Adding insult to injury: a busted clutch cable
[3/20/2014] Well, Kevin and Jim got my bike running on Tuesday. However, as if my bike needed any more problems to convince us it's cursed, the clutch cable broke while Kevin was test riding it. And while he was standing by the side of the rode waiting to get picked up, it began snowing. (Winter sucks!)
Kevin had to call his brother Matt to come and get him with a trailer. Fortunately, my friend Mike Russo now parks his covered trailer at Jockeys' and lets them use it for just such circumstances.
The really funny part is that Mr. Russo was joking with Kevin, Matt, Jim, and me last week that he needs to keep the trailer (rather than sell it) because of my bike. As you may know from reading some of my earlier blog posts, Mike had to come and get me and my dead machine along I540 last summer and he and I have spent many hours in his garage over the last couple of years fixing all kinds of problems. Little did he know how soon another rescue of my bike would be needed! (He laughed mightily when he heard the story from Kevin.)
I got the bike back today and it runs great. The problem turned out to be in the fuel system (details are a trade secret :-) and Kevin now believes my old fuel pump was near death and it was, in hindsight, excellent timing that I decided to replace it.
About that clutch cable (photo above right; click for a closeup)...it broke at the lever, with the ring at the end snapping off. When I had Jimmy put new, longer handelbars on the bike a few years ago, it caused problems with my cruise control/cancel switch (throttle cables weren't long enough, as we figured out later) and he told me that is was a real bitch getting the stock clutch cable on with the longer bars. Well, that extra tension finally took its toll this week. I told Kevin about the longer bars and he put a "plus 2" cable on there, a cable two inches longer than stock.
The bike now runs great and I am ready for Spring to arrive tomorrow. The weather here is supposed to be 70 and sunny in the afternoon. Bring it on! (My sympathies to those of you in colder climates.)
Keep the shiny side up.
The Long Rider
Michael A. Uhl
Reader Comments (1)
Finally, hooray and congrats!