People messing with your bike
 

So I had the bike parked outside uni on Friday for most of the day, right next to a very busy road and right in front of huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the entrance to uni, same place I always park it and same place other bikers park too.

I come out of uni later that afternoon, climb on bike, de-activate alarm, ignition on, press button, nothing. Hmmm. Turns out someone had flicked the kill-switch (I never turn it off using the switch, always with key), so I flick it back on, and go to pull the clutch in to start the bike. Clutch has been adjusted out to full reach. So I re-adjust it and as I'm doing so, notice that the rubber sleeve over the clutch cable has been moved off too.

Suspicions now raised, I get off bike and give it a cursory look over, wiggling bits and testing the brakes repeatedly, all seems ok, so I set off on a nervous ride home, wondering if anything else is iffy.

Now, I can't think of anyone I know at uni who knows anything about bikes to do something like this other than Owenski, but I called round his later that day and he knew nothing of it, so pranks are out of the window. But it doesn't make sense to think someone was trying to steal it either - it wasn't locked up so could easily have been pushed away - no sign of damage to ignition barrel either.

Having a chat with Owenski, we wonder if someone has dropped their SV and is looking for replacement parts. This makes most sense given that mine has Pazzo-esque shiny shiny levers (chinese copies but meh) which might seem attractive to someone looking to repair theirs after say a drop?

Anyway, I'm now worried about leaving it there next time I have to go to uni, is it worth sitting inside the building waiting for the culprits or am I reading too far into this?

Also, after 100miles or so of riding, that the back brake seems a bit vague. Get off bike and notice that as the brake pedal is depressed, the footrest peg is rotating forwards at the same time. Anyone else had this? I can't seem to find the fixing points which hold the peg in place to check / tighten?

Apologies for the long post, but intrigued to see what people's views are!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

I think Owenski is reading this and pi$$ing himself laughing ;-)

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Haha I seriously doubt it! [-o<

Re: People messing with your bike
 

I seriously can't see a fellow nice orger such as Matt, tampering with such important parts of your bike Roberrrrrt.
I can however believe someone could tamper with it for the spares. Its not the first time I've heard of 'bits going missing' whilst parke up in such places.

I suppose you could get one of those disk lock alarms (zena I think) that let off such a high screeching when slightly disturbed, it may put whoever it is off.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

MY GUESSS IT OWENSKI TOO :)

somones mesing you about, why else would they flick the kill switch. my advice is to find out who it is and break their fingers. messign with a bike is attempted murder in my book!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Well at least Dizzy has my back :(
It honestly wasnt me, rob knows I was neither at work nor Uni on Friday. I was infact at home expecting him to arrive so I could replace his indicators.

From what was said I agreed with rob, they may have been after his levers or at least looking at what tools they would need in order to pinch them but that they lost bottle/got disturbed.
There is also the chance that someone still thought it was mine so tried to prank me as opposed to you. Like I said the feckers have kindly relocated it for me in the past, just to watch my reaction.

I didnt think about it until dizzy said about the alarm disc lock but you can turn that alarm on so that the tilt switch will work its hyper sensative though so you best make sure puddin keeps off it at night.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Yeah I thought about that, but TBH I reckon a disc lock makes more sense on the basis that it won't drain the bike's battery? (bearing in mind that my studio at uni is at the other side of a courtyard and 5 floors up, so I won't be able to hear it and turn it off...)

Re: People messing with your bike
 

More importantly perhaps - anyone got any ideas on my last point RE rear brake?!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

I dont understand your last point if im honest.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

When i push back brake pedal down, the foot-peg spins forwards at the same time and by the same amount...

Re: People messing with your bike
 

needs lube!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Really? Simple as that? Never noticed the footpegs rotating before though?!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

As one of the mounting bolts is missing?
Check the mounting bolts for the rear MC, if the lower one is missing/sheered then I could see how that may pivot around the top bolt causing a peg rotating effect.
TBH though I recon you'd spot this instantly on inspectiong, what time you home tonight flower?

Re: People messing with your bike
 

:lol:

Kill switch, lever adjustment, and the rubber boot (under which is the adjuster for clutch cable tension).

Somebody is yanking his chain! ;)

The brake pedal is just co-incidence, noticed for the first time because he's looking for things wrong with the bike.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4674/img0549o.jpg

Thats aftermarket I know but its the image I used for the base of the above logic.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Hang on a minute, this is Leeds isn't it? Yep, I take back my assumption, somebody is trying to nick stuff for sure! ;-)

Re: People messing with your bike
 

If the actual footpeg is rotating, the bolt holding it in place must have come loose.

The peg has lugs that locate into the footpeg hanger. Remove the hanger and check that the big bolt that goes into the footpeg is secure. If it's loose, threadlock it.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Precisely!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

+1, Sounds like the allen bolt has loosened and the two locating lugs on the foot peg side are out of place. Although this would be evident if the stem the peg pins onto was loose/wobbly.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Prank or not, it's still a worry. And why jump to the conclusion it's a prank, although it'd be nice to know who did it, at the end of the day, any biker who felt a mischievous urge that day could do the same.

I park my bike just off a busy street often filled with tourists taking pictures etc. The other day I caught a Japanese chap just getting off it and making a move to balance himself precariously on the seat (bearing in mind it sits on a hill, I park it in gear but it's on a slippy bit of pavement and can inch into the wall if jerked about). So I marched out and very firmly told him where to go. That's the limit of folk messing about that I've experienced but it still made my blood boil, you wouldn't pose on the bonnet of a car or climb on its roof for a good photo now would you!? :rolleyes:

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Oh I dunooooo. Its not unheard of:rolleyes:

TBH with the amount of tourists up there, I'd have done my nut seeing one balancing on my bike, knowing where you park it. Why the hell they would wish to think it ok to sit on it is anyones guess, take photos I can understand........everything a photo opportunity to the bus loads of camera waving people!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Well no its not but you'd probably only really do it when drunk or at night, not in front of loads of people like it's a prop purely for your amusement. Anyway it annoyed me no end.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

MYC Tourists - Halifax LOL ;)

Re: People messing with your bike
 

You don't remember me perching on the bonnet of the poofwaggon then :lol:

But then it was my car, and not somebody elses.

Its one thing that really infuriates me TBH, people leering over my bike, touching it without permission, if someone sat on it, I'd probably give them a right gobfull! Its not so bad when your bike is parked amongst loads of others, and the people admiring are bikers themselves, but when you have some bloke with his kid, and hes just about to perch sticky kid on your pride and joy, its another matter.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Don't work in Halifax :smt019 :)

Re: People messing with your bike
 

I had something like this happen to my old TS125R. It was parked out the back of the pizza shop I worked for and as I came out of the door these scum were all over it. I said oi, WTF you playing at? And they said "sorry, thought it was so and so's bike" They had ripped the wiring from behind the clocks and were trying to hot wire it. They then legged it.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Have you annoyed anyone recently Roberrrrrrrt? The irritating, jumped up, rich kid, twonk* at college could not work out why his over-priced blinged-up race rep would not start one afternoon after class. The bike parking area was right outside the cafeteria windows, which were mirrored or the plank would have seen the people he'd been annoying laughing. One of those laughing was on the Mech Eng course... The garage he was recovered to eventually worked out the mixture screw was WAY out. Was not there myself (honest) but apparently he deservied it.

If you've done nothing of course it's not nice at all and I hope you get to the bottom of it.


*I'm not suggesting for one minute you're like the waste of oxygen I had to put up with all those years ago by the way!!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Myself and a few mates would always have a little play with each others bikes when they weren't looking, nothing major just the usual to have a little laugh at them when they got on! Killswitch, high beams, indicators, hazards anything that could be pressed was pressed :D

All in good faith though and never anything that would compromise riding!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

I'd agree with that. Suzuki use Threadlock as standard on the peg and I've needed to Threadlock parts of an aftermarket one before due to the vibes.

Many years ago someone stole the speedo converter from my NC23. The first I knew about it is when I had made it to the main road and was confused as to why I was traveling quite fast for 0mph. What made things worse was that I had been parked outside of a Police Station.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Well you should expect it going to the #spit# met

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Unlucky mate worst i had was some mug let air out my frnt tyre so i had to ride my bike whilst it handled like a bus as the front tyres pressure was 10 psi below what i should be.

get talking with your uni se if they can improve the saftey fo the bikes parked out front and lock it up.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Isn't an Owenski one of those bikes they used to build at Ebbw Vale? In the days when Wales had a manufacturing industry...

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Not that I can think of - haven't even got round to laying into the tutors for running the part time course like it doesn't exist!

And yeah Yorkie, you do have a point about it being the met! Trouble is it's the only uni around here that does a part-time RIBA certified Masters course!

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Worst i had was sitting in a shisha garden on Cowley Road, bike parked in the shisha place's yard out of sight. Suddenly i hear my alarm going ape so i jump up and sprint out to see whats going on. An employee was sitting on my bike as another took photos. Everybody in the place heard the swearing! It makes my blood boil.

Another time i left an off licence and started the bike as i kitted up. The guy who worked there (id never been there before or met him) came out to take a look. He said "nice bike" and just helped himself to a few good revs on the throttle. I gave him the- Go back inside stare.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Theres a young asian boy ( 6 - 7 yo) who every time I start mine at the back of the house comes running out and playing with switches and lights and throttle -- cant tell him to p*ss off as his dad is usually watching and telling me he likes my bike. I'm forever telling him not to touch anything, bikes are dangerous etc to no avail....
I said nothing the other saturday when he came out in his clean white religious gown ( dunno what its called) before they went off to prayers, and started messing as usual round by my freshly lubed chain.... does oil come out of nice white robes easily ...? :)

Funnily enough, not seen him since !

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Another great perk (:mad:) of me working in a tourist place is a chap who firejuggles next to where I park the bike. He uses clubs and the stick thing with fire at both ends. The other week he dropped the stick (apparently it very rarely happens...) and skimmed my tank before hitting the wall next to it. Someone else told me this had happened because he didn't dare tell me himself :lol: Turns out it had just left a paraffin smudge on the tank but if it had landed end down and hit my clocks I wouldn't be laughing. And he certainly wouldn't be. :rolleyes:

I'd be livid if someone I didn't know did that. Glad it's not just me, but my bike is the single most expensive possession I own (apart from my degree certificate :rolleyes:) and it really makes my blood boil when strange folk think its ok to play about with it like it's worth nothing.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Unfortunately people just don't get it. And thats the only thing that stops me really losing it! If someone was intentionally tampering with or damaging my bike i don't think id be able to control myself.

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Not many people touch my SV, I think they're scared of catching something.

I have the same issue. It's amazing how easy it is to catch broken fingers syndrome !

Re: People messing with your bike
 

Ahhhh right, thats what you were trying to explain with the black mark on the tank. Throwing flames at tanks full of petrol ain't a good idea tha knows:o
As for the bold bit.....this is why I am so anal about the bikes I own. They are the fruits of hard labour, a lot of saving and a lot of love. Even though I have a house that I own, and now a car, the bikes are still the most expensive thing I have owned for several years, especially when I had no moeny for much else, and I think you'd prolly see more than steam coming out of my ears if someone touched them and broke something because they have no idea what they are worth to me...besides cost.


edited:wink: