OB_BarryW.
Registered
Reading Lofty Abuse's gas leakage post brought back many memories that have grown from painful to funny over time. Everyone feels better when they read one and discover they're not the only complete idiot inhabiting the planet. I'll incriminate myself first and invite others to share some of these "memories":
A few years back, while inspecting the clutch of my GS1150 ('Busas grandpa) I "discovered" that the previous owner had missed on the number of plates required. I recall he'd mentioned how finicky the clutch had been for him and therefore felt justified in changing the pack layout. Buckled her up, fired the engine (choke on, 2500rpm), pulled in the clutch and tapped her into gear while (regrettably) simultaneously nudging her off the centerstand. Had the clutch truly been disengaged this would not have been a problem. Since this bike rivalled the 'Busa for bottom end torque (remember 2500rpm) and "hit the ground running"; it WAS a problem. Better yet, cold tires and a smooth garage floor with a light coat of dust ensured that the front wheel could not provide enough braking traction to stall the engine, especially since the back wheel was now spinning. So I can't let go of the front brake because I'll accelerate, the clutch lever serves no purpose for my "updated" clutch pack, the back tire is spinning and I'm plowing the front tire across the shop headed toward the rest of my bikes, which now look strangely like bowling pins. At the last moment my brain finally gets through and screams "HIT THE KILL SWITCH, DUMBA$$!" This helped immensely and I actually avoided dropping the bike or "bowling for spare parts". I immediately reconfigured the clutch to its original "incorrect" setup and things were fine again.
A few years back, while inspecting the clutch of my GS1150 ('Busas grandpa) I "discovered" that the previous owner had missed on the number of plates required. I recall he'd mentioned how finicky the clutch had been for him and therefore felt justified in changing the pack layout. Buckled her up, fired the engine (choke on, 2500rpm), pulled in the clutch and tapped her into gear while (regrettably) simultaneously nudging her off the centerstand. Had the clutch truly been disengaged this would not have been a problem. Since this bike rivalled the 'Busa for bottom end torque (remember 2500rpm) and "hit the ground running"; it WAS a problem. Better yet, cold tires and a smooth garage floor with a light coat of dust ensured that the front wheel could not provide enough braking traction to stall the engine, especially since the back wheel was now spinning. So I can't let go of the front brake because I'll accelerate, the clutch lever serves no purpose for my "updated" clutch pack, the back tire is spinning and I'm plowing the front tire across the shop headed toward the rest of my bikes, which now look strangely like bowling pins. At the last moment my brain finally gets through and screams "HIT THE KILL SWITCH, DUMBA$$!" This helped immensely and I actually avoided dropping the bike or "bowling for spare parts". I immediately reconfigured the clutch to its original "incorrect" setup and things were fine again.
