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Tourer
Posts: 394
Tucson, AZ | This may be a silly question, but I'm curious. How many of you leave your bike in gear when you park and how many leave it in neutral? For one, I always leave mine in first gear when I park. My Harley buddy leaves his in neutral, even when parked on an incline. This has always puzzled me. Would you leave you four wheeler in neutral when it's parked? Wadda you say? |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Neutral, so I can start it and let it warm up without messing with the shift lever. I only park it in gear if offerred no other choice but to park facing downhill. |
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Cleveland, GA | I always park it in gear. I DON'T like the idea of it rolling away. I don't mind shifting it into neutral to start it - only takes a second. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | Neutral in my garage, in gear everywhere else... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I'm really neutral about this subject, and could shift either way. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | I just use the emergency 'Kill' Button - I heard from some HD guys that it would stop the bike from moving and even being stolen !!! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 141
| Always in gear..... Always. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 935
Rockford, IL | Flat or uphill or downhill I always leave it in neutral. The kickstand has a "lock" position when its down.
Try this.....go out put your bike in neutral and give your bike a good healthy shove forward and/or backwards....it ain't gonna go anywhere. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | I usually leave it in gear because I am lazy. I pulled up in gear so that's where it is when I get off of the Vision.
When getting ready to leave I unlock the trunk, tap it into neutral, key to on, engine kill switch to run and thumb the starter. While it warms up, I gear up and empty junk from my pockets into the trunk and saddle up.
Ride Safe! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 142
elgin mn | always neutral lock the ignition its not moving ! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 725
Reno County, KS | In gear. I always kill the engine in gear and let it roll which ever way it wants until the play in the tranny is gone. Then I throw down the kick stand. I don't have to worry about it wanting to roll if someone else takes it off the stand or I need to sit it up for whatever reason. When I get ready to go, I set it up and reach down with my left hand to take it to neutral. (For some damn reason I can't find it when I use my foot.)I like to leave the engine dead until I'm lined up to take off. I then start the bike and have my passenger get on back. Same way every time. I never even thought about it until now. HA.
edit... And oh yeah, one more thing I JUST realized while thinking about it. I instinctively grab the front brake a lot when getting on the bike. I also use the rebound of the front brake to y-turn if I have to. Just hit it hard when pushing it forward and the rebound helps me start wheeling it backwards. Cheap and dirty but it works.
Edited by bigwill5150 2010-06-29 10:06 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 523
seattle, wa | Neutral on flat ground, in gear on a hill. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | radioteacher - 2010-06-29 7:24 PM I usually leave it in gear because I am lazy. I pulled up in gear so that's where it is when I get off of the Vision. When getting ready to leave I unlock the trunk, tap it into neutral, key to on, engine kill switch to run and thumb the starter. While it warms up, I gear up and empty junk from my pockets into the trunk and saddle up. Ride Safe! NOT a good idea to let the bike idle while on the sidestand !!! This is another topic - we been 'der before .... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | At home I'll let it idle on the kick because the bike is sitting nearly level. But other than that, I agree it is not a best idea to let it idle leaning on the kick. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 132
Durango, Colorado | donetracey - 2010-06-29 10:35 PM radioteacher - 2010-06-29 7:24 PM I usually leave it in gear because I am lazy. I pulled up in gear so that's where it is when I get off of the Vision. When getting ready to leave I unlock the trunk, tap it into neutral, key to on, engine kill switch to run and thumb the starter. While it warms up, I gear up and empty junk from my pockets into the trunk and saddle up. Ride Safe! NOT a good idea to let the bike idle while on the sidestand !!! This is another topic - we been 'der before .... Idle mine on the side stand to warm-up in the garage and while preparing to leave work (shift worker). Ambient temps here in the spring are frequently in the mid 30"s low 40's in the mornings. Rather not damage the engine for lack of an adequate warm-up. Bike is always on level pavement while running on the side stand however. I do use the tranny to prevent rolling while parked on a hill as others have mentioned. Curious, what could be the problem with idling on the side stand? paulhu
Edited by paulhu 2010-06-30 1:41 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | OIL ! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 132
Durango, Colorado | So for nearly a hundred years motorcycle manufacturers have produced machines that have no problem idling on the side stand then wham, the most advanced motorcycle to hit the market comes along and Victory designed it without this capability? Hard to fathom..... or......A huge oversight IMO. I could not find anything warning of this peculiarity in the owners manual. So I guess when the engine fails due to insufficient lubrication the warranty will only back the faulty side stand........Cool. paulhu |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | paulhu, I can agree with you on this, there seems to be an oversight on two accounts with starting on the kick. I've thought in the past that one should never start the bike on the kick and that one minute idle before rollin' is okay. So that means mount, take off the kick and fire while tightening helmet or such. But that is not feasible when doing maintenance and it must be on the kick to idle and run.
So on the two accounts that I experience is that the oil pick-up seems slower and it does knock more and louder while on the kick and, if the fuel is low, it does not have sufficient pick-up on the left lean, the kick lean. My bike, having sufficient fuel to run, has not started on the kick because it did not pick up the fuel until the bike was righted.
On either account, there again, I usually mount the bike before starting, and if I am doing maintenance it is usually on the motorcycle jack, bringing it level. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 38
Tucson,AZ | I don't use the kill switch, only the key. Always in gear. Always on the bike before starting. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 849
, FL United States | GAColson - 2010-06-30 8:30 AM
I don't use the kill switch, only the key. Always in gear. Always on the bike before starting.
+1 |
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | Neutral on the flat, and in gear on slopes. And I always use the kill switch. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | paulhu - 2010-06-30 1:59 AM So for nearly a hundred years motorcycle manufacturers have produced machines that have no problem idling on the side stand then wham, the most advanced motorcycle to hit the market comes along and Victory designed it without this capability? Hard to fathom..... or......A huge oversight IMO. I could not find anything warning of this peculiarity in the owners manual. So I guess when the engine fails due to insufficient lubrication the warranty will only back the faulty side stand........Cool. paulhu See this thread or ask FastFred if you don't believe me: http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=6321&posts=18&mid=63029&highlight=engine+start&highlightmode=1&action=search#M63029 I have also read other accounts of this - for me - just plain makes sense and I don't RUN the bike on sidestand - starting is ok if you're gonna get going.... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 204
West Knoxville TN | Avoid hill parking, neutral w/kill sw or key. Oh and I idle it on the side stand. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | I seldom park my Vision, but when I do, I face the bike east so the kick stand is pointing north...up hill. That way I can start it on the kick stand and hopefully NOT in gear!!  |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 27
| In neutral in garage and 1st gear everywhere else. Also I never warm it up on sidestand. I start it, idle for about 20 seconds and drive away. I drive it easy for the first few miles. I've never had an issue doing it this way. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 228
| as to the question of oiling while leaning on the stand.....do you go around curves and corners without leaning??? pretty hard to do with the bike straight up so it will oil!! And all this cornering and leaning at a much greater angle than on the stand with hot oil and the engine spinning several thousand RPM......what a bunch of BS!!! IMHO
By the way...for the 40 years I have ridden....always in neutral. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | My personal opinion about the louder ticking while on the sidestand is that it is not an oil issue but rather a gravity issue. I think the sideways angle and low RPM's cause the cam chain to slide to the side of the gears and tensioners. |
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Tourer
Posts: 499
Chattanooga, TN | I use Feng Shui to help reduce the instances of mechanical breakdowns. Ie: When I park at night, and will be starting it back up in the morning, I face the bike east to meet the rising sun and ensure a trouble-free start. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | savage - 2010-07-01 4:46 AM as to the question of oiling while leaning on the stand.....do you go around curves and corners without leaning??? pretty hard to do with the bike straight up so it will oil!! And all this cornering and leaning at a much greater angle than on the stand with hot oil and the engine spinning several thousand RPM......what a bunch of BS!!! IMHO By the way...for the 40 years I have ridden....always in neutral. Problem as stated by VisionTex: A person who knows the 106 Freedom motor inside and out told me the oil pump - side stand lean angle issue was casued by the reduction in the 106 oil capacity vs. the older Freedom motors that had an extra quart of oil in the oil pan. Lets see - 30 seconds of warm up at idle with no oil being picked up by the pump into a cold drained engine VERSUS 4 or 5 seconds of left hand curve at several thousand with hot oil already pumped to all parts of the engine.... hmmm - what situation do ya think will do the most damage? Gee, I wonder.... any guesses anyone? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1290
Ruskin, Fl | I used to leave it in neutral so I could start it and let it warm up while I got my helmet and gloves on. Last month somebody backed into my friends HD soft tail in a parking lot. It would have certainly fallen over if it was not in gear. Now I leave it in first. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 235
Kincardine, Ontario, Canada | baadawg - 2010-07-01 12:23 PM
I use Feng Shui to help reduce the instances of mechanical breakdowns. Ie: When I park at night, and will be starting it back up in the morning, I face the bike east to meet the rising sun and ensure a trouble-free start.
I hope my wife doesn't read this.........LOL |
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | rwilly - 2010-06-29 11:32 PM
Neutral on flat ground, in gear on a hill.
Had a previous bike fall while parked on an uphill orientation. Due to an uneven spot in the pavement at the back wheel and the front being near the edge of a sloped curb, I guess for drainage purposes I suppose. All felt stable as I exited the saddle. Within two steps away from the bike I heard that terrible crash sound.
From then until today, always in gear and shut down with kill switch first. Kill switch because sometimes it can be awkward on an uphill to let off the hand break or pick up the right foot for the foot brake while you reach up for the ignition key. Not impossible but just real easy with the kill switch, (we all know how goofy a guy looks when he lifts the right foot for the foot brake, having leaned slightly to the left for balance purposes, only to realize the hard way that there is sand or gravel under the left one.  ) Man I hate when that happens. |
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | savage - 2010-07-01 6:46 AM
as to the question of oiling while leaning on the stand.....do you go around curves and corners without leaning??? pretty hard to do with the bike straight up so it will oil!! And all this cornering and leaning at a much greater angle than on the stand with hot oil and the engine spinning several thousand RPM......what a bunch of BS!!! IMHO
By the way...for the 40 years I have ridden....always in neutral.
I really don't have any scientific proof regarding the oil pick up while on the side stand, but I am absolutely sure that centrifugal force in a turn will always hold the oil in the bottom of the oil pan where it will be picked up by the oil pick up tube, just as it holds you firmly in the seat. Otherwise you would fall off the bike way before the engine was starved of oil. Hmmmmmmmmm. If you are good you can even swing an open bucket of water around and over your head without getting wet. I dare you.
And by the way, how in the world have you ridden for forty years straight and always kept it in neutral? Botta-Bing!!! Sorry, I had to.  |
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Cruiser
Posts: 162
Northern NJ | bigwill5150 - 2010-06-29 11:02 PM
In gear. I always kill the engine in gear ... +1 |
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Tourer
Posts: 432
Gettysburg, 2008 Tour Premium | This is what Vision riders talk about. If we all had Harleys we could all talk about how to make our bike run right with one of the many cam/tuner/exhaust combos out there.
Having a great running problem free bike is sometimes boring. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 619
Southeast Iowa | Always in neutral unless on a incline. Never use kill switch just turn the key off (you have to anyway right?) Most of the time I start the bike on the kick stand. To say you starve the bike for oil if it is slightly leaned over sounds crazy to me............we all know this is a pressurized lubrication system don't we??? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 228
| Big Vic - 2010-07-02 6:50 AM
Always in neutral unless on a incline. Never use kill switch just turn the key off (you have to anyway right?) Most of the time I start the bike on the kick stand. To say you starve the bike for oil if it is slightly leaned over sounds crazy to me............we all know this is a pressurized lubrication system don't we???
+1 Big Vic!! To say that one of (if not the best) engineered motorcycles in the world is incapable of idling while on the sidestand due to the engineers dropping the ball when designing this bike is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard! Polaris Industries and Victory would never had let this go due to untold warranty and possibly safety issues that would arise.
I have one question: Does your low oil pressure light come on while idling on the side stand? Mine never does! I usually start mine and let it idle while I'm putting my gear on.....no problems in 20K miles. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | sometimes I wonder, other times I just wander.... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 266
Hartland, , WI | Same routine always...that's why routine is now habit.
Stop bike in gear...even when getting gas (if you ever have had to pick up a bike in public you'll know why it makes sense to leave it in gear...so far, I never have dropped a bike but have helped several at gas station lift their bike back up...they weren't red faced because of grunting)...turn off IPOD, raise windshield, shut off button, key off, HID light switch off (08), shut off button back on, unplug head set, kickstand down, dismount (grabbing my pants cuff to help lift my boot clear over the seat, hate scuff marks more than being called stiffy).
Mount up...plug in headset, raise kickstand, shift into neutral...start engine and let it warm up while I put my gloves on, turn on IPOD, adjust windshield, turn on HID...go have fun!
Miss some safety/security features from the BMW LT....can't start engine if side stand is deployed (ever drive away with the side stand down...turn right out of the driveway and on the first left almost get launched off the bike...surprise!), can't start engine if you forgot to take it out of reverse backing into spot, must deploy clutch to start even in neutral....one press from the remote security key-fob locked all the trunks and compartments and armed the security alarm as you walked to the restaurant.
How much do I miss those features & the hydraulic center stand? I test road the VV for all of 5 minutes and bought it...sold the BMW the next day. All that technology and performance...way fast...don't mean $hit if you can't ride it more than an hour because of the crap foot position!
Edited by Vinner1 2010-07-06 8:48 AM
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