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What was your most recent expensive screw up?

Bought a 2000 J100 Land Cruiser. It was technically a "good buy" and it has easily conquered all the worst roads to my favorite fishing/camping spots.
I knew in advance it got shit mileage, and that wasn't a deal breaker, but the first few times I filled up, it was right after prices had gone up.

It averages 14mpg, but can get 19mpg in cruise control on flat roads. Add an incline and watch that needle bend.

But it will climb over big-ass rocks, muddle through boggy snot, and pull an aircraft carrier on a trailer.
"Babe" the beige whale.
 
Had an intermittent problem with my engine shutting off - at speed, at rest - no real pattern. Didn't have the time or workspace to troubleshoot it myself, beyond some easy to get to likely suspects, so I left it with a shop knowing I was signing a blank check. Two months and $$$ later it was found to be a broken wire in a hidden length of harness. No fault of the mechanic, as I'm sure it's their worst nightmare scenario. Still, next time I think I'll try to fix it myself.
 
I was trying to think of the last thing I screwed up and I couldn't come up with anything. I asked a coworker and he said; "go ask your wife". :rofl

I didn't ask. I wasn't looking for a list.
 
Boy, I think its best to keep this bike related, biggest screw ups in my life couldn't be less related to moto.

My dad had a 1967 CL90 that I cut my proverbial mechanic teeth on. He bought it in 1968 from a neighbor, he didn't ride it too much but I put thousands of mile on it while he was at work (probably 9-15 years old I was). Anyway, he gave it me in the mid-2000's and I decided to restore it during one of the long Eugene winters. I spent probably $1500 correcting all my adolescent "fixes" from my early days of tinkering. My favorite was the lag bolts holding the intake manifold to the head (I stripped the 10mm bolts). I still have the bike, but my dad passed away before I could show it to him.
 
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Not mine but the wife's... She booked my son's flight home for Thanksgiving... In reverse order. I had repeatedly told her never to use booking services (Expedia, etc) in case you have issues. I wonder how she booked it :rolleyes That's a $300 lesson for her from our pocketbook... He's at the Amtrak station now waiting for a 10hr ride... :rant

To keep it moto related, it's pretty minor. On doing a tire change myself the first time, put the tire on backwards. Replaced the fork seals on the FZ6, forgot to reinstall the sweeper washers that go under the seals, so far so good. I'll reinstall next time or when I feel like it. seems to work fine w/o for the moment.
 
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I've done the backwards tire thing myself. A buddy brought over his front wheel and tire for me to change out. Threw it on the NoMar, removed the old tire and got ready to install the new tire. Looked at the arrow direction, looked at the wheel to see which side the ABS sensor was on and then looked at my bike. We both have Vstroms. The math wasn't adding up so I went through the process again. Look at arrow, look at wheel, look at tread, look at my bike. Then the light bulb went off. My tire was reversed. Probably been that way for 5000 miles.
 
Got careless lifting my previous Z650 onto front stand; didn't take time to properly align the "hands" that lift at the bottom of the front fork. When I went to lift the bike the fork twisted off the stand. At the time all seemed good.

When I next rode the bike a few days later the front brakes were pulsing. Turns out that I damaged one of the front rotors which required a new rotor (luckily they weren't worn enough to need 2 new rotors) and front brake pads.

Lesson learned... don't rush!
 
matjam said:
Bike related or not;

mine was torquing the front axle bolt on my Multi to 140+nm ... it went bang and I re-read the specs and that was for the front sprocket.

$185 (new axle, new bolt). Idiot.
Click to expand...

When torque wrenches do more harm than good.
 
thedub said:
When torque wrenches do more harm than good.
Click to expand...

I once put helicoils in all eight exhaust cam holders on a KZ650 head. I made a note on the work order to tell the customer to use a torque wrench. I couldn't believe that after stripping one, or even two that someone would keep going. A couple of days later, the customer brought the head back, and had pulled the helicoil out of the number one holder, and was asking if we had made a bad repair. When I saw the head, I went forward to talk to the customer. I asked him if he used a torque wrench. He said he did, so I asked what value he was torqueing to. He said " A hundred and ten foot pounds." After a loooong pregnant pause, I said that should be one hundred and ten INCH POUNDS, or about nine foot pounds. Lucky for him, there was enough material (just barley) to put in a
Drillcert. That's the only time I have ever seen a Helicoil pulled out.:laughing
 
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While I had my Harley heads off decided to replace exhaust studs. Broke first one, drilled out, went cocked, did get stud in more crooked than the deacons dick. Was going to get these heads worked on, was so pissed said "fuck it" lapped in valves, changed stem seals and called it a day. Just bought blown engine for heads so not too much $$$.
 
bobl said:
...I asked him if he used a torque wrench. He said he did, so I asked what value he was torqueing to. He said " A hundred and ten foot pounds." After a loooong pregnant pause, I said that should be one hundred and ten INCH POUNDS, or about nine foot pounds. Lucky for him, there was enough material (just barley) to put in a
Drillcert. That's the only time I have ever seen a Helicoil pulled out.:laughing
Click to expand...

Gotta be smarter than the tools.
 
I got back into riding back in 2012 after a 30 year hiatus and bought a 2007 V-Strom 650 project bike. Sunk a bit of time and money into that bike (that was not the mistake) but when I was done there was nothing wrong with it but that it had 90K miles and it was silver/black and I really wanted a red one. It served its purpose to relearn how to ride and wrench plus I figured I could ride it for a few years till the new models aged into the used market.

Fast forward to April of last year and here on barf, when I wasn't even looking, came across a gorgeous red 2014 650 'Strom at a great price with many upgrades I wanted already installed with only 3000 miles so made the switch. When I test rode the bike it was a little viby but it had Givi crash bars which are known to resonate on the Gen2 bikes, besides what could be wrong with a motor with only 3000 miles on it, right? Turns out the front throttle body boot clamp was loose and leaking (probably came like that from the factory) so the front cylinder was running lean for 4000 miles till I caught it. Tightening the clamp fixed the majority of vibes but it was still more viby than my 2007 bike. After much troubleshooting I found that the front cylinder is 20PSI lower than the rear (spec is 28 PSI delta between F/R). Not sure if I am going to fix it yet nor how much that will cost but the vibes are an annoyance. I will probably do a leak down test over Winter to see if running lean damaged the valves or rings.
 
Most expensive?

Easy. The free motorcycle I got from a friend. Just counting parts costs and not labor I ended up with a $5K investment in a bike worth $2.5K if running and unmolested.

Salt in the wound? He offered me $1.75K to buy it back.
 
Pushrod said:
Most expensive?

Easy. The free motorcycle I got from a friend. Just counting parts costs and not labor I ended up with a $5K investment in a bike worth $2.5K if running and unmolested.

Salt in the wound? He offered me $1.75K to buy it back.
Click to expand...

Sheesh. What bike?
 
Yamaha 650 twin set up as a street tracker. For perspective this was in the late 80's early 90's. I haven't a clue what it would be worth today.

But its a hobby, keeps my hands busy and the garage alive and me out of therapy sessions with my wife.
 
I keep my bikes parked in the garage either on the center stand or on a rear bike stand, typically a Pit Bull.

I know always, I mean ALWAYS, leave the side stand down, especially a bike on a rear stand since you're standing at the rear of the bike to take them off.

So, yeah, I had my ZX14r on a rear stand and after working on it, I stepped to the back, took it off the stand and let it lean over on to the kick stand. BOOM.

Mainly plastic bits, some body parts, the muffler shield and the left mirror. :mad
 
@Redtail has nothing to be embarrassed of...
I was swapping both tires off my r1100rs, balancing it on the center stand....till it collapsed on to the floor of my garage ...BeemerBellyFlop. It was an engineering feat to get it back on it's "feet" again.
 
Spent months totally rebuilding my old R1 following a wreck at T Hill. That included fabricating a custom 1 piece tail/seat and fitting a custom R7 fairing and then getting the whole thing professionally repainted.

The first day on the track, I fumbled the rear track stand and dropped it on its side and managed to rash up and/or crack every piece of the right side :(
 
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