On the side of the road...

    • 6 posts
    February 12, 2010 3:09 PM PST
    This should be a fun topic for the seasoned and creative brothers and sisters on here: What different improvised repairs have you done to get home after a breakdown? I've grown up hearing a story or two from my Dad, uncle, etc. Love to hear yours!
    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    February 12, 2010 10:27 PM PST
    Changed a clutch cable on a 1980 Wide Glide once. On a beautiful Sunday morning my friend and I were riding in up-state NY. His cable snapped but my friend carried a spare, in fact he carried spare everything I think. I even think he had a shovel head in his bag. Thirty minutes later we were back enjoying the ride.
  • February 12, 2010 11:30 PM PST
    out riding one Sunday wih some friends and my throttle cable broke at the handlebar. We tied a boxed end wrench to the cable covered it with duct tape and I just pulled on the wrench to give it gas. Road that way the rest of the day. Thank God for duct tape and friends.....
    • 6 posts
    February 13, 2010 4:15 AM PST
    SammyVee wrote...
    out riding one Sunday wih some friends and my throttle cable broke at the handlebar. We tied a boxed end wrench to the cable covered it with duct tape and I just pulled on the wrench to give it gas. Road that way the rest of the day. Thank God for duct tape and friends.....

    THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Great story! Sheer genius is always found in a moment of need. I saw a picture of my Dad's old 305 Dream after he laid it down in Arizona. I've never seen such a collection of 2x4's, tape, and baling wire, but he was able to ride it home to PA, and it was a serious accident.
    • 601 posts
    February 13, 2010 8:01 AM PST
    ran over a bloody rabbit one time while riding an africa twin, he got caught up in my chain and snapped it. with the aid of a leatherman and a wee bit of twisted barb wire I managed to nurse it all of 60 miles home.
  • February 13, 2010 9:01 AM PST
    I had been ridding south on Illinois 52, 2 lane state road running good but just ahead of a storm that you could see snow white (sorry about the referance) rain with black sky and background and lots of lighting. Main fuel tank on the Moto Guzzi 850 Eldorado went dry.. Reached for reserve fuel valve and the handle was gone. Had to unpack to toolkit, pulled 6" Vise-grips pliers switch valve and repack and get baqck on the road. Got wet but stayed ahead of the storm heavy stuff.. Stopped in Normal IL. Holiday Inn warm and dry for the night..The storm flooded road underpasses to 14 feet deep. Had time under the balcony to make the threaded handle from small bolt which is still there.
    • 2072 posts
    February 13, 2010 9:12 AM PST
    I ride Suzukis.............. what do you mean, "Break-down" ????????????
  • April 25, 2010 3:33 PM PDT
    When I was a teenager I borrowed my dad's bike one day while he was at work and the clutch cable broke so I borrowed a pair of vice grips from a friends house, clamped them on the clutch arm and used that as a foot clutch to get home from downtown Chicago. Dad always asked where the marks came from.

    Ben
  • April 26, 2010 11:11 AM PDT
    Had a Honda 750/4 in my earlier dumber years. Did a top end rebuild and went for a ride. Passing a semi trailer going down hill I noticed he was getting faster. I pulled over and found the wouldn't run. got it home pulled it down and found the timing chain link had fallen out. Probable cause I forgot to put the clip on. 4 hours later on the road again.
  • April 26, 2010 11:54 AM PDT
    Throttle cable. Thanks to piece of clothes line nearby I was able to piece it together. Was a bit difficult to pull on the cable and do everything else. Limped it home though.
    • 58 posts
    August 27, 2010 2:42 PM PDT
    Tied a broken shifter heim joint together with a hairband.
    • 5420 posts
    August 30, 2010 4:28 AM PDT
    The ball end of my clutch cable snapped off right at the hand lever.  I removed the shield from the cable and tied the cable around a stick to use as a handle. I ran the cable under the motor and up the left side of the bike. I kept the cable and the "handle" in reach by holing it between my leg and the gas tank.  So everythime I need to clutch I would grab the handle and pull up.  Just had to remember to find neutral early when I was going to stop. 

    Also had to fix broken ends on shifter linkage for friends a couple of times with bailing wire.  But everyone who keeps that damm cheap a$$ stock shift linkage will wind up doing that!

  • August 30, 2010 4:38 AM PDT
    lost the rear axle nut one fine sunday morning, found this out when the bike suddenly squatted to one side. chain adjusters held it all in place for the most part, so i rode the 15-20 miles back home with my left foot stretched back holding the bolt in. very entertaining!
    • 0 posts
    August 30, 2010 7:42 AM PDT
    Lost the shift lever on my old ironhead sporty...Made a suicide shifter out of a stick taped to a pair of vise grips and got the old bastard home.
  • August 30, 2010 7:51 AM PDT
    bunch of resilient feckers aren't we! it is all about the ride!
    • Moderator
    • 1516 posts
    August 30, 2010 8:10 AM PDT
    Well one day myself and my sidekick Harleyman was out and about on our old, old bike and we pulled up to a stop sign and engine died. Just poof!! well he gets off the bike, whips out a couple of wires out of the handlebars, and works his magic.. hits the ignition and vroom.. I can't tell you much more than that! It was actually amazing!! oh yeah, and he used one of those handy dandy MacGyver thingies!!!
    • 0 posts
    August 30, 2010 8:49 AM PDT
    Very technical Debrajo my sweet.............where can i pick up one of those MacGyver thingies hunni?
    • 5420 posts
    August 30, 2010 9:05 AM PDT
    Has anyone actually seen McGyver recently? Maybe Richard is McGyver.
    • 0 posts
    August 30, 2010 9:07 AM PDT
    He very well could be he's a handy bloke to have around thats for sure...
    • Moderator
    • 1516 posts
    August 30, 2010 9:09 AM PDT
    I will have to send you a handy dandy MacGyver thingies Boof..! I think you are right Lucky, he could be a reincarnation!
    • 0 posts
    August 30, 2010 9:14 AM PDT
    Thanx huni.........big hugz for you and the old MacGyver bloke
  • August 30, 2010 2:47 PM PDT
    Improvised a cracked fuel line once on an old KZ650 with a bic pen and electrical tape. Made it 300 miles home too.
  • August 30, 2010 3:31 PM PDT
    Ok had my regulator plug brake. And I cut a piece of barbed wire from some fencing, jammed it in. and made it to HD store. But they didn’t have the part for that old of a bike. But I made it home on it.

    And had my throttle cable brake. I took it loose held on to it with my right hand. And drove home 20 mills with my left hand. Puling on the cable to speed up. It was on a Sunday took me about 45 minutes to take apart an old 10 speed bicycles shifter cable and make me a new one. GETTER DONE!