I have a great nephew who didn't know you could push start a bike when your battery is low and electric start wont get it going
I told him from now on park it on a hill
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How do you know when you've become an Old Fart?
- Thread starter YamadudeXS650C
- Start date
I told him from now on park it on a hill
Yeah, and I think it was easier to start in 2nd. But here's a good time to ask. Has anyone ever towed a buddy's bike home with theirs?
Black and white 2 channels Hell Yeah Get out of the house and go play Yes Mom
I've been on both ends of that rope.
Wulfbyte
XS650 Addict
Yes I actually have! My riding buddys’ chain broke on his shadow about 10 miles from our destination! We were coming back from a weekend riding/camping trip so luckily we had a long enough rope and was able to take a back road home! Went pretty smooth and saved him 100 dollars for a tow truck! So now we always carry one on our rides!
Hi GB,
not for half a century but I still remember the little safety tricks.
Tug stays in 1st gear.
Rope is tied to the tug's luggage rack but takes two turns around the middle of the towed bike's 'bars with the end held under the clutch hand
so it can be let go of real quick with the front brake hand still on the lever.
Mebbe 10 years ago my little BSA died on the highway. Complete stranger stopped his 1/2ton and brought it & me home.
Wouldn't accept money. "Pay it forward, eh? Us bikers gotta look out for each other."
Several times. After being towed and being the tower I rapidly learned what not to do.
I've never gotten towed, myself, but I was a tow truck driver for a year in my early twenties, before I pulled on a hook chain stuck in the bed of my F 600 Ford tow truck. It came loose and I flew backwards and I hit the tow bar with the back of my head. It knocked me out. I woke up on the ground 20 minutes later. I started getting seizures for a few days. As a result my licence was revoked for two years after my doctor reported the incident. I was put on Dilantin and the seizures immediately went away. But I did tow other bikes on three occasions. I was really surprised at how powerful that 650 is. I was riding with 2 friends upstate NY, when we met up with 3 guys who we learned were from the next town. One guy was a bit of a show off and kept pulling the front end up off the ground on his 750 Honda. He eventually popped the chain. We all pulled over and I never heard of anyone towing another bike, but I offered to try and see what happens. I was used to towing trucks. So, we gave it a shot. I put a rope on my sissy rail and wrapped it around his handle bars and slipped the clutch and got us moving. We were on side roads on a Sunday in late spring. I said let's get on the NY State Thruway in Kingston. We did. I pulled this 200 lb guy on a 750 Honda about a hundred miles at up to 70 mph. The other bikes stayed around us so no one could see the rope. The only thing that almost happened occurred, when we were 4 blocks from the guys house, he hit the brakes around a left turn and almost pulled me down. I straightened my left leg and bounced off the ground, keeping us both from going down. I turned around and barked at him. When we got to his house, I didn't even get a thank you.
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Yeah, fred, I've seen plenty of biker groups out for a ride followed by a pick-up. It makes sense. (I saw this, recently); " pick-up truck" was a coined phrase by Ford for the Model T truck because, if you wanted one, you had to go to the factory to pick one up.
I have often towed cars in my youth but never a bike however I always carry a nylon rope or strap on my bike and scooter just in case .
I remember towing a non runner MGB GT that I had bought for spares with my own MGB GT about 50 miles.
I sat my friend Guy in the non runner and instructed him to use his brakes to slow me down at roundabouts and junctions so that we kept the tow rope taunt.
I lived in Bath Somerset at the time and anyone that knows Bath knows that it nestles in the bottom of a bowl like a huge crater. No matter which way you come in its a very long steep decent of about 2 miles .
When we finally arrived at my house I jumped out and walked back to congratulate my friend to find him white as a sheet . All the axles of the towed car were pouring acrid smoke and grease was oozing out of all the bearings . Apparently he had been standing on the brakes all the way down the hill in terror as I must have been doing about 30 mph down this steep hill and he had no power steering, no power brakes , horn or lights !
I remember towing a non runner MGB GT that I had bought for spares with my own MGB GT about 50 miles.
I sat my friend Guy in the non runner and instructed him to use his brakes to slow me down at roundabouts and junctions so that we kept the tow rope taunt.
I lived in Bath Somerset at the time and anyone that knows Bath knows that it nestles in the bottom of a bowl like a huge crater. No matter which way you come in its a very long steep decent of about 2 miles .
When we finally arrived at my house I jumped out and walked back to congratulate my friend to find him white as a sheet . All the axles of the towed car were pouring acrid smoke and grease was oozing out of all the bearings . Apparently he had been standing on the brakes all the way down the hill in terror as I must have been doing about 30 mph down this steep hill and he had no power steering, no power brakes , horn or lights !
towed a buddy trying to get a 360 mojave running with my truck. We didn't have a safety release, I could see his eyes! in my rear view mirror. We ran the snowmobile trails on mini bikes a time or 4, pretty sure one of those days involved a long rope tow home.
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congrats on your new appointment gary ....do we address you as staff or Sir gary now ?
Congrats Gary !congrats on your new appointment gary ....do we address you as staff or Sir gary now ?
The position is old, I just mop up spills here and there. Trav's trying some new tags, and a paid membership OPTION.
details and discussion here.
details and discussion here.
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Well, the position nonetheless represents well-earned recognition, so Congratulations, Gary.
Gary has been a moderator for years. Maybe 8? Maybe 9? It's hard to remember.
congrats on your new appointment gary ....do we address you as staff or Sir gary now ?
Hi peanut,
Gary would only be "staff" (or Staff Sargent) if this were a military outfit.
He'd be Sir Gary if he was knighted or made a Baronet. Lordship is complicated.
He'd be Lord Gary if his Dad was still the Earl or Duke of Baraboo.
After he inherited the title he'd be addressed as Lord Baraboo.
