Parking motorcycles in hotel rooms.

[Arizona Wayne]

10? years ago I was staying @ the Motel 6 @ Seaside, Ca. for the bike races @ Laguna Seca.   Forget if it was a WSBK or MotoGP weekend.  That Saturday @ the track a Euro paid stunt rider blew up his 1100 Suzuki stunt bike.  I had gone back to the motel for the night and a guy on a matching pristine 1100 Suzuki had parked his bike in front of the office to check in.  He checks in and finds his bike is GONE when he comes out!  This was like 6pm.  The next day the stunt rider does his stunts @ the track as he's paid to do.  Don't know how things turned out for the motel Suzuki rider. 

The only thing I've ever pulled into a motel room is our Unigo trailer 1 time because it would fit thru the door and would be easy to steal.   I have a decades old $40 Kryptonite fork/rim lock that gives me peace of mind & don't ride a HD.  But I  have had young motel people ogle my 750 Breva probably because it's different. 

[tris]

Riding the 1100 Sport in NZ last year, I stayed at the holiday park in Waihi Beach, and was the only guest in the backpackers dorm. On booking in, was told "it looks like it will be wet overnight, you'd better park the bike in the room" (big sliding glass door). The only time I've ever even thought of doing that. It did rain overnight, but beautifully sunny next day.

Mal

I pulled into the Premier Inn in Carlisle UK after riding all the way from the Isle of Skye in pouring rain on a VFR750 a while back as was offered the use of the lobby to park the bike in

Only didn't take it up as the bike was a sodden mess and I wasn't too keen on shoving a 1/4 ton of wet MC around on a polished stone floor

I do confess to stuffing the bearings on the oscillating electric fan in the room after I left it running all night to dry some of my gear out though!

[Kev m]

I dunno Todd, at a glance you would have seemed to have made an argument:

Started with my '82 Katana. Turned out to be a side benefit to the ergos I like that it'd fit through standard doors.
Came walking across the parking lot one evening from a quickie-mart and a fella is doing what he later described as "seeing how top heavy it was". Point being, I clear the corner and he's standing beside it with it off the side stand. Too, there was a utility trailer across the lane and down with its door-ramp down.

<and>

That one had at least three theft attempts so far. My XR1000 had one attempt and one success. My old 'Glide went to the swap-meet in the sky.... Just those three alone represent what are to me irreplaceable items in what they are in particular and what they represent to me mostly.

Though I'd counter the argument with "jezus man, perhaps you need to frequent different places".

20+ years, hundreds of thousands of miles of riding and leaving Harleys (and BMWs, and Guzzis) out in front of hotel rooms, or in parking lots out of site of the room, and not a single loss or even evidence of a failed attempt.

Not saying it can't or won't happen someday, but hardly worth my worrying about it unless I start traveling with you it seems. 

Is it something I perceive to be overly precious as stated above? Are my priorities outa line with others?

Don't give a frigg... I still have my bikes and I defy anyone to detect the past presence of my bikes once I clear-out.

Then, I couldn't replace it. Now, I don't wanna replace any of them... forcibly.

OK, don't give a frigg. And I applaud the fact that you at least seem to show the ancillary courtesy of "leaving no trace".

In fact, I kinda marvel at not appreciating them more than... "Oh well, I'll hammer the insurance and buy another/something else".

Why marvel? Nothing in this world is permanent. To pretend that you can hold on to any possession is folly, in the end it will belong to someone else and/or return to the world.

Ok, that's too deep.

How about this then: Dude, seriously, they're machines. I may take some serious joy out of them, but they are still just machines. I'd rather enjoy them than spend (waste?) my time worrying about every little thing that might happen to them but my life experiences suggest are unlikely.

IF your experiences keep suggesting your shyte might be stolen, I'm seriously suggesting you consider changing something up in the pattern, cause that ain't right.

But I just wouldn't want to be that worried about it all the time.

Yup, I do it and apologize to no one.

Well, that's sorta why I'm taking you to task. You see, your actions effect more than just yourself.

On the one hand yes, you're doing your best to be courteous, and again, kudos.

But on the other hand, it's still arguably irresponsible. You're still taking liberties and risks with other people and property that is not yours by right to take. Ok, mountain or molehill? Perhaps, but it just takes one time for it to go wrong or for you to prejudice one owner or observer for them to take prejudicial actions against someone else, and that's not cool at the end of the day.

I stand by my original position on the subject.

Ride safe!

Kev

[John A]

When I bought a new Cal2  from Ed Thompson, Denham Springs cycle , Louisiana , I was riding it home to Shreveport  when I stopped for the night in some small town. The motel owner insisted I take a handicap room so I could fit the bike in easier. I was confused by that as I didn't think I would do that to someone else's  property. Anyway I parked the thing inside and some heavy thunderstorms rolled over that night. I left the room cleaner than I found it.

[Kev m]

That's great and no worries if invited... that's a whole other thing... though I would think 99% of a time some sort of balcony or overhang should be sufficient for storm protection.

Then again, when that seeming tornado (or whatever) ripped apart my yard and much of South Jersey last week (we lost power for 64 hours, and others for almost a full week) I was sure glad the bikes were parked inside.

[Arizona Wayne]

Don't anyone ever forget that when Kev m is here he's in charge and always has the last word.   

[Kev m]

Don't anyone ever forget that when Kev m is here he's in charge and always has the last word.   

Wow that was rude and uncalled for...

[Kentktk]

  But I  have had young motel people ogle my 750 Breva probably because it's different. 

Kinda scary actually.

ogle |ˈōgəl|
verb [ with obj. ]
stare at in a lecherous manner: he was ogling her breasts | [ no obj. ] : men who had turned up to ogle.
noun
a lecherous look.
DERIVATIVES
ogler |ˈōg(ə)lər| noun
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: probably from Low German or Dutch; compare with Low German oegeln, frequentative of oegen �look at.�

[canuguzzi]

Don't anyone ever forget that when Kev m is here he's in charge and always has the last word.   

That isn't completely true, I can prove it. ;)

[Arizona Wayne]

That isn't completely true, I can prove it. ;)

You just wait. 

[cruzziguzzi]

I dunno Todd, at a glance you would have seemed to have made an argument:
I stand by my original position on the subject.
Ride safe!

Kev

Me too.

Just outlining a point of view and find little to argue against in your post.

Still...

I look at it kinda like several somethin's I regularly do (safely) which are strictly illegal yet of no impact upon the rest of the world.

Now, were one of my bikes to puke it's life-blood in a room - I'd stand-up behind it just like the time my Rotweiller went into heat in a hotel. Looked like I was killin' hookers in there. Boy howdy! Was Ravisharan peeved!

Bought me a crime-scene mattress and sheets off that one...


Todd.

[Lannis]

Wow that was rude and uncalled for...

Take it as a compliment.   Actually, I thought that was a great summary on bikes in motel rooms.

Lannis

[Guzzistajohn]

Don't anyone ever forget that when Kev m is here he's in charge and always has the last word.   

 

[bacongrease]

 
  I think I will have a cover made for my bikes with Hyosung printed boldly.

Who would steal one?   

[Lannis]

  I think I will have a cover made for my bikes with Hyosung printed boldly.

Who would steal one?   

To be honest, a cover with a monogrammed "Moto Guzzi" would be more effective.   Between asking "Who makes those?" or "Do they still make those?", they'd not have time to steal the bike.

Lannis

[canuck750]

I read this quickly a few days ago and thought it must be some kind of a joke, honestly parking a motorcycle in a Motel room?? That has to be one of the stupidest things I can think of involving motorcycles, besides breaking every building and fire code that I can think of, you can not park a fuel fired vehicle in a sleeping room!!! Gas, fumes, batteries venting, not to mention how the motel owner would feel about it!

I have ridden from the Arctic circle to the middle of Mexico and most places in between and not once have I even locked my bike up. On more than 1 occasion I left the keys in my BMW and as always no one touched a thing. My KLR has soft bags, zippers and velcro, I don't unpack most of my stuff including electric air pump, tools etc, nothing has ever been touched.

The only bikes I have ever seen chained up are Harleys, but even that trend seems to be fading.

[drw916]

i'm one of the who cares crowd.  If it rains, who cares.  It's not like the bike is going to stay clean on a multi day trip.

If someone steals it I'll be pissed, but that's what insurance is for, and there are so many other bikes out there to try.

I can't imagine putting my bike in my hotel room.  I will park under the overhang if allowed, but it doesn't really make that much of a difference.