Serious mechanical breakdown you've experienced?

[angelsndevils]

Had the whole undertail fall off of my RVT cause the previous owner used zip ties to hold it to the sub frame. I didnt realize what had happened until it had ground down a bunch of plastic, all the sheilding from the wires on my power comander, melted my tire inflater which got suck between the exaust header and rear spring. Bike died in the middle of the road west of covelo. I coasted it off in to a dirt pull out. I thought I was stranded for sure but with some creativity and a half roll of electrical tape I got her home. The power comander had been bouncing and spining around for miles and wraped all the wires together which popped the fuel pump fuse. the back tire had also removed the face from the power comander. My buddie thought this was all hilarious which provoked the barf salute pic.

 

[bluesboy]

Stator went on my Buell 1125CR. I live in S.F., I was in Boulder Creek, glad I have roadside assistance.

 

[louemc]

Never had a speck of any "needs" with my Japanese bikes.

It would take a large book to tell the tale, on my Harley and Buell.

Triumph late 50's early 60's...top end (rings, valve guides) was an annual replacement, and weekly do something, like adjust the ignition points or check the valve clearances or twiddle with the carbs or adjust the chain (before O ring chains), just checking and twiddle, in the drill of taking care of your bike.

The crank/bearing issue on the ZX-10 is un-heard of. I've been on the ZX-10 site for 6 years, and haven't heard of it, anyway.

 

[larry kahn]

I've owned my Norton for 37 years.


Not enough space on the internet to go into it all.

 

[crashtech]

LOL......planned 5 day riding trip in '10 and lost 4th gear 50 miles from house. Planned 4 day trip in '11 on new bike and tore engagement dog off of 3rd gear...

Lesson learned to self. After 2k a pop for new trans in each I am a little slower on the engine braking on the heavy bikes (ZX11 and ZX12R).....or is it just a Kwak thing???

Oh yea.....made it home both times.....whew!

 

[letsrideinsc]

I had the rear wheel of my 93 vfr come off while going around 80 on 880 at Hamilton Ave. I thought my chain broke, coasted off to the right side and couldn't figure out what happened till I took a view from the rear, the main bolt wasn't spiked properly and came off...the wheel walked it's way out of it's splines and nearly came off completely. I was lucky it didn't!!!!!

 

[Tydive]

Not sure if this qualifies, but had a buddy back over my CB360T and put a hole in the crankcase cover. Leaked oil pretty bad, so JB welded it closed and rode it home. Never did replace the cover, bike got stolen before I fixed it.

I've gotten lucky so far and all my breakdowns have been fixable with my usual tool kit. :knockwood

 

[ALANRIDER7]

 

[Stormdragon]

I've owned my Norton for 37 years.


Not enough space on the internet to go into it all.

Didja ever melt the bushings on the rear wheel like my buddy used to? I could never figure that one out...

 

[TheRiddler]

Mine are tame compared to these.

CBR F3: R/R died on the freeway, baked the battery. Had to get a tow.
Few months later started blowing a lot of white smoke, so I assumed the piston rings were going. Sold the bike.

SV: R/R died, again on the freeway. Another tow home.
Mystery problem no one can figure out: something overheats after 40miles/1 hour rides. Think I may have solved it (oxidized ignition coil terminals), but I won't know for sure until summer. Works fine under 65 degrees out.
Headlight wiring harness fried.

 

[killfile]

Vintage:
Back in the 90's...
After lanesharing past a huge accident on the Bay Bridge at 8:30 am, the bridge was completely clear and all the filtering bikes opened it up for the fastest bridge crossing I've ever witnessed.

Seating pin for the slide on my 1969 Suzuki Titan came loose on the Bay Bridge at 8:30am when I was going over a ton, causing that slide to jam. Carb is stuck wide open, bike is reving to high hell and I'm starting to get close to the slow traffic on the SF side of the bridge... no kill switch and the key is on the LEFT hand side, under the tank!

Manage to pull the clutch in and reach cross with my right hand to under the tank and turn her off before it rev'd high enough to grenade.

Had to walk around the bike for at least 10 minutes before my knees stopped shaking and I could focus enough to diagnose the problem.

Modern:
Stuck on a backroads california road up near shasta that was billed as 'the best road in california'. Heavy road construction, and we have to ride through very deep dirt for about 5 miles. Flaggers are letting traffic go one way, while HUGE construction rigs are flying through when the flagger has us stopped. Temp sensor on my speed triple is going out and my bike starts dying. It fails to start when I'm right in the middle of the dirt road. The current pack of car's I'm with (including my wife on her own bike) leave me behind. I manage to get off the dirt road before getting ass packed by 5 huge construction haulers going WAY to fast. Eventually get the bike started again after about 15 minutes, but there is construction traffic coming at me from every direction, felt like I was playing frogger with their equipment on my super heavy S3 in the dirt.

After I got through that I said 'i'm never doing THAT again'... just as I pulled up to another flagger and the whole mess almost repeated...
Even the electrics on modern triumphs is rubbish in my opinion!

 

[rritterson]

First bike- gs500, brand new. Destroyed 3 cam shafts in the 5000 miles I had it. my bike was the harbinger that initiated a world wide recall. (seriously)

Second bike- R6, brand new. By 10,000 miles wouldn't start well, wouldn't run at all until temp hit 180 (like, literally stalled with any throttle). Couldn't figure out problem without lots of money, sold it.

Third bike- R6, brand new (yeah, I'm stupid). Same problem at 8000 miles. Off a tip, had the valves checked. So far out of spec it was clear something bad had happened. $1500 and a drawn out fight with Yamaha later I had a new head and 16 valves. sold it soon after.

Fourth Bike- used DR 650. Blew an oil seal after I over filled it. Not so bad given the seal was 15 years old. No other problems yet. Still have it.

Fifth Bike- brand new 1200GS. No problems yet, but given my problems with new bikes and the going trend, i fully expect a rod to go straight through the case in about 3500 miles.

 

[packnrat]

so far it was just the drive belt, a day after the hardly dealer said the belt was good to go. had to push the bike 15+ miles in 100+ heat, no shade. before someone came back with a trailer to help me.
glad too as i had another 15+ miles to go and some of those miles would be up hills...at least i would have been able to coast down hill.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

1984 Yamaha XT600 stripped most of its sprocket teeth off on 101 on the way back from Garberville.

1989 Yamaha XT600 wouldn't start in Garberville due to a bad kill switch.

1987 EX500 flywheel magnets disintegrated.

1989 Yamaha FZR600 broke ring lands off pistons repeatedly. Rebuilt it for the last time, sold it, got a Honda.

1995 KTM 440 EXC broke ring lands off pistons repeatedly. Rebuilt it for the last time, got a Honda.

2000 Aprilia RS250, well, the picture says it all:

(threw it in the trash, got a Yamaha)

 

[J-Boat]

Two incidents that stick out in my mind. Coincidentally both of them in Livermore. The first one I was on my 90 ZX6. I was leaving a light at a rapid pace to get in front and onto the 1st street onramp to 580W. Just as I start up the onramp my bike completely dies and loses all power. I had to coast back down the hill against the flow of traffic back to the gas station. Somehow my battery leaked acid onto my swingarm and brake light switch causing the main fuse to blow. A good samaritan had a replacement fuse and some electrical tape to bail me out...

The other one actually caused me to crash. I had just finished railing on Patterson Pass road on my 05 R1 and came to the Greenville Chevron. As soon as I tried to make the right turn towards the pump, my steering locked and down I went. Somehow the steering damper bolt (Ohlins) came loose and the damper got stuck between the frame and fairing stay. Thankfully the frame sliders took all the impact and it didn't happen when I was on Patterson Pass!...

 

[plumber]

My first bike was Honda SL350. I was the gazillionith owner and the bike was trashed. It had major electrical issues and took forever to kick over. Kicking it so many times actually blew a hole out of the rear case. I didn't notice it when it opened up. I had just had ridden about 15 miles and was stopping at a stoplight in Hayward. I gassed it and the rear tire just spun around on me. It was covered in oil.

I had another oil incident a few year later. I had overfilled the oil in my '82 Seca 750. I just finished a spirited pass on Redwood road at elevated rpms. I made a left in Castro Valley and the rear immediately came around. I stood up on the pegs and was waiting for the high side flip that never came. I pulled over and again the rear tire was covered in oil.


Moral to the stories.........Don't overfill your oil and be gentle with your kickstarter.

 

[Snapping Twig]

I've still got my original bike, an 85 Virago 700. When I got it, it was used up, but I was emotionally attached and built it back to new.

Last year I took it from Daly City to Santa Cruz on the coast and back up 17 to Skyline, then down 92 and back to DC.

My stator crapped out days earlier - didn't know it - and the carbs had a metric ton of spode in them - didn't know that either.

Engine was backfiring on the coast near Davenport. By the time we hit Santa Cruz for lunch, it was running rough.

Going up the 17, got stopped for construction a few times. Electric start didn't want to work, so compression started it a couple times. Ran B-A-D up to 4 corners, didn't think it would make it.

Took off for home and decided to take 92 and then the coast which made the most sense if it totally broke down.

Kept the revs past 3k to keep it running, milked it all the way to Ranch 99 at Westmore on Skyline, hit a red light and that was all she wrote - DED dead.

ended up pushing it up a couple blocks on Southgate, cop rolls up and asks me if he can help - cop talk for "did you steal that"?

I told him it was the motorcycle equivalent of the car that when a dirt bag breaks into and looks around, he reaches into his pocket and tosses a 5$ bill in, closes the door and leaves.

He thought that was humorous and obviously true, so he bid me well and took off.

I rolled it down the hill to the garage and called Ohanlon and put it on the charger.

Rode it down the next day and when they told me the stator was toast and the carbs were dirty, I reached into my parts shelf, brought them a LNIB stator and they did it up.

Runs like a raped ape ever since.

 

[JimE]

Two most memorable ones from racing 2-strokes:
-Lost the front sprocket on the straight at T-Hill.
-Siezed on the "back straight" at Buttonwillow Backwards.

I actually didn't crash either one of those. That said the mechanical carnage was rather epic...

 

[Ironbutt]

I have been very lucky; I'm OCD about PM since my teen experience with Mini bikes the the USMC experience with Tanks.

I used to ride a Sears mini bike for years. I pushed that bike a lot.. it broke down a lot, lost a lot of tools, chains and other parts.

One time the throttle came off & caused me to crash.. that was a nasty crash.. right hand goes to the right, bike goes to the left.. face plants in grass.. another time I crashed at like 45MPH in front of the house It only had a rear scrub brake.

I never wore a helmet & somehow lived through 5 years of beating that minibike to death. It had 5 engines I could put in it.

The only one huge failure really worth mentioning recently; was the flywheel exploding on that EX500 Turd, leaving me stranded at that gay bar for hours.

 

[J-Boat]

The only one huge failure really worth mentioning recently; was the flywheel exploding on that EX500 Turd, leaving me stranded at that gay bar for hours.

I'm sure you found plenty of ways to kill time...