Your Dumbest Bike Maintenance Moment

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by Roberrrrt

After carrying out a service on the SV, i noticed a bit of an oil leak in the form of tiny droplets under the bike after parking it up, realised it was coming from the sump plug.

Got home, tightened sump plug, proceeded to top up the oil in the dark.

Rode to work next day, gear changes felt a bit stiff, turns out I'd over filled the oil. Right, time to drain some.

So I find an old plastic container, stick it under sump plug, proceed to slacken nut off a little (the idea being to let some out and re-tighten the nut). I keep slackening it cos nothing's coming out, then plop, the sump plug falls out, into the container along with the oil. All of it. So that's pretty much two full changes of rather expensive oil the bike went through in as many weeks.

So I fish around in the oil, put the plug back in, realise I'd better measure out the oil using something more accurate than the view pane on the bottle of oil. Hmm, what do I have that I can use? I know! the blender!

So three oil changes and a sacrificed blender later, and I'm back in business.

Annoyingly I found out that I could've just unscrewed the oil filter a tad to let the excess oil out. Gutted

Not to make you feel any worse, but you do know you could have just put the oil that you'd drained out back in don't you? (but preferably with a funnel with a gauze/filter on it).

I used to always drop the sump plug into the oil, it's the reason I always wear latex gloves for oil changes now as 1)the oil's usually pretty warm and 2)used oil's a bit carcinogenic


p.s . sacrificed blender!

My biggest motorbike maintenance fail was when I was happily riding along on a 4 stroke 125cc cheap version of a Honda and my big end went managed to not fall over took it to the nearest house I knew and rang my dad so there was me my friend his dad and my dad all looking at the bike and saying I don't understand why the engine is broke then my friend goes when was the last time you put oil in it. I said I haven't what a laugh that was.

[G]

Not realising the caliper pistons were not held in by anything when pulling the lever.

[dirtydog]

Now where do I start...
1, had a cb1-400 import for a little while and the reg/rec went on me so I had to bump start everytime as it wouldnt charge. Fairly easy bike to bump start except for one time, was outside work and spent a good five minutes pushing the bloody thing up and down the road trying to bump it only to realise that I hadn't turned the ignition on at all.

2, just fitted new chain and sprockets after mine snapped after much swearing got it all fitted and decided to take it out for a quick spin. Got to the end of my road just about to turn out of the junction and the bike dies and I fall over with it, my feet still on the pegs. I'd managed to cut through the sidestand cut off switch wires with the chain.

3, fitting an undertay the sv I need to give it a bit of a push from the back, too much of a push and now it's laying on it's side on the gravel drive.

[Nobbylad]

lol! I have a few.

Funniest was when, after an off at Anglesey, Flymo and I bodged my bike back together so I could ride it home. Tried for ages to get it to start and we were about to start dismantling bits to check the tilt sensor when I realised the stewards had shut off the kill switch when they picked it up off the track.

Most recent was last night when attempting an oil change...the picture below speaks a thousand words, however suffice to say £3.50 on an extractor is one of the best things I've ever done.....(worst being overtightening the foooking sump plug in the 1st place obviously )

Two for me...

Firstly, when I very first started trying to do my own maintenance, took both fork-caps off my honda CG while trying to work out how forks came apart. Unfortunately they were still in the bike at the time, and it duly plunged forwards on the centre-stand.

Second was when my old SV was having its engine replaced for the second time. I was that frustrated with having to rip out another engine that I carried on taking off engine bolts long after I needed to, and removed the swingarm bolt by mistake.

Owenski i remember your legendary AR09 incident, mine has to be overtightening the chain on the SV before going for a lap, and actually managing to lock the wheel at an angle. Then going for a lap not knowing any better and destroying my chain. £150 mistake . Bad times.

I was doing an oil change on the bike and couldn't work out why the dam filter wasn't coming off...if your going to undo something make sure you are undoing it rather than tighting it

When I had my 125 it had a fuel tap, I had just cleaned checked the bike ect so went out for a ride, going to down the road it concked out I was like oh that not good no engine in the third lane of busy traffic anyways I got stopped safley. I'm sure you can guess what I did!

I worked in place with a security gate, you had to stop to allow it open. Having got on my bike and made a bit of noise, I then managed to stall my bike with a yard full of people riding up to the gate who had no problem in laughting very loud at my mistake, like and learn eh!

[Viney]

The only Hand face moment that comes to mind is whilst putting some pads in the bike one dark evening with no torch (Done a few times, how hard can it be) anyway, fits the pads on one side, easy, second side is a little light when i put the calliper back on. I just think to myself that i haven't pushed the pistons in enough so twisted and squeeze them on. Roll the bike back *Scrape scrape* that doesn't sound good. Find torch, shine, and realise that someone i got both pads on one side of the disc! Doh!.

My Mates Jasons was good. He had an XJ1300 that he rode like he stole it. Anyway, there was a bunch of us that went out after work in the summer on a thrusday. So Jason turns up along with the others and off we go for a very spirited ride round the lanes of kent. Anyway we arrive at the pub and Jason looks a little shaken. I ask him whats wrong. 'Well' HE says ' Charlie pulled up all of a sudden after coming round a bend and i almost took him out, but that wasnt it, the back of the bike feels really wierd like its on ice' 'Well tis summer, thats not possible' So we look at the bike and find that after adjusting the chain before he came out he had forgot to tighten the nut up so the wheel was moving around all over the place! Scary but funny at the same time especially the speeds we where hooning around at.

[carelesschucca]

I've filled the garage floor with oil during a service having forgotten to put the drain plug back on...

I have a friend who will remain nameless who pushed his bike two miles to the local bike garage because his bike wouldn't turn over and the mechanic sorted it straight away by flicking the kill switch back on, unsurprisingly it was the mechanic that told me...