How long...

[MikeL]

... do you reckon you can use a bike for commuting to university every day, and leave it safely parked, before some f*wit in a cage backs into it and knocks it over?

I thought the odds might have been better, but the answer in my case is about 2 months.

Came back at 4:30 to my Honda, left tucked in by a tree outside the Humanities building in Symonds St, to find it on the ground.

Little note tucked into the seat strap:

"I knocked your bike over. Sorry!" No name or telephone number.

Damage: right engine cover smashed, mirror scratched and sundry minor abrasions.

Grrrr....

[Coyote]

What a prick, no telephone number, just a sorry note?

[crashe]

damn.... hope it can all be fixed up easily.. without too much expense.

Isn't where you park designated for bikes only?

was there any other bikes parked near you..... any others damaged?

[Ms Piggy]

Jerk! Maybe someone saw him. What a bugger!

[WINJA]

DID THE NOTE SAY SORRY OR SOLLY? CAUSE IF IT SAYS SOLLY ITS AN ASIAN ,THIS NARROWS IT DOWN TO HALF THE UNIVERSITY , HOPE THIS HELPS.
IF THE CASE IS GOT A WHOLE YOU CAN FIX IT WITH CRC KNEAD IT, MAKE SURE THE SURFACE IS CLEAN FIRST.

[John]

bloody sorry to hear that, its my worst nightmare...

Hope you get it fixed up good..

[Zed]

...Came back at 4:30 to my Honda, left tucked in by a tree outside the Humanities building in Symonds St, to find it on the ground.

Little note tucked into the seat strap:

"I knocked your bike over. Sorry!" No name or telephone number.

Yeah that sucks alright Mike - you have every right to be angry. The least the plonker could have done was to pick your bike up off the ground???

I must say, with all these stories told on KB about peeps bikes being knocked over whilst parked, I've gotten a bit paranoid about my own at times so I am in the habit of checking it at least once a day while at work. If my weighty bike was lying on the ground I'd have to ask for someones assistance to get it upright again!

[MacD]

... do you reckon you can use a bike for commuting to university every day, and leave it safely parked, before some f*wit in a cage backs into it and knocks it over?

I thought the odds might have been better, but the answer in my case is about 2 months.

Came back at 4:30 to my Honda, left tucked in by a tree outside the Humanities building in Symonds St, to find it on the ground.

Grrrr....

My Z400 was knocked over in the same place, but it was about 17 years ago! The tank had recently been repainted and sure enough the brake lever put a ding in it. Fortunately the driver left his name and number in my case.

The standard of driving around the University is diabolical. Watching people try to parallel park between the trees is just astonishing. The only place I've left my bike is the bike park on Princes St, on the corner just next to Alfred St. The cars next to it angle park so are less likely to misjudge the parking spaces and hit the bikes (you notice I only said less likely).

At least it wasn't the XJR I guess?

[MikeL]

Well I've polished off a few bottles of the old home brew and I'm feeling more philosophical now...
I realize my outrage and indignation were misplaced. I was entirely the author of my own misfortune.
I have to admit that the bike was not parked in a designated bike park. Obviously the cager was not expecting that there would be a motorbike behind him, and therefore was under no obligation to actually look. No doubt he or she was used to judging how far to back by the firm and unyielding nudge of the tree, and therefore could not be blamed for continuing to reverse when he met a more compliant object...
And of course the bike is black, therefore essentially invisible (the fact that the sun was shining brightly is immaterial).
Finally he can scarcely be blamed for not wanting to reveal his identity, since that would indicate a very outdated and thoroughly unfashionable code of ethical behaviour...

[MacD]

No doubt he or she was used to judging how far to back by the firm and unyielding nudge of the tree, and therefore could not be blamed for continuing to reverse when he met a more compliant object...

So you have watched cars trying to park between the trees then!? Don't worry Mike, it's nothing personal against bikes, the drivers "touch park" against cars too!

[Mr Skid]

I used to see a goldwing + trailer parked on the hsb quad every now and then a few years back.

I'm not sure if that's an option now though, as I hear through the uni bike user group list that unisafe have been spitting the dummy at people chaining their pushbikes to 'unapproved' structures.

What you do need is a rough nasty looking poo-mobile like mine. I'd have trouble telling if it'd been knocked over!

Oh, and my other piece of advice, don't try doing stoppies on Alfred Street in front of the bus stop without warming your tires up properly.

[Milky]

Jerk! Maybe someone saw him. What a bugger!

I take it you knew the person in question to so quickly discount more than 50% of the population?

[MacD]

I take it you knew the person in question to so quickly discount more than 50% of the population?

Well, that's an interesting point! About 55% of the UoA student population is female after all...

[erik]

If it makes you feel any better, my brother had someone hit his bike a few weeks ago while it was parked on alfred st outside auckland uni. They hit the front wheel, it didn't tip the bike over, but it moved it from the position it was in and put enough force on the forks and steering head to twist the forks in the triple-clamps and crack the steering head lock. They didn't even leave a note!

[Coldkiwi]

I was biking to uni for 2 yrs Mike and it went umolested outside the engineering building for all of that time until I moved it to alfred st. On alfred st it was fine until my final year when some bastard decided he would like a shiny new ZXR250 (thats actually 11 years old with 80000kms but new paint) and tried to nick it. Unfortunately, said theif was too stupid to notice the shiny yellow disc lock and it was only after he'd stuffed a cork screw into the ignition to break the lock and started it and tried to roll it away that he figured out what said lump of metal might be doing in such an inconvenient place!! Prick then left the lights on and flattened my battery before leaving.

But the saddest part of my little moan is that someone could do all this to a bike parked at the busiest part of uni and no one bothered them!! We have a seriously apathetic society that doesn't give a damn if its not their property.

So sadly mike, you can probably rest assured that someone did see it but didn't think to make the irresponsible driver leave a note.

Sorry to hear about the dents mate. time to look for a new sneaky new parking spot huh?