9 O’clock last night found me kneeling by the roadside, biting my motorcycle for, for approximately 15 minutes. I must have looked like a right idjit, and I want to know who is responsible.
I came to drive the thing away, and found a wire hanging disturbingly from one side. There should be a panel there to protect the wiring and battery, but it fell off after getting the battery replaced so the wires are all exposed.
I figured this one must have snagged on someone’s scooter as they were pulling out it out of the next space, so didn’t worry too much - except that the bike was completely dead. It took quite a while to figure out where it had come from, and I was able to reconnect it without much trouble, but the bike still wouldn’t start. It was kicking over, but not firing.
Eventually I found two other wires that had been deliberately cut! With no tools to hand, and no moto shop nearby, I had to resort to biting the insulation off the wires to splice them together - all black and grimy as they were. Marvellous! It took bloody ages; my face, hands and clothes were filthy by the time I finished; and then I had to go and get it properly fixed, eventually getting home at 11.
What kind of wanker would do something like this? And why?
In fairness, this is the first time this has happened in four years on the roads here so I don’t think it’s a Taiwan problem. But it’s fucking annoying all the same.
Wankers! The worst I ever had was some m****rfucker who stole my spark plug, when he could have bought a brand new one from a shop down the road for the price of a few coins.
Somebody stole my disc brakes the other day. the whole things. Got on in the morning and found I couldn’t stop. Got to the repair shop saying my brakes don’t work. He asked me where they were. I thought he was joking but they were gone.
Wish they had left a note telling me they had stolen my brakes.
On my bikes I’ve had two exhuast pipes stolen and numerous cases of vandalism, (deliberate scratch on my gas tank on a week long expensive custom paint job)
I imagine there is a room in hell filled with these people.
[quote=“irishstu”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]twmc -
You might consider carrying a small pocket knife for times such as this.[/quote]An ambiguous statement if ever I heard one, hehe. :p[/quote]To use for stripping the wires. Much easier than using ones teeth.
Sorry if I was a bit vague.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“irishstu”][quote=“TainanCowboy”]twmc -
You might consider carrying a small pocket knife for times such as this.[/quote]An ambiguous statement if ever I heard one, hehe. :p[/quote]To use for stripping the wires. Much easier than using ones teeth.
Sorry if I was a bit vague.[/quote]
Erm, yeah, I got it. Others might not have, though.
I do agree wholeheartedly though. I am never without my knock-off mini Leatherman (which ironically I got free with a razor, and is much better than a SOG one I paid about 25 quid (50 of your bucks) for). I’ve fixed dozens of things in an emergency with it.
Some years back my housemade bought a new bicycle (pushbike) and parked it downstairs in a little courtyard where folks parked scooters and bicycles. The next morning, she got up and we went down to go for a ride. Fortunately she took a good look, and happened to notice that someone had disconnected and taken her brakes. This was in Taipei. She would have been roadkill. :fume:
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]twmc -
You might consider carrying a small pocket knife for times such as this.[/quote]
I am the proud owner of a Leatherman, which comes complete with a pair of pliers, knives, and a doohickey for trimming unruly nostril hair. It would have been perfect for this situation, if it wasn’t in Hong Kong at the moment. Like I said, I looked like an idiot.
Press cheek against oily battery and coil, insert tiny protruding piece of wire into mouth, gnaw like crazy, wonder if you remembered to turn the ignition off. Nightmare.
All of this is one big reason I’d never want to get a scooter or car here - truthfully I wouldn’t even want to get a bike. Not to mention the traffic, of course…
I drive a second hand bike I picked up for $800NT, complete with a big basket up front and pink lettering on the frame. My brakes squeek so loud that my wife can sometimes hear me coming back home - from 20 floors up. It’s so embarrassing that I now drag my feet on the pavement along with just enough pressure on the brakes for them to not squeek to stop myself. The soles of my sneakers have been noticeably worn down. My wife originally wanted me to buy a little bell or horn, but we’ve since learned that a quick squeeze of the brakes is just as effective. Front brake for a more high pitched whistle-like squeal, rear brake for a lower horn-like sound. Also, I didn’t know it at the time of purchase, but I’ve since found out it’s a girls bike. I’ve almost been hoping someone would steal or smash it so I can get a new one. Upgrading to a scooter in a month or so, and I’d be willing to sell this gem of a bicycle to someone if interested…PM me with your offers.
I would certainly feel some amount of pity for whoever was unfortunate enough to steal it (they’d probably bring it back as soon as they heard the brakes). But in answer to your question, I guess it would depend. Most likely if someone were to steal it, it would be at night when its locked up downstairs. Prior to riding off with it, they would have no way of knowing that the brakes were so loud. Appearance wise, I guess it just looks like a normal girls bike. Even if the brakes were in good condition, I seriously doubt anyone would want to steal it, because its just a cheap looking bike, not one of those fancy expensive ones you see the high school guys riding around in. I don’t think you would have any trouble if you had something similar, just remember to lock it up. I doubt anyone would go through the trouble of cutting through the lock to steal an $800NT bike. As far as someone just wanting to damage it for fun, I would think it would be much more satisfying to them to damage something expensive, so I don’t worry about that at all either.
Some Wanker once left a burning cigarette butt on the seat of my scooter, which left an ugly hole in the vinyl or whatever it was. It couldn’t have just fallen there. It was parked in the Tunghai uni scooter parking area. It was a perfectly beautiful scooter before that happened, the bastards.
Another time I awoke to find my scooter completely dismantled. It still ran ok but the battery died soon after - I could only assume they swapped the battery. This was in the same place.
Ah, some people are just ‘fukd’.
:fume: