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Originally Posted by alantf
Sorry, but I'm still not convinced about the vandal theory. Like GzRider said, you've got to know exactly which plug it is, then contort yourself into an uncomfortable position under the bike, then undo a badly designed plug with the correct wrench. I've often convinced myself that there's nothing I've forgotten (like torquing it up tight) then having doubts, some time later, & finding out that those doubts were well founded. It's just one of us fallible human being things. 
I reckon a vandal is more likely to do something easy, like one did to mine. Chop the starter motor cable, which is quick, easy, and unobtrusive to do. |
Well, all I know is all you need is a 17mm socket and a 3 inch extension to get to it. I think those are pretty common tools in any cheapo socket wrench set and are pretty commonly carried in vehicles. I know I have a set in my car, and if I was looking to raid someone's ride or cause mischief, that would probably be the first thing I'd have in my trunk, so I don't think it's all that far fetched.
Besides, what is more evil? Cutting your starter wire so you immediately know something is wrong with your bike and can't go anywhere, or draining your engine oil hoping you don't notice the puddle and then driving away only to have your engine seize while riding, destroying your bike as well as the skin on your lower body when you lay the bike down? Parking is terrible at UNCC, and seeing a small motorcycle taking up an entire parking spot is enough to set someone off. I know that for a fact, I've seen it happen. Girl actually let the air out of this guy's car tires because he beat her to a spot. Crazy.
But, for the benefit of ALL doubts, it had to have "fallen" out in the parking spot as I said before. There was NO oil trail, not even a drop. It's not like it would have fallen from the Empire State building, so it would be in the immediate vicinity of the bike. It was not. I looked everywhere in, around, and near my spot. So, if that so happened to be the case of the plug spontaneously falling out, someone still picked it up and made off with it. Unless it did happen to fall out while riding and my bike magically doesn't sling out oil when running with no plug. If that was the case it magically would have fried the perp when he got close to my bike.
Moral of the story is, I now have a hex bit oil plug, which is not a commonly carried tool of destruction. So whether you believe it or not, the whole ordeal sucked, and from my assessment of the situation when I was there pointed entirely to an outside act of intervention. I will always admit when I am wrong (or more commonly stupid), but since it was my first oil change on the bike, I double checked everything. I only changed it two days before, and I clearly remembered double and triple checking everything, even down to the oil filter orientation. In this case, I was the victim of an unseen cretin. Plain and simple.