I can't remember which thread it got mentioned recently on here, but it was discussed, briefly, about bikers not letting on to other bikers & how some makes/models of bikes were more "prone" to this phenomena than others. Well, today & it was 100% of my own doing I ran out of petrol on one of my bikes in Dove Holes. I was convinced I had enough to get me to Morrisons in Buxton, but guess what, I didn't. So, can you guess how many bikers stopped to ask if they could help ? ONE ! We are obviously turning into a bunch of miserable so & so's. I asked an older lady, who was walking past, if she knew where the nearest pertol station was, (I was hoping it wouldn't be Buxton !!). She offered to go home & get her car & take me, but I declined her kind offer out of embarrassment, (believing I should be punished for my stupidity !). I got a lift into Buxton from a woman in a Jeep who lived in Dove Holes who stopped & offered to take me to Morrisons & then bring me back to my bike. I accepted the lift there, but told her not to worry about taking me back. I said if she saw me walking when she had finished then fair enough, but please do not go out of your way. I duly got my petrol in yet another new container, (I've got a few now !!) & started walking back to my bike, which was a few miles away. After walking a couple of miles out of Buxton, helmet in one hand & pertol can in the other another motorist in a camper van turned round & came back to offer me a lift, which I greatfully accepted. Whilst replenishing my empty fuel tank a motorcyclist stopped to offer some help. He was the first one out of the many, many motorcyclists who passed to offer any sort of help ! A sad sign of the times I fear.
I’ve stopped a few times for stranded solo motorcyclists, the last being when in my van stopped to give a biker some fuel from my can. He’d got no money on him and was in Peterborough needing to get to Cambridge, gave him 5 litres of fuel and a fiver in cash. I just asked him to return the favour should he see another stranded motorist. I do believe that as most have some kind of roadside recovery/assistance peeps aren’t so inclined to stop these days.
Thankfully i have not broke down on the side of the road but do go into a layby to have a sandwich and a drink and do get people on bikes pulling up to see if i needed a hand, the one thing i have noticed like you said about turning into miserable so & so's is i know it isn't a major problem but the lack of people not nodding or pretending they haven't seen you.
A runner passing helped push a bit up Birdlip hill and a bloke passed in a van and stopped at the top, walked down and helped me push it. Several bikers passed.
I was stopped at side of road earlier , one bike came past and slowed down & signalled if I needed help.
I always stop even took a young lads ktm 390 home in my van after he had a crash in shorts and a t-shirt, I helped the ambulance crew convince him to go to hospital as he was torn to shit he was afraid I'd steal his bike so took my fone out and showed him it wouldn't look rite with my garage theme
Whenever I have broken down - well, run out of petrol! - it is usually car drivers that stop to offer help - not because bikers don't offer, but you just see more cars. I think that many car drivers are either motorcyclists or ex-motorcyclists as well, hence they are only too happy to help!
I always stop if I can...put one broke down bike in my van and dropped the bike and the couple off it home from a61 cafe near Sheffield to Barnsley wasn’t far
I think bikes won’t stop because they think people have just pulled over for a fag or whatever too, unless in a dodgy spot. I have a few times and never found one who needed help.
If I ever see a biker parked up by the side of the road I always stop to ask if they’re ok. So far everyone I’ve stopped for has been.
I think the universality of mobile phones nowadays has a lot to do with it. See a bike by the roadside, and I reckon a lot of people think, either he's just stopped for a smoke, or, if he has a problem, he'll have a mobile phone anyway. Generally, if I can, dependent on traffic, I slow down and look across; if the guy needs help, he'll generally signal so.
Last time I ran out of petrol on the Monster, a very nice couple on a Vincent stopped and offered use of a toolkit they carry, then a Bloke in a pickup truck with a couple of MXers in the back gave me a drop of 2T pre-mix petrol from a can to get me the last half mile to a filling station. The twenty or so other bikes just went straight past, though a few did wave!
I stopped to help a bloke who’d ran out of petrol a few weeks ago, his wife/girlfriend had arrived with a gallon in a plastic can but they were both just stood there staring at the can and tank. I asked what the problem was and they said the couldn’t pour the petrol because they didn't have a funnel, FFS there were about 6 plastic bottles, a big coffee cup and a few burger boxes laid around on the verge. Ripped the box up, made a funnel poured the fuel into the tank and then fucked off, common sense really is on the decline.
If someone was clearly in distress, was stopped in a place where it was obvious they hadn't intended to (i.e not a layby etc), had crashed or was signalling for help etc etc then I'd stop, I'm not pulling over for everyone stopped at the side of the road for a smoke/leg stretch though. Other than the above situations, if your credit card and mobile phone can't get you out of the situation you're in then I wouldn't be able to either.
I stopped and helped out a chap on his vintage motorcyle last year on the A22,he was on the phone with the AA at the time when i pulled up in my van and he explained there was a awful noise coming from the rear end (perhaps curry night was kicking in ),anyway i had a look & it was the mudguard rubbing,a slight pull & twist & he was good to continue on his journey.old pioneer run,Also i was picked up by a GSX1100 rider when running out of GO,GO juice on a blade many mooooons ago which i was very gratful at the time.I think today folks believe that everybody has a mobile phone / recovery inplace on their insurance.....so they don't bother stopping for that reason.
If I sense a biker dejected in a layby I give a thumbs up & okay sign & await response!?!. Always willing to spread a bit of spiritual wellbeing though not religiously aligned. As I carry two 2.5liter filled fuel cans & good amount of oil plus other bits-n-bobs. Takes me less than ten minutes to fix a puncture if the tyre is tubeless. Good thread discussion & I also now state to pass on the good deed in future if offered remuneration. A lift, a bit of cash it all helps...even some company for five minutes. The terrible thing that crept in my mind while reading this was that in ussa. There was a phenomenon of people pretending to be broken down, even not having enough for a wedding honeymoon trip. e-begging as I coined it back on liveleak before I gave that site up some years back. There really are some aweful humans about who'll take kindness & gunine help for their con-game & vile internal belief system. That which goes along the lines of 'if I can get away with it, good for me' eejits. sorry for all the edits
There would be a lot of wasted time if I were to stop at every rider that has a drink/fag break. If one is in trouble should swallow his embarrassment and signal if needs any assistance. I obviously stop if there are clear signs of mechanical failure or crash damage.
