Lessons learned the hard way

[Night Falcon]

Decide how good riding boots are by how "comfy" and "easy" they are to wear and walk around in, at your peril. Soft adventure boots will not protect you when you need them to - go and buy some Alpine Star Tech 10's or Sidi Crossfires......nothing else will do.







Don't argue....or you will be sorry. Lesson over

[R650R]

Don't consume alcohol while rebuilding your RGV250 gearbox.... as you'll put an extra washer/spacer in the wrong place and oh that nuts a little tight suddenly goes boom, goodbye casing. Only $80 for another cassette casting from wreckers but frustrating at the time....

A quick glance at the map and Napier to Gisborne looks about the same as Napier to Palmy, I wont fill up my FZR250 at Wairoa... nek minnit we're on reserve going up the Whareratas.... lucky afriendly local gave me lift to Manutuke for gas

[awayatc]

Always make sure side stand is really kicked out properly before you lean full weight of bike into it....

Never wear shoes with shoelaces.....Got caught up on gearlever, and when had to stop in traffic leaned left....and kept leaning u ntill I hit tarseal....

Make sure disclock is off before riding off.....

Don't go with open motor cross style helmet through a swarm of bees....
(seriously,on rainbow road hit a swarm of bees.....)

[OddDuck]

+1 on disc lock... broke three speedo cables and went splat once before I just threw the thing away!

Chain clips have a right way to go on. Wrong way and they'll pop off, then a few k's later the connecting link bends, then the chain comes off and proud young men have to call their Dad to come and bring the trailer

Turning to reserve means go and get gas, before walking reminds you not to forget next time. While walking, there's a chance that aging winos on pushbikes will rock up and offer sympathy and some cask red from their ghetto Camelbak.

When the manual says to use Loctite, and it's 3am and you're broke and there's no other vehicle to go shopping anyway and you're getting really fucked off with the job... they usually mean it, it's not like Loctite makes the inside of the engine prettier or anything. Go get Loctite. Really.

If your tyres are a bit skiddy in the dry and skid like hell in the wet, but they got through this WOF (just), and they got through last WOF (just), and come to think of it they're the tyres that came on the cheap bike when you bought it and they just don't seem to ever wear down... they're fucked, go get new tyres.

[young1]

Even if it the VERY last day of a three month motorcycle trip around Europe, you still need to remove the cable lock from the front wheel before riding off...

Luckily a builder in a house opposite had a grinder and managed to cut the cable (I couldn't unlock it as the lock part was wrapped around the front hub).

Only damage was to my pride luckily!

[Woodman]

If you ride down a steep hill, make sure that either

A) It comes out somewhere.

or

B) You are able to ride back up.

[young1]

If you ride down a steep hill, make sure that either

A) It comes out somewhere.

or

B) You are able to ride back up.

There is (was?) a hill in the fire trails above Nae Nae that had a hill like that.....

[pete-blen]

Make sure you have the spare Yamaha levers on the Yamaha
& the spare Honda levers on the Honda...






..

[george formby]

If you ride down a steep hill, make sure that either

A) It comes out somewhere.

or

B) You are able to ride back up.

Indeed. Your post reminds me of an exceedingly hot and unpleasant few hours stuck in the bottom of a steep basin valley in the North of England. Looked nothing spectacular going in but it was very steep and marshy at the bottom with lots of deep, grass covered gullies (sykes). We had to haul the bikes out a foot at a time. Dumplings.

[Motu]

The tides out riding around a harbour - just because you went out in one bay and did 3rd gear donuts in the sand, doesn't mean that the next bay around is sand...it could be thick black stinking mud that sucks your bike down to the axles. So don't come off the bank wide open in 3rd gear....

[Woodman]

Indeed. Your post reminds me of an exceedingly hot and unpleasant few hours stuck in the bottom of a steep basin valley in the North of England. Looked nothing spectacular going in but it was very steep and marshy at the bottom with lots of deep, grass covered gullies (sykes). We had to haul the bikes out a foot at a time. Dumplings.

Problem is it is not a lesson learned yet I don't think. can think of four times when this has happened to me now over the last few years.

[Box'a'bits]

So not a lesson learned. More of a lesson brought to your attention....

[slofox]

If you live at the top of a hill and own a slightly unreliable Italian 250cc motorcycle, do not, just after a "service", test ride the thing to the bottom of said (steep) hill. Because it will die instantly and force you to push it home up the fucking hill. (In front of all the kids you are teaching in the local school...who laughed their fucking arses off...little bastards.)

[Akzle]

Actually dates back to the age of Aquarius, stubbies, Fred Dagg, fondue parties, Blerta, and 32" flared Levis...

pics or it didnt happen

[young1]

If you live at the top of a hill and own a slightly unreliable Italian 250cc motorcycle, do not, just after a "service", test ride the thing to the bottom of said (steep) hill. Because it will die instantly and force you to push it home up the fucking hill. (In front of all the kids you are teaching in the local school...who laughed their fucking arses off...little bastards.)

Or when you live 2 kms up a hill and decide to crash start a VT 250 with a dead flat battery by rolling down. Walking back home in my full motorbike gear wasn't the worst part, it was my wife trying to tow me home in the car with me holding onto a rope! (Pre cell phone days so couldn't contact her)