Wow lads is that bad a physical venture just taking your helmet off at at Petrol station? I can understand it must be geographical, because here in Lincolnshire I have never been asked, although I do (remove my helmet before I go in and pay) anyway as I think it's polite and re assures kiosk staff. Come on if you worked behind a petrol station counter and 12 motorbikes turned up, surely you would feel better if the costumers removed their helmets.
If the Checkout Girl was FIT AS and she asked to remove my 'Helmet' then I'd soon unzip me sen and 'present her' with it!
I think its the inconsistency that's the buggeration factor plus it doesn't apply to other face/head coverings. The banks & post offices around where I live are quite happy for me to potter in with my lid on!
Get a few mates, say about ten of you, to all arrive at once, then all take your time, remove gloves, remove lid (finding safe place to put lid of course) slowly fill bikes up half way. Make sure you pay in lots of loose change. Then do all in reverse. Ride off and come straight back to fill rest of tanks up...............
If they want my money then they treat me sensibly. The one with the pay at pump was especially ridiculous. I have had to do it a few times when I had no other option, however I made sure I dragged out taking off my helmet, and then took even longer putting earplugs; neck tube; helmet and gloves back on. Certainly pi$$ed off a few other customers and when asked to move away from the counter I pointed out that my lid cost the best part of £400 and that I wasn't going to put it down on their diesel and oil stained forecourt whilst I sorted the rest of my kit On occasion I have had the tannoy to remove my helmet, and have just closed my tank up, put my gloves back on and ridden off leaving the nozzle out of the pump. Juvenile maybe but serves them fooking right. As has been mentioned though it seems to be more of a regional thing as I don't recall it happening in Lincolnshire. Definitely used to get it in Brizzle though.
I get annoyed at places that insist on helmet removal and a bit pi**ed at the couple of places that have refused to let me refuel the bike while I'm sitting on the thing "in case I drop it and spill fuel". The garage I started using 2-3 times a week in Ealing doesn't care if I remove my helmet or not and are generally very friendly... so I use them all the time.
I had quite to opposite reaction the other week when i fueled up in Shrewsbury, At small independent garage i went in to pay, with helmet on and the guy behind the counter said " i took over this place 18 months ago and there was a notice to remove helmets, first thing i did was take it down" he then went on about the Burka argument!! Good on him, Its a pity a cant remember what the place was called, or i'd give him a mention
I've had it happen to me at the Shell garage in York. Never have a problem with my local Shell garage, but this one was, over the crackly tannoy...get off the bike..which at first I couldn't make out what was being said.. then take off the helmet.. Now since the bike was facing the wrong way, so the plate was towards the kiosk and I had to turn round on the forecourt to get out of the petrol station, I thought it was a bit much. Till I went in to pay and found an asian behind the counter...as previously said, I wonder what the outcome would have been wearing a burkha. I did get asked to get off the bike at another Shell garage near Beverly in East Yorkshire..the guy behind the counter did apologise for having to ask but explained that, at another one of their forecourts, a biker was sat on the bike and spilled fuel onto the exhaust/engine, which caught light, with the obvious mayhem that causes, so they now ask all bikers to get off as a safety matter.
The same happened to the bloke last year at our local fill up when he was sat on the bike when the fuel nozzle had a bit of a jeffrey & spewed petrol all over his tank resulting in an almighty row with the tannoy....result he got banned & then had to listen to me saying I told you so for the rest of the day
