High Pucker Factor Breakdowns
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 502
Likes: 0
From: Roads of Idaho
I have been pretty lucky, but preventive maintenance was my profession, leading a team that was recognized year after year for downtime (reducing it) records noted by outside indutry magazines. This was, a still existing high production sawmill, now owned by GP that had runtimes that were the best in the industry. And still are tops in a very high tech and high production, industry to this day.
I learned a lot about predictive maintenance as well, those are right in front of us in our owners manual and spend the $ to get the maintenance manual for how to do those preventive, via predictive maintenance tasks, ie; fluid changes, in the three areas that hold the fluids. Also the friction areas, clutch and brakes need inspection and changes made before damages are done to other areas, rotors would be a good example, of these parts that need to be protected via proper timing of changing out the brake pads.
So if it has been anything besides luck, it has been proper preventive maintenance, drilled in my head over the years, that my bikes have been subjected to.
I learned a lot about predictive maintenance as well, those are right in front of us in our owners manual and spend the $ to get the maintenance manual for how to do those preventive, via predictive maintenance tasks, ie; fluid changes, in the three areas that hold the fluids. Also the friction areas, clutch and brakes need inspection and changes made before damages are done to other areas, rotors would be a good example, of these parts that need to be protected via proper timing of changing out the brake pads.
So if it has been anything besides luck, it has been proper preventive maintenance, drilled in my head over the years, that my bikes have been subjected to.
Last edited by petewerner; Jan 23, 2013 at 09:27 AM.
Moderatress
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,427
Likes: 29
From: Dutchess County, NY
Where is the most frightning place or, weirdest place you ever broke down?
Years ago, Coming back from Laconia, NH, I was coming through the Bronx, NY at 10pm at night and my lower end was leaking ( not me the bike). I didn't know it. Got through the toll booth and I heard a noise and pulled over. No oil. It didn't sieze, thank God. In the meantime 2 car loads of guys on each side of the interstate 95 pulled up and was checking me out. Put a can of oil in and got the hell out of there. A trucker in a car hauler pulled over and ask if I needed help? I told him thanks, I was good to go.
Bad situation.
Years ago, Coming back from Laconia, NH, I was coming through the Bronx, NY at 10pm at night and my lower end was leaking ( not me the bike). I didn't know it. Got through the toll booth and I heard a noise and pulled over. No oil. It didn't sieze, thank God. In the meantime 2 car loads of guys on each side of the interstate 95 pulled up and was checking me out. Put a can of oil in and got the hell out of there. A trucker in a car hauler pulled over and ask if I needed help? I told him thanks, I was good to go.
Bad situation.
On my old (72) Sporty, my girlfriend and I were coming home at sunset when suddenly the engine just over revved, while the bike slowed down. The output shaft of the trans had snapped off at the case. This was waaaaay before cell phones and I didn't have a CB on the bike. It got dark, and cold, and we're pushing the bike down the dirt shoulder. We were in the middle of nowhere with the nearest town about 5 miles away.
Finally a guy in a pickup stopped. He had gone by us, turned around, and came back. He helped me lift the bike into his truck and took us into town. No dealer or shop but it was about 7 pm on a Sunday night so it wouldn't have helped anyway. He left us at a diner where I called my dad. He showed about 90 minutes later with his pickup.
My girlfriend wouldn't ride with me for a couple of months after that. lol
(I'm guessing that the year that I had a supercharger on the bike may have had something to do with the problem
)
Finally a guy in a pickup stopped. He had gone by us, turned around, and came back. He helped me lift the bike into his truck and took us into town. No dealer or shop but it was about 7 pm on a Sunday night so it wouldn't have helped anyway. He left us at a diner where I called my dad. He showed about 90 minutes later with his pickup.
My girlfriend wouldn't ride with me for a couple of months after that. lol
(I'm guessing that the year that I had a supercharger on the bike may have had something to do with the problem
)
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 5,294
Likes: 149
From: FL
Used to own a chopper and had all the problems that go with it including cutting out in the middle of traffic, sitting at a light and then not being able to get it in gear and losing the rear brakes once. Glad it's gone.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 56,052
Likes: 88,364
From: Western South Dakota
Not broke down, but just about out of gas in stopped traffic.
Took a ride over to detroit and got totally lost in the worst area a white man shouldn't be in. Stuck in roll a foot wait a few minutes....all black farmers market....everybody staring at me....cop ended up beside me, rolling the other way and said." what do you think you are doing here"...told him i was lost and running on fumes. he said to follow him and he turned around and took me away from there, to a gas station...waited till i filled up and gave me directions back to where i wasn't the only white guy around.
Not scary, but definitely something to think about..
Took a ride over to detroit and got totally lost in the worst area a white man shouldn't be in. Stuck in roll a foot wait a few minutes....all black farmers market....everybody staring at me....cop ended up beside me, rolling the other way and said." what do you think you are doing here"...told him i was lost and running on fumes. he said to follow him and he turned around and took me away from there, to a gas station...waited till i filled up and gave me directions back to where i wasn't the only white guy around.
Not scary, but definitely something to think about..
One black person even in a very upscale White part of town would not be paid attentin to.
If you're white, male and older you are probably in the minority anymore.
Another example; I needed some classes to bump up my certification, so I could make more $$$. The only class was at a Native American college, that white people attended also. (Aren't all people who were born in this country Native American's?)
However, beings how I am white, and not registered w/a tribe, I had to pay more to go to the college and take the course.
Now again, if the shoe was on the other foot, what do you think would have happened? Can you say lawsuit and discrimination?
Anyway, rant over.
Just a lot of BULLSHIT double standards these days..
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.
Last edited by lionsm13; Jan 23, 2013 at 12:02 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9,332
Likes: 3,873
From: Upstate New York
Not a scary place but the strangest place I ever broke down was on the ferry going to Burlington, Vermont. I rode on, and when the ferry landed at Burlington, the bike wouldn't start (the old "dreaded click" syndrome). The ferry crew ended up pushing me off the boat, and I dismantled the switch assembly on the dock, trying one thing then another, until the bike started, and on I went.
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 100
Likes: 1
From: Greer, SC
I was traveling with my navy buddy for a guys weekend riding the gap. I was riding my 1980 FLT king of the road, my buddy riding a gold wing. We we in the middle of the mountains arriving at SC28, where I had to stop, then make a let turn for the final 10 miles to the crossroads of time (before it became deals gap). I pulled the clutch In And came to a stop. After looking both ways, I let out the clutch.....nothing. I probably didn't have it in gear. Double tap shifter, yes I'm in first. Let out the clutch...nothing. Crap. Push bike to side of road, out of intersection. Inspect clutch cable, chain (hidden in the gawd awful chain boot) and everything appears normal. I pulled out my cell phone and discovered cell phones are useless in the mountains. Then my buddy rode his gold wing to the crossroads of time. While there he found a very drunk man who said he was too drunk to rescue me, but through him the keys to his new truck and trailer to get me. I was surprised when I seen him arrive in the dead of night with the truck. Me make it to camp, set up our tents and had a few brewskies. In the morning, we inspected the bike, and found the main drive gear came off the transmission shaft. Could not fix at camp, so I called my wife to rescue me. She came the following day, and we put the bike on our trailer for our trip home. Many thanks to the unknown man that helped me!
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Dallas
Disclaimer: on my previous VTX...
I was riding with friends up to the McDonald Observatory in West Texas. I was about half way there and I clutched to shift and nothing... Cable had broken. I was the last in the group so the only thing I could do was keep on following and shift without the clutch until we got to the top. Once there, I discovered... No cell reception.. No long distance calls. Fortunately, the parking lot I stopped in had a slope so I was able to use a rolling start to get going again. After more shifting sans clutch, got back to Fort Davis and started looking for rooms to stay in until I could get a clutch cable shipped to me (not easy, a bicycle race was going on). One of my buddies convinced me to try the only local gas station/mechanic in town. Pushed the bike there and a young mechanic was able to braze a nut on the end of the broken cable and re-attach it to the handle! I fearfully asked how much... $25! I gave him $50.
I was riding with friends up to the McDonald Observatory in West Texas. I was about half way there and I clutched to shift and nothing... Cable had broken. I was the last in the group so the only thing I could do was keep on following and shift without the clutch until we got to the top. Once there, I discovered... No cell reception.. No long distance calls. Fortunately, the parking lot I stopped in had a slope so I was able to use a rolling start to get going again. After more shifting sans clutch, got back to Fort Davis and started looking for rooms to stay in until I could get a clutch cable shipped to me (not easy, a bicycle race was going on). One of my buddies convinced me to try the only local gas station/mechanic in town. Pushed the bike there and a young mechanic was able to braze a nut on the end of the broken cable and re-attach it to the handle! I fearfully asked how much... $25! I gave him $50.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 19,980
Likes: 6,108
From: Florida
(I'm guessing that the year that I had a supercharger on the bike may have had something to do with the problem
A blower on an AMF Sporty? Yea; THAT just screams reliability!
Years ago, Coming back from Laconia, NH, I was coming through the Bronx, NY at 10pm at night
I got the screamin' ***** on the Cross Bronx early one evening while stuck in the usual traffic. It was either pull over on the shoulder & dump right around Jerome Ave, or **** the upholstery on my new-to-me GMC Sportside. Guess what I did? Used my underwear for toilet paper.
A blower on an AMF Sporty? Yea; THAT just screams reliability!
Years ago, Coming back from Laconia, NH, I was coming through the Bronx, NY at 10pm at night
I got the screamin' ***** on the Cross Bronx early one evening while stuck in the usual traffic. It was either pull over on the shoulder & dump right around Jerome Ave, or **** the upholstery on my new-to-me GMC Sportside. Guess what I did? Used my underwear for toilet paper.
Last edited by dickey; Jan 23, 2013 at 11:52 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 19,980
Likes: 6,108
From: Florida
Most of my scary breakdowns were in cars; been riding since '72 & the only bike to ever break down on me was my Goldwing. Left me stranded on the Belt Pkwy & also on Coney Island Ave. The worst breakdown I ever had was when my cab broke down in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Lucky to make it out alive.
Another time my rental car started making a weird noise in the middle of NO *** WHERE in interior Alaska. Made it back to Anchorage, but that was some scary crap.
Another time my rental car started making a weird noise in the middle of NO *** WHERE in interior Alaska. Made it back to Anchorage, but that was some scary crap.