My bike died

[duffeycycles]

This thread is for sharing stories of your bike[or a freinds bike]that died on the road.Please share a story or two of road experiences.What caused it and the people that helped you.
My Panhead has just done it to me-6volt coil that died at a stoplight this last weekend!I will share more in the Nuts and bolts section of the magazine.
Thanx Roger

[T. Cotten]

Golly Duffey,

You mean like a little ol' lady from Tiskilwa in a Chrysler creaming your Knuck from behind?

I could have started the bike and nursed the wreck home if it wasn't for broken bones.
Made it home every other time, honest.

...Cotten

[duffeycycles]

I know where Tiskilwa is!!My GG Grandpa[John Driscoll] & his mother are buried in Providence,tiny place just west of Tiskilwa.
Thanx for sharing

[exeric]

I had a '69 FLH, and my friend had a '68 FLH. He had some bozo do the top end on his bike and wanted to have some miles put on it. I was going to visit friends in Tampa and he insisted I take his '68. I left Orlando for Tampa via the pre-interstate route of West US 50 to 301. That was a nice rural route 30 years ago before Florida lost the war against developers. It was an uneventful ride to Tampa, but on the way back I thought I would do a bit of riding on I-4. Everything was going great until I smelled something really foul, and then lost a cylinder. I pulled off the highway and turned off the motor which was a big mistake. It would not restart, and I was 2.5 miles away from the nearest exit which was Plant City. I had no choice but to walk that hog for 2.5 miles, up an overpass, in mid August, at 2:00pm, without water. . . I think that should be an Olympic event because that was one of the most strenuous, miserable things I have ever done on a hot summer day in Florida, and I've done roofing in the summer. Eventually we got the bike back home, and took it apart to see what was wrong. My friend had an acquaintance, who was a self-professed "Harley expert" do the top end and he didn't properly install a wrist pin keeper. The keeper jammed between the piston and cylinder and ground a fatal groove into the cylinder. He had also knurled the piston instead of installing new, and he lapped the valves instead of doing a proper valve job. Of course he charged my friend for "new" parts, and labor. My friend was built like a professional wrestler and one of the strongest people I have ever known. . . His brother told me he got his money back, and then some

[duffeycycles]

Great story Eric-must be the borrowed '68.At Daytona one year my freind talked me into riding his '68 FLH out west to the flat track.The clutch was slipping as we left town and the rest of them left me and said they would see me when I got there....Clutch gave out completely a few of miles later.I waited till nobody was going by and pushed it out into the sticks,covered it with branches so it could not be seen.Hitch hiked back to town and got my trusty,rusty Volvo and trailer.Went back and pushed it up on the trailer in the sand by myself.All went well until half way up the ramp I slipped in the sand and the bike fell over-on me.It was all I could do to get it off me and then up the ramp.Those are big heavy bikes!!!
Forgot all about that till your pushed the '68 story
I could have ridden my trusty servicar instead but was talked out of it!
I redid the clutch and the brakes on his '68 before I rode it again.

[pisten-bully]

Well, nothing fancy to report as I've only had electrical bugs put me on the side of the road... all recoverable (except that dang fancy battery I had where one of the terminals broke off... at dusk... had to hitch hike home on that one)... but the good part is meeting the people who stop to offer help. A machinist, a snowmobile mechanic, a blacksmith, a WLC rider, and an antique tractor collector have all joined me in puzzling out whether it was points, plugs, coil, or wires... and sometimes it takes more time to find the problem with extra "help"... but it makes the experience better, I guess, when you hear all their similar stories. Anyone who stops to see if you need help is by definition a good guy I think!

[sirhrmechanic]

My better half likes to tell how she was riding behind me one day while I was out on the JD... all of a sudden I sat Bolt upright. Then Again Then again... during about 100 yards before I stopped the bike at the side of the road.

The vintage two-piece spark plug had vibrated apart and the top half was hanging by its wire and whacking into my inseam... right in time with the coil discharge. Bike kept running, but I got more than my share of lightning bolts!

I fixed the plug and off we went. Those old plugs are cool, but make sure they are tightened properly!

Cheers,

Sirhr

[duffeycycles]

Too funny
When I was 8 my brother made a long chopper trike out of his bicycle with a briggs motor,belt drive-no money for Kill button,clutch or brakes!He let me ride it.I rounded the block and was going too fast around the corner-right into the bankers yard.He was sitting in the front window drinking his morning coffee reading the morning paper.I bounced through the ditch and into his front yard.When I hit the ditch I bounced onto the top of the motor,my butt being shocked by the plug wire.I was getting shocked as I pulled the wire to kill the motor.My first motorcycle ride I quickly pushed it home before the banker yelled at me.Years later I brought it up to him.He said he was laughing so hard he couldn't have yelled if he wanted to-said it made his week but damned near spilled his coffee!

[exeric]

That is a funny story Roger.

[BigLakeBob]

Here is my '69 Shovel story. In '01 I rode the '69 from Florida to the Jefferson meet. After the meet I rode over to Cumberland MD to see relatives. While crossing the mountains heading into Cumberland the bike felt squirrely. I looked and didn't see anything obvious and continued. Leaving MD and going south through WV it got really bad. Pulled over several times and couldn't find anything until the last pull over. Checked shock mounts, frame cracks, tires, etc. Then I saw the metal shavings coming from the single rear wheel bearing and axle. No cell phone, nothing. Bike totally over packed with tour pack and too many non essentials. First one to pull over to help was a Ducati rider from Canada, after he decided he couldn't help, before riding away he lectured me on how HD riders should wave at non HD riders. Too funny. Next guy a good ole boy in a beat up pickup, said he had a bike also and directed me to a indy shop about 60 miles away. Got the # from him and proceeded. First available phone I called some HD dealership in WV, parts guy didn't understand what I needed. Called the indy shop and the guy said to come on in and he could help. Real slow riding there, now the bike was real squirrely on those curvely back roads. Got there and went inside to find the mechanic, turned around and he already had my bike on the lift with several spare hubs sitting on the bench in case. My hub was still good, replaced the bearing, adjusted my carb and on my way for about $75. Unbelieveable, to stop what he was doing and fix me immediately. Don't know if it could have been prevented, too much weight probably, but now on long trips I carry a spare bearing.

[D.A.Bagin]

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui...&sz=w1557-h557

I don't know how to load it and rotate it so if anyone can I would appreciate it.

This was in Daytona about 1976 if I remember correctly. I was 23 or 24 at the time. We used to go down with about 20 guys and camp at the Yogi Bear campground at the intersection of US-1 and 95. We always had a blast. I had just finished this bike, built from my last chopper that I had built in 71 from a perfect 58 Pan bought off a used car lot for $740.00. Arlen Ness front section, cut down Sporty tank and his rear fender back when he did the work. Put a Honda 750 front end on it with a disc so I had good brakes

We all had gone down to the beach and spent the day making trouble and meeting as many young college girls on spring break as we could. My brother was there on his 64 84in. stroker Pan, Mack, (RIP), AKA "Willie Moe the baby biker", (he was 6-4 and 230 of solid muscle and hated his nick name), with his Shovel in pieces, Tony, on his Sporty with an 18 over Durfee girder, Karl on his Sporty, Dougie, (RIP) on his stroker Sporty that he would stand up at 70 and ride it forever, Jimmie, on his Pan, who is responsible for these and many more pics, Shawzie on his 65 Pan, Steve, the only guy we would ride with on a Honda 750, Panhead John, Mike, on his Shovel, Joey, on his 63 dresser, and a few other guys.

We were heading back to the campground mid afternoon to rest up and eat something riding in the fast lane of 95 doing 65-70 in traffic with an 18 wheeler behind us. All of a sudden KA-BOOM. It was so loud, Karl, who was riding next to me, thought it was his bike. I immediately swerved over to the left line of the fast lane. Bikes were swerving all over. The 18 wheeler knew something was up and locked up all tires. Tony, with the 18 over girder passed me in the median in the grass at about 55. How he rode it out I don't know.

What had happened was the front sprocket had worked it's way loose and came off and wiped out everything on the primary side. I was lucky to not have it lock up. The pic is of me on the side of 95 looking at the damage. One of my friends, Steve, went back to the campground and got a van and picked me up.

[D.A.Bagin]

As Paul Harvey would say, "Now for the rest of the story."

Well, Steve and I raced back to Daytona to Robison's H-D and got all the parts to repair it for about a hundred and 25 bucks. Worked on it over-nite and had it done for the next day. Off to the beach to hunt down a college cutie. Well as the day progressed, Dougie and I hook up with 2 of the hottest cuties we could find. (At that time I was about 145 soaking wet and was a double of Dwayne Allman.) We had fun with them during the day and he went off riding with one and I went off with the other.

Late in the evening, about 2am or so I talk her into going back to the camp with me. Up 95 we go. About a mile from the camp, Yuppers, KA-BOOM. Same thing happened. Steve saw me as he was heading back also about 15 mins. later. Steve rode the girl back to camp after telling me he would be back for me. Yeah, sure. The sun was coming up as I pushed that bike all the way back to the camp. He and the girl were hanging out having a wonderful conversation. I was a little upset at him not coming back for me but ended up hanging out with the girl for the rest of the time. I loaded up the bike and figured to wait till home for the next repair.

This pic is my brother and I inspecting the first time damage.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui...&sz=w1557-h557


And THAT is the rest of the story!!

[D.A.Bagin]

Here is that same bike today. 45 years later.

[duffeycycles]

Nice bike and story
funny how one remembers the stops on the side of the road more than the many travels with no problems
They say many of the things you remember long term ,vividly, were set in your brain by the adrenaline rush at the time

[exeric]

Great story D.A. and how cool is it to have the same bike today. Your Daytona story reminded me of my friend Pat who owned the '68 I mentioned before. We were on some back road heading into Daytona when we saw a few riders attending to an apparent accident. We pulled over to do what we could, but there was one guy in a total state of panic and he even ran out on the road and stopped a pick-up truck. His words to the pick-up driver have stayed with Pat and me ever since. . . "Brother Down! Brother Down!" To this day, when I see Pat and I'm tired, or having trouble with something I'll say "Brother Down!" It always get's a laugh. As for the wrecked biker; he was drunk, stoned, or both and went off the road and into one of Florida's famous culverts which are stagnant cesspools of mud, goo, and mosquitos. I'm sure he was sore later on, but the sight of that guy staggering around, covered in black mud was priceless.