DUMB THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE WORKING ON BIKE

[TeeBone]

Early one morning, around 2am, realised that I needed to check the valves before that days Hare and Hound...been away working for a few days and needed to get it done, then went to sleep for a few hours. Lesson #26 - DON'T WORK ON BIKE WHEN TIRED.
Consequently, the RH exhaust valve adjuster nut wasn't "nipped" and found it's way down the timing chain and ended up in the gearbox. When fished out, it had a tooth mark on the thread!!!!!!!

[E74]

I spent all week working on a CR125RZ to get it to Crawford river this weekendfor my First race meeting in 10 years , got it finnished around 4pm this arvo (fri) took it for a spin, gearbox jammed in first gear, pulled it down to find there was a missing spacer on the selector shaft and it had lunched the gearbox, so I dragged out the ME125 Mugen motor, pulled it down to swap the bottom end over, finally finnished it around nine with the last thing to do was attach the clutch cable, then found out the clutch actuator lever was missing, so I had to pull the motor back out again to fit it, and then pull the clutch down to release the rod to allow the arm to go in, then put it al back together , now im sitting here at midnight thinking I just couldn't be F*cked going....

[huskibul]

  Not really working on it but Trying to get my suzuki 90 honcho out of a tight little  shed (i was 11-12yrs years old- 1970-71) reversing it out when somehow my bigtoe( barefoot) got up on the chain/ sprocket and the whole lot come forward pinning a sprocket tooth straight thru the toenail (worn sprocket)pinned to the bike(on one leg) the whole lot crashed on top of me jamming me againt the wall under the bike, no one around ,still rate that as my worst stack 

[090]

Pre delivered a brand new vf1000 that was sold. Took it round the front and gave it some stick. Rear wheel spun up due to preservative on tyre and you guessed it,down on its side. New muffler, clutch cover and what ever else I did. Who was a popular apprentice then?!

[Tim754]

Helped work on one (5 years old ,helped change a spark plug or similar was C50 stepthru), got lessons in how to ride........... got addicted...................  Very silly hey

[firko]

Maroubra: Circa 1970. I'd just picked up the new second hand Yamaha RT1MX I'd purchased from a then famous race car driver and not wanting my anti motorcycle policeman father to know I'd bought another bike, took it to my mate Bernie's backyard so we could have have a good squiz at it. Boys being boys, we naturally couldn't wait to start the bike so after 15 minutes of kicking with no result we decided to squirt some Aerostart through the decompressor. Next kick, the bike started on full throttle, revving to about a squillion on the revometer. It was at this inopportune moment that I discovered that a kill switch doesn't have Buckleys chance of stopping an engine working at those revs, so with no other choice available I clicked her into first gear, grabbed a handfull of front brake on and dropped the clutch, hoping to stall the big Yammy. Instead, the back wheel spun like buggery burying the wheel to the sprocket while spraying a huge roost of eastern suburbs terra firma over the fresh laundry on the clothesline. Suddenly the wheel grabbed traction and launched the bike, with a dumfounded me attached, straight across the backyard and directly into the two day old zincalume garden shed that was thankfully empty except for my mates TS90 Honcho. The RT1 and I went straight through one wall, creamed the Honcho enroute and eventually stalled while trying to exit through the opposite tin wall. The resulting carnage tally was a demolished garden shed, bent forks on the Yamaha, trashed tank and gauges on the Honcho, cuts, scratches and a badly dented ego on yours truly and a whole line full of clothing needing to go through the wash cycle again. It wasn't one of my better motorcycle experiences.

When we eventually pulled down the carby to see what was wrong, we found a 6mm allen bolt jammed under the slide...we never did find where it came from.

 (We spent the next day dismantling the garden shed and straightening it the best we could before putting it all back together under the stern and watchful eye of my mates dad. To this day ou can still clearly see the dents in both wall and I swear there's still a little indentation in the lawn where the back wheel had dug its trench.)

[holeshot buddy]

assembled my new husky 125 engine put it in frame
took to meeting selected gears then jammed
found out you have to set gearbox up in third when assembly not neutral  doh
have to pull out engine and completely strip to fix :'(
pushing a bike with plug out to clear fuel exploded with flames
went out quick its alright was a customers bike
now when i do it i dont have plug in and i hold kill switch
decided to turn rear tyre around got interupted put it back on same way

[jerry]

My tale is similiar to Firkos. I had a Honcho and my dad decided to buy an 360 RT2 (19 " front wheel ) the idea being we could go riding together and "bond". We brought it home from Clipstone Yamaha and I immediately assumed all maintenance duties on the big Yam and to this effect decided to take the tank off to put contact on the sides to avoid scratches. This task completed I was manouvering the bike through the side gate into the back yard when much to my horror the throttle decides to stick. We accelerated wildly across the back yard,narrowly missing mum putting the washing out I parted company (did I mention we were monoing by this time!) no helmet of course split my head open and the bike cannoned into the fence destroying the rear mudguard, tailight etc. You can imagine the old man's response. 35 years later I still wake up in the middle of the night sweating thinking about it. Cheers Jerry

[mx250]

Maroubra: Circa 1970. I'd just picked up the new second hand Yamaha RT1MX I'd purchased from a then famous race car driver and not wanting my anti motorcycle policeman father to know I'd bought another bike, took it to my mate Bernie's backyard so we could have have a good squiz at it. Boys being boys, we naturally couldn't wait to start the bike so after 15 minutes of kicking with no result we decided to squirt some Aerostart through the decompressor. Next kick, the bike started on full throttle, revving to about a squillion on the revometer. It was at this inopportune moment that I discovered that a kill switch doesn't have Buckleys chance of stopping an engine working at those revs, so with no other choice available I clicked her into first gear, grabbed a handfull of front brake on and dropped the clutch, hoping to stall the big Yammy. Instead, the back wheel spun like buggery burying the wheel to the sprocket while spraying a huge roost of eastern suburbs terra firma over the fresh laundry on the clothesline. Suddenly the wheel grabbed traction and launched the bike, with a dumfounded me attached, straight across the backyard and directly into the two day old zincalume garden shed that was thankfully empty except for my mates TS90 Honcho. The RT1 and I went straight through one wall, creamed the Honcho enroute and eventually stalled while trying to exit through the opposite tin wall. The resulting carnage tally was a demolished garden shed, bent forks on the Yamaha, trashed tank and gauges on the Honcho, cuts, scratches and a badly dented ego on yours truly and a whole line full of clothing needing to go through the wash cycle again. It wasn't one of my better motorcycle experiences.

When we eventually pulled down the carby to see what was wrong, we found a 6mm allen bolt jammed under the slide...we never did find where it came from.

 (We spent the next day dismantling the garden shed and straightening it the best we could before putting it all back together under the stern and watchful eye of my mates dad. To this day ou can still clearly see the dents in both wall and I swear there's still a little indentation in the lawn where the back wheel had dug its trench.)

A real Edgar Penzig or Lester Morris yarn

(The famous race driver remains nameless to protect the guilty !)

[frostype400]

Those vf1000's are buggers brad my dad had one for a long time I nearly got killed by it was only a little guy about 5 and it was parked next to the shed being a bike nut I was on it looking at stuff and managed to tip it off the race stand and on top of me for some reason there was an old matteress lying there must have been throwing it out and I was pinned under the bike on the mattress on this wooden garden edging my mum was pregnant with my little sister and couldn't lift it off me my grandpa had to come and lift it off me I was under it for a while lucky the matteress was there or it would have got it me that is only one stupid thing I did though.

[All Things 414]

Tried for a good hour to fit an 18" tyre onto my 2000 KX (19" rim)......

[T250K]

Methinks you can't have been trying hard enough 414.    Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. 

[firko]

A real Edgar Penzig or Lester Morris yarn
(The famous race driver remains nameless to protect the guilty !)

Thanks for the 10/10 Graeme but I have to bring you to task for comparing me with that stupid old redneck, Edgar.F.Penzig.
Lester Morris....cool, but old Edgars politics and mine operated in different stratospheres and still do today.

The 'nameless' race driver was Ian Geohegan. He'd imported the RT1MX from the USA in parts in the boot of his famous Mustang racer.

[mx250]

Thanks for the 10/10 Graeme but I have to bring you to task for comparing me with that stupid old redneck, Edgar.F.Penzig.

I thought that might get a rise out of you - but ya gotta admit he told a good yarn  - always passionate .

[Tossa]

where to start
arrived at meeting last yr machine examiner grabbed the throttle and cable broke, only spare cable i didn't have.

put fuel and vacuum lines on the carbie of a go-kart wrong way, 15 minutes of pushing then a mate turned them around, started first push

Bought a spare parts book for the KTM and promptly lost it. Still can't find it

Left the fuel at home, left the oil at home, pity I didn't leave the wife at home!!

bought the wrong parts of ebay: ie piston and barrel

The usual losing nuts and bolts on the floor and can't find them.  Burnt the hand on the exhaust, taken hunks out the fingers and thumbs with slipping screwdrivers