Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

General Discussion

Have you ever been truly stranded?

JB in SC 07-17-2008, 5:01 AM
I've owned bikes since '65 and have used them extensively while commuting and on road trips. I honestly can't give an accurate estimate but I know its well over 100,000 miles. In that time I've never had a problem that truly left me stranded. The only mechanical issues I've ever had were minor and quickly fixed. My CX650C has been been trouble free for the four years and 25,000 miles I've put on it. Its seen three stable mates come and go all of which are/were totally reliable.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but I suspect my experiences are more the norm. While I carry reasonable tools, tire fixit stuff and a towing plan I've never really had to use them outside of a couple minor instances. So, here are the questions:

1. Have you ever been truly stranded?
2. What broke and, if known, why?
3. How did you resolve it?

Jerry

2007 Burgman 650
1983 CX650C

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

dbarale 07-17-2008, 6:22 AM
1 - No, I was always able to limp back home.
2 - I had a capacitor go bad on a '79 Suz GS850G, had to get back home firing only on two cylinders. Died of heat and old age...
3 - I used a cap from a Citroen 2CV mounted on the outside of the engine for a couple weeks then switched to transistorized ignition from a later model.

... Sorry no CX stories.

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

bobisslack 07-17-2008, 6:54 AM
I've been stranded on I-40 twice...both times due to snapped throttle cable. The first time I got a used RH controls set off the 'bay. Worked fine for about 6mos, then it did the exact same thing the first one did. (I believe the cable actually snapped in the exact same place.) Second time I got a brand new cable from an online dealer. Replaced clutch cable too. Now I know I don't have to worry about those 2 parts anymore.

'80 cx500c

Gotta keep my knees in the breeze.

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

chicagorandy 07-17-2008, 8:01 AM
Not by the good folks at Honda or Suzuki....but now the Siberian rascals at Ural who made my Tourist sidecar rig ????? whole 'nother story.

Three major breakdowns in nowhere Illinois, three tows.

The gear driven alternators seized up and took out the front gear tower, a known issue with older model Urals before they switched to a Japanese alternator/coupling system. I went thru 8 alternators requiring 1 engine replacement and 3 engine rebuilds myself.

Stranded is NOT a fun way to spend the day. HOWEVER - I would not hesitate for an instant to jump on the 26 year old Silverwing and head to Californee. I do carry spare cables, plugs, tools, tire repair stuff, light bulbs, flashlight, fuses, raingear etc. It's nice owning an Interstate - lol

2003 Ural Tourist - 76,5000kms to date
1982 Honda GL500 Interstate 8220 miles since 05/30/07

"Down the highway of life at smiles per hour"

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Blindstitch2002 07-17-2008, 8:23 AM
A couple times for the same reason.
I put on an new to me tank that looked fine and way deep inside it was covered in rust. Small bits of rust past threw the strainer and throught the inline filter. No clue how but it built up 3 inches of sledge at the carb. Pulled off the fuel hose and it fell out. Started the bike and drove a few more miles and it died again. Called my brother to bring some gas. Filled it up all the way and swished the tank for a while. Got a few more miles down the road. Swished the gas around in the tank again and drove the rest of the way home.

Drained the tank, removed the strainer, flushed it out with water while useing a nylon brush to scrub the wall inside the tank. Flushed several more times and changed out the inline filter 3 times in 3 weeks.

Works fine now.
Lesson learned don't throw new used parts on the bike without driving around locally a bit to test them.

1978 Honda Cx500 Maggot
1979 Honda Cx500 Custom
1980 Honda Cx500 Deluxe Couch Project Bike

CX500 Factory Service Manual
Courtesy of Randall-in-Mpls

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

DaveF 07-17-2008, 11:05 AM
I've only been truly stranded one time, and even then I was able to ride the bike to a motorcycle shop.

My Home Page
1981 GL500I
1982 GL500I
1983 GL650I

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

dozer1 07-17-2008, 12:30 PM
Twice on my old XS650, once for a blown fuse and the final time with my engine seizing up...Neither was much fun, but at least the fuse was fixable. On the CX I broke a throttle cable, but Cobram came to the rescue with a new old one, only to have that one break as well a few days later. Ever since I started carrying a toolbag, nothing has broken, so I'm just waiting for the one day I forget it.

1980 CX500 Ratbike "Stella"
1979 CX500 Deluxe(Parts)
Dozer1 AKA Snowplow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TK5VY90ILs&feature=related

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

chip 07-17-2008, 2:08 PM
Once .... 53 miles form home .... three accounts to go to finish my work day, I straddle the bike and she spins, and spins, ... and spins. No spark whatsoever. Every wire I could get to looked alright. I called my son-in-law and asked if he could go by the house, get my pickup, and come and get me (I KNEW he'd be good for something

...just kidding, Jaime.). LSS, it was a corroded connection in one of the plastic connectors in that box behind the fairing .... the Black/ white wire. Took 'em all apart, cleaned and dielectric greased them, and no huge problems since. Two weeks ago, the bike refused to spin at a few of my accounts ... it would eventually, but I had to sit up to a minute or two. I believe I have a solenoid giving up. I guess they get tired after stopping and starting up to 25 times a day.

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Sture (in Sweden) 07-17-2008, 2:57 PM

Two bikes have "died" on me. Both luckily inside my own hometown. Never on longer trips, within Sweden or abroad. I´m quickly approaching 100 000 mls in total on all the bikes I´ve owned. Been abroad many times.

First time was my oldest CX 500, 8 years ago. On the parking lot at the local cemetary where I had been looking after the grave of my children´s mother. Suppose the bike got carried away...When I pressed the starter button it was stone dead . Very weak sparks at the plugs. Stator low speed source coil was toast. Had to walk a couple of kms home and borrow a van to haul the bike.

Second time was just over 6 years ago when my first SRX 600 dropped a valve at low revs back in town after a full throttle blast on the motorway the minutes before. I was very quick pulling the clutch lever (in fact I was just about to shift down) which probably saved me some costs. Only a mile or so from my home, so I had to walk the bike home to the garage. A bent valve and destroyed valve springs was all. Even the piston was OK, with just a very small dent. Good thing it didn´t happen on the motorway though...

Far from that - nothing. Nothing at all...An unsufficiently torqued cam chain tensioner lockbolt doesn´t count. Spoiled a short spin, but was fixed in no time.

Sture

Honda CX 500 (B) -81 x 4
Yamaha SRX 600 -86

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

WayneDW 07-17-2008, 6:04 PM
I drove a Kawasaki for 20 plus years, so I've had plenty of experience being broken down. Here is a few that come to mind off the top:
Melted fuse holder meant no power.
Slipped front sprocket.
Leaking petcock.

Others I remember were really because of lax maintenance rather than system failure:
New front tire in Denver.
New front and rear sprockets and chain in Calgary.
Does running out of gas count as stranded? I've done that in Colorado and Montana.

All meant I spent time fixing instead of riding, but in only a matter of hours, was back on the road.

Since crossing over to Honda: no, I've never been stranded.

Wayne
1983 GL650 Silverwing Interstate

WWW.fossilapostles.com

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Timothy_D 07-17-2008, 10:29 PM
My turbo stranded me once at about 19,000 miles. Swore up and down it was the stator.

$59.00 Yuasa battery later, and I've put another 1000 miles on it, and the stator is still charging fine.

Two CX500 Turbos, GL650I, CX650C, CX650E.

Why do I own five bikes? Because I'm not married. DUH! (and I haven't taken a vacation in two years. . . . )

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Sidecar Bob 07-20-2008, 2:43 PM

I've been stranded lots of times over the years.

I could list them all, but a few highlights will do:

- I had to call home & get Kay to go to a bike dealer & bring me a new inner tube the first year I had a bike

- a wire came off the ignition of my Dnepr 20 Km from home

- failed u-joint on GL1000sidecar machine 50 Km from home

- chain came off the sprocket & bent the clutch rod on the trike. Enough times that I started carrying a spare.

- the camchain of the CX650 engine I had in the GL500 parted

- the engine of the Nighthawk let out a loud moan & stopped turning 10 Km from home

- most recently - Kay had to bring me some gas because the vacuum fuel pump experiment on the GoldWing was not successful. This was the first time in 23 yers aanyone had to bring me gas and I could see the gs in the tank but the pump wouldn't move it. I have since gone back t the original mechanical pump.

When you consider that I drive a bike to work every day (year round), that's not bad. Lots of people have auto club roadside assistance packages for their cars and need them a lot more often than I need help.

GX650EI + Velorex 700 (winter), '83 GL1000 (summer)
'84 CB750SC Nighthawk (died - anyone need parts?)

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Nittany 07-22-2008, 9:43 AM
Never far from home, no.

When I first got this bike, I had a devil of a time curing the ills of the PO.

I broke down once, and was towed home with a garden hose.

'82 GL500
Bleedin' Blue & White

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Anonymous 07-22-2008, 5:13 PM
Twice, both on back country roads and both due to hitting rocks on the crank case and subsiquent oil loss.
One I walked 4 miles to get cell phone service and one a friend happened by.
Both times I was able to trailer the rig home the same night.
I attribute both to operator error.

Re: Have you ever been truly stranded?

Anonymous 07-22-2008, 7:58 PM
Yup, someone at a Restaurant thought it would be funny to turn the petcock on my 750 to reserve while I was in having lunch.
Ran outta gas west of Grand Junction, Colorado.