Sorry Sir, you must get off your bike to fill it!

[LordFlathead]

Just had a very strange conversation with a forecourt attendant at BP on my way to Hayling Island. As I pulled up to the pump, he approached me and said, "Good after noon, we have a policy of not allowing motorcyclists to fill up while they are sat on their bike. This is due to a health and safety decision after a motorcyclist poured petrol over him/her and as we have 2 managers in the station today, I'm asking if you can fill your bike while not being on it"

Seriously. What are they thinking? I told him that I thought it would be far more dangerous to try and fill a bike which is NOT level, and the result of this is likely to be petrol spilt or the tank not filled properly. When you sit and fuel the bike you are much more in control and stabilize the bike with your legs. At this point he mentioned that he was a biker and totally agreed. Now I do have a centre stand on the ZZR so it's not really a problem for me other than the extra time it takes to put the bike on the stand, but how about everyone else without a centre stand?

When I went in to pay for the fuel I only managed just under £20 as I could not brim the tank. I then started the conversation over with a manager inside and he totally agreed, giving me a card for feedback.

I'm going to detail the added risk in a diplomatic way to their head office because this has to be the dumbest, ill thought out, dangerous, profit damaging exercise I've ever heard of! Has anyone else been told this before?





I noticed that it doesn't have a BP Station number. I'm trying to think which one it is geographically.

[conkerman]

Shell or BP station?

I had this years ago at a Tesco.

The road to hell and all that :-)

[JamesAddiction]

I can see why they'd do this.

If you're straddling the bike, you could slip on a diesel spillage and drop the bike, whilst still having the hose in the tank.

There's also the risk of a spillage igniting on the engine - whilst that risk is there if you're stood next to the bike - it's less likely to lead to you becoming a human torch or causing further issues trying to leap off in a hurry.

[conkerman]

bks.

It's health and safety gone mad.

/kneejerk.

Ceetainlt would not be good to have a static fire while filling when sat on the bike.
Baked love spuds and no eyebrows. Ouch.

[LordFlathead]

conkerman said:

Shell or BP station?

I had this years ago at a Tesco.

The road to hell and all that :-)

Sorry for any confusion, it was SHELL.

[Dare2Fail]

Although the Health and Safety argument is rolled out (which does make sense, all be it a pretty small chance of your bike bursting into flames) I suspect it is more an effort to hinder people riding off without paying.

[Nigel Worc's]

JamesAddiction said:

I can see why they'd do this.

If you're straddling the bike, you could slip on a diesel spillage and drop the bike, whilst still having the hose in the tank.

There's also the risk of a spillage igniting on the engine - whilst that risk is there if you're stood next to the bike - it's less likely to lead to you becoming a human torch or causing further issues trying to leap off in a hurry.

Oh FFS, there is thread running, designed just for you, about a newspaper taking pictures of drivers doing naughty things, have a look, you'll probably cum !

OP, just another person thinking "what if" I guess, seems to be a national passtime since new labour was invented.

I actually do get off mine to fill it, and always have, just different habits combined with a lot of bikes only having side stands these days I guess.

I'd file this in the same bin as "mobile phones ended the world at petrol stations" crap we were getting a few years back.

[Rawwr]

LordFlathead said:

I thought it would be far more dangerous to try and fill a bike which is NOT level, and the result of this is likely to be petrol spilt or the tank not filled properly.

Hah, no.

[LordFlathead]

Why?

[Condi]

The tank has a drain in so if you put too much in then it drains safely out to the floor. And if you were likely to spill a lot at least it goes over the bike and not you.

Bit of a pain, but not something worth getting upset about. Much better than the 'remove your helmet' policy of some garages.

[LordFlathead]

Ok that makes more sense. I have honestly never over filled a bike!

[Nigel Worc's]

Condi said:

The tank has a drain in so if you put too much in then it drains safely out to the floor. And if you were likely to spill a lot at least it goes over the bike and not you.

Bit of a pain, but not something worth getting upset about. Much better than the 'remove your helmet' policy of some garages.

My tank doesn't have a drain in it ...... honest, just three holes, one to fill it, and two to the taps to pass it through to the carbs.

[Condi]

Nigel Worc's said:

My tank doesn't have a drain in it ...... honest, just three holes, one to fill it, and two to the taps to pass it through to the carbs.

Maybe yours is old? I dunno, all of mine have.

[Conian]

As a biker I understand, and I fill up the tank while stood over the bike, sidestand down but the bike very much upright, but:


Dear Manager, I was utterly livid today after a member of your staff tried to keep me safe during the dispensing of a flammable liquid. As a result, I rode off with my bike under-filled by possibly 100ml of fuel, which at 50mpg equates to an extra 1.1 miles.

[JamesAddiction]

Nigel Worc's said:

JamesAddiction said:

I can see why they'd do this.

If you're straddling the bike, you could slip on a diesel spillage and drop the bike, whilst still having the hose in the tank.

There's also the risk of a spillage igniting on the engine - whilst that risk is there if you're stood next to the bike - it's less likely to lead to you becoming a human torch or causing further issues trying to leap off in a hurry.

Oh FFS, there is thread running, designed just for you, about a newspaper taking pictures of drivers doing naughty things, have a look, you'll probably cum !

OP, just another person thinking "what if" I guess, seems to be a national passtime since new labour was invented.

I actually do get off mine to fill it, and always have, just different habits combined with a lot of bikes only having side stands these days I guess.

I'd file this in the same bin as "mobile phones ended the world at petrol stations" crap we were getting a few years back.

OK, imagine this happening whilst filling up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idR6gMBUd4Y

Here's another one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKgHysn1mZU

Risk may be minimal - but you can see why it's probably best not to be sitting on the bike whilst pumping fuel.

[Nigel Worc's]

Conian said:

As a biker I understand, and I fill up the tank while stood over the bike, sidestand down but the bike very much upright, but:


Dear Manager, I was utterly livid today after a member of your staff tried to keep me safe during the dispensing of a flammable liquid. As a result, I rode off with my bike under-filled by possibly 100ml of fuel, which at 50mpg equates to an extra 1.1 miles.

Is it really a flammable liquid ........ huh huh huh ?

[slippery]

Dare2Fail said:

Although the Health and Safety argument is rolled out (which does make sense, all be it a pretty small chance of your bike bursting into flames) I suspect it is more an effort to hinder people riding off without paying.

I always assumed this was the reason too. Health and safety never entered my mind. Sounds like a diplomat's answer, rather than an honest one.

[SpeckledJim]

It sounds reasonable to me. If I spill fuel down the side of a bike that then ignites, i'd rather the flaming bike with an open tank not be relying on my continued presence to not fall over and spill the fuel everywhere.

What I'd really like to do at that point is run away and consider my options from behind, say, a concrete bus shelter.

[VinceFox]

Total bks. Fill up somewhere else.

[Nigel Worc's]

JamesAddiction said:

OK, imagine this happening whilst filling up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idR6gMBUd4Y

Here's another one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKgHysn1mZU

Risk may be minimal - but you can see why it's probably best not to be sitting on the bike whilst pumping fuel.

I'd suggest the risk is so minimal, not to even worry about it.

I've never sat on a bike whilst refuelling it, but not because of any percieved health and safety risk, just because I never have, I have sat on one putting ciggies out in the fuel, to show soldiers how 'ard the RAF are !

If you're worried about risks to that level, is motorcycling for you ?

It must potentially be one of the most dangerous forms of transport, and as I'm getting older I'm far more worried about falling off it, and the possible consequencies of that, than I am regarding if it'll catch fire whilst I refuel it.

It is an interesting thought though, can you imagine something being designed today, from scratch, where you put the fuel tank and its filler right above the engine, downpipes etc ?