Chicago - Motorcycle parking overnight?

[Guest]

Thinking of making a trip around Lake Michigan and checking out Chicago for a couple days. How safe would it be to park a Motorcycle overnight at a hotel?
1 of the hotels I was looking at is Heart O' Chicago on North Ridge Ave.

Thanks

 

[bonanzadave]

Might want to bring a couple sets of extra spark plugs........

[h=2] Hey Crackhead
[/h]



Yes, you. You sick ****er. On Wednesday morning I emerged from my girlfriend's building by U.N. Plaza to find that you had sawed the tops off both the sparkplugs on my motorcycle. At the time, I had no idea why anyone would do that. Other than the sparkplugs, the bike was untouched. Some kind of bizarre vandalism? A fraternity prank gone awry? I had no idea. All I knew is that I looked like a huge douchebag riding the Muni to work in a padded motorcycle jacket and helmet.

Because the bike was immobilized I got a $35 street sweeping ticket that night. Thursday I had it towed to the shop ($45) where they replaced the sparkplugs and the boots ($50 including labor). They explained to me that "people" - I use the term loosely here - like you break off the tops of spark plugs and use the porcelain tubes to smoke crack. As an engineer and former MacGyver fan, in a way I think this is kind of cool. But then I remember that I just paid $100 for YOUR crackpipes, and I get angry again.

Crackhead, it was really good to have my bike back though. I rode home from the shop with a couple of spare sparkplugs and a smile on my face. I figured the next time I parked at my girlfriend's place overnight I would have to buy some crackpipes and tape them to my bike as a peace offering. Overall, I wasn't that upset. Despite having to ride the bus for three days and dropping a hundred bones at the shop, I had gained some fascinating knowledge, a new set of sparkplugs, and a pretty funny anecdote about how ****ed up you are, and how our paths once crossed briefly in the night.

But you couldn't just let sleeping dogs lie, could you Crackhead. You couldn't just stay in on Friday, watch Letterman through the window of a home electronics store and then call it a night. You couldn't rest on your laurels. Two porcelain sparkplug crackpipes just wasn't enough for you, was it Crackhead? You just had to come back for more.

This morning, a scant fifteen hours after I rode it out of the shop, I found my motorcycle violated once again. This time you only took the right one - maybe you were having an off night. At least this time I had a spare sparkplug and the tools to fix it - or so I thought - having ordered a 73-piece toolset from SEARS.com last week. But no, the sparkplug socket in my new toolset was for American sparkplugs. So I had to go down to the neighborhood Ace hardware. They had an 18mm socket that would fit over my sparkplug, but it was for a 1/2" drive ratchet. My toolkit only has 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets. So I had to buy a 1/2" ratchet along with the socket. Even though the clerk took pity on me and gave me the senior citizen discount (I'm 25) it still cost me $22 all told. Now, you might say that I should have just gotten a 3/8"-to-1/2" drive adaptor instead of springing for the whole ratchet. And to that I say "Shut the hell up, Crackhead, I'm not finished. And besides, I was eventually going to buy a 1/2" ratchet anyway so it's probably not worth it to take it back now."

OK, now I'm rambling. But the point is, Crackhead, that you have done me wrong. Now, I get that you love crack. That is totally understandable. I've heard it is really fun, at first, and quite addictive. What I don't understand is,

YOU ARE A CRACKHEAD. WHY DON'T YOU OWN A CRACKPIPE?

I am an engineer. Do you ever see me shaking down bums in the Loin for a calculator and sliderule? No, you don't. Because engineering is the main thing I do, I went and bought myself a calculator. The main thing you do is crack. How do you get by without a crackpipe? The other crackheads must clown on you non-stop. I mean, the ****ing saw you used to saw off my sparkplugs is probably worth five or ten bucks. Why not sell or trade it for a crackpipe? You really haven't put much thought into this, have you?

Please, Crackhead, please don't tell me you sold your crackpipe to buy crack. Even a stupid crackhead such as yourself couldn't possibly be that stupid.

I've decided that taping crackpipes to my motorcycle would be tantamount to appeasement. You have crossed a line, Crackhead - specifically California Street. You have come onto my own street and you have desecrated that which I hold dear. You have stolen from me, and you have caused me to spend the last half hour writing this post instead of engineering ****, and it is concievable, if not likely, that my boss could find out about this and fire me. I am hella ****ed at you dude.

Here are my options as I see them:

1. Write a note saying that I have coated both of my sparkplugs in rat poison and tape it to my bike at night. You can thank Tim for that one, it was his idea.

2. Don't write a note, but just coat both sparkplugs in rat poison. This is probably closer to a punishment that would fit your despicable crime. I'm sure this is super illegal and ****, but it's not like anyone is going to miss you, Crackhead. Don't fool yourself.

3. Wait in an alley near my bike armed with my new stainless steel mirror-finish Ace Professional brand 1/2" drive socket wrench, my 18mm sparkplug socket, and my searing rage. It's pretty heavy and well balanced. I am not a large man, but I am angry.

In conclusion, Crackhead, why don't you just do both of us a favor and buy yourself a crackpipe? It will both enhance your crack smoking experience and save me a lot of time and felony assault charges. Think about it.

Sincerely,
Matt

*** If you are not the Crackhead that took my sparkplugs, please disregard this posting ***

 

[gwad19709]

uhh...I'd suggest bringing extra plugs

 

[Big T]

Not safe at all -my brother's KZ900 lasted about 20 minutes outside a posh hotel

 

[DimitriT]

Very funny note. Thank you.

 

[gbw]

Lived in the area 15 years. Would never leave a bike outside in the city under any circumstances. I'd feel a little safer parking it in a 24 hr garage with an attendant but that's still no guarantee.

 

[manojkeshwar]

But there is none another way of this situation, if we are going on a trip by parking bike in hotel how we would be sure that our bike is safe or not in hotel parking.

 

[Guest]

Park your bike near a security camera if you happen to notice them. The pros would prefer to not be on tape, so they likely will pick someone else?s bike. Use a chain to deter the amateurs.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

I think it'll be safe inside a secure hotel parking garage, because you have to pay to get out, cheap drive by thieves wont be in there.
Many many cars inside a hotel parking garage are more valuable than your bike.
Call the hotel and ask.

 

[Steve]

If possible, park next to a Harley, Gixxer or some similar bike. Your GS will not even be noticed, let alone taken.

.

 

[alke46]

Precisely. As Steve says. That's why my touring bike preference is the ST1100. Nobody wants to steal one of those throw away Honda bikes.

 

[Burque73]

Precisely. As Steve says. That's why my touring bike preference is the ST1100. Nobody wants to steal one of those throw away Honda bikes.

Throw away? That's the first one I'd notice. Well, after the GS of course.....

Oh, but I'm not a bike theif either.

Anyone ever take their bike into the motel room with you before?

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Throw away? That's the first one I'd notice. Well, after the GS of course.....

Oh, but I'm not a bike theif either.

Anyone ever take their bike into the motel room with you before?

I think Steve does that when he comes to the BC rally. He's a make sure kinda guy.

 

[Steve]

I think Steve does that when he comes to the BC rally. He's a make sure kinda guy.

To which "BC" are you referring, Bill?

British Columbia or Brown County? :-k

That is also why I ride a 37-year-old Suzuki and a 17-year-old Goldwing. There are a LOT of other bikes that are more appealing to a thief.

.

 

[Guest]

Thinking of making a trip around Lake Michigan and checking out Chicago for a couple days. How safe would it be to park a Motorcycle overnight at a hotel?
1 of the hotels I was looking at is Heart O' Chicago on North Ridge Ave.

Thanks

Sorry Chicago guys, but I'd find some other place to tour and stop. 216 murders in the first half of 2017 and we just started June and there is already 9.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017-chicago-murders

 

[trlsrider]

almost all of the murders are in the south side, not downtown chicago area, and most are between gang members and late at night

from former illinois resident that lived 50 miles outside chicago city limits

 

[80GS850GBob]

Sorry Chicago guys, but I'd find some other place to tour and stop. 216 murders in the first half of 2017 and we just started June and there is already 9.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017-chicago-murders

Hey...it's really gone down!

 

[80GS850GBob]

almost all of the murders are in the south side, not downtown chicago area, and most are between gang members and late at night

from former illinois resident that lived 50 miles outside chicago city limits

True...LSD and Sheridan on up is ok......lower wacker always freaked me out......

 

[trlsrider]

I moved 15 years ago from Fox Valley area in Aurora. I remember when it used to be all fields between Naperville and Aurora and now there is not even 1 farm in the county.

 

[80GS850GBob]

I moved 15 years ago from Fox Valley area in Aurora. I remember when it used to be all fields between Naperville and Aurora and now there is not even 1 farm in the county.

Yeah, I can remember when Sears was on Lake St., brick pavers on Rt25 by the Illinois ave bridge, my grandfather worked at the CB&Q roundhouse, the old rickety bridge, having to jog over on Jerico to get thru...
...the only constant in life - is change.