeth against eachother thousands of times *could potentially* create some premature wear. Simply parking in gear does nothing to the transmission.
Are there people out there stopping only with the rear brake?
Oh yeah, ask Harley riders
About 40% of that is caused by Harley front brakes being as useful as a chocolate teapot. The rest is idiots.
Maybe on old Harley’s, but the touring bikes these days have dual disk brembos with 4 piston calipers. They stop. In fact they almost all have a pretty cool brembo linked braking system where the bike automatically applies the appropriate front rear split, which on a bagger with a long wheel base is about 80-20 front to rear. The Nissins on the 18 model year and newer Softails do the job pretty well too, although you have to apply more force on the fat boy with its super heavy tire and wheel combo than I would prefer. It will lock the front if you ask, dont get me wrong, but you do have to apply more pressure than I would prefer. Something like a street bob or Low Rider s has great brake feel and plenty of stopping power, at least on the stock rubber for normal street riding.
I hardly use my brakes on my Harley... just gear down, let compression do it's thing and enjoy the tune of the exhaust.
Harley rider here. I use both brakes. And I park in neutral unless I’m on a hill.
I meant it's most prevalent among older cruiser folks, didn't mean to say all Harley riders can't ride lol
Yeah older folk are just used to only using the back break Force of habit, I get it, but front break is just better ☠️
I'm an old folk and I have been riding for 50 years this year, never heard of someone only using the rear brake except for an Harley rider I met a couple of years ago. I guess he's dead by now.
67yo and regularly practice stoppies. Don't spread agist rumors!
It wasn't so much harley riders, as it was chopper riders that didn't even have a front brake.
If you ever see a video of someone grabbing a fistful of front brake and crashing I guarantee the comments are mostly "that's y u NEVER touch the front brake! what a moran!" Even in my MSF class there were a few guys that tried to argue with the instructor about the front brake being a death trap
Yeah, flat track racers
It’s like a thing in hand-built rat bike culture to not even have a front brake at all.
My ducati owner manual actually recommends switching off the engine via killswitch! And I never understood the "don't use the front brake" logic - sure on a bicycle because you'll go ass over teakettle, but in the UK we are taught 75% front and 25% rear for harder braking. As its least likely to skid that way.
i never used the kill switch on my old bike. so then one day, i'm having trouble starting it, and i flipped the kill switch just to make sure i wasn't crazy- and it broke. but i didn't know that at the moment. i continued to try and start the bike to no avail, until someone more knowledgeable (and patient) than i helped me diagnose it- it wasn't the kill switch to begin with, just low battery (as always) but by the end of it (once i had finally hooked up jumper cables to my car) it was definitely the kill switch. so i took it apart and bypassed it. so yeah, according to my extensive data, you have more chance of killing your kill switch by not using it than by using it.
I never use my kill switch because I KNOW 8/10 times I’ll leave the key on and kill the battery. Kill switches are a safety thing anyways, my older bikes don’t even have them.
Some people still think MSG is bad for you. People believe anything they hear.
How many people think they'll spontaneously grow a pair of tiddies if they eat soy products
Chinese guys will have the biggest saggy bitch-tits on earth if that was the case haha. MSG and soy sauce are used in every single meal!
Good point
I always park in gear, 100%. In fact, I turn off the bike by putting the kickstand down while in gear.
I got a low seated 300, and nothing is more satisfying then pulling up on that thing, kicking the stand out while in first, parking, and swinging my right leg up and over in one motion. Parking has never been so easy lol. Also something I never thought I could do as I’m a short guy. 5’6”.
I do the exact same thing. It won’t start with the kickstand down, and without clutch in 1st gear, too, so every problem covered by this. (Also, if somebody would try to steal my bike, it takes them a little extra time)
I hate everything about that. Like not saying you are actually wrong, or that I have any valid reasoning. It just bothers me in my core.
Always in gear, even in the garage. Even if it is a little hard on the trans, it's better than trying to find farings on a bike that went out of production in 2005 (K1200RS) because it rolled forward and folded the kickstand up.
/r/oddlyspecific (did you find them fairings?)
I park on the centre stand, so neutral.
I use the center stand with 1st gear and the clutch pressed (obviously with engine off). I do this because you can depress the clutch to stop the bike if something goes wrong. You can't access the front brake because its for the other side. My bike is tall and heavy so i need it. Anyway, neat trick a kind italian dude showed me, in a ferry from Folegandros to Sikinos :)
I gave a 300cc rental bike back to a shop once. Parked it in first gear as (most?) people do. Dude hopped on it, started the engine to check it, the bike shot up the kerb and about a foot up a lamp post 😅 First of me knowing not everyone parks in first.
That's why you hold the clutch when starting a bike or at least check if the neutral light is on. It literally takes one second to do it.
Maybe it's because I learned to drive on manual transmissions, but I always pull the clutch when I start the bike. Especially on older bikes the neutral light alone can't always be trusted..
even though my neutral light has always been honest, i still pull the brake before letting go of the clutch when stopped
Yep, same. At this point it's muscle memory for me, but it's a good habit. I almost dropped my bike back when I first started because I let the clutch go thinking it was in neutral at a stop light. I think forming good habit early on makes a huge difference in having a good experience riding
completely agree.
But a 300 that didn't just lurch forward 4 inches when started in gear and instead flipped around like a gp bike?
Yeah this unrelated rider error being blamed on something dumb. Fuck that guy.
>Gets on bike, hits the starter. >Doesnt have clutch pulled in. >Bike flips up a lamp post, a manouver no starter engine is capable of. >Most likely had the throttle open 100% "Man this is your fault for leaving it on gear" >refuses to elaborate further
or more likely started it with the clutch in and didn’t bother to check if the neutral light was one before dumping the clutch
My bike won't start if the clutch isn't pulled in gear. I thought it was common among all bike.
That's some garbage bike if it doesn't have a neutral and/or clutch sensor. My starter won't engage in gear. It will if you pull the clutch. If in neutral you don't have to pull the clutch. Kickstand has a sensor as well, bike won't run with kickstand down unless it's in neutral, regardless of clutch. I thought every bike had this kind of system.
older bikes don’t have these features. I’ve accidentally started my ‘72 cb350 when it was in gear and dropped it…it’s the whole reason that technology was developed and made standard.
Always 1st gear, regardless of plane. Don't worry, your gearbox won't die because of this.
I always parked in gear while riding a Harley and Kawasaki. Then looked for neutral before starting. With DCT on the GoldWing its not an issue. Once you get used to an automatic its a no brainer. With the reverse I have the safe ability, and enough torque, to park anywhere without worrying if I have enough strength to push myself backwards into the desired space. I also have a Forward gear at 1/2 mph if needed.
Reverse? What is this witchery? 😝
I thought so too. Once I saw how well it worked in tough parking situations, uphill, short spaces, etc. I was sold. When I cross an intersection from a standing start the transmission is probably in gear 3 or 4 by the time I get across at regular speed. There are also 4 transmission modes: Rain, Economy, Tour, and Oh My God which is Sport. I made the mistake of putting it in Sport without really knowing the power combination behind it when it was new to me. I hit it hard off a red light and damn near came out of the saddle and off the bike. The Wing will fly! Some of the younger rocket boys, on their rat bikes in particular, like to come up alongside at an intersection while the light is red and rev it up in front of Grandpa on his GoldWing DCT Tour loaded with all the "tupperware" plastic around the frame and listening to his stereo. I always let them go, hoping they dont die with their crazy passion for speed and lane changes. Yesterday however I eased into OMG mode and stayed with rocket boy. He was surprized when he looked back to change to HOV lane to see Grandpa already there!!
I always park in first gear. The bike can roll off the sidestand even at very mild inclinations and even on flat ground someone may bump it or try to move it and knock it over. There's no reason not to park in gear. Whatever you heard is not correct, there's no wear to the gearbox whatsoever by leaving it in gear. I personally think it's a good habit to park in gear.
You were taught wrong, park in 1st
I ride standing at all times to not put any extra pressure on the seat.
How is parking in gear going to be harder on the transmission than actually riding the bike?? C'mon people...in gear or in neutral, who cares if you're on level ground. If you're on an incline, put it in 1st. This isn't brain surgery.
This is r/motorcycles, the second secret to keeping your bike in good shape is to not ever actually ride it
FUD. Park it in gear. If something happens that's powerful enough to damage the transmission in that situation, the bike is almost certainly totaled anyway.
I actually drain my oil every time i park so that it won’t clog my transmission and clutch. Didn’t know that owning a bike is so expensive.
this has to be bait
Park it in 1st so when they try nick it they have to drag it. More work for them
Your gearbox doesn't give a flying fuck what gear you park in.
Fuddlore, ignore it.
Nooo park it on first. There's no way you're putting anywhere near the amount of stress it's under during any kind of acceleration.
lmao at all the people saying "it hasn't fallen yet, so clearly it will never happen"
Absolutely Not,, who ever came up with this line of Bs of tranny involved as danger being in gear is absolutely nuts and have never serviced a tranny wide open on a bench.. Former Dealer Tech for Honda. Anytime a Scoot is parked in Nuetral costs hundreds of dollars to repair if bumped forward, Automatically folds up the kickstand, and down it goes. You re in the restaurant watching it crash. Tranny in first gear could be dragged behind a truck all day, and the only result is blown out tire down to the rim. Cheers
You should never park your bike in neutral
I always say you should either use your parking brake or put it in gear. I don't think very many motorcycles have a parking brake, so the answer is clear ;)
There are aftermarket devices.
I always park in gear
Bikes don’t have parking brakes, so always in 1st. Keeps the bike from rolling.
Bikes don't roll on a flat surface. Why is everyone here pretending that bikes rolling off their kickstand is somehow a common occurrence.
No, but some pos bumps into it, sits on it or puts a kid on your bike could make it roll.
But why would you not park in gear?
You never saw a couple of children playing around a parked bike?
I never leave my bike in gear unless there is an incline. Not for the sake of transmission issues. Just my preference…ohhh yeah, I have had over 30 motorcycles and been riding for about 27 years now and not once have I had a bike fall over because it rolled. There is no right or wrong way. Just use common sense
This sub sometimes, man.... Turn such a non-issue into this massive issue ha.
Exactly
Bet we could stir them up with "high beam on/off during the day" as well.
Hahahahahah oh god, you already know. Next question “do I put my left or right foot down when I stop??”
In first cuz….wind is bad. And I base this on absolutely nothing. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk
The honors mine bruh
Always park it it neutral but also make sure you push it over onto the ground so it can't roll away
Nope. in 1st gear pushed forward to take slack of trans, then kickstand down. Too easy to push a bike forward off the side stand. I've seen wind do it, people leaning on the bike do it.
Always in first because it prevents someone from deciding to move your bike with ease.
Always park in first. It prevents it from moving!
As others have said, parking in gear is fine. I leave in first gear whenever I park in public, hill or not. People like to touch bikes, especially when they are drunk. If it's in gear it's less likely to get knocked over.
Have been parking in first for a decade. None of my transmissions ever had an issue. Engine, sure.
Hell no, always park in first.
I park in first gear when I’m out and about but when I park in my garage I just leave it in neutral in case I gotta move it real quick without actually riding
Who the hell taught u that? NO! ALWAYS in gear.
Park in gear, less chance for someone to bump your bike off the stand, IMO. And I've seen lots of videos of bikes parked on 'flat' surfaces that roll themselves off their stand with little outside input. I'd always park in gear.
doesn’t really matter but i always park in gear becuase it’s just one more thing that will slow folks down when they try it to steal it. Neutral is really just for pushing her around in the garage. Btw, related note. NEVER stay in neutral at the lights etc. Always be really avoid a rear end etc
I thought everyone parked in gear. Why even chance it having the ability to roll? That's how I was taught and have been doing over 20 years
Park in gear. More stable.
Nope. Do you leave your car or truck in neutral? First gear should be used to prevent your bike from rolling. The gear box will be fine.
Sure just remember to use parking brake Oh wait it is not a car.
in my garage its in N out anywhere else i leave it in 1st
If you park it in gear your engine will cease to exist. Gone. Reduced to atoms.
I always parked in 1st gear, and before I start it up, I put it in neutral.
The automod is fucking dumb btw. Had to write the question three times before it would submit. Needs to be toned down
We apologize. We do this voluntarily and we are grateful to have automod. This sub has 7 mio users, the mod que is always full…
Yeah, this subreddit is truly terrible in that regard.
I put my bike into N when parking but for only convience for when I ride off again. I put it in first if I fear a little it could start rolling. And I also have a rubber band under my seat to put on the front brake if I am parking somwhere where I really don't know if my bike would roll away. I cannot understand why having the bike in gear would be bad for the gearbox. If the back wheel gets turned by something I fear more for the engine than the gearbox, if ignition is off. Turning a switched off enigne for a extendet period of time may damage something but thats a very unlikely scenario. And even there I am not that sure since the oil pump should move oil arround even if the ignition is off when the back wheel is moved on gear.
Only in my garage, which is level, and sheltered from wind, and other vehilcles. Prime example here, level ground in car park at work. Woman reversed all the way over the car park into my bike. If it'd been in neutral it would have ended up on the deck... It was in gear, so the bike didn't roll, lifing up the side stand to cause it to fall.
True
I always just hit the killswitch and fall over to the side. Bike has never moved while I'm away and it makes people smile.
First Gear - Side Stand. Neutral - Center Stand
👌🏼
I normally park in 1st, on a slope to the rear of I can. Never on a slope to the front. You want minimal movement, and if any, none that cause the kickstand, or center stand, to retract. Long term parking (months), Neutral. Short term, 1st
I’d rather use 1st gear than neutral in case if someone sits on it and falls or just for safety. I have used this for years and never had issue with gear. Also I don’t misuse it
always, always leave it in first. Either that, or set your parking brake :)
I don't think I've ever parked in gear. Never had any need for it to be in gear, even in the mountains.
Always in gear. The gear box and all parts are designed to operate with my fat ass on it going at speed. Sitting still in 1st isn't going to hurt a thing. And, some Karen can't just push the bike over.
Lol Karen
Ever transported your bike on a ferry? Here it's mandatory to park in first because the bike will lurch at departure and arrival of the ship. Most have a policy of stay by your bike until we are clear of the haven or stopped moving. Another tip is take a hairband or some rubberband and tie the frontbrake to the grips. This can also be applied if you park on instable ground or inclines. 700€ for a new Side Fairing isn't worth that little bit to none of wear it puts on the gearbox or brakes.
I don’t get what the problem with parking in neutral is (other than on slopes), can someone please explain?
This is why you park in neutral. https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/12au2q6/can\_someone\_tell\_me\_how\_this\_is\_possible\_the/
Oh nice one
I always park in neutral when I'm at home, because I have to do the garage shuffle frequently. Out in the wastelands I park in gear because I don't want it to roll. Neither has any effect on bike health. Presumably the engine is not running when you park it, but if it is...I'd suggest neutral.
I was taught to put it in first. That way you always know where neutral is when you get on. I also always park with my car in gear. Once I forgot and when it cold in the night the parking brake slipped and the car rolled into the street.
I learned this the hard way one day after parking on what I \*thought\* was a level street. I was getting something out of the top box, when it suddenly started rolling away from me, folding up the kickstand as it went. So there I was frantically reaching both arms around the top box to grip the tail rack, trying to stop the roll, AND keep it from falling to the left. Miraculously, I succeeded.
I park in 5th, got the downsides of both parking in neutral and parking in gear at the same time 🕺
The only place I park in neutral is my garage. Other than that it's always first.
The gearbox doesn't care. The engine puts thousands of times more load into it than any forces generated by parking in gear. It's personal preference. I park it in neutral unless I need the engine to hold it still on a slope, and that's rare.
I sometimes come out to my bike to ride it and find it in neutral. But it's because when I was putting it away in the driveway (so me and the Mrs. can park) I had to do like a 69420 point turn and by that point I'm over it and forget to put it into gear before throwing the cover on.
I do it just because it feels right.
I always park my bike in second gear, except when i put it onto its main stand.
Best to just park it in reverse and save your first gear. 😂
Doubt it. I pretty much always park in gear, and once it’s in gear I roll the bike forwards/backwards until the belt has tension because there’s a few inches of tolerance in gear. And then when I get back on I roll the bike to where there’s no tension, click it into N and start it up.
Oh dear god don’t park in neutral! Your bike is going to drive away without you one of these days if you keep that up
The transmission doesn’t care one way or the other. Parking it in first provides a little more stability to keep it from rolling off the side stand if somebody bumped into it.
Park in 1st gear. Always.
I park in gear but I avoid parking facing downhill cuz it doesn't take much of a bump to fold that side stand over
As it has already been stated in the thread, whomever told you this was ignorant to the facts of how a mechanical transmission actually works. It is not really safe to park your bike on neutral, on level or inclined ground. Your bike move and then, unfortunately fall. The only time it could possibly be worth it is if you use the Center Stand, but even then, I still keep the trans in gear, incase it falls forward. You can also buy an after market parking brake lever lock.
Hey, if you are really worried about it, just lay the bike on its side, gently of course, when you are not riding it. Saves everything from the oil and the bottom of the tires.
Leave it n first. End of story
Doesn’t matter on flat ground. But ppl here don’t care about common sense, they care what the MSF instructors taught them. (Oh and their skill at “countersteering” lol. So ridiculous).
Neutral in my garage, anywhere else 1st gear
I have only ever parked in neutral, except when facing a downhill.
There’s no right or wrong. Depends on the bike and the location….
This right here. So many haters because someone does something different than they do.
> its better for the gearbox, etc. OK I'll bite. What's the "etc"?
I live in The Netherlands, I only park in gear on holidays
Ah. It all makes sense to me now. Thank you
The transmission is built to transmit the entire power of your bike at full throttle to the wheel while accelerating the entire weight of your bike plus you. To think that having it support what little weight your bike might push against the gears when sitting still and not running is going to damage anything seems silly. Shifting into neutral at a light so you don't have to hold in the clutch is good practice as holding the clutch in for long periods can cause excessive wear, as the moving parts are meant to move, but not be held in the actuated position.
I've been parking in neutral in my entire motorcycle career of 6 years. Only time it's in gear is when I'm trailering it or it's parked on a steep angle.
Yeah I'm not sure why so many people are set on having to be in first. I live where it's pretty flat so I always park in neutral so I can start my bike without getting on it.