Band-Aid Engineering

Olephart · Jun 28, 2011

When I rode all the time and associated a lot with other bikers, there were always stories of "roadside engineering" to make it home. One can learn alot from those stories, about what can happen, what your options are when it happens and the stuff it takes to fix it.

I'll start with a simple example: Throttle cable broken at the ferrul on throttle end. CURE: Tube of superglue, small wire cutters. Strip back enough housing to expose a couple extra inches of inner cable - enough to lay in the trough of the throttle (of course clean really well first) and apply superglue and hold in place until set. JB Weld would work but it ruins the throttle, this way you can get the superglue off and reuse the throttle, no harm done. I've done it for myself and others.

I know there's got to be more than a few stories here that have useful band-aid information! I mean hey, we got the Comstock Lode here not to mention a hobot. So, I would hope we've got some better stories than wirecutters and superglue! :lol:

Mike

comnoz · Jun 28, 2011

OK here is #1. You are getting ready to go to the big rally and on that last test drive you hear that dreaded sound and backfires from a loose exhaust nut. Sure enough it will not tighten any more. You can use a beer can and maybe get you by for a few short rides or you can do this.

Get a hacksaw with two blades mounted side by side for an extra thick cut. Remove the exhaust nut or find the ugliest one you have and cut a slot all the way through one side. Now reassemble it and screw it in hand tight . Then take a small concrete nail [they are hardened] and drive it into the slot to expand the nut. Tighten the nut good and drive the nail home. Now you can ride the rest of the summer and remove the head and send it to me for repairs when it's handy . I have done this twice now at rallys and it works great. Jim

Flo · Jun 28, 2011

I can remenber on two occasions, having snapped throttle cables. Pulled the outer off & pulled on the inner to get me home.
None too safe.

Unclviny · Jun 28, 2011

I pulled the head off a throttle-cable "on the road" and to get home I:
rerouted the cable between the tank and seat, removed the outer from the upper cable, looped the inner wire and grabbed the loop with a small pair of Vise-Grips and rode home.

I had a Cross-over tube rust away on me once so I wrapped it in "Muffler Bandage" and rode home while it smoked, stank and had the exhaust-leak from HELL (but it did not fall-off).

Not a Band-Aid story but...
I spun a Layshaft bearing in 1987 going the the North Texas Norton Owners rally at Perry's Cove (riding from Galveston, Texas to Lake o' the Pines, Texas).
I was in Ore City, Texas when it let go but I was still able to get it into 4th gear so I rode in 4th the last few miles to the rally. When I got there I pulled the inspection cover on the GB and a column of thick smoke poured-out! (a bad sign) and the folks at registration said that they had heard me coming (it sounded like a Washing machine full of rocks!), the NTNOA gave me the "Bent Valve" award for bad luck (it's a damaged piston and rod from one of Big D's Trident drag-bikes mounted on a plinth).

Vince

GRM 450 · Jun 28, 2011

This worked for 2000 miles, got me home.

Some wire and a pair of pliers.

graeme

comnoz · Jun 28, 2011

A buddy on a HD and I were in Nebraska about 200 miles more to get home one spring evening. When it came time for the headlite I smelled that smell that only a cooked stator makes. I followed my buddy into the next town where we picked up an extension cord about 15 ft long.
We cut it about 4 ft from one end and ran the short end from the battery on my Norton to the handlebars. The long end we hooked to the battery in the Harley and draped it off the rear of his luggage rack. Plugged the two ends together and rode the last 200 miles with no problem. Only pulled it apart a couple times. Bet you didn't know a Norton would run on "Harley juice". Jim

Hobot · Jun 28, 2011

Entertaining education. Wesley my Cdo buddy had clutch cable break at bars so got out a spare spark plug, took off the Al end fitting, used pocket knife to drill a hole for cable then busted up plug to get the threaded tip out to screw in to jam cable then put in lever and used it for couple years like that.

Olephart · Jun 28, 2011

I had a 650 Triumph do exactly that just after dark. I did have a J Hunt Mag but the lights were going Lucas on me. Found a little Hardware store still open in rural Tennessee and bought a garden tractor battery and wire and El tape. Strapped the battery to the luggage rack and it got me to Sweet Home Alabama. The light was barely on by the time I got home but it got me home.

I really like the extention cord trick, complete with a quick release!

Being stranded ranks ranks right up there with riding through a California mudslide or fresh road tar.

gtsun · Jun 28, 2011

Hey GRM 450, for some reaso Im only getting the left 1/4 of the picture you posted and I really want to know what you did. "2,000 Miles home safe"... I can't see the picture, what did you do??? Thanks.

GRM 450 · Jun 28, 2011

The Exhaust thread stripped on the left head, so I used wire around the head and around the fins on the nut and twisted it tight.
And wired the header pipe to the front isolastic mount to keep some tension on the header so it didn't wobble and loosen the wireing.
Hope that makes sense? (it does to me) (but I was there)
Graeme

Hobot · Jun 28, 2011

Its a safety wired wonder. R tap inside the photo, tag view image and tag that full image to expand.

How did you orient the zip cord so it didn't foul bikes when it parted?

Do not install glass fuses installed by old car clip mounts instead of banjo or screw together mount. They look cool till vibes decay the mounts and you get to be creative on road side debrie to wedge in with fuse or just replace it. I've heard .22 LR works for a while so avoided that unless it was spent 22 magnum. Cigarette foil will work for a while. Pull tabs too but getting rare now. I'd wired myself into a corner so had to endure this a bit before eliminating it.

comnoz · Jun 28, 2011

hobot said:
How did you orient the zip cord so it didn't foul bikes when it parted?

The long half of the cord was hanging off the rear of my buddies luggage rack. I had the short end that ended at my handlebars. I just stayed behind and off to the side. The first time it unplugged was with just a little whip so I wrapped the plugs with some electrical tape. The second time it unplugged was in one of about three little towns we had to go through and I was asleep when the light changed. We pulled the cord about 10 miles from the town I live in and I rode in on the battery. Didn't much more than make it. We got pretty good at synchronous riding. Jim

Hobot · Jun 29, 2011

Thanks for the fill in, will flash on you flying united every now and then. The big bad colors club'rs make a point of tandem coordinated riding and does take good attention and trust.

I used sidewalk to trim down master cylinder lever plunger/space when July heat locked it up on trying to leave but thank goodness Peel's forward foot rest took the impact. Had a coil short to frame so used a store's clear packing tape around it to get home. Ugh just remembered Walmart hose clamps to hold broke axle to ride, which mainly reminds me to safety wire Trixie's before more rough roads.

comnoz · Jun 29, 2011

I recall when the two fellows from England were touring the US. They called me from 300 miles away and said they would be stopping by that afternoon- for some repairs. He had a whole roll of electrical tape holding the rear axle in and a couple hundred pounds of luggage on the bike. He rode it all day that way.

I was in a little town in Kansas many years ago and the little hairpin spring in the trans broke and left me with a single speed. There was a welding shop right there handy and I bought a stick of stainless 1/16 inch TIG welding rod. The stiffest thing he had.
I layed the bike over on it's left side and pulled the trans cover and made a replacement by wrapping the rod around a 3/8 drive extension. Didn't even loose any oil and it worked at least as well as the original. Jim

Hobot · Jun 29, 2011

Ah so, clever gem to lay it over to retain the oil, smack! Filed that one too now I've impressed it into my mind. One thing this post helped me decide - not to test road side bodges while my new Trixie is still intact to trailer to NY party.

openroad · Jun 29, 2011

Broke a throttle cable in VW bug, one of us rode the rear bumper all the way home working the throttle, even got through the Front Gate, cop thought it was pretty damn funny.
Oops, not a scooter story......

Bobolink · Jun 29, 2011

We were just leaving the NOC international rally in the South of France in '91 & my gear selector hairspring broke. My to be wife, on the back, thought that was the end of the Norton but our friend Nick, been travelling with him for 10 days put his hand in his pocket & came out with a new spring! Been in there for a couple of weeks, rattling around with my small change. RESULT!!!!!!!

Bob

PS Thanks Nick.

cash · Jun 29, 2011

Chewing gum would seal any leak on a fuel tank in the days of proper petrol, might even today :?: and a pencil makes a good fuse, it will find an intermittent short too because it'll smoke like hell. 8)

Cash

DogT · Jun 29, 2011

A .22 bullet makes a good fuse too, until it goes off and shoots you in the nuts and then you drive off the bridge. Supposedly happened to some redneck.

Dave
69S

aceaceca · Jun 29, 2011

Zener diode quit in closed mode. Fuse popped. Bike came to a halt. Put another fuse in and bam, gone in a blink. Ok, had recently bypassed the kill button and knew I used a white wire on the ignition switch. I could just see the wire as I have a 71 with side mount switch. Pulled the wire of the ignition switch and jury rigged it to the negative side of the battery. Away she goes. When I had the time, I made a short wire with a spade connector on the end, taped up for now, and hooked up directly to the negative battery terminal. Now any time a major short occurs, all I need to do is pull the ignition switch wire and connect to the battery wire. FYI you can run a car or bike for days on battery juice as long as you don't use power robbing accessories. I run a big battery, 16CLB, so I have plenty of reserve if needed. This was the closest I have come to needing a truck home in 11 years on this Norton. Actually all my Norton's have never left me on the side of the road.

Band-Aid Engineering

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