Your own kiwi ingenuity moment

[pete376403]

I've had car "ingenuity moments" or two over the years as well, but this was my best. Coming back from Whangamata beach with the family one sunday in the XE Falcon wagon, heading to Hamilton. Stopped at Waihi (i think) for icecreams and it wouldn't restart - no fuel getting to the carb. The diaphragm in the petrol pump had split. No pump or pump kit for sale at any of the gas stations that were open. Tried to MacGyver it by making another diaphragm cut from an old inner tube found behind the service station. It worked for all of five minutes until the gas made the rubber swell up. What got us back was to drain the water out of the windscreen washer bottle, and connect the pipe from the pump to the carb inlet. Fill the washer bottle with gas, pull the washer switch until the carb was full (could hear the pump noise change) Start up and drive off! When the engine spluttered, pull back on the lever again. Had stop fairly regularly and refill the washer bottle from the jerry can, Got back to Hamilton about midnight. Went to Repco the next morning and got a pump overhaul kit, then flushed out the washer bottle and reconnected the pipe. I fully expected the washer pump to be rooted but it continued to work fine as long as I had the car, another 4 years or so.

[Aiolos]

DMNTD, take a bow.

CLICKY
CLICKY

[breakaway]

^ Aren't keys supposed to be locked in position when the ignition is on?

[deanohit]

Riding a mates quad up a trail one time when a rear wheel fell off on a landing. Not a pretty sight, but still had to get back. Found a solid branch, stuck it under the swingarm and over the foot peg. Managed to get back just fine, wasn't very comfy though.

[Bonez]

^ Aren't keys supposed to be locked in position when the ignition is on?

Not forever. Cowboyz lost his keys on the same weekend his rear brake hose split. Two of my bikes need the keys clipped on a bit of string just in case. Mind they're older bikes and been "around the clock" at least once.

[DMNTD:Me]

My effort(with a lot of help from Nodrog) after I binned my "old" ZX10.
Had to make alterations to ensure I could get my arse to Paeroa.

Ingredients:
Duct Tape
Bamboo
Needit
Bourbon
Lack of sanity

[kiwi cowboy]

Riding a mates quad up a trail one time when a rear wheel fell off on a landing. Not a pretty sight, but still had to get back. Found a solid branch, stuck it under the swingarm and over the foot peg. Managed to get back just fine, wasn't very comfy though.

u related to burt munro e did that on trailor he was towing

[deanohit]

u related to burt munro e did that on trailor he was towing

Yea, saw that in the movie, I did it about 5 years ago though. It works bloody good aslong as you remember to keep feeding the log through as it wears out.

[Conquiztador]

That's what I am talking about! Never give up, never surrender.

Sitting here looking at the rain bucketing down and remembered once I was out riding for a w/e. Was a nice sunny one, (the predictions was sun all the way...should have guessed) and so did not worry about the wet weather gear.

Yep, it started raining. Heaps. First I took some cover, but as time went I relly needed to get back as was a working day next day. And there was still many K's to travel. So the option was to get wet (don't U like it when the jeans and the leather jacket gets soaked...) or to come up with something. Jumped on the bike, took my self to the closest dairy when there was a short break in the rain. Bought a bunch of black rubbish bags and a roll of packing tape. Fitted the bags and taped them on to me. Best rain gear I ever have had. Got some strange looks at the petrol stations. But must have looked like hell as nobody even smirked, they just kept away.

[Kflasher]

Can't use back brake due to limited ankle movement so:
Rigged up an old thumb throttle control off a 4 wheeler via cable to parabolic wheel (off carburettor) to rear brake master cylinder plunger.
Presto I have rear braking, via right thumb

[pzkpfw]

This isn't really so ingenious, but since car stuff is being added this might provide a laugh.

Went to drive from Palmy (North) to Wellington one night in the Mk IV Cortina (this was about 11 years ago, but it was already pretty old). The light switch shat itself all over the floor of the car, little springs and detent ball bearing all over the place. So we went back to bed, to try again in the morning - without the lights.

We get to Waikane, and it starts raining. Of course, the buggered switch assembly (at home on the kitchen table) included the windshield wiper controls.

Now, to get ignition noise out of the cruddy old radio, I had a big capacitor wired across it's power inputs. As I was scared of leakage draining the battery I also had an ugly old toggle switch wired in before the capacitor.

Ripped out the switch and with a few sparks for guidance found which terminals to bung the wires in, to allow the wipers to be used.

So we drove the rest of the way to Wellington with my wife sitting there feeling silly going click - click - click on the switch.

(Made it back to Palmy that day, just on dusk.)

Cheers,

[breakaway]

Went to the BK drivethru today. Brought drink back without spilling much. Tested to up to 80KM/h

[Trudes]

OK, mine isn't bike related... so don't shoot me.
While in Melbourne last week we got caught in a shower, had a newspaper with me so fashioned a part of it into a rain hat that also covered my shoulders. Mr KD gave me utter shit for it, but I saw the envious looks from the wet Aussies passing by wishing they had as many brain cells as a kiwi to make a cheap rain hat!!

[onearmedbandit]

Broke the throttle cable on my earlier GSXR750 many years ago. Stuck in the middle of nowhere and on a ride with a bunch of guys I'd not ridden with before, I had to get mobile. Found I could operate the throttle from the bank of carbs, so rode the rest of the ride using my right hand (thumb) to work the throttle and my other hand on the bars. My first onearmed riding experience.

[westie]

My effort(with a lot of help from Nodrog) after I binned my "old" ZX10.
Had to make alterations to ensure I could get my arse to Paeroa.

Ingredients:
Duct Tape
Bamboo
Needit
Bourbon
Lack of sanity

Thats priceless! Top effort.