Ever get the feeling some C**t has swapped out your front wheel???

[alibx11]

Ever get the feeling something has changed on your bike for no obvious reason...?

Now maybe I'm being paranoid but something's wrong with this picture....



Was getting the low battery warning for my front TPS for ages but decided to leave it until the weather changed to sort it out, ordered a new battery and went to change it today and noticed a rubber valve on front tyre. Don't look like a TPS to me.
Now there was always a reading for the front pressure on the dash, so where'd my TPS go?

I noticed in Sept that my TAX disc holder was missing off the bike which was bolted to the front mudguard, didn't do anything about it cause of the new tax disc laws, and assumed the bolt had come loose and the thing had fallen off, however unlikely that would seem.

Looked at the tyre today and thought " my tyre wasn't that low".... but it's the same Bridgstone BT21 tyre.




I just went through MOT last week too. Tyre looks Fooked to me so gonna be a new tyre as well.

Too many things adding up to a dirty rotten thieving F**kin Ba*&ard of a c*&t swapping my front wheel out, but dammed if I know when or when this could have happened. Bike is locked up in Shed all the time, never left out anywhere somebody could get at it and my Biketrac would let me know if somebody was moving the bike without the ignition on.

Bloody mystery to me...

[Debs]

Maybe you're just getting old like the rest of us Ali. 

[Lonewolf]

Very strange! 

[viper]

thieves just steal, they certainly don't replace as well. have you still got a TPS reading? that valve does not look like a tps, its just a random car valve

has your bike been into the dealer for any work?

[alibx11]

No mate no reading, no low battery warning anymore as battery must be really dead, just the dashes "----" for the front, still shows the rear psi ok when riding. but it used to show both pressures...

Ain't been to the dealer for anything as I do all my own work on the bike.

Friggin mystery.

[viper]

dashes means NO tps, did you have the low battery warning on the way back from the MOT, if so then someone has had your wheel after that moment , what thief would replace a wheel, Id say its someone that does not want you to know , so it would be someone known to you

was your bike parked somewhere? say on ride out  where another GTR owner swapped the wheel out .

what mileage has your front tyre done

[alibx11]

Low battery warning started last winter but as the temperature warmed up the warning would go and the ft pressure would show ok.

Problem is I can't even remember when it went out totally as I haven't been on the bike much this year due to my mother passing away in Jan and the subsequent work I've had to do re getting her house cleared out for selling and legal matters etc, just haven't had the time to get out this year.

Seemed to disappear altogether over the summer so I assumed the battery had died enough that the TPS was failing to register with the ECU and showing the dashes, same as if the tps wasn't there.

On thinking back the only time the bike has ever been left unattended was when I went over to England in June on the overnight Liverpool ferry with the GPS tracker turned off for obvious reasons. Even when I got to Somerset the bike was locked in my fathers garage so wasn't even sitting out there.

I know the Tax disk was on the bike just before I went because I had just serviced the bike and replaced all the wheel bearings and steering bearings and remember bolting the disk back on. And I don't remember a black tyre valve when I checked the tyre pressures before I came over.

Any time I go out on a bike run we're always still around the bikes and haven't even seen anybody else with a GTR in our company.

So only time I can see is the Ferry, but how unlikely is that?

[Debs]

I would let the tyre down, break the seal and look to see if the TPS is there.. If not then it's been swapped.

[viper]

mmmm, your account is beginning to wander slightly , you said at first that you have always had a tps reading now you say its not been there all summer, first you were convinced the tyre was better at MOT ,

I think maybe the tyre wear has just caught up on you, as debs said check out that TPS, tampering on the ferry is highly unlikely as the decks are locked up during transit unless the crew did it!

[Foody]

Strange story.

But there has to be a good reason to swap a wheel rather than just nicking it, and surely not just for the tyre pressure sensor.

Check the wheel for damage.  If the rim is dented or it's buckled then maybe someone might take advantage of yours and make a swap, leaving you the dented one, but working out when and where,  it seems impossible if it's always locked up.

Really strange.

Keep us posted on what you come up with.

I think it was Professor Plum, on the Driveway, with the Spanner!

[SirToU]

I think the TPS is an integral part of the valve....  I would say it's certainly been swapped....  But where and how would be the thing.....  Ok, so it doesn't take a lot, but it's not the easiest thing to do at the roadside, because the front fender would be in the way.....

If it had been in a shop, perhaps they just put the wrong wheel on the wrong bike, I know some people don't like TPS.

It does all sound very strange.  But obviously it's been been swapped at some point...  Other thing to note is, some bikes have silver wheels and some have black depending on base colour.... 

Neil

[SirToU]

I think it was Professor Plum, on the Driveway, with the Spanner!

:-)....

[viper]

I think the TPS is an integral part of the valve....  I would say it's certainly been swapped....  But where and how would be the thing.....  Ok, so it doesn't take a lot, but it's not the easiest thing to do at the roadside, because the front fender would be in the way.....

If it had been in a shop, perhaps they just put the wrong wheel on the wrong bike, I know some people don't like TPS.

It does all sound very strange.  But obviously it's been been swapped at some point...  Other thing to note is, some bikes have silver wheels and some have black depending on base colour.... 

Neil

the TPS is separate to the valve, it is clamped into place. When my tyre guy broke my tps valve he was able to use a rubber car type and botch a fix and it was help into place, I suspect that the last time he had his tyre changed that is what happened to him, he just never noticed, maybe the tyre guy never refitted the tps and that's why he had a dash instead on a reading.

most unlikely that a theif would cover their tracks by fitting a replacement wheel, not unless they know you

[alibx11]

I bought the bike in Oct 12 and the TPS readings for both ft and rr have been fine up till this problem, as I said I was getting a low battery warning last winter but as the temperature warmed up it went away and the ft pressure was indicative again.

As I said, I haven't been able to get out much this year but when I came over to England in June the Ft pressure reading was just showing "----" so assumed that since the last time I had been out on it the battery had finally given up the ghost.

I have never put tyres on the bike, it had 11259 miles on it when I got it.... I mot'd it on 24.10.14 and it had 13125 miles on it so I've only done 2000 miles in 2 years.
Both tyres were like new when I bought the bike so if it's my ft tyre it seems to have worn a lot quicker than expected. Back is still fine.

I  never stated that the tyre was better at MOT, I said "it went through MOT a week ago" I never even looked at the tyres before MOT because I knew how good they should have been, as I had only just serviced it in June before I went to England, only noticed the wear when I took the wheel off today to do the TPS.

Will have to see if I can get a new tyre and get this one off but can't imagine a TPS attached to this valve.

[SirToU]

Here's a silly question....

In the picture, you have a balancing weight.... Generally, tyre garages use the same supplier for that type of weight......

Presuming the tyres were replaced at the same garage and both tyres are the same make - are the weights appear to be the same manufacturer?

Neil