The longest push

[T.W.R]

It's inevitable that somewhere during our motorcycling careers that we end up having to push our steeds for a reasonable distance for one reason or another. Over the years I've had a couple of beauties;

1st time was due to newbness on a 76 GT125 Suzuki (my 1st road bike). Heading home after a ride with mates the bike died heading into Prebbleton and wouldn't go again, panic set in as to what the oldman would say so on to shank's pony and start pushing the thing home to Riccarton roughly 16kms :pinch: . I had managed to hole a piston due to wrong plugs :slap:

2nd time was after a beaut ride around the Peninsula & over to Port Levy on a XT250, stopped to take a photo then took off to head over to Little river 200m down the road the bike felt weird, looked it over & mmm nice flat rear tyre :(
so turn around & start pushing back the way I'd come and back towards Diamond Harbour & a phone (phone box) finally after a reasonable length of time got the phone & rang home only to be told by the oldman "keep pushing & I'll meet you on the road" . Made it to Charteris Bay before seeing the old bugger :slap:
with all the up & down hills it felt like a walk of eternity but was probably close to 20kms :blink:

Have had a couple of other pushes with larger bikes but those two were the most memorable :rolleyes:

How about anyone else ?

[Taz]

Everyone has cell phones now so pushing isn't really needed...... Unless you have no mates.

Had to push my T250 about 1km back in the day.

[T.W.R]

Everyone has cell phones now so pushing isn't really needed...... Unless you have no mates.

:laugh: back in those days a cell phone was like a suitcase, and even today there's plenty of places where a cell wont work :bleh:

[Motu]

I've usually been able to stash my bike somewhere,then walk or hitch out,and come back later with a trailer.So not many pushing stories,but plenty of walking stories.

But one time I had a flat tyre on the motorway and was pushing it to the next off ramp when a mate stopped in his truck on the other side of the motorway - he called out that he would get off at the next off ramp and come back for me.So in relief I waited,and waited....and waited and waited.The bastard never came back for me so I had to push it to the off ramp and a service station.After a Pando and stopping at every service station to pump it up,I still didn't get it home - there were service stations everywhere in the days,but came across a dry area,and by that time the tube was toast.

I have never seen my friend since that day,and that was in 1974.He was on the run,having escaped custody on a stolen motorcycle arrest - I guess he must of seen some cops further along and didn't want to be seen loading a bike onto his truck.So I've never been able to tell him how pissed off I was....

[Road Guardian]

Here is hoping, ill never have to do this. At least you can push a bike, a car, different story!

[Motu]

Oh,I did sort of walk a bike home - out trail riding I came off,and sheared the gearshift shaft internally.The bike was jammed in 1st,so I sort of walked and coasted home in 1st...only about 5km.

[Mrs Busa Pete]

i had a harly davidson 1200 sporster and the clutch use to lock on the last time i pushed it was from k road down queen st along the water front to st heliers bay up long drive over and down ashby ave up and over to line road down to home 3 hours in total .
the next day of to green lane suzuki traded it for my fzr 750 rt now i only push start buckets

[CRF119]

I have pushed due to running out of fuel both on Off road and road bikes. If my tyre went flat id just ride it home anyway. Ive also had to spend a entire 60km loop in first on a trail ride in the desert.

[Pedrostt500]

Oh,I did sort of walk a bike home - out trail riding I came off,and sheared the gearshift shaft internally.The bike was jammed in 1st,so I sort of walked and coasted home in 1st...only about 5km.

lost the retaining nut for the front sprocket on a TT 500, was about 5k from my Folks farm at the time, figured that since i was walking home any way I should push it, pushed it to a neighbours tanker track then went home and got the tractor to pick it up.
for some reason I had left the lock tab off the front sprocket when i put it back together.
had another good push on a GT380 when I thought I had an ignition problem, because there was still fuel in the tank, I had forgotten about the reserve tank, gave my self a kicking after that one.

[Motu]

Here is hoping, ill never have to do this. At least you can push a bike, a car, different story!

I once had a car with no reverse gear....had to push it out a few times.Another time with a flat battery (6 volt batteries were always flat) in my 1938 Chev Coupe - I pushed it out of parallel parking,did a 3 point turn on a very cambered road with cars each side....then pushed it along the road for a couple of hundred metres until I could roll start it down hill.That would be easy for a big strong guy of course - but I've never been big,or strong.

[Headbanger]

I had an XR 250 when I was a young bastard, Late one night I was in town pulling wheelies (lmao, I suck) to impress all the girls. managed to rip all the teeth off the front sprocket.

I set to and pushed her in the direction of home, By about 2am I was knackered, I put her on the side stand,lay down beside it and had a nap, woke up to the sound of a stock truck going past and the bike falling onto me, Put me into a bad spot.

Once I managed to get out from under the bike and come to grips with the pain racing through me from various body parts (it fuckin hurt I tell ya) I got back to pushing the bike home.

About a km from home and facing an uphill push I poked her into a neighbours driveway and carried on without it. the sky had started to get light by the time I fell into bed.

Couple hours later me dear old mum wakes me, Tells me the cops are on the phone and they have found my bike.

WTF I say?, My bikes in the shed, tell em to piss off.

back to sleep.

Wake up a few hours later, go to the shed to jump on my bike, fuckin thing ain't there. I start getting recollections of the past few hours,must have taken a hit on the head when the bike fell on me, I have no idea where I left it.

Ring the cops and ask them, Get told I'm an idiot and given an address, make my way around there and find my bike. Helmets been stolen.

And it dawns on my why I was pushing it home in the first place, So cursing at my suckage I start the last uphill trek, planning on a trip to the bike store to buy a sprocket and a helmet.

[Ixion]

Ah, youfull memories of many a hot weary trudging mile pushing a broken bike.

Furthest was probably from the Riverhead road, a bit past the top of Albany hill back to Northcote. That was a long hard push, down the old State Highway 1

Though I pushed home a few times from the University back to Northcote, which would not have been so far except that you had to push it up Symonds St, along K Rd to Ponsonby Rd, then along Ponsonby rd to Jervois Rd, then down the Curran St hill onto the bridge. That was so that you could build up enough speed rolling down the steep hill to get a decent distance up the bridge rise, so that when the Gypsy came you could claim that "it was going fine and just stopped". They wouldn't let you push a bike along the approaches, so if you tried to push onto the bridge from Fanshawe St, they'd just stop you and send you back. But rolling down the hill from Herne Bay you could get part way up the bridge before stopping, so it looked legit, and then they'd take you over to the other side .

Then of course you had to push from the AHBA building back to home.

Gosh, I must have been a young idiot, not to mention a glutton for punishment.

[pete376403]

The first time (of many) that my Kawasaki F9 died on the road was over Whitemans valley, just at the bottom of Wallaceville Hill road. That was a reasonably easy push as that side of the hill is not too steep (Whitemans Valley floor is a lot higher than the Hutt Valley floor). Coming down the Upper Hutt side was easy as and got up enough speed to coast at least half way home.
Furure breakdowns left me so pissed with the bike that I just left it where it stopped and organised a trailer.

I did pust the GS1100 home once, maybe only a kilometer. That was a real killer.

[BMWST?]

i recall pushing my cb900 a few Ks when i ran out of gas ...thank goodness for the BP on the welly mway....

[slofox]

It wasn't a long push but it was a hard one.....
Many years ago now I owned a little Benelli 250. The Genius of Italian engineering installed a "flywheel magneto" ignition system in said bike. Which used regularly to come off of its shaft...and leave the bike totally useless...
At the time I was living in Maungaturoto (mid Norfland) which is a hilly little town. And the bloody magneto came off at the bottom of the steepest hill in town (at the top of which I lived....ngngnrrrrrr!). Being as 'ow it were only a lickle bike I was sure I could push it home....welll I could actually but by god it was hard work. That hill got steeper and steeper as I progressed up it with all the speed of a crippled arthritic snail..and of course, what with my amazing equanimity and all, the air become somewhat blue...shall we say. Eventually I got it home. But the next day at school (I were a teacher then) there was a considerable degree of totally malicious gossip regarding the choice language employed by one of the school staff....who shall remain nameless of course...rotten little buggers all had BIG ears......

[Mr. Peanut]

I had a little Suzuki 125, and I was coming home from Corromandel Town, when it decided to have an electrical fit :girlfight:

With a mighty bang it stopped dead on the side of the road.

I pushed it all of two meters, when an Ex towie with a trailer pulled over, chucked it on the back, and took me home.

Gotta love New Zealand.

[Forest]

I ran out of petrol after caning a 250cc bike along the straights just outside of Dargaville.

Which led to 10km of pushing under the hot summer sun.

[Bonez]

i recall pushing my cb900 a few Ks when i ran out of gas ...thank goodness for the BP on the welly mway....Did a similar thing with Gerty(CB750FC2). Ran out of gas, went to put the fuel tap on reserve and oops it already was. This was about two miles out of Levin. Pushed her about 200m metres to the nearest driveway, walk up the drive and explained my little dilema to the occupent, who kindly gave me his 2 stroke lawnmower mix. Toddled back to Levin to fuel up then off to give said kind chap a little something for his assistance and off home.

[slofox]

I ran out of petrol after caning a 250cc bike along the straights just outside of Dargaville.

Which led to 10km of pushing under the hot summer sun.

Tatarariki or Turiwiri?

[Number One]

I once had to push my ZXR250 UP the Ngauranga gorge. Started at the meatworks turn off and managed to get it to the middle of the Newlands offramp..

Then this beautiful man came in his van and hiffed it in the back and took me home. :love: could've just about shagged him for that

Wasn't a super distance but up hill it was a killer!

[riffer]

Yeah, I've pushed a few.

The RF has been pushed from Haywards Hill intersection to Silverstream Mobil (about 3.5 kms).

The worst has been pushing it from Moonshine Bridge back home to Wallaceville with a flat rear tyre.

Bugger me, they're hard to push with a flat tyre. :no:

[pritch]

I can't remember a particularly long push. I did however at one time own two BSA B50s: an SS and an MX. These were equipped with a wonderful ignition system which gave you a magnificent fat spark at racing speed and an extremely feeble one at minimum revs. I tried the fancy plugs on the SS but nothing worked I just used to bump start the thing everywhere.

Sometimes even then it was a reluctant starter and I had to have multiple run-ups. If I had to work like that now I'd probably have a bloody heart attack.

When I acquired the MX it came with no kick start lever and the comment that it was pointless as it didn't work. Experience had suggested that anyway...

These days I plan on using the Honda Riders Club 24/7 breakdown service if required, but hopefully I'm just wasting my membership money :-)

[slopster]

My car was nearly out of gas and I figured I had just enough to get to the gas station. I drove there at about midnight and ran out of gas just managed too coast in and found that it was closed for the night. The next one was just 1500m away so I put the hazard lights on and pushed it there and filled it up but by this stage the hazard lights had drained the battery and it wouldn't start. I tried push starting it on my own and couldn't get enough speed. I tried jacking up one wheel and starting it like an old aeroplane by spinning the wheel in 3rd but couldn't quite do it fast enough for the engine to take hold. Had to push it back to the first gas station where there was enough of an incline to get it started.

[madbikeboy]

I haven't pushed anything since I starting owning Suzuki's...

[pixc]

..Gerty....
That just reminded me of something. My father called his comby Gerty. Gerty met another comby somewhere...and they wrote letters to each other..from one comby to another.. about there journeys....i shit you not.

[Nagash]

Oh joy. The memories come flooding back.

A couple of months ago infact, I was visiting my ex who lived in in Tauranga, and decided to leave at 1am. Hadn't fueled up since Paeroa on the way down but figured theree'd be a 24 hour somewhere on the way back.

Guess what. There wasn't,

Got to Paeroa on the way back before it died on me, pushed it to Ngatea before I found a 24 hour gas station, that's about.. 20k's?

That was a bad night.

[mctshirt]

I have a mental scar a mile wide from pushing my first bike, a Suzuki TC100 from Days Bay in Eastbourne to Waterloo in Lower Hutt in hot sunshine past everyone enjoying a lovely summers day after it died for no good reason. That was followed by hours of kicking and tinkering in fading light at my grandmothers place where I was staying before it burst into life again. Next day carried on to Paraparaumu and later home to the Wairarapa without a problem. Bastard thing!

The scar is still fresh after 25 years so after that I took great pride in always getting the bike home and was only beaten once when the bolt holding the valve rocker came out inside my Yamaha AG200 at the bottom of a gully - a friendly farmer towed it out with a quad which was an adventure on it's own but it was better than pushing. Flat tyres, worn clutchs, broken cables and levers, stripped sprockets, broken and bent bodywork, no gas (we generally worked in pairs), and loose chains never stopped me riding home, albeit slowly, and repeating another marathon push.

It's amazing what you can fix with a factory tool kit, a bit of wire or a nail, and a hammer.

[Fatt Max]

Only ever had tp push my cv50 about 1K when the back wheel blew out. Puxhed it home, downhill 90% of the way.

It's only a light moped, bugger pushing some of those bigger bikes around, The VL weights in at 140kg excluding pies....

[T.W.R]

Luckily have only had to push a big bike a few kms once and that was a XS750 that decided to spin the crank shells and pinch up on me :pinch: expensive exercise that cost a replacement motor :lol:

Towed a couple of bikes over the years :yes: both times using a leather belt tied to the grab rail of my bike & the rider holding on to the free end :rolleyes:
one was a Darmah that decided to send it's electrics on vacation, towed that about 10kms to a country garage. Then a few years later towed a MkII Commando from Little River back to ChCh because it's electrics packed a sad too :mad: Lucas "Prince of Darkness" got the upper hand both times.
Remember getting a few crazy looks from vehicles as they passed us though trotting along at a good pace with a bike in tow :lol: