My break down fix !

Shelby-Right

Shelby-Right

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Well I headed off down the road to see a mate, after about 4 miles it was running on one cylinder, I look down and see fuel , I quickly turn the gas off, the bowl drain plug is gone left side , crap . I did try looking for it but no luck , so then I thought I would hold my finger on the hole , fill the bowls and try to engage 1st gear with the clutch , get it rolling then finger back on the hole , nope back on one cylinder, two attempts, gave up on that , then I had an idea 💡 find a stick and screw it in , sort of , we'll this worked good enough to limp home .🙂
My break down fix !
 
Nice Job!!!!

Sticks are handy. One of my favorite motorcycle repair stories is of a WW I ex British soldier who, in 1920 (if I remember right) rode across the USA and had a piston come apart. He pulled the head/barrels on the side of the "road" somewhere in the desert out west (Arizona, I think) and found a stick which he jammed into the piston pin boss on the connecting rod. He then trimmed it to be the proper length for the diameter of the bore so it could ride up/down keep the connecting rod centered. He then rode quite a distance with the "stick as piston" to a town where he overhauled the engine/continued on his trip. Can't recall the name of the book but it was a really interesting tale of relatively early long-distance motorcycling!
 
Shelby-Right said:
Well I headed off down the road to see a mate, after about 4 miles it was running on one cylinder, I look down and see fuel , I quickly turn the gas off, the bowl drain plug is gone left side , crap . I did try looking for it but no luck , so then I thought I would hold my finger on the hole , fill the bowls and try to engage 1st gear with the clutch , get it rolling then finger back on the hole , nope back on one cylinder, two attempts, gave up on that , then I had an idea 💡 find a stick and screw it in , sort of , we'll this worked good enough to limp home .🙂View attachment 121117
Click to expand...
So... got you out of a sticky situation then!
 
Shelby-Right said:
Well I headed off down the road to see a mate, after about 4 miles it was running on one cylinder, I look down and see fuel , I quickly turn the gas off, the bowl drain plug is gone left side , crap . I did try looking for it but no luck , so then I thought I would hold my finger on the hole , fill the bowls and try to engage 1st gear with the clutch , get it rolling then finger back on the hole , nope back on one cylinder, two attempts, gave up on that , then I had an idea 💡 find a stick and screw it in , sort of , we'll this worked good enough to limp home .🙂View attachment 121117
Click to expand...
Good for you!The one time I had to get towed was the same problem. I now use a drop of low strength loc-tire when ever I have that apart.
Mike
 
Shelby-Right said:
Well I headed off down the road to see a mate, after about 4 miles it was running on one cylinder, I look down and see fuel , I quickly turn the gas off, the bowl drain plug is gone left side , crap . I did try looking for it but no luck , so then I thought I would hold my finger on the hole , fill the bowls and try to engage 1st gear with the clutch , get it rolling then finger back on the hole , nope back on one cylinder, two attempts, gave up on that , then I had an idea 💡 find a stick and screw it in , sort of , we'll this worked good enough to limp home .🙂View attachment 121117
Click to expand...
I have seen a sparkplug threaded into the float drain hole as a temporary fix on a mk3 a few years ago on a British bike run.
 
On the subject of rough & ready fixes...
Many years ago my 850 Suzuki spat a spark plug out west a bit. Thread in the head was stripped (I must have been a bit rough with it!)
I made it on 3 cylinders to Clermont and the owner of the local servo let me use his workshop.
After destroying two, I managed to squeeze the third spark plug sufficiently out of round without cracking the porcelain for it to be successfully screwed into the head. Lasted another 1000km until I could put a helicoil in.
 
A similar ride mishap. I lost one of the screws for the left carb float bowl. Tightened the remaining screw, but it still leaked. Rode home pressing the bowl against the carb with my left hand. Took breaks about 2-3 times to regain feeling in the hand. Arrived home with left hand fully de-greased :cool:
 
I've lost two drain plugs already this year. I was close to home fotunately. I now use blue loctite and carry spares. So far no problems since.
 
Deckard said:
A similar ride mishap. I lost one of the screws for the left carb float bowl. Tightened the remaining screw, but it still leaked. Rode home pressing the bowl against the carb with my left hand. Took breaks about 2-3 times to regain feeling in the hand. Arrived home with left hand fully de-greased :cool:
Click to expand...
4" zip tie through the screw hole got me home
 
New bowl plugs arrived with correct thick fiber washers , I'll have to remove the bowl to check the main jet , I think I m going to have Pulp Stiction ! 😅
 
Drain plugs have short threads and when they loosen, they will rattle and unscrew quickly. Not meant as criticism, but: Maybe we have forgotten the need to check tightness of bolts and screws regularly on our British bikes?

+ 1 on using blue Loctite #242.

- Knut
 
Carbs on a Commando are solid mounted and parallel to each other. I’m thinking the drain plugs should be very easy to lock wire to each other. Although, to be honest, I’ve never had an issue with them fitted to my T120.

With repeated removal and replacement, I’d be nervous of small loctite debris ending up in places we don’t want it, ie fuel passages ?
 
Last edited:
I've never done anything with those bowl drain screws other then tighten them snug using a coin or a washer the size of a US quarter. Never used sealant; never had a drain screw work loose. Been lucky, I guess but it's been running like that for nearly 20 years. Maybe it's a function of the gasket "gripping" the screw...some may be better than others ???
 
MexicoMike said:
I've never done anything with those bowl drain screws other then tighten them snug using a coin or a washer the size of a US quarter. Never used sealant; never had a drain screw work loose. Been lucky, I guess but it's been running like that for nearly 20 years. Maybe it's a function of the gasket "gripping" the screw...some may be better than others ???
Click to expand...
You know what's going to happen now, don't you?
 

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