Filling up

[Capt Sisko]

Go slightly off topic but picking up on what some people commented on earlier about sitting astride their bikes whilst filling up. I'm not sure if it's common urban practice or not, but in my part of rural Shropshire only the big supermarkets in the main towns, (and we don't have many of those) have the 'pay at pump' option. Everywhere else it's pay in the shop. How do those that sit astride, helmet on get treated and why do you do knowing you've got to walk inside the shop to pay anyway?

 

Given the amount of drive off without paying we hear about, I do have some sympathy for small fuel station businesses who are struggling to survive, a drive off could take the days profits. They can't afford new 'pay at pump' erm, pumps, and in fact many want people to come into the shop anyway as they make more money from selling Mars bar & a can of pop than they do from the fuel.

 

Nothing personal or a gripe against anyone, just a, well just a curious question.

Edited March 6, 2024 by Capt Sisko

[Nick the wanderer]

Our nearest station is a Esso with a Tesco convenience store. I use the pay at pump so l can avoid all the people and queues inside. I generally fill up on the way back home so I'm ready to go straight out.

Some try and get you to remove your helmet etc. l just get back on and go to the next one, they are never more than 20 miles apart and I easily get that on reserve (when the light comes on these days) l know most of the stations around me. There is always another one.

I sit on mine to brim it, keeps the bike level and steady. No problem getting off it to go pay inside, just quicker without. Don't get treated any different to any other customers on the whole.

[S-Westerly]

I nearly always get off with the bike on the side stand even at pay at the pump. Mainly because of an embarrassing incident when I rode off not realising a fuel hose was looped around my pannier. Ended up wrecking the hose and spraying petrol everywhere. Now I always check.

[Nick the wanderer]

2 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

I nearly always get off with the bike on the side stand even at pay at the pump. Mainly because of an embarrassing incident when I rode off not realising a fuel hose was looped around my pannier. Ended up wrecking the hose and spraying petrol everywhere. Now I always check.

You're coming over as a bit accident prone..

[S-Westerly]

Only occasionally. It seems to come in bursts of chaos then calm down for a while. Just as well I don't play with nukes though.

 

[Nute]

Don’t have a centre stand and always get off when filling. The FTR has a fuel tank about the size of a coffee mug and it’s hidden down in the guts of the thing so to fully fill it requires a bit of faffing about dribbling the fuel in slowly. 

[Capt Sisko]

I had a BMW F800GT the once, the fuel cap for that was on the side, below the seat.  No choice but to get off on that one and whilst it didn't really matter, it did try to pull up to a pump so the bike was on the 'correct' side relative to the pump.

[rob m]

What's all this talk about centre stands?

 

I always aim for a pump on the left, sidestand down, get off and fill up. Man alive, it can't be that hard can it?

 

 

[Simon Davey]

33 minutes ago, rob m said:

What's all this talk about centre stands?

 

I always aim for a pump on the left, sidestand down, get off and fill up. Man alive, it can't be that hard can it?

 

 

 

That's the point, it is of course pi55 easy.

I'm just anal about getting the tank brimming, which I do on the centre stand, for which in turn, I don't seem to have the technique/I'm being a wimp.

 

[Yorky]

8 hours ago, keith1200rs said:

Near where I live a BMW RT blew over in the strong winds we had a month or so ago! It now seems to be parked closer to a nearby wall.

Yes, they may be a heavy bike but they have a large profile so side on to a strong wind could be very dodgy.

[Bender]

Just about everywhere up here says get off the bike while filling up.

 

I have center stand, never used it when filling up.

[Shepherd]

12 hours ago, keith1200rs said:

Near where I live a BMW RT blew over in the strong winds we had a month or so ago! It now seems to be parked closer to a nearby wall.

I know that feeling. Bleeding hefty deauville leaning away from daughters car on side stand was blown upright and over in the January winds.

[skyrider]

10 hours ago, Shepherd said:

I know that feeling. Bleeding hefty deauville leaning away from daughters car on side stand was blown upright and over in the January winds.

i bet you didnt get roasted