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MTcycle

MTcycle

MTcycle
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Riding the six miles out to the highway yesterday and noticed the rpm's won't drop below 2,000. Doing the downhill stretch and it just keeps reving up and won't idle right as I pull in the clutch. I guess I'll start by lubing the throttle cable when I get home and check out the return springs. I hit the kill switch and then she drops, but goes right back to 2,000 when re ignited! Get to the highway and put her on the side stand to get the mail and happen to notice that I never pushed the choke back in from the half choke it likes to start at these days. So the bike is fine (as usual) & I need a tune up! Anybody else ever guilty of not checking the carbon unit on the seat before jumping to conclusions? :banghead:
 
Went on a ride a while ago, got about a mile from the house and the bike died at an intersection. Would not restart. After several attempts I bit the bullet and pushed it back home, in full gear, in the heat. Must have been great entertainment for the many neighbors watching me. Made it up the driveway into the garage. After laying on the floor wheezing and gasping to catch my breath for what seemed like forever I just stood back and leered at the beast that just tried to kill me. Then I saw it. The gas was off! Stupid bike!!
 
Glad I have never done that.....


I lie about other things too......

Messed with my Cl350 a couple weekends ago...bitch would not start....smelled gas, starter was runnin good.....ran the battery down.....pissed, I hooked up the charger
and went inside. Couple hours later came out turned the kill switch to "ON" and she started with half a revolution.....stupid kill switch!

Kev.
 
I was riding home from work last week. It was 95 degrees, which for Portland is way too hot and I don't have anything but heavy gear. I started it right up, but noticed some sputtering I'm not used to. I got down the street to a busy intersection where she stalled and would not for the life of me restart. I think I nearly drained the battery trying. Then I saw it: 100 miles on the odo. Stupid gas tank!! (had to push about a mile to the gas station!!). Oh yeah... Stupid petcocks!!
 
I've never done any of those things. And my real name is George Washington and I cannot tell a lie.

Seriously, my most resent one: I was out riding, everything was going fine, engine started to stumble so I switched to reserve. It was a glorious day and I forgot to stop and refill the tank. Pushed the beast about 2 miles. Last time I did that was about 30 years prior and the bike was a much heavier Electraglide (barge) that belonged to a friend. It was hard but I was happy I wasn't pushing that hog again.
 
Stopped, put the side stand down while chatting with someone, yup forgot it was down and rode off. Didn't hit a Left hander til I was up at 65mph,,, ggrraunch,,, straightened out and off in to the ditch I went. the dump was minor but it took out the stator. That one was about 20 years ago but a little bit of inattention is always waiting to getcha.
 
If you are riding a kick only XS always, ALWAYS make sure it's in neutral before you try to kick it to life. Or so I've heard.
 
ooooo...my turn!!!
When I was rebiulding my carbs, I got all done , back together, and last check was to 'thumb' over the oval, and watch the vacuum piston fall like a rock.
I took those carbs apart and back together three times, searching for holes in the diaphrams, and then it hit me.... the choke was out!!!!
Oh, my dad says one time on a new bike in the 70's it died at the top of the hill, and he tried to comp start it over and over all the way down four blocks worth, and still no start. He pushed it back up to the top of the hill back home. After looking the bike over, and giving up, he called a shop and they asked him if the kill switch was in the run position. It was not. fired right up like nothing happened!
 
In the mid 70's I bought a new Honda 175 twin. Great little commuter. I rode for 20 minutes it would die and not re-start for 15 minutes and repeat. I took it back to the dealer several times and they could not find anything wrong. I finally figured it out. The main power source was a bullet connector with a plastic sheath and the bullet connector was not fully connected. When the wire arced it would run but the plactic heated and stretched to far to arc and the bike would die. After fifteen minutes the plastic would shrink and the wire would arc and make connection. Stupid me for not checking the power source first.
 
I put the front end of my SV down kinda abrupt (squid style) the other day after a really nice torque wheelie. When I did, it fell on it's face, and died. I tried to restart it 3 times. Then I got off and started looking to see if I'd popped a carb boot or something (surely that would have happened when the Silverado took me out if it was going to) Frustrated, I threw a leg back over it, and noticed that stupid-assed Ralph Nader switch had been flipped forward! Guess I should grip the bars better on them little 1 foot high wheelies I do!
 
It's nice to see that some of the Guru's on here make the same dumb mistakes as me. I was chasing some issues on my bike for a while, and during the testing process (Turns out my vacuum petcocks were leaking a bit) I ran out of gas, and didn't realize it. :doh: only took about 30 minutes of trouble shooting to figure that one out. :shrug:

Oh, and starting it in gear with the electric starter isn't such a good idea either... it was enough to take it off the kickstand... luckily I've been working out.

Deft
 
Hah, well first off, my XS is my first bike, first carb'd anything, and first older vehicle with electrical components I don't understand too well yet.

Anyways, I tried starting the bike numerous times from a battery charger (which I guess would be the first mistake), fried a fuse, got frustrated and hardwired it like an idiot (and against the electrical knowledge I DO have), fried the rat's nest behind the headlight, then finally figured out after the fact that I didn't have the f*cking key in the right position. Apparently, key positions aren't the same as a car.

And now, my bike rests all torn apart until I have more money to do a full rebuild. Never even got to ride her :/
 
On my way to work last monday my engine cut out while cruising at 40. Pulled over, cursed a little bit, and walked the bike a mile or so to a buddies house to make the drive me back home to get my car. Went back after work with new plugs, put em in and rode the thing on the back roads back home. Sure as shit it died as soon as I pulled into my driveway.

Fast forward two days and I've got the tank off, checking resistances of the coil, plugs and wires as I grumble about what a dumb piece of shit my bike is. Put it all together, turn the gas on and no juice above idle. Checked the plugs for spark, and of course it was there. Checked gas -- EMPTY!

dumb piece of shit bike... dumb piece of shit owner :banghead:
 
Well, did it again. Noticed that the chain looked a little loose a few rides ago. Yesterday I cleaned the engine before a ride and noticed the chain could probably use an adjustment. Went ahead and rode her. Got ten miles before the chain broke at highway speed. Guess I'll get around to adjusting it now! (after I get a new one).
 
MTcycle said:
Well, did it again. Noticed that the chain looked a little loose a few rides ago. Yesterday I cleaned the engine before a ride and noticed the chain could probably use an adjustment. Went ahead and rode her. Got ten miles before the chain broke at highway speed. Guess I'll get around to adjusting it now! (after I get a new one).
Click to expand...

Probably time for new sprockets too.

PS. Learned that one the hard way too. Cost me a mag wheel on a Superglide.
 
Last edited:
Ride long enough (close to 50 years for me) you're likely to "experience" all the things mentioned so far in this thread. I know I have! And lessons continue to come my way. Latest was an episode where the engine developed a miss which only worsened as I rode through a residential area. Finally just plain died! Huh? What's up with that? Checked fuel level, petcocks, kill switch, ignition position - all the usual suspects........ nothing! Kicked it a few times but no sign of life. A friend has a shop only a few blocks from where my 2-wheeled millstone and I were. Down the street I go - skateboard style - on the way to his place. Stopped at an intersection and decided to kick it a few more times........just in case. Yup, you guessed it, it started! Thought it a good idea to get home to avoid any further frustration/embarrassment. Died again a couple blocks later. Tried the horn - nothing! Hmmmmmmmm, what do you suppose? This time I mostly sat on the seat pondering. Turned the key back on a few minutes later, horn worked, gave it the boot and away it went again! After 2 or 3 more episodes I was back in my shop on Poverty Flats. Under the cover of my shop - out of view - the search began. Didn't go too far. The horn thing was my first good clue. Went straight to the battery. Sure enough, electrolyte level was way down! After filling to prescribed level with distilled water and giving it a bit of charger time, all was well and continues to be so. Stupid battery.............................Wesley
 

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