[luckydawg003]

When you guys go to stores like Walmart or Target or the Mall where do you park? Is it better to park far away from other vehicles or is that asking to have your bike stolen? Or park close to the entrance and risk someone pulling in and hitting your bike or double parking in your spot? Do you park straight in or sideways or what?

 

[ilovemotocicleta]

I ride up the hadicap walkway an park in the corner beside the door

 

[old_rider]

I'd ask the management, they might actually let you park near the store itself on a side area, some stores will let you no problem, the local Lowe's will, they have a large sidewalk. I asked at our local walmart, because everyone was parking in the white and yellow striped zones at the end of the rows near the building, some even in the blue striped areas near the handicapped zones. He told me it was ok, so long as I didn't care about insurance, because if I parked there it was considered "improper parking" so wally world wouldn't pay for damages and most likely you would get a ticket for the same if someone was to hit you, you would probably end up paying for damages to their vehicle.
He said the store won't hardly ever ask motorcycles to move from those zones because they are not taking up regular parking spaces and usually they are "out of the way". If you do park in the striped zones make sure you don't block anyone, and if you park in the end of the handycapped zone be prepaired to have your bike run over.

 

[bdun01]

I usually look to see if other bikes are/have been parked up by the building and I park there. If I go somewhere I can't park by the building I park straight in spot avoiding the fluid spots from other cars with my tail end matched up with the rear bumpers of the car next to me so it is visible to other drivers before they pull in and risk hitting it.

 

[FreelancerMG]

I usually look to see if other bikes are/have been parked up by the building and I park there. If I go somewhere I can't park by the building I park straight in spot avoiding the fluid spots from other cars with my tail end matched up with the rear bumpers of the car next to me so it is visible to other drivers before they pull in and risk hitting it.

Yep. That's what I generally do as well. Although I don't do the park next to the building bit. I find a standard parking spot and pull in forward just enough so that the rear of my bike is clearly visible from the approach lanes. The only issue I see with parking next to a building is that it's considered improper parking. So if anything happens, you automatically get considered at fault for damages by insurance companies and police should something go wrong. Not to mention, you are putting your bike up front just inviting people to touch or approach the bike for a better look at your bike and potentially knock the bike over. While you have that issue with a regular parking spot, you don't have 100% of the stores population walking past it as well. We used to have a guy who used to park his right CBR600RR next to the door at Best Buy. Turned out some dude who was walking out of the store saw it and got interested in it and had then sat on top of the bike. By the time I walked it, it was down on the ground and the employee who owned the bike was yelling at the dude who thought it would be cool to just randomly sit on someone else bike. Close proximity to the door may help against theft, but it prevent people from approaching and even sitting on it.

 

[bryce]

I park right by the door at Walmart. Twin peaks has bike parking. If I have to park in a parking spot, I don't pull in all the way so the bike is visible to others.


Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[NoD GP]

I park with everyone else's vehicles and keep my tail end / front flush with the other vehicles next to me. I don't park far away cause that's asking for attention, and I won't park right by the door for the same reason + improper parking. I leave my bike semi-sideways and centered so I take up as much of the spot as possible and still leave room for other drivers to have error and park over the line without touching my bike.

 

[Mauri92]

I never use regular parking spots. Im too scared of someone not seeing the bike and ramming it. I always park by the door or lots of places have those bars for bicycles at the front, so i park it there.

 

[fishdip]

I park so I take up 2 spots like a BOSS.

 

[Bran7701]

I park so I take up 2 spots like a BOSS.

Ooooohhhhh....... you're THAT guy

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[cruizin]

I park so I take up 2 spots like a BOSS.

crack me up, thanks for the laugh

 

[Rick]

if i'm at walmart, the first thing i do is ask myself why am i at walmart? then i shake my head and ride away...

 

[luckydawg003]

if i'm at walmart, the first thing i do is ask myself why am i at walmart? then i shake my head and ride away...

Lol

 

[Truesday]

I park in Aisle 3, next to the peanut butter.

More serious question though:
How do you park on streets that require you to display the time-stamped ticket? Most of the Bay Area (California) cities got rid of the coin operated parking meters and went with these digital ones that print out a receipt.

Also, how about indoor parking lots? Some of those guard railings things are short enough for a bike to squeeze by. I imagine it'd be pretty easy to "steal" a day's parking.

 

[Rick]

the latter bit of parking question you asked applies to me. i have gated parking at work and i just ride through and park. doesn't show i've badged in or nothing. can't stop and swipe the card because it requires a weight to be on the asphalt in front of the arm to work. i have it from the parking department directly so i just ride around the arm and pay my parking every month anyways... just so i can drive if i have to...

 

[Cape]

I actually went to walmart today and i asked the manager if it was okay to park at the front of the store and she said

"As long as it isn't by the fire lane"

 

[Lestatazazel]

Unless theres nice safe motorcycle parking I park wayyyyy in the back in no mans land lol.

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[cruizin]

I actually went to walmart today and i asked the manager if it was okay to park at the front of the store and she said

"As long as it isn't by the fire lane"

plenty of people here do that, they park up on the footpath and use their brain and leave plenty of space

 

[SnowCrash]

By the bike racks/front of store if they have them, otherwise in a nearby spot where I can keep an eye on my baby. If that isn't available I just park with my rear tire touching the back of the space and front tire pointing straight out towards the entrance to the space.

I get really nervous when a minivan parks next to my bike, followed by a sliding door and a shower of kids jumping out and screaming in delight at how 'cool' my bike is

 

[Lee49645]

The target I work for has covered ground level parking with cameras pointing down each aisle so its pretty safe for me to park anywhere.

You'd be surprised at how far those little cameras can zoom.