Yesterday I rode my bike up to NAPA to buy a can of spray paint.....I would be inside for only a couple of minutes.  The street has parallel parking in front of the store, and typical of the uptown businesses the front wall of the buildings sits about 10 feet from the curb with a wide sidewalk between the curb and buildings.  I parked my Cafe' conversion in the middle of the first stall....and there was an SUV parked in the stall in front of me.  There was about 10 feet between my bike and the SUV, and there was another car in the parking stall in front of the SUV.

As I came out of NAPA I saw the SUV backing up to get more clearance in front so they could pull out.....and I am sure they had no idea my motorcycle was behind them.  They backed up rather quickly and just as I realized what was happening the back bumper was about 6 inches from my front tire....they stopped and then went forward and turned out of the parking space.  My bike is very low and nothing sticks up higher than the top fork yoke.....so if they had looked out either side mirror or the rear mirror they would not have seen my bike behind them.

It turned out OK.....but from now on I am going to be a lot more careful about where/how I park my little bike!

In that kind of parking situation (if I were in the SUV), I like to make a quick visual around the vehicle before I even get in. That way if my mirrors don't tell me the whole story, I at least have a pretty good idea about what's going on around the vehicle where I can't see.

Glad your bike made it out alive!  

Park across the space, closer to the one that is looking forward.
Don't you Dare let That pretty thing get munched.

Be conspicuous, riding or parked.

Art Webb wrote on 06/08/15 at 10:10:26:


Riding (or parking for that matter) a motorcycle, you have to plan for any contingency where a motorist cannot see you. I don't know how many times I've found an excellent parking spot only to be disappointed that a bike or small car has pulled all the way up and made themselves invisible.

If you hit the link theres a more complete video,,
Anyone can
I woulda,,,,,, and drive away,,
But that dude was just shocked and amazed and by the time he realized what was REally about to happen, it was too late.. Who mentally prepares for THAT? Ill bet that if the same thing happened to him again, hed at least lean it and goose it and try..

You KNow the driver felt the RR hit,,, but gunned it and ran smooth over it,,

Good thing the dude wasnt trapped under it, huhh?
If I woulda been the passenger I woulda been screaming STOP and instad of a hand up by the window I woulda been in the drivers Space,,
One car, two morons,

and the bike was stopped, legally, in a lane, Why someone put lanesplitter in there, IDK.

Did anyone else go look at the video link in the comments?
Pickup,wrong side of the road, bikes dodge, turn around and the driver act s
like because they have kids in the truck,it's okay.
Then the other rider walks in and head butts the clown... with his helmet.
I was surprised when the dude got up and wasn't bleeding.

And the old man who intentionally backed through the garage door?

I thought the guy who got his bike backed over was cool.

The
Finish it off
Part made me laugh.

Read the story on yahoo this morning or late last night, don' remember which.
The driver was on a permit and the passenger was there to instruct or watch.
The car was in the intersection on an "orange"? guess that's what they call yellow there, once it went to red the other traffic started going and the "student" freaked and backed up when the pickup cut close in front.
The motorcycle rider seen what was happening, but could not believe the red vehicle would "back-up".....
I probably would have done the same thing....just dropped it and stepped or run to the side.
Lucky....
Good thing he had his camera running...insurance now has a video record.