Humble reminder after a pre-ride check

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:40 pm

Yesterday I set out on my annual ride to Borrego Springs. Something I've done every years since 2009 pegging it as the Oceans to Mountains to Desert in a day!

My buddy has almost 26K and 22K of those is on a big bore kit. Recently, it blew a gasket - first time something like that happened in 25k. So about 4miles in to my 215 mile ride, my riding buddys flag me over to the side. Oil is splashing out of my scooter, pooling on the ground, all over my pipe, tire, fender. I'm devastated thinking my buddy is finally done - first the gasket, now this, what ever this was.

In the group was forum moderator, Eric, and he got down, looked underneath, started wiping off all the oil as me and another called friends to arrange a haul. As the haul is lined up Eric says "Hey jen, did you check your oil since pulling over?" "Nope" and then the kicker "Well then you didn't tighten the dipstick when you checked it at home" D'OH!

what this reconfirmed for me is i really have no business doing any maintenance on my scooter since I don't even notice the dipstick isn't in right!

Another person was carrying oil so I was able to put more, we wiped off as much as we could and I made it the next 211 miles just fine.

So remember - check your tires and fluids but tighten all the caps up good!!

it was a fun ride and the first Eric scooted to San Diego!!

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:00 pm

fun story

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:02 pm

And the Moral of the Story, kids, is just don't check your oil!

Way to go Eric! Nice catch

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:08 pm

yeah just wait 'til smoke starts billowing out the fill hole 'n throw some water in there to cool it

Scootagangsta · Post by **Scootagangsta** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:13 pm

don't let this stop you from doing your own maintenance!

Had a buddy that never works on cars because he had one little error while changing his car oil. Instead of learning from the mistakes, he now never touches his vehicle for maintenance.

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:21 pm

it's the first truly scooter-damaging bone-headed thing I've done in 4 years with this scooter. but I would have seized had I been by myself. I didn't even notice! thank goodness I was leading!

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:27 pm

phew! close call!

Glad it wasn't curtains for your buddy.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:46 pm

I love happy endings! There's security in numbers as they say. That and carrying some extra oil

So glad the scoot is alive to ride another day! I recon you have a good 15-20K left in her Jen.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:35 am

jijifer wrote:it's the first truly scooter-damaging bone-headed thing I've done in 4 years with this scooter. but I would have seized had I been by myself. I didn't even notice! thank goodness I was leading!

Then you have done much much better than most of us! Don't let it stop you from learning! I can guarantee that you will never forget to check it again!

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:47 pm

Best part was that we saved the day and got to go on an amazing ride.

The reason I double checked the dipstick? Personal experience! Last time I was going to San Diego to ride with these guys, I trailered because I didn't have time to ride there and back. On the way to the trailer, which was only two miles from my house, my scooter started blowing white smoke. I look down, oil everywhere. Same thing—dipstick wasn't tightened down, but it had been blasted off somewhere! I'd coated the whole back of the scooter with oil, too. Had to call my wife, go home, get oil and spare dipstick (yes, I have such a thing) and clean it all up.

I also found the original dipstick later, in my driveway. Good thing I hadn't gotten very far.

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 3:33 am

it was a great day. great ride. all saved by your keen eye for my mistake. THANKS.

Post by **illnoise** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:12 am

Someone was carrying ENGINE OIL? are you sure someone didn't pour 2-stroke oil into your crankcase?

I've been on rides with four P-series Vespas where none of the four has a good spare tire when someone had a flat. I've been on a ride with 30 bikes where no one has a spare gear cable or spare plug. I (and many others) routinely forget to bring 2-stroke oil, which needs to be added every gas stop. What kind of nerd carries around *engine* oil? I'm betting someone with a raging oil leak. : )

But seriously, be sure it was the right type and right viscosity, if it wasn't, or if you mixed synth with dino, you should probably drain it and add fresh oil.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 6:22 am

It was 5W 4T added to 10W; only maybe 5-6oz. or so.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 7:02 am

illnoise wrote:Someone was carrying ENGINE OIL? are you sure someone didn't pour 2-stroke oil into your crankcase?

I've been on rides with four P-series Vespas where none of the four has a good spare tire when someone had a flat. I've been on a ride with 30 bikes where no one has a spare gear cable or spare plug. I (and many others) routinely forget to bring 2-stroke oil, which needs to be added every gas stop. What kind of nerd carries around *engine* oil? I'm betting someone with a raging oil leak. : )

But seriously, be sure it was the right type and right viscosity, if it wasn't, or if you mixed synth with dino, you should probably drain it and add fresh oil.

I carry a quart of Motul 710 in my glove box if I'm riding outside city limits. Otherwise, I top off the oil tank at least once a week. I think I might have seen the little white insert in the sight glass once or twice since I bought the bike; once was when I replaced the sight glass and O-ring.

I keep a throttle, gear and clutch cable on hand too. I put a good sparetire on if riding outside of city limits too. I belong to a club where breakdowns are the norm and I prefer to be the exception. I've broken one throttle cable and one clutch cable before, but still managed to ride it home. Both times I felt like I was re-enacting a scene from The Gods Must Be Crazy. Good thing there was only one witness.

As for carrying oil on a 4T, a friend had an '85 Riva 125 with over 25K on it and it had been ridden into the ground. It didn't have a lot of compression left and it smoked worse than any 2T I've ever seen. It completed several rides that it was never expected to finish and even got cheered when it completed each ride leg. We tried motor honey in it, but it would burn a quart every 50 miles anyway. That is your 4T carry-oil bike if there ever was one! The tank was rotted inside and it totally stopped four fuel filters on one 150 mile ride. We had to clean the last filter so it could finish the ride. If Uncle Buck owned a scooter, it would have been that Riva.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:10 pm

Heh. I had a VW Beetle repair book that counseled the reader to practice driving and shifting without using the clutch (including 2nd gear engaged engine starts at red lights) just in case you snapped a clutch cable. I actually snapped one and made it home with his techniques. I've also snapped a throttle cable, and got back to my office by wadding up a ball of paper, jamming it into the carb's lever for a high idle, and creeping along. I had a spare throttle cable, but my Leatherman was at my desk.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:17 pm

PeteH wrote:Heh. I had a VW Beetle repair book that counseled the reader to practice driving and shifting without using the clutch ...

Peter, would that have been the old "How to Keep Your VW Alive"?

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:20 pm

... For The Compleat Idiot. Absolutely. I had an old wirebound version of the Muir book, then unfortunately a more recent glued-softcover that doesn't lay flat. Best damned fix-it book there ever was.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:40 pm

PeteH wrote:... For The Compleat Idiot. Absolutely. I had an old wirebound version of the Muir book, then unfortunately a more recent glued-softcover that doesn't lay flat. Best damned fix-it book there ever was.

a work of genius; fantastic illustrations. Mine was also the wirebound edition, a 1974 printing.

The day I got it, I changed the oil and adjusted the valves before lunch. I had never before worked on cars. In six months, the pages were oil-stained enough for spontaneous combustion. I went on to own five more bugs (1111s and 1113s), and often wondered how many other people came to be at peace with wrenching through it.

easy · Post by **easy** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:16 pm

redhandmoto wrote:
PeteH wrote:... For The Compleat Idiot. Absolutely. I had an old wirebound version of the Muir book, then unfortunately a more recent glued-softcover that doesn't lay flat. Best damned fix-it book there ever was.
a work of genius; fantastic illustrations. Mine was also the wirebound edition, a 1974 printing.

The day I got it, I changed the oil and adjusted the valves before lunch. I had never before worked on cars. In six months, the pages were oil-stained enough for spontaneous combustion. I went on to own five more bugs (1111s and 1113s), and often wondered how many other people came to be at peace with wrenching through it.

+1

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:37 am

http://www.peteraschwanden.com

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:44 am

You only need about two-thirds of those parts. The rest should be stored in coffee cans...just in case, eh?

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:53 am

illnoise wrote:Someone was carrying ENGINE OIL? are you sure someone didn't pour 2-stroke oil into your crankcase?

I've been on rides with four P-series Vespas where none of the four has a good spare tire when someone had a flat. I've been on a ride with 30 bikes where no one has a spare gear cable or spare plug. I (and many others) routinely forget to bring 2-stroke oil, which needs to be added every gas stop. What kind of nerd carries around *engine* oil? I'm betting someone with a raging oil leak. : )

But seriously, be sure it was the right type and right viscosity, if it wasn't, or if you mixed synth with dino, you should probably drain it and add fresh oil.

we all said "you brought oil???" and John was like "You didn't?" it hadn't even been opened. He rides only modern bikes and has been cross country a time or two so he's still a boy scout - always prepared!