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Almost Embarrassed


Iowa Guy

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Rode my 89 1255 miles round trip from SE Iowa to Little Rock AR to a conference there. This is the first trip I've done like this and I have a lot more confidence in the bike and myself now.

 

Anyway, after having lunch and a brief snooze on the grass (anybody else do that when they ride?) I turned the key, hit the ignition and NOTHING! Rats! Must be that electrical short and the battery went dead while I was sleeping. I went into the restaurant & the owner offered to give me a jump. We hooked up the cables and again NOTHING. Now what could it be? As I asked him to check his connections I happened to look at the red toggle switch that I never use on the left handle bar. YUP! The kill switch was off. So I said to the good samaritan, without mentioning my serreptitious red button correction, "Maybe it is connected right now" and hit the ignition with the now clearly unnecessary jumper cables still attached. And it started. Amazing. I thanked the good fellow and quickly drove away after reassembling the cover and tank bag and dressing with gratitude that I hadn't spent $100 and called a local garage. Duh.

 

BTW, I love the twisties in AR.

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Did the same thing one night at the Front gate of the Prison where I work and a buddy of mine and I had it torn down with covers off and wires pulled out every where when he looked up and asked "Is this supposed to be ON??" I them informed him that if anyone ever found out I was going to kill him. So far I haven't heard about it but he keeps making threats.

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Yup I've done that.

 

How about putting it in Gear with the Kickstand down and wondering why it stalls.

I got on the CB calling my friends back to the gas station we just filled up at when my bike was "Dieing". It took a while to live that down.

Not to mention the sweating knowing I had trouble 400 miles from home.

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:cool10: Thanks to all those who were brave enough to confess to this also.

 

And Tony H, I was riding with some friends, stopped for lunch and had burger and ONE beer, really just ONE cause riding ain't driving. And then the bike kept dying when I'd put it in gear. My buddies left and then waited down the road when I didn't show up. After I eventually caught up with them I would never have confessed if I'd know how much crap I was gonna get. I'm getting wiser, maybe.

 

Tim

Iowa Guy

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I did that once.... Then I started turning it to off everytime I got off the bike, and on when I started it. Now it's automatic, it's just one of the things 'I do to start the scoot.. Haven't had a problem since. 'Nother thing I think it might be a good thing and keep the switch from corroding from non-use, and really leaving you stranded.??? I guess>>??

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Then there was the time that I couldn't get my bike started. Switch was on. Thought I had a battery or some such nonsense. Got home after work and tore into the battery compartment checking things out. Checked out the battery, cleaned connections, borrowed a tester and charger and then realized that I had it in gear with the stand down.

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I was at the dealers two days after delivery of my 06 rsmv. went to unlock the steering to show off to a friend. I reached into my pocket for the key and pulled my truck key out. When I tried to insert key, it only went in part way, but the whole lock assembly turned completely around, not unlocking. I started to the shop to talk to the wrench, when I realized I tried with my truck key DUH!!

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Guest SofaPilot

Older Ford Truck keys are the right shape If you have the blank cut at the store then sand them down a little both sides to reduce the thickness it makes a cheep spare key....Yammy wants a lot of $$$ for a new key and the HW store only charged me $2.00 :)

 

I was at the dealers two days after delivery of my 06 rsmv. went to unlock the steering to show off to a friend. I reached into my pocket for the key and pulled my truck key out. When I tried to insert key, it only went in part way, but the whole lock assembly turned completely around, not unlocking. I started to the shop to talk to the wrench, when I realized I tried with my truck key DUH!!
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Older Ford Truck keys are the right shape If you have the blank cut at the store then sand them down a little both sides to reduce the thickness it makes a cheep spare key....Yammy wants a lot of $$$ for a new key and the HW store only charged me $2.00 :)

 

 

Cool, Is this another item for "Poor Man's Tips or Fixes"?

 

Man, I love it when I can save some $.

 

 

Iowa Guy

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My (not the best) favouite is to put on the gloves and then realize that my key is in the pocket still. It's my favourite because I still do it. I have long complained to my wife as to why would the chaps manufacturer put a pocket on the left side near the top of my leg, anything you put into that pocket would fall out the minute you get on the scoot. Well all on my own, without anyones help, the lights came on this week. IT'S A KEY POCKET, duhh.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was just getting back into biking and found my beautiful babe at a Roseburg Or Yamaha shop.

 

Had never ridden a big bike, but being a big guy, I thought it would be better than ... well a smaller bike that was dwarfed by my magnificence.

 

Had never ridden a bike with a heal shifter ... gulp.

 

went out on a 4 lane highway, waited for no traffic, started to make a U turn---remember this was a 4 lane highway with about a 2% rise.. and hit the heal shift, stalled the bike, and dropped her.

 

Luckily, I had asked the proper way to pick up a big bike, turned my back to her and thank god she came up easily. Two older gentlemen (I was about 55 at the time) stopped to see if everything was all right and if the bike would start again. she did I thanked them, and rode off into the sunset .. or west bound at least mike

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A "friend of mine" let his 1500 'Wing fall over, in traffic in Branson, while it was running and it died, he had help to stand it back up but it woukdn't start. He (and his wife) pushed it to the side of the road. It wouldn't start for ten minutes; until he turned the ignition off and then back on to reset the safety switch! i've thought of this the couple of times i've dropped mine! Yeah, I admit that;>) :starz::doh:

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I have done the kill switch off, won't start situation myself...However, this little saga is not about me..I was returning from the beach here in NC when I saw a gentleman pushing a fully loaded 1500 Goldwing just off the road.

He was getting ready to turn into a service station on HWY 70 near Raleigh.

 

I pulled in front of him and asked what he thought the problem was.

Don't have a clue he said, I was just riding along and it quite running.

I said, these bikes rarely just quit...what position is your kill switch in?

 

He looked down...said a dirty word..and fired up his bike.

He thanked me and rode off into the sunset....

 

Experience is a great teacher...huh?

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  • 6 months later...

There I was , me a buddy had pulled into this little Texas town to get a cold drink... when we came out to leave, there where a few locals standing around, so of coarse I had to act cool... we both started up our bikes and reved the engine a bit, my buddy takes off and I go to follow him.. and find out that I hadn`t unlocked my stearing......

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There I was , me a buddy had pulled into this little Texas town to get a cold drink... when we came out to leave, there where a few locals standing around, so of coarse I had to act cool... we both started up our bikes and reved the engine a bit, my buddy takes off and I go to follow him.. and find out that I hadn`t unlocked my stearing......

how many circles around them thar "locals" didya make before ya realized THAT?

 

:sign20:

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