Bike Tuneup Step 1 - Lessons Learned

[Caba]

[PS: You still run those Shinkos? :huh: I had you promise you'd change them the minute you arrived home from Italy. BTW, we can arrange a quick tire change here in May so you can tackle the Spanish roads on new rubber.

Stef,

To be honest, I'll replace the Shinkos with either Avons or the suggested PR2's. I'm just not sure when. Even after almost 10k km's after I picked it up in Milan, I'm still a good 3-4 mm from hitting the wear bars on the rear (I switched languages for you stef...km's..mm's ) I don't know how much you put on them before I picked it up, but they have definately lasted. I just don't think they'll last until I get back to milan unless it snows here for the next three months!!!

I don't feel quite as planted on the Shinkos as I did on new Avons (Even when the air pressure is correct, ). I'll look to see what's available here, and if I don't get any love from the local dealer, I'll get back to you.

 

[odot]

Compassion? I have my moments of those.......albeit......few and far between.

Thanks for noticing. I must be pmsing er sumptin.

 

[Grumpy]

we all make mistakes w/ our bikes once in awhile. I made one... uh, a week ago. Big assed rookie mistake took me from a good day ride.
Glad that yours didn't cause any boo boos.

OK, I'll bite. What did you do?

jim

 

[Groo]

I'm notoriously bad about not checking my tire pressure... which is why i absolutely positively LOVE my Smarttire setup. Turn the bike on, look at the display, and it's one less thing I have to worry about.

 

[luvtoride]

we all make mistakes w/ our bikes once in awhile. I made one... uh, a week ago. Big assed rookie mistake took me from a good day ride.
Glad that yours didn't cause any boo boos.

OK, I'll bite. What did you do?

jim

Hey Jim, was thinking about you earlier. How are ya feeling?

About my screw up:

Last March while ditch surfing I bent my clutch lever. Not past useable... but something to deal with at some point. A post in the WANTED section yielded me a clutch lever from TWN, who had replaced the OEM's w/ Pazzo.

I put the new to me clutch lever on the bike last Saturday. I carefully took stuff apart as not to pop the plunger out… which was previously popped by Meester Ashe when he worked on my bike. Well, it just fell out when taking the old lever off. No problem… I’ll just put it back in. After several failed attempts of trying to get the boot back onto the plunger, I called my neighbor/friend Larry over. Larry says “oh, just take the whole boot out & put it back in after reassembling the boot onto the plunger”. Ooh, I didn’t know that boot came out… which it does. I promptly removed it, reassembled & put it back on the bike.

Sunday morning comes & I get several miles from my house & downshift as I’m coming off of a hwy ramp. What do I notice? My clutch is slipping… & slipping badly.

After stopping in some parking lot & calling my friend to let her know that I wasn’t coming on our planned ride, I decide to turn around & go home since at this point, the ride is out of the question.

¾ of the way home… limping down the side of the road trying to make it home, the bike only races w/ no catching friction from the clutch plates. Oh crap! I settled the bike on the side of the road a few short miles from my house.

Luckily, my forementioned bud, Larry has a trailer.

Larry & his trailer come to get me. We bring the bike home & tear the clutch lever apart… suspecting that that my problem HAD to do with it. Larry thought the boot may have gotten bound up or something. It turns out that while I was reassembling the clutch lever, I inserted the plunger backwards. Can you say “big frikkin’ rookie mistake”.

After I reassembled it correctly, I jumped on & took a ride up the block. My bike pulls like a freight train.

Live & learn, I suppose,

Heidi

 

[wheatonFJR]

Sounds like a mistake I would have done...are you sure we aren't related?

 

[luvtoride]

Sounds like a mistake I would have done...are you sure we aren't related?

Which part Mark? The ditch surfing or reassembling the clutch lever plunger the wrong way?

PS... I'd be honored to be related to you. You're a great guy. Does that sound too much like *** kissing?

 

[HaulinAshe]

After I reassembled it correctly, I jumped on & took a ride up the block. My bike pulls like a freight train.

Just for the record, Meester Ashe is still recommending you rebuild that clutch master cylinder. The fluid we drained was major yuck with tons of sediment from the ditch surfing incident.

Since this thread was orignally started as a "confession of things I've done stupid" topic...

I once mounted a front (tubed)tire using silicone spray for tire lube. One week later the tire "dismounted" itself as I landed a downhhill jump. Broke my arm in half as a reward for being stupid.

Glad the author of this thread didn't fall down and go boom. I'm going out today to buy a new tire pressure gauge.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Sounds like a mistake I would have done...are you sure we aren't related?

Which part Mark? The ditch surfing or reassembling the clutch lever pluger the wrong way?

...

Definitely both... :lol:

I wuv you too Heidi.

BTW...Caba, glad things worked out for you before you had to "pay for your sins". See you at NAFO. :clapping:

 

[gr8eyes]

So Jeff did the tire spin on the rim?

 

[HaulinAshe]

So Jeff did the tire spin on the rim?

No, it actually dismounted off the rim and the rim dug into the dirt. ****** the bars right out of my hands, tossed me off into a frozen patch of dirt. Worst thing was the doc said the injury was very typical for old women who fall down. I'm still waiting for him to buy a bike. :angry:

 

[Fred W]

So Jeff did the tire spin on the rim?

No, it actually dismounted off the rim and the rim dug into the dirt. ****** the bars right out of my hands, tossed me off into a frozen patch of dirt. Worst thing was the doc said the injury was very typical for old women who fall down. I'm still waiting for him to buy a bike. :angry:

Is this you Jeff?

Nice helmet...

 

[luvtoride]

Just for the record, Meester Ashe is still recommending you rebuild that clutch master cylinder. The fluid we drained was major yuck with tons of sediment from the ditch surfing incident.

Phewww :worriedsmiley: , thought for sure that I'd be defending myself about the fact my bike was on a trailer. You, Meester Ashe, are losing your touch.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Caba,

That's what we call a "Self Correcting Mistake." You have probably run it through your head more times than necessary by now, so let it go and gear up for your next one. I have too many to count so I quit trying to count.

we all make mistakes w/ our bikes once in awhile. I made one... uh, a week ago. Big assed rookie mistake took me from a good day ride.
Glad that yours didn't cause any boo boos.

All I gotta say about this is HaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... That's exactly why I keep a manual next to me every time I take something apart. Puttin stuff together backwards is my specialty. Gald it was easy to fix....

 

[luvtoride]

I will usually take a pic or two as I'm disassembling something. The plunger for the clutch lever fell out. No time for pics. Besides, it was only like... 3 parts. I couldn't possibly screw that up, right? WRONG!