REMOVE YOUR HELMET!!!

[Rusty]

I'll add that I always went to my local Spar every night for bottles of Red. One particular night I was on my way home a little later than usual. I rode a bandit 12 back then and wondered about the wisdom of calling for the wine as I was passing and riding home with it stuffed inside my jacket. Anyway, the lazy streak kicked in and rather than go home and come back for the wine I decided to risk horrific injury and chance it - I'm good at decisions like that.  :lol


Went in the shop, got the wine, held out a tenner and the girl said she can't serve me unless I remove the helmet. Now this was a girl who saw me every night, she knew me. I said it's me Pete - but she said yes I know but I still can't serve you unless you take it off cause it's all recorded on camera. What a load of bollox. I put the wine back and went to bargain booze ever since. Well done spar that's nine six quid bottles a week you don't sell now.

[MadDogMcQ]

....that's nine six quid bottles a week.....

OMG Pete - How's your liver??? :lol :rollin :lol

[Rusty]

I've cut it down to four bottles now as I'm looking after my health.  :lol

[DanielT]

Bearded bloke with sunglasses on wouldn't be asked to remove glasses and/or shave.

You arent robbing them, you're giving them money. Probably robbers wouldn't fill up first!

It's pettiness . A little power they feel justified in wielding

[Lawrence]

Bearded bloke with sunglasses on wouldn't be asked to remove glasses and/or shave.

You arent robbing them, you're giving them money. Probably robbers wouldn't fill up first!

It's pettiness . A little power they feel justified in wielding

Just look at Robocop - guy fills up and robs the place and he doesn't even have a lid on!  :lol

[Grahamm]

we had a conversation about a stupid rule which the attendant was paid to enforce.

ITYM "has to enforce or he risks not getting paid".

What has a "young woman" behind the counter got to do with anything? If someone does a bunk without paying, is she at some sort of risk that men aren't at?

Someone who isn't identifiable who might ride off without paying or might come in and decide she's not going to put up a fight if they decide to make a grab for the till or, gods forbid, a grab for her? Nope, nothing to worry about there...

[Hogi]

I mostly take mine off when filling up as I'm not worried about a couple of minutes extra in the process and if staff are told to enforce it, then it all becomes a bit of an arse-ache and spoils the ride. So I do it and no-one dies as a result

BUT - and maybe I'm getting a bit Victor Meldrew about it - the side effect is someone else (usually in a car) has to wait a bit, but that's their problem. What I don't understand is why - when there's a group of us out - do my mates push their bike to the side to let a cager step in? WTF? One one hand we've got riders ball-aching about helmets and another set virtually apologising for taking up a bit of space at the pump.

I've as much right to get served as other road users, if they want helmets off then johnny cager sits there till I'm done. I don't stand there eating a sandwich or owt, I just get ready for the next stretch of road.

Its a bit of a laugh really watching the lads do it though  :lol

[jackojet]

What about "get off your bike " that's what I got at shell garage. I always fill bike sat on it, easier than bike on sidestand.
I asked why to assistant and she said health and safety, I argued that if I spill fuel and drop bike on floor in the flood of fuel on forecourt, then that would count as safety problem.
I said is it because of drive off's, she replied no.
Best bit been using same garage for years and no one said to get off bike before.
Oh and she had me about my helmet too. :rolleyes

[Rusty]

Someone who isn't identifiable who might ride off without paying or might come in and decide she's not going to put up a fight if they decide to make a grab for the till or, gods forbid, a grab for her? Nope, nothing to worry about there...

Then surely the rule must apply to all face coverings. And as stated to men with baseball caps, full beards and sunglasses as they aren't identifiable  either once clean shaven. The rule is clearly an ill thought out edict rather than the rational precautionary measure it purports to be. By extension they could perhaps say that anyone who looks scruffy must pay for their fuel first in case they can't afford it. How would that go down? it's based on similar logic.

[Lazarus]

discrimination sees to be the recurring theme!

[Fazerider]

:rolleyes "Would you go into a bank wearing your helmet?"
No, I wouldn't. And I wouldn't go to a petrol station to arrange a mortgage.
I'm buying petrol FFS, me walking in to pay with a lid on shouldn't be a big deal.


Some of us do find having to take the helmet off a massive nuisance.
I wear spectacles and ride in all weathers. When it's raining I can fill the tank and pay without getting my hands wet if I leave the helmet on. If I take it off, I have to take my specs off first and there's the problem of not having anywhere to put either item where they're not going to slip or get blown to the ground. By the time I've finished paying and have dried specs and hands (assuming the garage has any paper towels left in the dispenser) the process has taken twice as long as it normally does.
If you're unencumbered by the need to wear glasses, a fair weather rider and are happy to acquiesce to their ridiculous demands, then go ahead. But I don't accept that we should be perceived as criminals for wearing a helmet, nor do I accept that my choice of helmets should be limited to flip-front ones at the whim of Shell/BP etc.


It's not as if helmet rules like this are going to have any effect on crime. All the stations I use on my regular route have ANPR cameras, so attempting to ride off without paying isn't going to work more than once. It's not about that anyway... walking into the shop with the helmet on that is what they're objecting to.
I do sympathise with staff who've been subjected to threats and attacks by thugs intent on robbing the place, but making innocent motorcyclists show their faces isn't going to alter the habits of criminals unless the rule is enforced by a couple of bouncers at the door. This is all about management wanting to be seen to be doing something to calm the fears of the till operators. In fact it'll achieve nothing other than setting up confrontational situations for the staff and driving a few, admittedly unprofitable, customers away.


At least when my local Sainsbury's tried this policy I was able to suggest they'd lose not only my fuel purchases for bike and car, but my weekly groceries shopping as well. Allowing helmeted customers to pay for fuel at the night-pay window (i.e. no need for me to enter the shop) had been a constructive alternative I gave them, but after a few weeks they abandoned the policy completely. :woot

[Rusty]

discrimination sees to be the recurring theme!

Yep, and why not it's a useful tool. When people issue such edicts then some form of discrimination is difficult to avoid. I find it ironic (and admittedly amusing) therefore, to hoist them with their own petard. If in principle it is ok to make a rule based on a mode of transport or an item of clothing then what they are really doing is profiling, they are saying that motorcyclists are more likely to be potential robbers - and funnily enough that's illegal.

[goldfazer]

'yhey are saying that motorcyclists are more likely to be potential robbers - and funnily enough that's illegal.'

Don't think it is. It's illegal to discriminate on age, race, sex and probably a couple of other things, but profiling is perfectly legal (even using things like race in airport security), and I can't see that having motorcyclists as a 'profile group' would be illegal.

Mind you, I have a flip lid and would get me juice from a 'remove yer lid' place anyway

[Lazarus]

There is a solution that is a little less dramatic.


Convert religion to a Sikh and wear a turban!!!


Result : you dont need to wear a helmet, ergo you dont need to take it off at a station!!!!

[Rusty]

Y'know come to think of it I've never seen a Sikh motorcyclist in 35 years of riding.


I think profiling is illegal Laz but I'll have to look that up to confirm it. I remember there being a big stink about searching Muslim's at the airport. This is what I mean about bringing in ill thought out directives, as it's hardly Swedish little old ladies that fit the terrorist profile yet security were prevented from singling out Wahabi Muslims as it amounted to profiling.


When I moved house a couple of years ago I borrowed a luton van and did it myself.  It took two days and around five full van loads.  By the end of the second day I was tired, dirty, unshaven and scruffy, plus driving an old van.  As I was filling it with diesel before returning it I was accosted by a woman in an expensive car who told me she 'f*cking hates gypsies.  :eek


That's why I mentioned earlier about the presumption made by tesco's that motorcyclists are more likely to be robbers, because people are like that.  I doubt there will be any supporting evidence for the supposition, e.g. number of drive off's/amount of fuel stolen relative to bikes and cars etc.

[goldfazer]

'I was accosted by a woman in an expensive car who told me she 'f*cking hates gypsies'


Priceless :lol :lol :lol

[Rusty]

'I was accosted by a woman in an expensive car who told me she 'f*cking hates gypsies' Priceless :lol :lol :lol

It gets worse. She told me to 'get back where I came from' then drove off with her nose in the air. Imagine her face when (I was moving house remember) I went 'home' and she turned out to be my new next door but one neighbour!  :rollin

[Lazarus]

Y'know come to think of it I've never seen a Sikh motorcyclist in 35 years of riding.

Have only seen the one myself m8 - down near London.


Im by no means an expert in the law, but have the "experience" of being married to a Muslim and see both sides.


My nephew was over in the states for a Star Wars convention ( geek!!) and he got stopped at EVERY airport and had his bag searched.

[Lazarus]

[quote author=goldfazer link=topic=4459.msg37381#msg37381 date=1346678941]
'I was accosted by a woman in an expensive car who told me she 'f*cking hates gypsies' Priceless :lol :lol :lol

It gets worse. She told me to 'get back where I came from' then drove off with her nose in the air. Imagine her face when (I was moving house remember) I went 'home' and she turned out to be my new next door but one neighbour!  :rollin
[/quote] :rollin


Now THAT would be worth seeing

[Rusty]

Im by no means an expert in the law, but have the "experience" of being married to a Muslim and see both sides.

Yes me too, my sister in law and my niece are Muslim.


I often discuss politics but I've never the inclination to discuss religion. The best that can come of it is the assertion that 'my invisible man is better than your invisible man' Thank fcuk for athiesm.  :lol