Post by mattb on Jul 18, 2007 7:44:26 GMT -5
...maybe? Here's what happened:
I attended a public lecture tonight at Australian Catholic University in Fitzroy Melbourne. I parked my bike in a kind of court-yard between the main building and the carpark, for security's sake. When I came back to it at the end of the night, with some friends, I took my two locks off the bike and noticed nothing. While I was standing there, having done this, a Uni security guard walked past and said, "Hey, is your bike leaking petrol?!" I said "No" - it doesn't, and I certainly hadn't smelt any even though I'd knelt down beside it to remove the locks. My friends commented on the strange almost aggressive way the security guard asked the question. My friends left, and the security guard immediately walked past again and said, "Mate, that's a Yamaha! It's got BSA stickers on it, but it's not...it's a Yamaha!" He said this with a tone of unfriendly irritation, but - glad to speak to somebody who knows something of bikes - I explained in humorous tone how the previous owner had put such stickers on it, and that I had removed them except for these. The guy ignored me when I spoke to him, rather he turned his back and walked away the moment I began speaking. Strange! Then I knelt down, wondering at his claim of petrol, and found indeed that it was leaking petrol, only that I had to inspect closely (on this wet rainy night) to smell it. Then I went to start the bike and it just wouldn't start (it normally starts first or second kick). I gave it about six kicks. I then gave the bike an inspection...and somebody had turned the fuel tap on to Prime! That doesn't happen by accident. Then it occured to me that, to see those actually quite small stickers - so small that I hadn't bothered to remove them - the guy must have got up real close to the bike.
Perhaps he was a security guard 'teaching me a lesson' about parking in the court-yard? Perhaps (I suspect, given his words and manner) he was one of those ridiculous 'riders' of the sort who hates "Japanese crap", and committed a vindictive act against this 'fraud'? Perhaps again he had nothing to do with it. If it was either of the first two, he had no justification whatsoever.
I wasn't going to waste time blowing hot air at such a reasonable man (!), who would just blow it back, and I thought of contacting his work - but of course he could argue coincidence and innocence, adding that my vehicle was leaking petrol in their court-yard and so distracting the issue.
I'm mad...but also glad : that my bike escaped worse from another of this world's well-adjusted 'characters'! Perhaps he was just jealous that his Brit bike never starts, and the ol' SR does every time!
At any rate I hope he was lurking in the shadows to see the bike fire up first kick after I put the fuel tap to on!!
-Matt
I attended a public lecture tonight at Australian Catholic University in Fitzroy Melbourne. I parked my bike in a kind of court-yard between the main building and the carpark, for security's sake. When I came back to it at the end of the night, with some friends, I took my two locks off the bike and noticed nothing. While I was standing there, having done this, a Uni security guard walked past and said, "Hey, is your bike leaking petrol?!" I said "No" - it doesn't, and I certainly hadn't smelt any even though I'd knelt down beside it to remove the locks. My friends commented on the strange almost aggressive way the security guard asked the question. My friends left, and the security guard immediately walked past again and said, "Mate, that's a Yamaha! It's got BSA stickers on it, but it's not...it's a Yamaha!" He said this with a tone of unfriendly irritation, but - glad to speak to somebody who knows something of bikes - I explained in humorous tone how the previous owner had put such stickers on it, and that I had removed them except for these. The guy ignored me when I spoke to him, rather he turned his back and walked away the moment I began speaking. Strange! Then I knelt down, wondering at his claim of petrol, and found indeed that it was leaking petrol, only that I had to inspect closely (on this wet rainy night) to smell it. Then I went to start the bike and it just wouldn't start (it normally starts first or second kick). I gave it about six kicks. I then gave the bike an inspection...and somebody had turned the fuel tap on to Prime! That doesn't happen by accident. Then it occured to me that, to see those actually quite small stickers - so small that I hadn't bothered to remove them - the guy must have got up real close to the bike.
Perhaps he was a security guard 'teaching me a lesson' about parking in the court-yard? Perhaps (I suspect, given his words and manner) he was one of those ridiculous 'riders' of the sort who hates "Japanese crap", and committed a vindictive act against this 'fraud'? Perhaps again he had nothing to do with it. If it was either of the first two, he had no justification whatsoever.
I wasn't going to waste time blowing hot air at such a reasonable man (!), who would just blow it back, and I thought of contacting his work - but of course he could argue coincidence and innocence, adding that my vehicle was leaking petrol in their court-yard and so distracting the issue.
I'm mad...but also glad : that my bike escaped worse from another of this world's well-adjusted 'characters'! Perhaps he was just jealous that his Brit bike never starts, and the ol' SR does every time!
At any rate I hope he was lurking in the shadows to see the bike fire up first kick after I put the fuel tap to on!!-Matt
