What's your best BoneHeaded ScrewUp while servicing your FatLady

[DFragn]

Mine was 3 years ago:

I'm the bonehead who decided to make some tube adjustments with the entire front-end fully assembled with the bike on the center-stand. I should have blocked the rear wheel up with a 2x4.

I'm sure you see where this is going!

As soon as I broke the last triple-tree pinch bolt loose the front end lifted until the rear wheel contacted the floor and the entire front end rolled right out of the clamps. Tubes, fender & wheel!!!
I did manage to catch the assembly though.

I was alone and what a wrestling match that was.
I had to lift the front end by the triple clamp with one arm, while of course it kept wanting to turn left & right on me, thereby ever so slightly compressing the rear shocks to gain .25" clearance and hold it there to reinsert the heavy ass front assembly with my other arm. All the while managing to prevent tubes from rotating on the axle and slamming to the floor.

All told, I think it took me at least 30 minutes, maybe more - time flies when you're having fun, of struggle to get at least 2 pinch bolts secured so I could sit down, rest my arms and reflect on how much of a moron I can be.

Needless to say I pulled at least a dozen muscles and was sore for weeks.

I hope someone can top that. I hate to be considered the biggest bonehead here.

[R J]

Was on one of my numerous cross country hitting states, had to go to reserve on Hwy 50 out West.   You know that lonesome road.

Stopped at one of the very few stations for gas.     Got off and had to pee so damn bad I took off to take care of business.

Grabbed a Gatorade or something along that line, gave the clerk $20.00, it was a pay before ya pump place, had to go pee again, Gatorade went through like a runaway train, walked back out to the bike, threw my leg over it, turned on the key, hit the starter and popped him in gear.   Took off like a scalded dog and run him up into the $1.00 area and held it there for about 6 miles, until he sputtered and died.........

Pulled over, took my 2 gallon can out of the saddlebag, poured it in and did a "U" turn and went back to where I started from.    Walked in and asked if I'd paid him about $20.00 for gas and never got it.   He said yup, it is right here on the cash register.   I said I'll fill the old boy up and come get my change.    It clicked off at $20.02.     He hollered over the PA, I got $.02 in the fudge jar for the balance.   Waved at him and left.

Never pulled that stupid assed trick again.     That included my 2 gallon reserve can in the saddlebag also.

I think it was in like 1999 or 2000, I hauled that 2 gallon can for a littler over 23,000 miles without using it.   When I went to use it it was empty....    DUH.

[Hoser]

left the jack adapter attached under the bike a couple times.    Hoser

[Momz]

Pulled I/S into my garage with another Valk on a lift next to me. Got off my I/S and it was tight in that garage, and I did not put the kickstand down fully. I bumped up against the bike on ther lift and it started to lean to the right,....as the I/Ss kickstand started to move upward and the I/S started to fall to the left.

I was between both and managed to be the "buffer" between both Valks,....I was stuck!

I was alone as my wife was still commuting home from work, so I stood there trying to keep the bikes from hitting each other. My wife come home about 15 minutes later and as she walked up the driveway I yelled to her to come and give me a hand. I told her to lower the bike on the lift and pull it to the left so that it could rest on it's kickstand. It took about two minutes to explain how to lower the lift (had to go up before it could go down).

My wife was able to get the bike lowered and to rest on it's stand. And after that I had her help me back the I/S out of the garage where it stayed that night.

I was sore for days,.....needless to say that the next few days I did not ride.

I guess that you can only put so much in your garage before it starts to become a potentenial danger spot.

[hubcapsc]

We all learn (I hope we learn  ) from doing... I learned about four years
ago that if you put moly paste in your pinion cup, you're doing it wrong...



-Mike "that's what I blame it on..."

[Black Dog]

 I have an 'exposed' basement on my house, and until I turned it in to living space, I would bring the Valk in through the patio door when it was time for winter storage.  Great place to putz around and do the winter maintenance stuff.

This particular winter, I had just received my custom wheels, from RC Components, and had a new set of Avon's to be mounted.  I put her up on the 'lift', and pulled both wheels.  The next day, when I went back down in the basement, there was my Fat Gurl...  Because of the wheels being removed, the balance had changed (and, like a dumb crap, I had not strapped her down  ), and she tipped to the front, slid forward on the jack, and was resting on the front forks...  There was maybe 1/2" of the adaptor still on the jack  .  Now what?  I called my brother, and he came over and with him on one side, me on the other, we grabbed the crash bars and lifter her up, while my son repositioned the jack under her...

That was the last time I ever used the lift without strapping her down.  Coulda been a disaster!

Black Dog

[rainman]

Well mine was about 2 years ago. Changed the rear bearing on the tour and after getting it all put back together the wheel on the bike and the bike off the table lift I was cleaning up putting the tools away I saw this tube lying beside the ramp. And I through now what did I use this for  ??? then it darned on me that It was the spacer bar that if had forgot to put back in. so…………….. I had do it all over again boy was I pissed  . Bet that will not happen again.

[hubcapsc]

Well mine was about 2 years ago. Changed the rear bearing on the tour and after getting it all put back together the wheel on the bike and the bike off the table lift I was cleaning up putting the tools away I saw this tube lying beside the ramp. And I through now what did I use this for  ??? then it darned on me that It was the spacer bar that if had forgot to put back in. so…………….. I had do it all over again boy was I pissed  . Bet that will not happen again.

Hey, I did that one too!  I bet if this thread goes on long
enough most of y'all will be exposed as amateur boneheads 

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

Spent half an afternoon trying to get the U-joint boot on.  Used my extensive bad word vocabulary several times with no benefit.  


I was installing longer spacers in the wife's Vulcan's forks (lowering the bike).  Got everything apart and loosened up, but nothing moved.  Took a rubber mallet and tapped the fork legs.... and sprong, both fork springs and hardware shot out like a mortar up and over my 7' fence into the neighbors yard.  Glad I had my face below the line of fire.  

I keep this picture prominently displayed in my shop to remind me of my limitations as a mechanic.

[G-Man]

I caused a hydrolock!

I changed out a standard gas tank for an I/S tank.  When I pulled out the petcock from the old tank, the mesh filter sleeve stayed in place in the old tank.  I didn't know it wasn't there as I never investigated what all of the components of the petcock were.  So I placed the old, filterless, petcock into the new tank and some dirt from inside the new tank (maybe some debris from the painting process) must have made its way from the tank, through the petcock, and into one of the float bowls for the carbs.  Thank goodness there was no internal damage, at least none that I know of.  I cleaned everything out and figured out about the filter sleeve by looking at some exploded view of the petcock on Partsfish.  

[John Schmidt]

Oh my, where to I start. Probably the most exasperating goof-up involved those spacers Rainman talked about. They are not the same length; different p/n and price. I had both wheels off doing the normal final drive maint. in back and replacing a bearing in the front wheel. I got the rear end all put back together and buttoned up, then went to the front. It wouldn't go together right no matter what I did, then it struck me....could it possibly be the spacer/collar. I looked them up to see if the p/n was the same, only to find out they weren't. So, before tearing down the rear end again I called my old friend Charlie The Sculptor, knowing he had some bikes in various stages of assembly. The result of that phone call meant I had to pull the rear end apart and insert the correct the spacer. From that day forward, I've always tried to pull only one wheel at a time. But if I do pull both together, I mark them.

Pulling the rear end down once isn't my idea of a lovely afternoon. But having to do it twice because you're a doofus??   

[mrider]

i tend to foul up the screw heads on the master cyclinders now and again

[RainMaker]

Did the rear drive service on my Interstate.  Emptied the saddle bags, took off the rear fender, etc, cleaned and lubed and then put it all back together, put the saddle bags back on and reloaded the bags.  Nice work - about 3 hours into it and ready to ride.

Then I noticed the thrust washer on the workbench.

[hubcapsc]

i tend to foul up the screw heads on the master cyclinders now and again

The OEM phillips ones on our front brake and clutch master cylinders are some whacky
size, not #1 and not #2... I have a cheapo screwdriver handle (with a righty-tighty,
lefty-loosey button  ) that has a tray of interchangeable head, one of them
is perfect ... my Valkyrie screwdriver...

I got tired of staring at the rusty ones that came on my bike, that's when I learned the
cheapest thing at HDL is $2.50... $10.00 for these four little screws... but they're not
rusty anymore, and I have the right screwdriver...

-Mike

[bscrive]

I to forgot the thrush washer but I only found mine a few weeks later and didn't know what it was.  It was only after the next tire change that I realized that a thrush washer was needed because I saw wear on the wheel by the bearing and the bolts for the hold down plate for the dampers.  I believe that this really started the wear on my drive splines and why I had to eventually change my final drive gears.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Well mine was about 2 years ago. Changed the rear bearing on the tour and after getting it all put back together the wheel on the bike and the bike off the table lift I was cleaning up putting the tools away I saw this tube lying beside the ramp. And I through now what did I use this for  ??? then it darned on me that It was the spacer bar that if had forgot to put back in. so…………….. I had do it all over again boy was I pissed  . Bet that will not happen again.

Take's me pretty much all day to service and clean the final drive ,pinion cup ,drive-shaft etc. I did the samething got everything cleaned up on the bike and off the lift as I was picking up my tools I saw the spacer bar/collar laying on the table 

[BonS]

i tend to foul up the screw heads on the master cyclinders now and again

The OEM phillips ones on our front brake and clutch master cylinders are some whacky
size, not #1 and not #2... I have a cheapo screwdriver handle (with a righty-tighty,
lefty-loosey button  ) that has a tray of interchangeable head, one of them
is perfect ... my Valkyrie screwdriver...

I got tired of staring at the rusty ones that came on my bike, that's when I learned the
cheapest thing at HDL is $2.50... $10.00 for these four little screws... but they're not
rusty anymore, and I have the right screwdriver...

-Mike

If you look at a "Phillips" screw and see a dot next to the X then it's a JIS and not a Phillips screw head. The JIS head is just different enough to make some Phillips screwdrivers not work very well. I have been known to take a #1 or #2 Phillips screwdriver to a grinder and just knock off the pointed tip a tad. This now makes the Phillips screwdriver work rather well in a JIS screw because the JIS screw has a flat bottom where the Phillips screw has a pointed bottom. It's not a "perfect" solution but it's better than buying another screwdriver set for my toolbox.

[RudyF6]

UGH!!! 

Wasn't the fat lady, but she was involved. I got VERY lucky!

Working on replacing tires on my CBX - parked next to the Valk - on its center stand and some blocks with the wheels off. Put the front on, 10 minutes and no problems, went to work on the rear. Don't know what I did wrong, but the CBX center stand folded and the bike fell over against the Valk. I freaked! Adrenaline flowing, I jumped up and singlehandedly lifted that heavy bi#%* with no back wheel back onto its centerstand.

Valk damage? Bent the ignition key. Fixed.

CBX damage? Smudge on the plastic mirror housing where it hit the Valk key. Ignored.

Lesson learned? $2.99 ratchet strap from the centerstand to the engine gaurd and that sh#! won't happen again! 

[MartinT]

Not on the Valk, but stupid nonetheless: Doing the valve adjustments on a Honda Aero 750, about 2 years ago. Got the clearances straightened out, and started to re-assemble the cylinder head covers. I couldn't find the torque values for the valve cover bolts, but did find a table in the Honda manual that said "standard' torque for a #10 bolt was 40 ft-lbs. Yeah right, found out later that it should be 12 ft-lbs. Off course the bolt broke, and I spend 2 hours trying to drill the broken shaft out of the tap hole in the cyclinder. It finally came out, but had to meticulously clean the timer chain of metal shavings. The bolt was back-ordered for several weeks, so the bike sat in the garage taking up space for a long time.

Did something similar later on the Valk though, breaking off the right rear shock bolt with a torque wrench set too high. This one came out a lot easier (practice?).

Immediately after that I bought a SMALL torque wrench with inch-lbs settings.

Someone has said this in another thread: A torque wrenches is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.

Martin

[HayHauler]

I have done the one above about forgetting to put the side stand down before getting off of the bike in the garage.  I was pinned to the garage wall by the Fat Girl and it was a B!tch to get her off of me!

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Spirited-6]

I have never had a "bone headed screwup" on any bike I have had in the last 60 years. 
I love to fix things the right way the first time !!!

[BigAl]

Back Wheel.

1st Time

Put the axle in from the wrong side.

It would not work that way.

[Grumpy]

Couple years ago, had just added a 24' square addition to my shop, and also plumbed it for a bath room
No interior walls yet. Mounted the new toilet, half an hour later decided to pull the bike in, did not get the kick stand fully down. And it fell over on the commode. Did not hurt the bike, but killed the new commode. Just another crappy day. 

[Wetrudgeon]

We had the side panels off for painting.  When we reassembled all, the Valk would not say a word.  Kill switch OK, battery OK, but the starter was stone silent.  She was starting and running fine when we disassembled.  Checked all the wiring and fuses we could think of.  Had to be something simple...

Mystified, we came to the good folks on this board, who suggested that we have a look at the tilt sensor.  Yes, we remounted it upside down. 

We trudge on (abashed). 

[Hogg]

After performing maintenance on spline and re-mounting wheel, last step as re-mounting shock.  Lower bolt broke off in bracket.  Screw extractor could not get it out.  Ended up having flat bed tow truck come to haul to fix-it shop.

[YoungPUP]

LAst winter ( first winter with my new to me Valk) Was working on the Snowblower and the Valk at the same time.  Got everything all back together, and had a small knob style bolt left over, the kind with the plastic head so you don't have to use a wrench.  Spent the better part of an afternoon looking ALL over that damn bike trying to figure out where it went.....on the snowblower.

[RoadKill]

I installed Valk camshafts into Goldwing heads and used the solid lifter rocker/trunnion assembly off the Valkyrie heads and did not consider that they were the top half of the cam journals. Seized a camshaft,sheared a cam gear and bent 3 valves the night before we left for Inzane 9, and it was not my Valk ! After a long night and some redneck machine shop ("will that work ?"kind of engineering) We left on schedule ,with our fingers crossed, and she's still eatin' Harleys an shitting Kawasakis!  

[art]

I mad as hell an cannot do anything about it [for now].Today I was getting all my stuff ready for a front shock rebuild an steering head  bearing replacement.I got the seals several months ago an got the shock bushings a few days ago,I'm all ready ,Not.I just moved into my house in Rogue River ,Or .an was waiting for the rain to come so I wouldn't miss riding.Well I lost the seals an bearings somewhere in the garage.I finally gave up I have looked for hours for that stuff an cannot find it.I just hope I don't have to reorder everything.If I do Murphys law says I will find all the parts after the job is done.

[Valkahuna]

left the jack adapter attached under the bike a couple times.    Hoser

+1. Just did that in November.  I always store the bike with the weight off the wheels & tires. After six months, got back to Florida, checked tires, etc, etc... Put Sea Foam in the tank and went to run the old gas out. After about 80 miles, I got this terrible thought that I'd forgotten something, and pulled over.

Sure enough, that big old red metal adapter was still attached firmly.  I removed it, thinking that if it had come off at some of the speeds and places I had ridden it would have been ugly!!! 

I'm glad that I'd taken the time to firmly tighten the two bolts that hold it to the bottom of the engine. I did find out that one can fit the whole unit into an empty saddle bag. Hope that is the last time I do that.  ???

[Slyk Willy]

after installing car horns on my I/S, I was putting the pods back on and screwed the long bolt into the radiator rather than the side. GRRR. 

[Capt. Morgan]

Well my screw-up was I have the chrome engine hanger covers on mine, and instead of removing them to put tank back on I found a way to tilt the tank from one side to the Otha to re-connect all the hoses. It requires going from one side to the other. Well 1 day when I was putting tank  back on, before I could get to the other side it fell off, and now I have two "nice" dents in tank.

[0leman]

So far my biggest BoneHeaded Screwup was due to ignorance about the swing arm/U-Joint while doing rear end work.   I had read all the post on removing the rear end (needed to replace the wore out tire).  What I didn't read/understand was that the rear end needed to be supported after removing the shocks.  I let it fall down.  Then to compound the screwup, I wasn't sure that I had put the rear end together correctly, so I started her up and put her in gear while the rear end was just hanging there.   Yes, I caused the U-Joint to breakup.  Took  2-3K miles for it to happen, but it did. 

Also use most of my "good" words installing new U-Joint boot. 

[Cattman]

First season with Blue  Ice, Did all rear end maintence right before the Honda Hoot in Knoxville. First trip with the wife for any great distance. Rode down, did the hoot the first day and then rode the Dragon the second day and stopped on top of the Cherola Skyway to take a picture and the !$% lift adaptor was still bolted on.  :uglystupid2:They will fit in the trunk for the return trip home if you have the wife carry most of her stuff in a backpack. 

[Steve K (IA)]

I had a leaking fork seal.  I was planning on going to Timber's Copper Harbor get together about 2 years ago and figured I better get it done as I had all the parts for over a year, just kept putting it off.  I was somewhat intimidated by the task.

Well, it turned out to be an easy job, especially with my wife helping.  When I went to put the new seals in, I realized I hadn't paid attention to the orientation of the old ones when they came out.  Since I had worked as a machinist/toolmaker for many years, I figured I knew how to insert a seal.    As I was finishing putting it all back together, my wife was putting away the tools.  All I had left to do was put the fairing on when she asks "what do you want me to do with this Big washer?"  Crap!  It was the part in the fork assembly called the "backup ring".  Thankfully I remembered which fork I had left it out of.  Took it all apart...again, and got it in there.

The bike sat for the whole week before I headed out towards Copper Harbor.  The plan was to ride to Black Dogs house and we would continue on northward the next day.  By the time I got to his house, I had fork oil leaking.  I put the seals in upside down.  By the time I got back home, I had quite a mess on the front of the bike. 

Got new seals and tore into it again.  Boy that job went fast as this was now the "third" time I had done this.  When the time comes to do the forks on my Std, I'll get it right the first time. 

[Stormrider65]

Right after I bought my Valk home for the first time, I tried to get the centerstand up on a 2x4 to keep it from tipping over on the gravel in the back yard.  Being a big guy, I have never had a problem of using my weight to my advantage.  I got the centerstand on the board and stood on the centerstand and pulled on the handrail at the same time.  As advertised the bike went up and started to tip over to the right.  If I let go, the bike would fall on the right side.  After what seemed like forever, the bike finally tipped over to the left.  After saying a thank you prayer I decided to just use the side stand.

Walt

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I had a nail in the rear tire. While bike was parked on sidestand in the garage I decided to plug the tire. I got my plugging kit out and  pulled the nail out  turned arround to get the plugging tool and plug. It maybe took 30 secs. for all the air to get out.Well just as I turn back the whole bike goes over on it right side in the garage floor.
   I have a two story house and there is a 4x4 post that lives just to the right of my fairing, get the picture, as the bike fell the fairing hit the post and busted the chrome headlight bezel into two halfs. I was soooo pisssst, but as luck would have it that was the cheapest thing that is on the fairing to replace. Lesson learned.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

left the jack adapter attached under the bike a couple times.    Hoser

Me  too.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

In 2008 after breaking my leg on the Valk I was worrying there might have been some damage to my beloved Valk that I hadn't seen. After worrying about it for some time I crutched myself out to the garage against my wife's wishes to take a look.

While leaning over to look under the bike while balancing on one leg and one crutch I fell flat. While laying there I was able to satisfy myself that the Valk was unhurt  but I was having a very difficult time getting back up from the concrete floor with just one leg. The wife was on the front porch enjoying the day and I was glad she couldn't see me.

Then, on the third try I got briefly back on my one good leg, hopped a time or two and fell out the door of the garage and into the driveway where I found myself laying there looking into my wife's unamused eyes.

[art]

I had a leaking fork seal.  I was planning on going to Timber's Copper Harbor get together about 2 years ago and figured I better get it done as I had all the parts for over a year, just kept putting it off.  I was somewhat intimidated by the task.

Well, it turned out to be an easy job, especially with my wife helping.  When I went to put the new seals in, I realized I hadn't paid attention to the orientation of the old ones when they came out.  Since I had worked as a machinist/toolmaker for many years, I figured I knew how to insert a seal.    As I was finishing putting it all back together, my wife was putting away the tools.  All I had left to do was put the fairing on when she asks "what do you want me to do with this Big washer?"  Crap!  It was the part in the fork assembly called the "backup ring".  Thankfully I remembered which fork I had left it out of.  Took it all apart...again, and got it in there.

The bike sat for the whole week before I headed out towards Copper Harbor.  The plan was to ride to Black Dogs house and we would continue on northward the next day.  By the time I got to his house, I had fork oil leaking.  I put the seals in upside down.  By the time I got back home, I had quite a mess on the front of the bike. 

Got new seals and tore into it again.  Boy that job went fast as this was now the "third" time I had done this.  When the time comes to do the forks on my Std, I'll get it right the first time. 

I usually throw all the extra parts in the trash