Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Hey all,

I've always been a little bit paranoid about parking my bike in quiet spots -- you never know who's gonna do what to it. I used to worry about kids scratching it, but now I worry about...

1. Someone spraying anything oily on my discs (I know, always test the brakes as soon as you pull away... but still)
2. Someone opening up the oil cap and pouring cr@p inside and closing it up again (I mean, how would you know until something went *pop*??)
3. Someone just plain nicking the oil cap -- where do you buy another at 6pm 20 miles from home? (Or the radiator cap... seriously, do you check yours is still there every time???)
4. Not to mention the damage someone could do with a pair of wire-cutters!
5. Someone placing a disk lock on (I dont use one, so would never think to look for one... would you?)

What else should I be looking for???:(

PS. I don't really suffer from OCD - but a non-biker pointed this stuff out to me recently and it did get me thinking...

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

I think you fret too much. To my mind they'll nick it, or knock it over - I think that vandalism you've suggested is too subtle for the proles.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

i used to worry about people dropping crap in my petrol tank because i have one of them screw race caps.

fortunatly noone hated me enough to do it :rolleyes: apart from that i'm never to far away to keep an eye on my eye or never leave it to long to worry about it.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

+1

The disc lock one would in the eyes of the law (if you could prove it) criminal damage and too subtle and dumb for a t leaf.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

Unless he wanted you to notice it, and leave the bike unattended for a prolonged period so he can come back with his transit van.

Similar to the old nicking your crash helmet down the pub/caf/burger van ploy.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

Touche :winner:

The best deterrent is parking in a public place or controlled car park.
some car park firms insure against bike theft as long as the bike is secured with a thatcham approved deterent

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

To be fair, if you have already locked up the bike ect then there isnt alot you can do to stop the petty little vandalisms other then maybe fitting a really sensitive alarm so if its touched it will go off.....but then again it will get set off by a slight breeze so still kinda pointless

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

Aww, I wouldn't worry too much about it mate. Its too ez to just turn your compression way out, then watch you pogo it into the next hedge on your way home.
I teach m/c and in one of the sessions that comes up. We have everyone set their base limit(what works for them - as in 7 turns out from hard, etc) then they keep track of their bikes.
oh, now, you've got somethin' else to worry about dontcha?

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

Best place is to park somewhere very visible, with CCTV. In front of a supermarket, or a cop-shop! At the least street-lights. Apparently a deterrent, but that is net-wisdom!

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

what vandal would even bother doing those things:smt119?

My only worrry is the result of some drunken idiots sitting on my SV last year.

My bike was parked outside and I heard the alarm just beeping, then it went metal. I looked out and there were some drunken fools sitting on my bike for a 'laugh' no doubt. Anyway, the alarm going mental scared him so he jumped off (towards the right side, potentially catching the bike with his leg on the way over and stacking it!).

Anyway, there was no harm done, but I do get quite pranged about this nowadays.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

I guess you can get into the habit of a few basic security checks each time you come back to your bike, simple things like checking the dust caps are still on the rims, you've got pressure at the brake lever, etc etc. You could also take a few precautions like lockwire the filler plug (not such a bad idea anyhow) tippex the adjusters and make sure there is a security screw in the radiator cap. But like most have said I think you're worrying a little unnecessarily.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?!
 

Nothing!

In 32 years of parking my bike in some very dodgy areas almost every day not one of the above things has ever been done to any of my bikes, and I don't know of anyone's who has been affected by any of them either. I've had 2 bikes pushed over and a tank dented by some idiot scooter-mong who parked too close, but that's about it... oh, someone once nicked the pedals off my FS1E when it was chained to the front fence at Arborfield Barracks right by the guardhouse - I have a suspicion that was one of the squaddies though.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

A motorcycle cover is a bit of a deterrant, not much mind.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you...

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

"what vandal would even bother doing those things:smt119?" - exactly

In various places, at various times, various cars I have owned have suffered smashed wing mirror, kicked door, keyed door, broken ariel, scratches on roof from traffic cone, scratches from footprints on boot, scuffed bumper, snapped off winscreen wipers.

All of it very very very annoying, but I have never worried about someone cutting my brake lines, blocking up my washer hoses, potato in exhaust or any other such 'intelligent' vandalism designed to threated my life.

You start going down this line of thinking too much, you will end up dismantling your bike before every ride to check its OK. (Although I am not saying that a quick look over is not a sensible thing to do before any ride).

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Quick looks always worth it. I have a Loobman chain oiler, which is like a bodgson and sons Scottoiler, worked by squeezing a bottle! The bit that puts oil onto the sprocket, to distribute to the inside run of the chain had moved, and was lubricating the left-hand side on the tyre. Hence, dragging my toe round a rather sharp bend I found myself in a pant-staining RW slide. Luck was with me, but not checking could have cost me dear.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Interesting thread.

Seriously though, do you just go about annoying people ceeshaw? How many people hate your guts enough to deliberately sabotage your transport and thus endangering your life? Answer, probably not many if any at all. So stop bledy worrying and just ride the thing :smt102 :-P

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Society is not as bad as you'd believe, I've left my tankbag on in many places and no ones ever unzipped it and had the contents away, or even walked off with it. I've been trying to get rid of a perfectly good mountain bike for over a month by leaving it outside my gate, do you think some chav will ride off on it?? No chance!

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

If someone wants to deliberately sabotage your vehicle, be it bike or car, they will. Granted it's a bit easier with a bike. But with a car you can do such things as cutting the brake lines fairly easily too.

Old minis don't have a bonnet lock. Just pull a lever and there's the engine. I was a bit paranoid as a teenager that someone would raid mine for spare parts.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Ha, Ha...! Do you know what I do for a living?
.
.
.
.
I'm a Bank Manager...! :pale:
.
.
.
.
I'm thinking of doing something more respectable... maybe Estate Agency or Politics?!! ;)

Seriously, I don't really worry about this too much. Just thinking aloud.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Wow...that is a touch paranoid..!

Seriously, you're petty vandals are never gonna consider doing things like that, only someone who like, well, wanted to kill you.....

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

:smt046

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

you wanna see the warning we have had at work in parking our motorbikesin the carpark.

one warning was check the nuts and bolts on the brakes as someone has been going about undoing them......


but hey a quick check on some of the bike and off you go.

Re: Too easy to vandalise a bike?
 

Petty vandals don't consider doing vandalism, "I just did it innit, dunno why." or "dunno, i was mashed like"