Passing the entrance to his house I had to make a u-turn but when I pulled in the clutch and tried to walk the bike backwards the bike kept going forward. That solved a problem I had had with the bike for weeks. After hard riding the idle would dip low and sometimes even stall. I thought the problem had been vapor lock but with the gas tank full, I made the bike stall but when I opened up the gas tank I didn't hear a "wooosh" sound that would indicate a vapor lock. Argh.
When bike kept rolling forward even as I pushing it backwards I deduced that vibration caused the clutch cable to loosen and the bike was stalling because when I came to a stop the engine was still pulling forward but the brakes were stopping the bike form going forward and stalling the engine out. The solution: adjust the clutch properly a place a strip of duct tape around the clutch adjustment screw to keep it in place. Cheap, easy and has been working flawlessly since applying the tape.
It is interesting how easy it is to confuse symptoms with the disease. I was going to disassemble the clutch to measure plates and springs; assuming it was the worst possible scenario when the solution was the simplest solution possible. I love the way a problem can elude you even when all of the solutions are right in front of your face. With the tape in place I rode the long way home, enjoying the feeling of a well adjusted clutch that disconnects the engine from the transmission whenever it was applied. I didn't know it at the time but going past his house was the right mistake to make.
When bike kept rolling forward even as I pushing it backwards I deduced that vibration caused the clutch cable to loosen and the bike was stalling because when I came to a stop the engine was still pulling forward but the brakes were stopping the bike form going forward and stalling the engine out. The solution: adjust the clutch properly a place a strip of duct tape around the clutch adjustment screw to keep it in place. Cheap, easy and has been working flawlessly since applying the tape.
It is interesting how easy it is to confuse symptoms with the disease. I was going to disassemble the clutch to measure plates and springs; assuming it was the worst possible scenario when the solution was the simplest solution possible. I love the way a problem can elude you even when all of the solutions are right in front of your face. With the tape in place I rode the long way home, enjoying the feeling of a well adjusted clutch that disconnects the engine from the transmission whenever it was applied. I didn't know it at the time but going past his house was the right mistake to make.
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