This came back to me after reading OP: Friend down in Sam Houston Nat. Forest.
Before cell phones, When you saw a biker on the side of the road, it was common to stop and lend a hand. Since I've been riding everyone has a phone, yet I still feel compelled to stop when I see a bike on the side of the road. When I do they're usually on the phone and say they've got it handled. When I don't its cause I'm riding with a group and noone ahead of me is stopping. We ( me & g/f) are usually in the middle or rear so I keep up with our group only to feel 'guilty'. So I'm thinking there must be something to let others know that if you are on the side of the road, you DO need some help. My thought would be to have a red cloth such as a bandana, flag, rag, etc. that is hanging on the back of the bike or handlebar so it can be seen by others. This would make it obvious even if you already called for help. You may get back on the road quicker, and waiting on the side of the road is not safe anymore.

 

I give the guy on the side of the road a thumbs up or down and depending on the return I stop or keep on my merry way. the bandana is a good idea, to bad I hate red so I don't have them in that color.

 

The helmet on the ground behind the rear tire is an indicator that they need help.

Ron

 

I always slow down and give him the thumbs up/down. There's been a number of times I've stopped and helped however I could at the time. Sometimes even having a cell phone he may need a hand, such as in one case a guy i stopped for had a dead battery and another one had no signal in the mtns where we were.

 

There are many signals but I don't bother most of the time to even look for them. I am not ever in such a hurry that I don't have enough time to stop and just ask if they need help. If they wave me off before I make a stop that is okay too. This crap gets way to over thought and sometimes I think people are just looking for excuses why they didn't stop.

 

I'd have to go home and get it..........

 

Funny you post this. I always stop. If they have it under control, I take off. If it's a female, I'll wait with her until help arrives.

Today on the way home from work, I saw a guy on the other side of the highway straddle walking his bike (HD or Victory, but that doesn't matter) on the shoulder. He looks at me as I give him the "thumbs up/thumbs down" sign. Get nothing in return. So I go on down about 3/4 of a mile to the next exit, and turn around and go back to see if he needs help. Guess he didn't, he was gone when I got back to where he was.

 

Was out on a ride recently and stopped for gas. An Ultra owner, also parked at the store, came up to me and asked if I knew how to jump start a Harley? Without hesitation I help remove the seat, get the truck owner parked next to him to assist with a his battery, and we got the Ultra going. We exchanged first names and he and his wife rode off into the sunset.

He had owned the bike for a short period of time and knew nothing about it but how to ride it. I guess if you own a bike you should understand it better than that, but more importantly, those of us who do, be willing to assist those who don't. Everyone ride safely this weekend. tomp dd50

 

I always pull in to check, not many know , your lid should be placed on the ground behind rear tire. This indicates you need help.

 

It's a little different each time. I've had guys flag me down, others just stand there looking like they are taking a break.
I did stop for one guy who was sitting down staring at his bike. He was pissed that I stopped. He screamed stating there was no way I could help, he didn't need a phone and I wasn't the first guy that had stopped. He had already called someone to come and get him (they were about an hour away). He looked really pissed when I came back to him 5 minutes later.
He seemed to lose the attitude when I handed him a bottle of water. We started talking and he told me about all the events he had been to (only big rallies like Sturgis, Daytona but he never heard of the local events). I tried to get some info as to what was wrong with the bike hoping to get him going but he'd just rant on about POS this and junk that.
His brother showed up after a good hour and I helped them load the bike into the truck (neither had much of a clue how to do it). His brother thanked me, he didn't.
I can tell you all from experience it sucks sitting stranded along side the road even when you know help is on the way. A cold drink and someone to chat with makes a big difference.