petrol stations and lids

[MissB]

I always use 'pay at the pump' as my local Morrisons makes me take my lid off...

[Jacko]

I only mind when the sign is on the door, should be on the pump then you
have a choice to carry on lidless or leave

[1967fazer]

I fueled up the other day, went in to pay, put my helmet on the counter and got done for indecent behavior

[MarchRide]

Helmet off every time I fill up, not a problem.

As to where to put your helmet, simples, pillion foot peg. 

[Gordo]

The 'helmet off' thing seems to evoke a lot of different responses. The reasons given by the filling station are often a bit vague, and usually revolve around being robbed. I'm sure a robber doesn't fill up his bike then walk to the kiosk, wallet in hand. And if they're nicking stuff, aren't they likely to be in a car?

Another reason I've been given is because of drive-offs and being able to identify the person involved. Again a little dubious on that front - how much fuel does a bike hold versus a car, and I'll wager there are more car drive-offs than bike ones.

As you taking your hat off, there's seldom anywhere to put a helmet safely while you're fuelling, and sitting it in the spilt fuel on the ground doesn't seem a good idea, nor does balancing it on the seat.

In the winter, you've sealed yourself in to your kit to keep warm so the last thing you want to do is take off your hat and lose that warmth.

Some filling stations won't switch on the pump if you're still sat astride your bike, and I get that one completely - I really don't want to be pouring highly flammable liquid between my legs: if something goes wrong I want to get as far away as possible as quick as I can! And I think that's got more potential to indicate drive-off intentions.

I know the stations locally to avoid, and I do. I've written to one of them explaining that in the bitterly cold weather I'd rather not freeze my ears off, and got a letter back from the forecourt manager saying he was also a biker and didn't see the problem... I guess he's not an all-year biker...

[Ton13]

i must say, i rode home last nightfrom work, or should say sunday morning and reached the local 24hr garage around 4am, i did for once catch the young girls attention and ask her if she wanted to take my lid off, she greatfully said yes please but let me sit on the bike, once she saw i was female though she also said at the window "we dont get many women riding, dont worry about your helmet next time"

[GringoRojo]

so that's the answer? speak in a falsetto, wear lippy and have a couple of melons down the front of your jacket.

[bigralphie]

I,m always asked to put my helmet back on and close the visor ?

[HarryHornby]

I never take my lid off and have never been asked to.  BUT, what I do is park bike and put on centre stand.  Take one glove off and take wallet out from pocket and place on the bike.  I always feel this shows the intention to not quickly ride off (i have to put glove back on and take off centre stand) plus maybe they see the wallet.
 
Might be coinsidence but as I say, helmet always stays on.

[dx408]

Have not been out on the bike for a while but went to my local ASDA (now ESSO station) helmet on front up dark visor down sat on the bike gloves off filled up drove off to park by the doors paid no comments what so ever. Would I take it off ? well with the front up and visor up I would argue the point when they could see as much of my face as if I had a Baseball cap on, if there was a sign depending if I was desperate or not maybe find another station, no sign pump authorised then asked to take it off in the shop (depending on the mood I was in) I may refuse but offer to pay, hold my card out showing to the cameras that I am attempting to pay and if they refuse it that is their fault either wait for plod, ask them again to take my payment or leave, from what I would have thought if I have offered to pay and it has been refused then it is not theft (no doubt I am wrong on this and will be told so soon) but after all I can not force a debit card onto them if it was cash you could drop the cash on the desk and walk off (on camera obviously)
The way I look at it is give the relevent information on the pump to allow me to make the choice, after all they manage to display accepted payment methods so why not helmet policy. May be just me being a git but cold wet days can be a pain in the ass esp if you have a D ring rather than the quick release strap.

[phil on a fazer]

i filled up at tesco on Saturday using the pay at the pump thing. any way......i sprayed my self in the face with petrol (dont ask how). it went it my eyes and made my face burn like buggery!
 
I had my lid on with my visor open, if i had of had my visor closed i would of been o.k
 
therefore filling up with your helmet on and visor closed is a good idea.

[Skinbeatersam]

I always take my lid off, gloves off, get off the bike, put it on it's centre stand and then fill up. I think it does show common courtesy, and I wouldn't wear a hat indoors either, or have a hood up.


Just to show some respect to the attendants who, lets face it, probably put up with enough shit from stupid people being rude and impatient with them all day.


However, I do get really annoyed with car drivers getting impatient while I put all my gear back on before I ride away. It's not like I have never been held up waiting for a pump to become free while someone does lots of shopping, fiddles with the phone or struggles to remember how the flippin thing works. . . . . . . .

[pitternator]

before anyone gets  too high and mighty...a petrol forecourt is private property...we dont have any right to be allowed to fill up. If a station wants to introduce a no helmet rule, its down to them.Legally they do not have to serve us...and can ask us to leave for any reason they choose.
The only way to really protest is to complain to the head office or boycott such garage.But as already stated, for the tiny amount of fuel we use, we R small potatoes ...I was asked to remove my helmet at a morrisons, which at the time did seem a bit annoying, but their fuel is alway sthe cheapest in the area, so to my mind  its now  a condition of sale !...at my normal garage I am there so often they never ask me to remove helmet. Supermarkets also tend to have students operating cash tills, and they do like a bit of power...it goes maybe to some of their heads ! 

[ddtwelve]

maybe not pitternator but they have lost a load of revenue off me and my friends/colluegues and fellow bikers as i drive as well and the missus rides her own bike,
i say again he asked me and the missus to take our helmets off which he had no right to ask the pillion passenger who also had a flip lid on open

[peterjca]

I never take my lid off and have never been asked to.  BUT, what I do is park bike and put on centre stand.  Take one glove off and take wallet out from pocket and place on the bike.  I always feel this shows the intention to not quickly ride off (i have to put glove back on and take off centre stand) plus maybe they see the wallet.
 
Might be coinsidence but as I say, helmet always stays on.

This is almost what I do, but wallet stays in my jacket pocket! Only ever been asked once to take my lid off -- the first and last time I ever used a Tesco petrol station.

However, I don't get why bikers go into shops etc. leaving lids on. I always remove mine when actually shopping.

[Janet]

My problem is that I wear (expensive) glasses. It's not so bad taking a helmet off, but I find that I need to put the glasses down briefly when I put my helmet back on. Garage forecourts are often quite windy, and the last thing I can afford to have is my glasses blowing away and getting scratched on the ground. Because of this I tend not to remove my helmet, but I can honestly say that I've never had any problems (or even comments or unfriendly looks from filling station staff), even when there has been a sign on the door requiring helmets to be removed. I live in Weston-super-Mare, where they must get a fair bit of out of town trade in the summer, but it really hasn't been a problem in practice. When I'm touring further afield I'm with my husband anyway, so he usually goes to pay. As he doesn't have the same problem as me, i.e. doesn't wear glasses, and is a big bloke who people could possibly find threatening, he does remove his lid.

[rayburn600]

Quote "I do too, I just consider it polite and frankly taking it off and putiting it back on adds less than a minute to the time you spend there which, as you say, isn't really a big deal."

 
At the end of the day, we are the first ones to complain about other people who are short of manners & particularly about the foreigners who have the burka, which is another issue, or even hoodies around the town.
 
It’s all to do with Respect.
 
If we as Bikers Respect others, even if it means removing the helmet, this act is noticed by the people that matter. We have nothing to hide, do we?
Plus it gives us the moral high ground in our own eyes, In other words, Self Respect.
Sadly lacking today as some have commented.
 
I have a flip up helmet, and I flip it up at every time.  Not once have I been asked to remove this, anywhere.
 
That may well be cos of the bike I'm riding. 
It demands respect...

[bwizz]

Similar issues here in Cornwall at some Shell and Sommerfield's . In one case I was asked to move to another pump as they could not see me properly. I regard it as to much hassle and go to stations without this policy. I wrote to the manager of Shell , he gave me the people needing to be over 16 to get fuel excuse  , i wrote back telling him this was a crap excuse and that he could probably live without my weekly £50 pittance.  Write to these stations HQ ,tell them their policy is nonsense

[AdieR]

I personally remove it anyway for the minute or so it takes. I have used open-face lids and left them on without a problem, though I tend to use the same filling station anyway and they tend to recognise me (or the bike) anyway.

That said, one filling station round the corner from me was robbed at gunpoint about 6 months ago (female cashier on own and late at night). The "gun" was an imitation and incapable of firing, but if you're face-to-face with that, would you know? Or wish to find out? A 16 year old and an 18 year old locked up this week for said robbery.

[Grahamm]

Quote "I do too, I just consider it polite and frankly taking it off and putiting it back on adds less than a minute to the time you spend there which, as you say, isn't really a big deal."

At the end of the day, we are the first ones to complain about other people who are short of manners & particularly about the foreigners who have the burka, which is another issue, or even hoodies around the town.

Excuse me, but I believe (even though you haven't attributed them) you're quoting my words there, however whilst I might complain about people's lack of manners, I most certainly *DO NOT* complain about "foreigners who have the burka or hoodies around the town", so please don't suggest that I do.
 

If we as Bikers Respect others, even if it means removing the helmet, this act is noticed by the people that matter. We have nothing to hide, do we?

WTF has "nothing to hide" got to do with anything?? As I said, I take off my lid because I consider it to be polite, no other reason.

[dx408]

This IMHO has nothing to do with respect or nothing to hide or even the moral high ground, if there is a sign on the pump along with the Cards accepted no under 16's no mobiles no smoking etc saying please remove helmets that's one thing but not having those signs and not having the pump authorised along with a voice on the tannoy telling me to remove my helmet MAKES me look like a possible criminal or suspect person which enforces the stereotypical image of a biker to every other person on the forcourt, now that is disrespect, this is made worse when I am wearing a flip which is up, and compounded by wearing ear plugs with my bad hearing making it hard to hear the announcement especially with some of the crappy tannoy systems garages have in place.

If they want helmets removed place signage to that effect AT THE PUMP I can then choose to use that garage or not use that garage. Yes it only adds a little time to remove and replace the helmet but it takes time waiting to be asked to remove it on bad days you get cold and wet even on covered forcourts especially if you are on the outside pumps. If they think you are a drive off risk have the ANPR cameras facing the rear of the vehicles after all CARS also have plates on the rear and as mentioned before the fuel capacity on a bike compared to a car is very small who would do a drive off and take the risk for such a small amount of fuel ?

Also mentioned that garages can do with out the small amount of money lost from you not going there but how many bikers are there in this country? so would say Esso miss it if every bike boycotted their stations I think the answer would be yes this could be made worse by every biker then also writing a complaint letter to the offending supplier.

[ddtwelve]

girlfriend being to said petrol staion as its the cheapest around and walked round to see if there any stickers with take your helmets off nothing on pumps until you get to shop door where it says when entering the shop take your helmet off, so in theory i have the right when at the pump not to take my helmet off?

[madmondeoman]

Wear a burka over your crash helmet?

[wraith600]

ts weird so many peps have problems i live in a dodgy part of north london never take off me lid and never have problems [/size]. only once when walking through BRENT CROSS shopping centre was asked to remove me lid by some security guard told him to feck off & walked away didn't get hassled after [/color]

[ddtwelve]

  well im jnkjnnbkndn off are lass went again to the same station tonite and low and behold the same snotty kid on the till saying the same thing, but previous months  we had no problems until this kid was on, ive sent a email off to esso for there so called company policy about forecourts and lids lets see if they return my email    then watch this space as one snotty nose kid gets the sack or a nice knucle sandwich hehe from the missus