More diesel on road than usual

Off-topic
1

I’ve noticed that a few people (including myself) have gone down on diesel recently. I think that there may be more diesel on the road than usual due to the rising incidence of fuel theft which has been spurred on by recent hikes in the price of fuel. Thieves have been puncturing/drilling the tanks of parked lorries and vans to obtain diesel. The unwitting lorry and van drivers are then driving off and leaving a trail of hazardous diesel (to us bikers) on the road.

Revisiting the site of my crash (on diesel) I noticed that the diesel spill did not occur as (the usual) dark patch on the road, but took the form of a dark trail on the LHS of the road (where lorry/van fuel tank is situated). The (unbroken) trail was visible on the LHS of the road a number of miles before/after the point on the road where I crashed, which obviously indicates a fuel leak.

I took this to be a one off until I noticed the same phenomenon the next day on my way to work on a completely different stretch of road. Again there was a visible dark trail on the LHS side of the road, which carried on for miles. It was a sunny day and the trail showed no signs of evaporation (as it would have done if it was water).

My own crash on diesel resulted from losing the front while braking at a roundabout while the bike was on the far LHS of the road (the usual site of these trails). I couldn’t let the front brake off as this would have meant rear ending a stationery van - going down was the best option.

If all the above is true then keep an eye out/try and avoid heavy braking/cornering on this portion of the road (the first quarter from the kerb).:wink:

2

More than likely, I’ve seen a few cars going along with petrol leaking out - thought my bike was leaking the other day but when the car in front pulled away there was a big puddle of petrol on the floor!

Its not just fuel people are nicking either, cat convertors, man hole covers & drain grills are going missing due to the high price of scrap metal at the moment - I read in the paper that a car dealer had 7 cat convertors stolen from cars on the forecourt!

3

That’s a different theory :smiley:

Not that the filler cap is on the LHS and the w4nker over filled. :slight_smile:

When it’s wet and you’ve done 20 odd miles, stop and have a break. Wander around your bike and let the aroma of spilled diesel fill your nostrils. You’ll find the bike covered in it, the wet leaches it off the road. that’s why it’s always more slippery after a shower than if there is a prolonged down pour.

Sorry about your off though hope it’s fixed and not tooo expensive :smiley:

4

Thanks hkdloz - crash bungs saved the bike from serious damage - just had to replace clutch+gear lever+indicator+mirror ;).

5

1 up for crash bungs :slight_smile: