Motorcycle unfriendly establishments | GTAMotorcycle.com

Motorcycle unfriendly establishments

nobbie48

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There are a number of M/C friendly sites but has anyone been refused service because of their bike? Motel? Restaurant?

One restaurant in the N-E justly banned bikes because his parking lot was being taken over as a meet point with no one buying meals but are there other places that just don't like bikes?
 
There are a number of M/C friendly sites but has anyone been refused service because of their bike? Motel? Restaurant?

One restaurant in the N-E justly banned bikes because his parking lot was being taken over as a meet point with no one buying meals but are there other places that just don't like bikes?

That happens quite often.
I used to go out to a CMVG meet and they'd have to keep their meet spot a secret,
or dozens of bikes would show up to the parking lot.

Even if people are buying, it's hard on a business.
On a clear sunny day they might have 100+ people show up around the same time,
on a rainy day, maybe a dozen. How do you prepare for that type of flux?

Not to mention that seeing lots of bikes in the lot, will make the place look crowded from the outside.
If there's lots of people hanging around, someone looking on will just assume that the place is packed,
and go somewhere less crowded.

That's why I don't mind parking around the back.
It gives people a chance to meet and put faces and personalities, to those they pass by in their cages.

Even banning bikes I can understand, if its that detrimental to the business.
 
Being a small business owner if my lot was filled to capacity by bikes sittign around for hours on end, it wouldn't be an issue if they were spending money, and not just one coffee every 3 hours.

As Baggsy said it could also deter others from coming into my establishment.

I don't view them asking bikes to leave as being "bike unfriendly", but rather as the ability for my establishment to continue to make money to cover my costs during that time frame.

Most timmies will let you sit in their lot for a "reasonable" time frame. But I would understand if there were 150 bikes parked there for 4+ hours, them saying this has to stop.

I would venture to guess that the establishment that "banned bikes" would allow you to visit if it were one - two bikes and those people came in and bought a "normal order", then took the product outside to eat and left within a reasonable time frame.
 
Last year I was part of a group ride of 40 bikes for an organized (sort of, lol) meet, and one of our stops was the "Cool Scoops" ice cream shop just around the corner from the Belfountain coffee shop at Forks of the Credit.

We tried to park as organized/compact as possible in the lot, and just about every one of us got ice cream from them -- but despite that, the owner (real grumpy old guy, total opposite from the nice folks running the shop) pulled in with his car, nearly bowling a few of us over, and told us we were bad for business and weren't welcome there. Nobody was being rude or anything, even at that point, so we were shocked.

I went back in afterward and asked if this was their typical treatment of paying customers, and the folks inside basically said they're not used to getting much business there (wonder why!), usually just the odd car or two. They didn't seem to get the point when I stated that since we were "bad for business" we'd be going instead to the Belfountain shop instead now... Pretty clueless for a business operating on one of the biggest motorcycle hotspots.
 
...We tried to park as organized/compact as possible in the lot, and just about every one of us got ice cream from them -- but despite that, the owner (real grumpy old guy, total opposite from the nice folks running the shop) pulled in with his car, nearly bowling a few of us over, and told us we were bad for business and weren't welcome there. ..

I do not often go to the Forks, but I can totally understand the grumpy grandpa. The cruiser crowd rolls in, "Loud Pipes Save Lives" exhausts, revving engines unnecessarily, rattling everyone's windows, I was getting annoyed and I was on my bike. Thirty bikes with open pipes can cause a huge racket. You can't expect to treat Belfontain with such racket without repercussions. Not all businesses want to cater to the burly biker crowd, and that's fine with me. I doubt he has many non-riding families visit him in the summer on weekends. It is unfortunate for those of us with OEM exhausts that keep to ourselves, but we all get painted with the same brush.

Belfontain and the Forks was also the first community in the GTA to enact a noise bylaw for motorcycles. There's a reason for this and I support them.
 
Belfontain and the Forks was also the first community in the GTA to enact a noise bylaw for motorcycles. There's a reason for this and I support them.


When you can't stand inside talking to someone and be heard over the bikes is when they start doing things like the noise bylaw. It's not just the cruiser crowd either. After hearing that years ago standing there talking to the cafe owner I don't disagree with the noise bylaw. Loud pipes save lives and 15,000 rpm can take that **** elsewhere.

Due to people like that the area doesn't have the friendliest view of the biker crowd. Don't be upset with shop owners. Be upset with the crowd who have caused these feelings.
 
When you can't stand inside talking to someone and be heard over the bikes is when they start doing things like the noise bylaw. It's not just the cruiser crowd either. After hearing that years ago standing there talking to the cafe owner I don't disagree with the noise bylaw. Loud pipes save lives and 15,000 rpm can take that **** elsewhere.

Due to people like that the area doesn't have the friendliest view of the biker crowd. Don't be upset with shop owners. Be upset with the crowd who have caused these feelings.

The last time I was there many years ago, it was all supersports who seemed to have removed their baffles to get an extra hp or two.
Between the noise, and the "stupidheads" (<- non derogatory insult see), racing around the area with a lack of courtesy, it wasn't pleasant.
 
You just have to realize that for every nice organized and decent group of riders like you guys were, there are 1000 **** heads forks Sunday riders that went through there, parked, didn't buy anything, were rude, etc. Plus the old man probably lives in Bellefountain and has had enough of said **** heads going by with their loud pipes. I can sympathize but it would also have ****** me off if i was in your group.

Last year I was part of a group ride of 40 bikes for an organized (sort of, lol) meet, and one of our stops was the "Cool Scoops" ice cream shop just around the corner from the Belfountain coffee shop at Forks of the Credit.

We tried to park as organized/compact as possible in the lot, and just about every one of us got ice cream from them -- but despite that, the owner (real grumpy old guy, total opposite from the nice folks running the shop) pulled in with his car, nearly bowling a few of us over, and told us we were bad for business and weren't welcome there. Nobody was being rude or anything, even at that point, so we were shocked.

I went back in afterward and asked if this was their typical treatment of paying customers, and the folks inside basically said they're not used to getting much business there (wonder why!), usually just the odd car or two. They didn't seem to get the point when I stated that since we were "bad for business" we'd be going instead to the Belfountain shop instead now... Pretty clueless for a business operating on one of the biggest motorcycle hotspots.
 
You guys must be doing something wrong. I get treated like a well loved celebrity everywhere I go.
 
You guys must be doing something wrong. I get treated like a well loved celebrity everywhere I go.
michael12.jpg
 
The place that manages the parking for the Marriot in downtown Ottawa seems to hate bikes. None of their sensors worked for my bike which resulted in me being late all the time because I couldn't get out of the parking lot. Either no attendant or the attendant just blamed me and acted like I was an idiot and was somehow doing it wrong. Marriot hotel wasn't much help either but when I emailed in a complaint I got a manager's attention and then they let me park it right in front of the entrance for free (whereas they were charging me parking before that) and told me if I come back with my bike just tell them I'm supposed priority parking from now on when I check in. So I was annoyed for the first couple days and then they were great about it once I got someone that understood the problem.
 
Last year I was part of a group ride of 40 bikes for an organized (sort of, lol) meet, and one of our stops was the "Cool Scoops" ice cream shop just around the corner from the Belfountain coffee shop at Forks of the Credit.

We tried to park as organized/compact as possible in the lot, and just about every one of us got ice cream from them -- but despite that, the owner (real grumpy old guy, total opposite from the nice folks running the shop) pulled in with his car, nearly bowling a few of us over, and told us we were bad for business and weren't welcome there. Nobody was being rude or anything, even at that point, so we were shocked.

I went back in afterward and asked if this was their typical treatment of paying customers, and the folks inside basically said they're not used to getting much business there (wonder why!), usually just the odd car or two. They didn't seem to get the point when I stated that since we were "bad for business" we'd be going instead to the Belfountain shop instead now... Pretty clueless for a business operating on one of the biggest motorcycle hotspots.
Sounds like a idiot 40 customers... Probably the most they would ever get in a day.. I always get icecream from the place with the coffee shop! Very friendly
 
Sounds like a idiot 40 customers... Probably the most they would ever get in a day.. I always get icecream from the place with the coffee shop! Very friendly

That place gets a huge amount of walk-in traffic from families visiting the conservation area next door. Those families won't come if the place is over-run with bikers and the store knows it.
 
Hope this doesn't become too common...

1373646964_4372_nomotorcycles.jpg


The way some DB's on bikes act, I dont blame people hating on bikers.
 
I'll try and find the post/rant thread on here where the kennedy commons timmies landlord tried to ban bikes from the parking lot! lol. I was there in my car, just ordered timmies, chatting with the bike peeps when the cops asked everyone to leave. I hung around and they started to get pushy and I'm like "I'm here in a car." and they said "yeah, sure, we hear that all the time. get out of here or we'll issue a trespass" wow, yikes.
 
I'll try and find the post/rant thread on here where the kennedy commons timmies landlord tried to ban bikes from the parking lot! lol. I was there in my car, just ordered timmies, chatting with the bike peeps when the cops asked everyone to leave. I hung around and they started to get pushy and I'm like "I'm here in a car." and they said "yeah, sure, we hear that all the time. get out of here or we'll issue a trespass" wow, yikes.

wasn't that a couple years ago? Is it still like that now there?
 

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