Went for a 50 mi ride and a 2 mi walk today....

[3fan4life]

It was 70 degrees and sunny today so I went for a ride.

Somehow, not riding on such a beautiful January day seems like it would be a cardinal sin.

I wasn't planning on getting in some exercise as well.

About 20 miles into the ride I turned down a road that wasn't the one I thought it was.

After about 5 miles the road turned to dirt.

I considered turning around but decided that if Hubcaps can ride dirt roads I can too.  

About a mile into the dirt road the surface became rougher and I encountered a fairly steep hill.

As I pulled in the clutch lever it came off in my hand.

After a brief WTF moment I stuffed the clutch lever into my jacket pocket and focused on the wide spot where I could pull over at the bottom of the hill.

An inspection found that the bolt which holds the clutch lever in place had fallen out.

Figuring that the clutch lever couldn't have stayed in place on its own for very long without the bolt.

I determined that the bolt should be lying in the road somewhere.

So, I set out walking back towards the paved part of the road hoping to find the rouge bolt lying in the road.

After about a mile (most of it uphill) I found the dastardly devil.

I was lying in the middle of the road about 100 ft from where the pavement had ended and I swear that it was laughing at me.

After about a mile walk back to the bike (mostly downhill, thankfully) I was back at my usually trusty stead.

I try to carry enough tools on the bike to fix anything that is fixable on the side of the road.

And ironically, I also had some Lock Tite that I carry for my friends who ride Harley's in my saddlebag.

So, the little troublemaker was smeared with Lock Tite and screwed back into place.

I finished my ride with no further issues and arrived home only a little after dark.

What could've been a major issue turned out to only be a moderate irritation, so I'll call it a good ride after all.

Although, I may have added a part to my list of things to carry along on a long ride.
 
    

[..]

Phew!

[ridingron]

Although, I may have added a part to my list of things to carry along on a long ride.

You'll never lose another one. 

[Jess from VA]

Good thinking on it falling out recently.

I'd have been riding home shifting with no clutch.

I've gone back looking for things many times, and never found them. 

Hell I have lawnmower parts fall off in the yard and can't find them. 

On the other hand, I have a whole collection of small parts/screws/springs/widgets I've found in the yard and drive, and I can't figure out what they fell off of.

[Rams]

Amazing that you found it.   I'm impressed and you're darn lucky.   

Couple of years ago while riding through KS, my crash bar mounted foot peg came off.   Knew it immediately.  Pulled off to the side and walked back.   Spent over an hour looking for that bugger and never found it.   Obviously, I was not meant to have crash bar mounted foot pegs.

Rams

[Oss]

Wow, that is some story, and a happy ending as well

I never found the right saddlebag lid and I drove back and forth 30 miles and across the TZ bridge twice looking. Thankfully I had an extra set of saddlebags from a triked out 00 blue and silver IS in the basement.

You have seen my bike lol Have lost fog lite button and top of kury voltmeter and a kickstand spring and a rivco air horn.  I dont make fun of harleys losing parts anymore, but at 113000 miles things happen.

Good to tighten stuff up once in a while I suppose

Hope your friend is still on the road to recovery.

[Skinhead]

I'm Glad that worked out for you and good fortune finding the bolt.  If that had happened to me, my luck would have been: lost bolt and clutch lever falls off, walk home and get truck and trailer to haul bike home.  On the way to pick up the bike, run over lost bolt without realizing it an and load bike on trailer, go to drive home and discover flat tire on truck due to clutch lever bolt in truck tire.  Spare tire is flat. 

Glad it was you and not me.

[hubcapsc]

I finished my ride with no further issues and arrived home only a little after dark.

Yes, but did you turn around or keep going down/up the dirt road? 

-Mike

[GiG]

..., I also had some Lock Tite that I carry for my friends who ride Harley's in my saddlebag...
    

Glad it all worked out well for you, Buddy!
Please, Tell us more about your friends riding Harley’s in your saddle bags! 

[DDT (12)]

Great story, Mark! Glad everything worked out for ya... I, too, am a bit curious about your 'commodious' saddlebags...

DDT

[Big Rig]

Glad you were able to find that screw...

I also got out yesterday for my first ride of the year....ya know when you prep the bike for winter maintenance?? Have to change the air filter and all the vac lines to the carbs, new battery purchased to replace for the new riding season?? So in November, I drained the tank, shut off the pingle and ran the carbs empty...and then forgot I did that. So Saturday I thru the charger on the battery for the possiblilty of getting out on Sunday...
Sunday comes and phone buzzes...let's ride! Awesome...I go out to the garage, battery fully charged...crank the bike...nodda...close the choke...crank the bike....nodda....quite a few minutes and finally the old battery starts not wanting to crank her over...so now my buddy shows up...so I swap the batteries out...crank and nodda....look at the gage and it is blinking...so what do I do??? Add fuel...about two gallons...crank her again....nodda....now I know I am not that old...so I think...she is not getting fuel...funny i think...hmmm...why not??? clogged fuel line???
Check the pingle and realize I cannot read the words on the valve...in the house to get the cheeters on...still cant see...so roll the bike out of the garage and then see that the fuel valve is indeed shut off...flip the valve to "on". half a push on the start button and she fired right up...of course my buddy is laughing at me...he just said boy....your getting old and forgetting stuff a lot...lol!!!

Anyway...did 150 miles yesterday and my 20 yo bike hit 110 a couple times in some secluded roads in South Jersey!

Ride Safe and check to make sure your fuel is turned on...

[old2soon]

        Screw it I Know what ya meant even though it were posted different.   I'm headed S on I-15 towards lost wages NV. I'm near/around The Valley of Fire area in a Navajo 18 wheeler. At that time the wheels on the trailers were a bit duller than international orange. The left outside front wheel departed the trailer crossed the center media crossed the N bound lanes bounced over a fence and into the sagebrush. I got er slowed down from 75 MPH and stopped on the shoulder and Candy-2nd XYL-and I commenced to go retrieve the errant tire/wheel assembly-or so we thought.   After near on 3 hrs of searching we Never Did spot that wheel/tire assembly.   And a couple weeks later while N on I-15 outa lost wages I looked again-Still no joy. Sooooooo after my too long reply the very FACT you were able to retrieve and reinstall that errant clutch lever bolt My Hat IS off to ya Mark!   As a side note might could ride a hardly about in the trunk of an I/S-long as it ain't my trunk-there are No oil marks on my trunk carpeting and I wanna keep er thataway!   RIDE SAFE.

[Chrisj CMA]

Nice,  glad it ended well but I’m having trouble understanding how that bolt fell out. I can see the nut coming loose and falling off but once the nut is removed that bolt threads in from the top. I guess if it can back out little by little with every clutch pull that would be the only way. That nut had to fall off way before you lost the bolt

[Hook#3287]

Mark, you seem to have a knack for scouting out dirt roads

That being said, I'd still follow you as the leader again anytime.

Glad you found the bolt.

I got a very unexpected ride in yesterday afternoon as well, but I stayed on the pavement.

[GiG]

Nice,  glad it ended well but I’m having trouble understanding how that bolt fell out. I can see the nut coming loose and falling off but once the nut is removed that bolt threads in from the top. I guess if it can back out little by little with every clutch pull that would be the only way. That nut had to fall off way before you lost the bolt

Happened to me one time in Detroit, managed to ride Downriver to a Kawasaki shop.
Went in and asked the counter guy for a 10mm bolt yay long.
“What’s it for?” “Honda clutch”. “Won’t work - it’s a KAWASAKI part!”
 “Just give me the bolt, man”.
That ~Kawasaki~ bolt lived in the Honda clutch the rest of that bike’s days... 

[3fan4life]

I'm Glad that worked out for you and good fortune finding the bolt.  If that had happened to me, my luck would have been: lost bolt and clutch lever falls off, walk home and get truck and trailer to haul bike home.  On the way to pick up the bike, run over lost bolt without realizing it an and load bike on trailer, go to drive home and discover flat tire on truck due to clutch lever bolt in truck tire.  Spare tire is flat.  

Glad it was you and not me.

A couple of pick up trucks came by while I was looking. I was concerned that one of them might pick it up and carry it away.

Good thinking on it falling out recently.

I'd have been riding home shifting with no clutch.

I've gone back looking for things many times, and never found them.  

Hell I have lawnmower parts fall off in the yard and can't find them.  

On the other hand, I have a whole collection of small parts/screws/springs/widgets I've found in the yard and drive, and I can't figure out what they fell off of.

I knew that it had to have came out recently because it hadn't been long since I had used the clutch.

Great story, Mark! Glad everything worked out for ya... I, too, am a bit curious about your 'commodious' saddlebags...

DDT

..., I also had some Lock Tite that I carry for my friends who ride Harley's in my saddlebag...

Glad it all worked out well for you, Buddy!
Please, Tell us more about your friends riding Harley’s in your saddle bags!  

Dang Grammar Police  

I finished my ride with no further issues and arrived home only a little after dark.

Yes, but did you turn around or keep going down/up the dirt road?  

-Mike

I decided to turn around.

I was determined to find a different way out than the way that I took in.

Several attempts ended in dirt roads as well, but I finally found another way out.

Wow, that is some story, and a happy ending as well

I never found the right saddlebag lid and I drove back and forth 30 miles and across the TZ bridge twice looking. Thankfully I had an extra set of saddlebags from a triked out 00 blue and silver IS in the basement.

You have seen my bike lol Have lost fog lite button and top of kury voltmeter and a kickstand spring and a rivco air horn.  I dont make fun of harleys losing parts anymore, but at 113000 miles things happen.

Good to tighten stuff up once in a while I suppose

Hope your friend is still on the road to recovery.

Josh is in rehab and doing pretty well all things considered.

Happened to me one time in Detroit, managed to ride Downriver to a Kawasaki shop.
Went in and asked the counter guy for a 10mm bolt yay long.
“What’s it for?” “Honda clutch”. “Won’t work - it’s a KAWASAKI part!”
 “Just give me the bolt, man”.
That ~Kawasaki~ bolt lived in the Honda clutch the rest of that bike’s days...  

A lot more parts will "exchange" than people think.



 

Nice,  glad it ended well but I’m having trouble understanding how that bolt fell out. I can see the nut coming loose and falling off but once the nut is removed that bolt threads in from the top. I guess if it can back out little by little with every clutch pull that would be the only way. That nut had to fall off way before you lost the bolt

I think that the nut had been gone for awhile.

Recently, the bike was acting like the neutral switch might be going bad.

After, I put the bolt back in tight that problem went away.

So, I think that it had been working loose for awhile and when I hit the transition from dirt to pavement it popped up and out.

[Oss]

Mark, I remember your friend got lucky on the way back from Yooper in a big way.  How lucky for you both.  Stay lucky and tell me how my Harley friends can ride in my bags some day.

Big Rig that is a great story.

When I was stuck in DesMoines on the way to Spearfish Inzane, Mad6 and I made our way to RJ's ranch house. We had met at Inzanes and Dots and I had previously visited him in DesMoines. He was one of those bigger than life characters. Anyhow he offered the green interstate trike to me to ride out the rest of the way to Spearfish so I would not be late for Inzane

He slowly made his way to the garage, draggin the O2 machine and sat on the bike.  Like you it just would not start and he was cussin a streak. Finally I asked him if the fuel valve was on or off.

Nothin like an old Marine to let loose a variety of expletives mixed in with colorful nouns and adjectives while laughing at himself. Sumbitch was about the cleanest word I recall to this day.

After a ride around the neighborhood on the trike I realized there indeed was a learning curve and I did not wish to risk hurting his beloved trike riding 90 on I90 in the cross winds so I rented a car at the airport and made it to Inzane.  Later Psycho lent me his new Valk to ride.  What a club this is !