Bike vandalism

[Maxgibbons80]

This morning I came out of my apartment to find my bike on its side! To cut the story short, two men in the early hours of the morning pushed my bike over. A senseless act. I'm feeling gutted and heart broken. The frame sliders caught the fall but my clutch lever, lever mount, handle bar and turn signals need replacing.

What do I need to look out for when starting the bike? Do I have to drain all of the fluid as the bike was laid down for a few hours. The bike has not been started as I don't want to cause further damage.

Any advice would be great.

 

[Zealot]

I had some jerks tip my bike over recently too and sheared my brake lever off - I feel your pain man, and I'm sorry to here that. People are assholes just for the sake of it, and I've never quite understood why.

I feel like you're probably okay, assuming you didn't see any fluids on the ground when your bike got tipped over. Right it, and leave it in the proper vertical position for a little while just to let all the fluids settle into where they oughta be. Everything is meant to be self contained unless you take out the plugs, or something gets cracked open - so if there's nothing visible, I don't think you've got to worry.

Start looking into finding some replacements. You can likely find some OEM or knockoff parts for pretty cheap, for example, I got a new lever from Motion Pro for $30. As was suggested to me previously, this might be a good time to check out some custom levers - since I know you can find some (now that I own them) really nice adjustable levers in either short or long from the2wheels for something like $40. I really like mine! As for the rest, I hope other members here would be able to offer you some further suggestions.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Agreed, that sucks...

The only thing I might do, JUST TO MAKE SURE, is pull the spark plugs and crank the engine over. This is just in case engine oil made it to the top end. You do NOT want a hydralic lock and bend a connecting rod.

It would probably be okay, just an insurance policy.

The rest of the fluids should be okay. I would wipe down with a wet rag, around the vents for the master cylinder/brake reservoir. Just in case some brake fluid seeped out so you keep your paint.

Check the "for sale" section here. There's usually directionals, stock levers, etc F/S for cheap...

 

[Tailgate]

Too bad you didn't have an alarm activated. Tilt sets mine off.

I knew a high school neighborhood kid who used to do that kind of stuff (vandalism). He would also make fun of physically deformed kids. He went on to become a sworn correctional officer.

Funny thing is: this would probably not be considered a "hate" crime and, if caught, they would be eligible for a discount at sentencing time.

 

[bluremi]

Out of curiosity, how did you find out what happened? Was there security video?

 

[Maxgibbons80]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. There was a witness to the whole thing. Luckily for me the man even took pictures of the two kind individuals after they pushed the bike over. The thing that really sucks is that I had just swapped out the levers for after market ones and was in the process of doing my street fighter conversion.
Maybe next time I'll get fully comp insurance and not just liability. Being cheap only backfires I guess.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Sucks that has to happen. I encourage you to find a garage for your bike. Parking in an open parking lot in an apartment complex is not only susceptible to vandalism, but they are prime targets for theft. I live in an apartment too, but I make sure there is a garage for my bike.

 

[bluremi]

There was a witness to the whole thing. Luckily for me the man even took pictures of the two kind individuals after they pushed the bike over. .

Please update us if the two a-holes are ever identified by the police.