RSS Not looking forward to this
Filed in Blog, Motorcycle MaintenanceRight now I’m in a space where I’m not trusting my bike. The tire is okay–the fix-a-flat has finally taken and will hold me now until we order new tires. But as I roll to a stop, quite frequently the engine just cuts out. The most likely culprit is a hokey sidestand switch–the engine won’t run when you’re in gear and have the sidestand down, and it cuts out when rolling to a halt or actually at a halt. But I am starting to wonder if there isn’t something going on with the clutch, as well.
Either way, it’s probably going to mean a period of dismantling, and I hate those. So I’m riding along sensing that something is up but I really don’t know what it could be. It’s hard to tell when the wind is gusting whether the bike is wrong or if it’s just being caught in the wind like a sail. It’s hard to tell whether I’m just being paranoid, too. I just don’t feel good about it at this moment.
It sometimes seems that everything needs replacing at once. I might sell this bike this year, and move on to a dual sport of some kind. But before that I need to fix this dumb issue with the cutting out engine, as well as replace the seat, and fix the “interesting” tail light assembly.
Ah well. I’m sure it will not be as bad as I think says she, hopefully.
Subscription links
-
If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to the Raven's Rides RSS feed! Click here for the raw feed or links to feed readers.
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Sherrie (4 comments.)
Isn’t there a zen for that? ;-)
When the bike starts to do that it is time to say goodbye. I can still remember the end of our last big trip, Emma’s starter went, her main stand broke, she needed a new suspension.
Blaaaaaaaaaa
Mar 27th, 2008
Linda R. Moore
Apples and oranges here! I absolutely do not agree. ;)
This is a small, niggly problem that will be likely be a pain to fix, but at only 36,000 miles this bike is nowhere near ready to be dumped. I can’t afford to dump a bike because of small, niggly problems.
The starter replacement on the old bike was a $20 job. I’ve never had a suspension break and I don’t have a center stand on Beastie (I really could use one but it’s impossible with this design). It would take an endless procession of things going wrong–such as happened with my previous bike after we replaced the gears–for me to be ready to dump a bike on the grounds of unreliability.
I doubt that would even start to happen in the next two years.
Mar 27th, 2008
Sherrie (4 comments.)
If the starter is 20 dollars than I understand! Patrick’s cost significantly more, and then the gear box went too. It was quite the sight seeing him dancing around the bike swearing. ;-)
Mar 28th, 2008
Linda R. Moore
* chuckle * That’s pretty much how I approach mechanical work in general. ;)
Apr 16th, 2008
Reply to “Not looking forward to this”