Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126402
Even if he DNF. betcha he 's glad to get back to headquarters, 30 happen , yet it's not u n com m o n . Hopefull y, you'll notice it's missi ng before disaster befa lls you , Vise-grips, again , can keep you going. J ust clamp them on the threaded end of the axle to keep it from slipping out. You forgot to bring them with you? Wrap wire or tape around the threads and hope it holds. Shock mounting bolts come loose . 100 , and if one falls out you 'll know it beca use the swingarm will start 10 flex (Above) Sometimes. trouble can be avoided by following arrows, (Below) and the rear wheel will be ou t of line. Sometimes. when all else fails. push, Except if you 're riding a monoshocker on which the whole rear of the bike will drop . In either case you 'll have 10 use your ingenuity 10 improvise a jury rig to ge t you back to headquarters. Un less you ha ppen to carry one of each kind of mount bolt with you . Not many riders do. Tweaked for ks a re almost routine after a big wipe-ou t. Hold your bike by one side of the ha nd leba rs , with th e steering turned to one stop , then kick the wheel to straighten the forks. You might have to loosen the triple clamps 10 make it easier. You can also do this with the from wheel between two close trees, or with your bike laying dow n on the ground. Each rider develops his favorite method of curing the problem. You can ride with the front end out of line if you have to, but it's hard 10 go fast . Strange twists of fate You 're out of gas? It seems to happen to everyone now and then, and it sure makes you feel helpless unless you've got a little extra stashed on the bike . maybe in a canteen. Ex-Bu lraco factory rider Mike H a nnon won the 4ger National in California in 1977 after his bike ran dry sho rt of the one gas SlOp in the dusty, hilly 1OO-mile meet. He scrounged gas at a cabin nearby so he could make it to where his crew was waiting. Most riders aren't that lu cky. T hey end u p pushing for mi les someti mes o r d itc hing their motorcycle and excess gear and walking out 10 a road wh ere they will be p icked up . Only when it's mostly down hill will you be able 10 get your bike out by yourself without help. It 's easier to get a tow from someone whose bike is running but has dropped out for other reasons , or from one of • • I!Il"Jd/;S!lIalY;)LI~.\l\;, 81.e-otpJ1itOfl.. 4 "'. ' a. _ .... , .. ..'-..~ .. ," • • ~ Ever wonder why a lot of riders use a rubber band to hold their kick-start lever in? Most likely it's not because the ball detent is worn out and won't hold it out of the way; it's to avoid the chance of seizure on muddy runs . Fine silt can work its way into the detent where the spring-loaded ball rests . The vibration packs the silt lighter and tighter around the ball and spring until the kick -start lever is locked tightly ' in the folded -in position, keeping you from using it. Sounds impossible, doesn't it? W e ll , it happens more than you'd think, and even with vise -grips it 's about impossible 10 b rea k loose . If your engine stalls and it's too mu ddy for bump starting , there's nothi ng you ca n do b ut remove and dis assem b le the leve r , clean out the mu d and pu t it back . By then you're probably ru nning very la te or you've ho u red out, a ll d ue to the same mu d you were sure you'd mastered , What if you're stuck in it though a lm ost ax le deep? Sometimes the suction is un believa b le , holding .you r bike so there's no way you can lift even one end straight up . The same ki nd of silt that caused the seizing of the kicks tart lever is locking your wheels (especially the rear which is probably dug in deeper) with a tenacious grip . Diggi ng the mud away from the sides will help, and so will leaning your bike from side to side as you try to swing it a rou nd out of the ruts. Maybe then you can ride it out over brush or reeds you 've spread in from of you to help keep you from sinking, If a ll else fails . you m ay find the only way is to flop your motorcycle ove r and over u ntil you reach firmer ground, but before you try this, plug up or tape over the end of your ex haust pipe so water won 't get in t h~ engine. Did you ever co m plain a bo ut bei ng for ced to carry a fir e extinguis he r? Not ma ny end uros ha ve th is req ui re ment, but a b ike on fire is costly a nd will probably keep you from finishi ng unless you can put it out fast. Tom Penton knows. In the 1975 ISDT, his bike caught fire on ly a few miles from the start on the first day, knocking him out of competition immediately and spoiling the chances of the U .S . trophy