Bike blown over...again?

[JediGoat]

On Monday morning I had to set off for a business trip in Lyon. My bike (parked on the footpath, chained to the lampost outside my house) had been coverless for the last week or so because I was worried it would get blown over again in the high winds (as it has once before). However, before I set off, I put the cover back on, tying it as securely as I could (seeing as someone nicked one of my ties, so I only had one left plus the usless strap thing underneath).

Got home about about 30mins ago, to find my bike on it's side again. I have no idea if it has been windy in London over the last two days (the weather in Lyon was lovely )

It had fallen of the offside again, and a helpful passer-by gave me a hand to pick it up.

Here's the odd thing tho - the side stand was up - could it have sprung back up in the fall?

Here's an odder thing - the mounting bolt thingy (that holds the lower fairing on) on the nearside has snapped off, and the fairing is cracked. Could the impact on the offside have caused a fracture on the nearside? Bear in mind that the bike has been down on it's nearside before (can't blame the wind for that - just poor braking on my part).

The nearside is nearest the road, so either the wind blew it over and physics did it's thing, or someone trying to park next to the kerb drove into it?

What do you reckon? I'll be asking around the neighbours in the morning to see if anyone saw anything.

I must say, I'm a tad ****ed off, as I was gonna get a new battery and start riding daily again, but now I'm gonna have to get the whole bike checked over

Jo -> Who's just opened the Jamesons she bought at the airport for Christmas

Blown over again? tbh, it has been a little windy but not that windy! Is there anywhere else that you can park the bike?

If it's remotely windy, leave your bike in gear and park head on into the prevailing wind. I foolishly didn't do this as I was "just stopping for 5 minutes" (well, it was in gear, just not into the wind) and I came back to find the bike on its side. If the sidestand was up, it sounds like the bike probably rolled. It's sometimes caused by a bike in neutral rolling forwards slightly and that causes the sidestand to be moved far back enough that it springs up.

Sorry to hear about this, I know how annoying it can be.

With the damage to the other side of the bike would say unless it rolled over someone has knocked it over hun, get it checked out to make sure there's no other damage.

H

[JediGoat]

Thinking about it a bit more....and at a more reasonable hour, I'm pretty sure someone must've driven into it.

Last time it was one it's side, it was obvious that it had been blown over - we'd had really windy weather, and the cover was pulled right up, grimly hanging on to the bike.

This time, the cover was in place, so I reckon it was probably someone during the morning scrum trying to park as close to the school as possible with no sodding respect for anyone else.

Jo -> grumpy

[SoulKiss]

Wire a grenade into the tilt-switch on your bike, that only arms when the side-stand is down.

One less Chelsea Tractor on the School run and you can be sure you will get the person that knocked your bike over's details for an insurance claim.

To be extra sure, consider a Claymore mine under the Pillion Seat.

consider the line from Aliens

"Take off and nuke the site from orbit. its the only way to be sure"

Less lethal options would be the permanant paintball gun in a topbox/tailpack as discussed by me and Baph, or maybe easier - a Supersoaker of Brake Fluid......

It was REALLY windy in Oxford recently, my bike was parked next to a skip to afford it some protection.

[JediGoat]

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

a Supersoaker of Brake Fluid......

Now.........I have a Supersoaker. I may take hostage all parents dropping their little darlings off in the morning, until one of them breaks down in tears and admits it was them.

Alternatively, when I get home, I'm gonna pop in the corner shop opposite and ask if they saw/heard anything.

Jo

[JediGoat]

Decided on the 'ask the neighbours' approach, rather than the supersoaker. I owe an aplogy to all the school-runners on my street.

According the the nice people in the corner shop, yesterday morning a large lorry was struggling to turn into the road opposite my house (regardless of the fact that these are small residential roads, the area is a cut through between Willesden and Harlesden, and so gets used a lot)

Seems the lorry couldn't get round in one go, so reversed.....straight back into my bike. Dunno how much of it is heresay, but it seems that someone was walking past with two small children, and they narrowly missed being hit by my bike

No-one I've spoken to so far managed to get the reg number on the lorry, nor did they spot what company it was. It's possible the driver didn't even realise what he'd done.

Ahh, well....will wait for daylight to have a closer inspection........and hope he didn't damage the frame

Jo