DODGY experiences

[Satch]

Ok so heres the story

ive recently bought myself an 05 R1

all was going well and i embarked on a journey from auckland to kaitaia. Weather was good riding was beautiful. everything going great.

so im going along a flat level piece of road and whaK!!!!!! soething hits me in the boot, it hit me hard to, i look around and cant think what i ran over or where it came from, it gets me thinking tho.

so about 2 kms up the road i decide to pull over and wait up for someone. Im just turning into the gas station in welsford and go to slow down and viola no front brakes at all!!

i chop it down and use the rear and get in safe and sound.

Pull over and look and guess what but all the bront brake bolts the ones holding the calipers to the forks have dissapeared!! and the front brakes basically fell off!!!

DODGY, i know i should have checked but on a 1 year old bike i really didnt expect them to fall out!

the lesson here i spose is never ever trust the past owner of a bike

anyone else had dodgy shit like this happen to them?

[gijoe1313]

:gob: Glad you handled that jandle well~ WTH? So you managed to fix everything up safe and sound? Good thing that didn't happen in the twisties before Kaitaia! :sick:

So, you going to track the seller back down and make him pay? :angry2: Only dodgy thing I had on my bike was an old knob off a completely different machine (not a bike!) that was glued to the tripmeter reset!

[SPman]

..

anyone else had dodgy shit like this happen to them?
When I bought the SP from a certain dealer in Barrys Point Rd, riding home and hear a knocking sound from the front end.......stop, and discover it was the second bolt in one of the front calipers almost out - the first one had fallen out - not bad for 6kms of riding!

[xwhatsit]

Hmm... finding out my recently purchased bike had a cracked cylinder head! Well, that doesn't count, because it's a >20yr old bike, and the previous owner was a clueless n00b about to buy a GN250.

I have a theory... and that there is sort of a graph you can draw, which looks like a parabola, in terms of faults on bikes/cars/computers/etc compared to age of said item. Here's the graph...



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time

'Scuse the ASCII art...

When you have a new thingie, fresh from the factory, you'll get all the teething problems and manufacturers faults, bolts they forgot to tighten up etc. And when your thingie is 10 years +, you have problems due to just sheer age. And it all works out into a neat little y=x^2 graph. At least that's my theory :D.

[Satch]

:gob: Glad you handled that jandle well~ WTH? So you managed to fix everything up safe and sound? Good thing that didn't happen in the twisties before Kaitaia! :sick:

So, you going to track the seller back down and make him pay? :angry2: Only dodgy thing I had on my bike was an old knob off a completely different machine (not a bike!) that was glued to the tripmeter reset!

Yeah i was basically real lucky i didnt notice the lack of stop at a worse time. It couldnt of really happened at a better time as i was moving out of auckland and dad was 10 mins behind me with a trailer so on went the bike!!


as to tracking down the owner, it came thru an auction so that rules that out

yeah man, those twisies before kaitaia are awesome, the managmukas there calles, im currently about 5kms from them, so one those breaks are back up, ill be seeing a bit of them

[Satch]

When I bought the SP from a certain dealer in Barrys Point Rd, riding home and hear a knocking sound from the front end.......stop, and discover it was the second bolt in one of the front calipers almost out - the first one had fallen out - not bad for 6kms of riding!

Yeah man that sounds like the same sort of deal!! only instead of 6 kms i managed over a hundred. Shocking aye!!

[Satch]

[QUOTE
I have a theory... [/QUOTE]

I like your theory, once a bike had aged all those little nigly things have probably been sorted by previous owners otherwise the bike would probably have been crashed by now!!

so beware of new bikes and old ones aye

[Whynot]

Hmm... finding out my recently purchased bike had a cracked cylinder head! Well, that doesn't count, because it's a >20yr old bike, and the previous owner was a clueless n00b about to buy a GN250.

I have a theory... and that there is sort of a graph you can draw, which looks like a parabola, in terms of faults on bikes/cars/computers/etc compared to age of said item. Here's the graph...



ja .a,
]Dqr ]ZW[
]E3[ jCW[
]k]k _QGW[
]E"Q, j@)B[
]k $[ jf]m[
# ]E ]k _Wf]B[
o ]E ]mr )D ]m[
f ]E 4c d[ ]W[
]E )m jW' ]m[
f ]E -$c jf ]m[
a ]E ]k, jW` ]B[
u ]E $c jf ]m[
l ]E )m, jW` ]B[
t ]E 4L _m[ ]m[
s ]E ]Qp jE ]B[
]E )mp j@` ]m[
]E ]Qp _j@` ]B[
]E "Qwp__amP` ]m[
]E "?$mWT"` ]B[
]mggggagggaggaagagagggaggagaW[

time

'Scuse the ASCII art...

When you have a new thingie, fresh from the factory, you'll get all the teething problems and manufacturers faults, bolts they forgot to tighten up etc. And when your thingie is 10 years +, you have problems due to just sheer age. And it all works out into a neat little y=x^2 graph. At least that's my theory :D.

its called a "Bathtub curve" :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

[car]

anyone else had dodgy shit like this happen to them?

My old man introduced me to the "bathtub curve" when I were but a lad and, consequently, I've never bought new, or even near-new. Plus, the moths in my wallet don't light the sunlight too much.

I've had three amusing "new-to-me bike" experiences, to date, though:

1) the week after picking up my ZXR750R, I was out for a hoon, just weighting up the footpegs on those LSL rearsets for a fast sweeper, when the outside peg just fell off, and I just about fell off the inside of the bike. I went back but never found the peg, and ended up riding without one for a month, until I got chatting to one of the guys from Harris at the NEC show, who just happened to have a spare.

2) I got a train out to Warrington, from York, (about two hours) to pick up an old Can Am Bombardier and ride it back. The seller told me I was insane, and reminded me that the bike had been standing in a shed for 18 months. I broke down twice: fuel starvation, but it turned out that it was just the regular tap was blocked up and the reserve tap was fine; later all six bolts holding the clutch together worked out or let go, the clutch came apart and smashed up the inside of the cover. I'd made it twelve miles on my own, then another hundred or so on an AA trailer.

3) Riding the RVF400 back up the A1 from London to York, it was raining and cold, I had my big all-weather suit over the leathers. Over about 60mph, the suit just inflated and, the RVF being so narrow, I couldn't see jack in the mirrors. I was just tootling along at a steady *ahem* when I noticed a sign ahead of me reflect a flash of light. I looked over my shoulder to see a police Volvo T5, blues and twos on, with two angry coppers in the front seat gesticulating. Oops. I began to pull in, expecting a reaming, and the T5 flashed straight past me. The cop in the passenger seat was looking at me, wagging his finger at me like "naughty, naughty boy!" Up ahead, on an adjoining road, an artic had turned over, there was smoke reaching for the sky. I guess that's where they were going. Lucky me.

[xwhatsit]

its called a "Bathtub curve" :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

Oh, tits. This always happens -.-''

[ManDownUnder]

its called a "Bathtub curve" :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

Bathtub curve? I thought that was when your going at it in the bath - and she arches her back just as she goes slightly cross eyed with that "far-away look"

[xwhatsit]

Bathtub curve? I thought that was when your going at it in the bath - and she arches her back just as she goes slightly cross eyed with that "far-away look"

She goes cross-eyed? Dude, what have I told you about not using the wrong hole?

[ManDownUnder]

She goes cross-eyed? Dude, what have I told you about not using the wrong hole?

You're confusing me with Maurice. I'm the one with technique, experience, rythym, style and endurance.

He's the one with the "any hole's a goal" philosophy.

A true gent always comes 2nd... or 3rd or 4th - depending on the task at hand...

[MSTRS]

Pull over and look and guess what but all the bront brake bolts the ones holding the calipers to the forks have dissapeared!! and the front brakes basically fell off!!!



Oh, lucky! New bolts (locktight?) and all's well. I suppose the caliper was swinging in the breeze. Imagine if you'd hit the brake with the caliper still 'in place'. *shudders*

[Whynot]

She goes cross-eyed? Dude, what have I told you about not using the wrong hole?

:lol:
.........

[vifferman]

anyone else had dodgy shit like this happen to them?
No.
Although I had the footpeg on my very first bike fall off when the bolt holding it on snapped. I can't remember the details now (coz it was , like, thousands of years ago), but it must've happened at rest or barely moving, because all I can recall is that a friend of my father's tapped a new bolt hole and fixed it up.

[jade]

When I crashed my NSR into a car, I bent the forks and had to buy new ones, I put vfr forks on it but the nsr callipers didnt line up with the bolt holes on the forks, I had the vfr brakes but the nsr ones were better so I made an alloy brace, 2 bolts holding it to the forks and then the calliper attatched to the brace... Unfortunately when I bolted it all together the calliper was sitting on the disc rubbing, it heated up and siezed at 60 kph... I went over the bars 15 mins into the maiden voyage after having a broken femeur for 3 months...
I was alright after sliding up the road so made a new brace with the holes 3mm further apart and it was sweet from then on... even got a warrant !

[jrandom]

Oh, tits. This always happens -.-''

It's OK. If you really did derive the Bathtub Curve from first principles, you'll undoubtedly rediscover integral calculus next week and reformulate string theory over the summer holidays.

Being fully qualified, you can then join a typical NZ engineering design team and get paid to reinvent the wheel.

[Finn]

Pfffftt, that's nothing. Try owning an Italian bike. The other day I arrived at work and my engine was missing. No wonder I was sweating.

[SPman]

We had a guy at a trackday at Taupo some years ago who had a front caliper fall off his TDM 850 at the end of the straight - luckily , he was the only guy who had trailered his bike there...big brown trouser moment as he ploughed through the dirt.....
He had taken the calipers off some months before, but obviously hadnt checked them prior to going on the track.....

[geoffm]

6 weeks from getting my first bike - the mighty Suzuki B120 with 118CC of pure 2 stroke power - I took the bike into a shop that shall remain nameless since it was a long time ago for getting the rear brakes checked. They were fine, but when I was heading over the harbour bridge that night, the rear axle nut fell off, and the axle half fell out. Fortunately there were no other cars around, as the axle was only in on one side of the swing arm, which made life interesting. After making it over to he side of the road by the Shelly beach road offramp I started walking back up the bridge to look for the nut so I could get home.... A cop came along at speed and pulled in - they thought I might have been a jumper. A wheel nut fitted the axle and I was on my way.

[erik]

The only dodgy experience I've had was buying my bandit, after the test ride I noticed the master link clip was missing!
I should've checked it before riding it, but at least I saw it before riding back up to auckland (from rotorua).

[Satch]

Oh, lucky! New bolts (locktight?) and all's well. I suppose the caliper was swinging in the breeze. Imagine if you'd hit the brake with the caliper still 'in place'. *shudders*

Yeah, new bolts $18 each!!, and def loctite, well they wernt swinging in the breeze they were still on the disks just not attached to anything, as soon as i started to brake and didnt find it there i realised something was up and stopped using them for fear of putting brake fluid everywhere as i had assumed a fault of that nature

[Satch]

When I crashed my NSR into a car, I bent the forks and had to buy new ones, I put vfr forks on it but the nsr callipers didnt line up with the bolt holes on the forks, I had the vfr brakes but the nsr ones were better so I made an alloy brace, 2 bolts holding it to the forks and then the calliper attatched to the brace... Unfortunately when I bolted it all together the calliper was sitting on the disc rubbing, it heated up and siezed at 60 kph... I went over the bars 15 mins into the maiden voyage after having a broken femeur for 3 months...
I was alright after sliding up the road so made a new brace with the holes 3mm further apart and it was sweet from then on... even got a warrant !

Yeah , this one can be bad for those new to the game. I had a simmilar experience with sallo's zxr 250, put new pads in and the pisons were a bit stuck up and with the thick new pads they didnt unload properly.

basically got hot pretty quick and started to grab, didnt put me over the handlebars but did do little lockups on the gravel outside the warrent place!!

fixed that one ASAP

[Satch]

6 weeks from getting my first bike - the mighty Suzuki B120 with 118CC of pure 2 stroke power - I took the bike into a shop that shall remain nameless since it was a long time ago for getting the rear brakes checked. They were fine, but when I was heading over the harbour bridge that night, the rear axle nut fell off, and the axle half fell out. Fortunately there were no other cars around, as the axle was only in on one side of the swing arm, which made life interesting. After making it over to he side of the road by the Shelly beach road offramp I started walking back up the bridge to look for the nut so I could get home.... A cop came along at speed and pulled in - they thought I might have been a jumper. A wheel nut fitted the axle and I was on my way.


Man thats terrible!!! i hope you gave the bike shop a good revv up for that one!

[Richard Mc F]

TOO fucking much.....beat this.....bought my ducrapi ...not registered, no paper work..long story short....got 'er vinned and legal...one thing is they remove and check brakes, that weekend... off we go over mangere bridge...notice a bit of a front end shake.....first ride and that....look down.....THE LEFT HAND CALIPER BOLTS ARE BACKED OUT 10/12 MM...quick stop at a friends place borrow tools and do a quick once over.....but this from some one complying my vehicle as legal and safe..........ooohhhh scary

[Satch]

TOO fucking much.....beat this.....bought my ducrapi ...not registered, no paper work..long story short....got 'er vinned and legal...one thing is they remove and check brakes, that weekend... off we go over mangere bridge...notice a bit of a front end shake.....first ride and that....look down.....THE LEFT HAND CALIPER BOLTS ARE BACKED OUT 10/12 MM...quick stop at a friends place borrow tools and do a quick once over.....but this from some one complying my vehicle as legal and safe..........ooohhhh scary



Yeah tru that, my first real bike i started on back in the day was a ZXR250. didnt know much about them back then but i had it complied with completely warped front disks.

This was like abs they shook so bad. I dont think they even rode the bike. Amazing what gets missed on a VIN sometimes

[digsaw]

Seems like Barrys point road erea has a thing about brakes,i had a set of new tires fitted over that way and on top of the harbour bridge oh looky looky the calipers had lost there bolts,now this was back a year or three and it sure was not easy to back track to the tire fitters to chomp on their ears:angry:

[vagrant]

Picked up my VFR750 FL from a service at the dealers in Blenheim, made it just up the road to the first round about, and bike started wallowing all over the place. Stopped safely. NO wheel nuts on it!!!:gob:

Good thing I went that way, because the other direction is about 100m to an open road speed zone.

The nuts were still sitting on the bike lift in the workshop. They were quite surprised when I told them where they could stick the bill!!

[Satch]

OMG thats terrible!! gosh, its stories like this that make me glad i do all my own servicing!

[Satch]

Well my brake bolts arrived finally and im back on the road!! 3 days ex Australia turned into 2 weeks! damn slow christmas postage!!

Merry christmas to all and much safe riding in this awesome weather!

[quickbuck]

its called a "Bathtub curve" :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

Stuff that for a bath though ;)

I am sure there are some better reliability curves here (http://www.weibull.com)

[90s]

Took a test ride on a private purchase once, a 10yr old machine.
Did the usual charade of emergency stops, expecting a little sponginess as usual but imagine my suprise when at peak breaking power the front brake popped at the bottom of a fast very steep downhill in Dundee (Scotland).
I took it back, got off and said "brakes are stuffed" and carried on walking ...

[Guitana]

I took a GSXR 1100 for a test ride a few years back gave it a damn good thrash to test it's capabilities as I rode back up the dudes drive the engine started revving and I noticed on the ground underneath the bike was the chain laying neatly in a staight line.I would've been fucked if it had come off on the motorway, nothing like a lock up at high speed to start your day!!!!
Got the bike cheaper though!
Always check the chain brakes and tyres!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy the freefall while it lasts the next bits gonna hurt!!!

[MyGSXF]

Was in Queenstown heading to Lawrence via Cromwell recently.. got stopped at roadworks before the gorge. Waited for ages, then took off in a long line of cars. Slowly got past them.. just out of the gorge, did an overtake to get rid of the last 4 or so cars, went to chnage up & all I got was a huge handful of revs & not much else!! :shit: Quickly pulled over, got off bike & had a look.. my chain was GONE! went for a wander back up the road & there it was, on the road. Luckily it had landed in the middle of the other lane, so no trucks had run over & munted it! :yes:

Was then a big learning curve on the side of the road, to fit it back on the bike.. luckily I carry a spare joining link in my tankbag! Was a relatively new O-ring chain & sprockets.. had already done a few ks.. so bugger me as to why the joining link decided to go tickey touring!! :bye: I'm just bloody thankful the chain was spat out the back & not wrapped round my front sprocket!!! :Punk: