I'll try to keep it short and sweet but it might be tough. Put the girlfriend on the back to head out to their family cabin Friday afternoon. Great ride there, about 150 miles each way. Saturday I started noticing extra free-play in my clutch lever. So while I was in cruising around the town (pop. 3500) about 15 miles from the cabin, I see a guy with a chopper shop wrenching on his bikes. So I get the bright idea that he might be able and willing to adjust my clutch. I pull in and he adjusts the cable which didn't do the trick. He then removes my derby cover and checks the actual clutch adjustment-about 2 1/2 turns out. Checks my primary chain and sends me out the door for a 10 spot.

I was thinking I got the deal of the century after getting back to the cabin. Later on in the night I had to run to town to get some pop for the whiskey, once in town, the clutch had gotten so bad that it wouldn't disengage. Trying to stop or find neutral with a bike that won't shift or stop at all sucks. After talking with some locals, I find out where he lives and try to call him as his shop is now closed. Nothing.....So I leave a message with him and my bike in the garage at a local gas station and I'm pissed off..Here I am in a small town with no tools and a broken bike.

He finally calls me at 10:30 pm and he agrees to meet me at his shop with my bike at 8:00 am on Sunday morning. I get there and he tells me he thinks he knows what would make the clutch go out of adjustment so fast...and sure enough he did. The main nut that's reverse threaded on the actual clutch pack had spun loose, which is why the adjustment screw had taken so much. Removed the lock nut, loosen the adjustment screw, remove the retaining clip.. and so on. I give him another ten bucks, have some coffee and sling the b.s. Bikes fixed, I'm happy, made it home and so on. Anyway, thanks to Chuck at Itasca Thunder in Park Rapids MN for taking care of a stranger on Sunday morning.

 

It's great to hear stories like that. I have found that bike owners/wrenches are more than willing to help out that any other folks out there. Hope the bumpin' and grindin' with the ol' lady all weekend made up for any inconveniences

 

Same thing happened to me last week..got the bike back monday.Must be a white bike thing......JB.

 

Awesome story. You really should post this over in the lounge for more people to see.

 

The moral of the story....Learn to adjust the clutch yourself....It only takes about 5 minutes.

 

And always carry some tools! Great story. Nice to read somehting with a happy ending for a change.

 

I don't get it why didn't he see that the first time he had the derby cover off. Sounds like to me he over looked it, and you had to pay and extra ten bucks.
Oh'well I guess it could of been $100.00 bill if he was a HD dealer and you would of had to wait till Monday........ Glade you made back safe......

 

Great story! I'm surprised he didn't tell you to FO over $10 and a Sunday morning to boot. I had a clutch cable break once at the lever and that was not fun and there was nobody to help fix it. Had to use vise grips on the end of the cable.

 

Had that nut come loose me also.Had to ride home with no clutch and trying to time the traffic lights.Ended up using locktite on nut and never had problem again.

 

Yeah- This guy also put loctite on the nut and torqued it to 80 ft/lbs. Does that sound right?