This month' s article can really be subtitled "Lessons Learned".
Those that know me know that I have a fondness for the older machinery. When
you ride a 15 year old motorcycle, things can go wrong at inopportune times.
This summer has been no exception. I had an ignition switch fail on my
Pantah during the Sport Bike Rally in Parry Sound (Ontario) this year. The
same ignition switch re-failed 3 weeks later, after I thought that I had it
fixed, but that is another story. But, the lesson that I learned concerns
tool kits and being prepared. This was not my first roadside repair and I am
sure that it will not be my last.
Neither the Pantah nor the 900 SS (bevel) have their own tool kit, so I have
carried the tool kit from the Alazzurra with me over the years regardless of
the bike that I was riding. The Alazzurra actually has a pretty good set of
tools by Japanese bike standards (at least compared to the Japanese bikes
that I used to own), but it is not perfect. It still has the cheesy cast
wrenches that seem to be common with all motorcycle tool kits, but I thought
that it had a pretty good selection of bits and pieces, wrenches, allen
keys, screw drivers etc.
However, I was wrong!
When the ignition switch failed, I was pretty sure that I knew what the
problem was. This is the second time I have had an ignition switch give up
the ghost. Turning the key resulted in absolutely nothing! No dash lights,
no starter, no horn, nothing. It was just like having a main fuse blow.
Being that I was trying to troubleshoot things in a methodical fashion, I
went to checking things in order of likelihood. First thing that I checked
was that the battery connections were still good. Yes, I have had a battery
cable break (late at night, on a dark highway, in the middle of nowhere!)
Next was the fuse box and the main fuse. Checking a fuse is easy with a
multimeter, you have conductivity, or you don't. Without a multimeter, you
have to do a visual check. The fuse was good. Finding out that the fuse was
good only took 10 minutes. Getting the fuse back into the fuse holder took
an additional 20 minutes. Darned if I could get it back in place without
pulling the fibreglass tailpiece!
About this point, a "gentleman" on a non-Ducati pulled up and stopped beside
me on the road. Does he ask me if I need any help? (I have pieces of
motorcycle spread all over the grass beside the road at this point!) Does he
commiserate, does he recommend that I get rid of this piece of Italian
scrap? No, he asks me if I know where the next checkpoint is, totally
ignoring my plight! It is a good thing that I am a level headed individual,
with a non-violent streak. I have words for that sort of individual, most of
which my computer's spell checker does not recognise!
Anyway, having decided that the fuses were not at fault, I proceeded to
check the ignition switch. Easier said than done! Remember when I said, I
thought that the tool kit I had was reasonably complete. At this point, I
found out what it was missing! There is no known substitute for a 3 mm allen
key. You have it, or you don't. Fortunately, my buddy happened along at this
point, and I was able to make use of his tools.
Which brings me (finally) to the point of this article and the explanation
of the subtitle!
Make sure that the tool kit that you are carrying is actually up to the
challenge of roadside repairs. For want of that 3 mm allen key, I would have
been stranded. My tool kit now contains a complete set of allen keys, from 1
mm right on up to the largest size that my bike needs. Another thing that I
have added to the tool kit is a test lamp. A multimeter would have been very
nice, but they are expensive and fragile. I went to the local auto parts
store and bought a test lamp for $5, which is now a permanent part of the
tool kit. The test lamp makes it easy to determine if a circuit has power or
not. Connect the clip to a known ground and touch the probe to a wire. If
the lamp lights, there is power, if not, you know where to start looking. I
could have saved 30 minutes if I had had this light in Parry Sound. Touch
one side of the fuse, touch the other, if the light lights, the fuse is
good. Simple as that!
Take a look at the tools that you have available in your tool kit and try to
imagine fixing your bike at the roadside. What are you missing, and what
would make the job easier (or even remotely possible!)? I am not talking
about a top end rebuild here. There are some roadside problems that are
better (only) solved with a cell phone and a credit card. Just for fun, try
to perform some of the basic maintenance with just the tools in the tool
kit. Make a list of the things that you are missing and add them. Don't go
overboard, but make sure you have at least the basics.
My revised tool kit contains the following bits and pieces in addition to
the tools that it came with:
- a 4" crescent wrench (because most often a 12 mm bolt has a 12 mm nut on
the other end and the tool kit only has one 12 mm wrench!)
- complete set of allen keys
- a selection of tie wraps
- some 16 gauge insulated wire
- electric tape (I had the brilliant idea of taking some of the tape off of
the roll and wrapping it around the electrical tester so that I didn't have
to carry the whole roll. Great idea, except that when I went to use the
tape, it wouldn't stick to anything except itself. It seems that it was an
old roll of tape, but you may want to be sure that this works before
committing yourself to it. When I needed the tape, it refused to stick. I
ended up wrapping the tape around the wires and securing it in place with a
tie wrap!
- a flash light (do the batteries still work?)
- the test lamp
- spare fuses (You should have at least 2 spare fuses of the largest
capacity on the bike. The first spare is to prove that you do indeed have a
short circuit. (Darn, I just blew my spare fuse!) The second one is to
replace the first when you finally find the problem and fix it
successfully!) You can always use a 30 amp fuse in a 7 amp circuit but not
vice versa. I know, this is not good practice. But if it gets you home. Just
make sure that you replace the fuse with one of the proper rating as soon as
you can.
- a decent tool roll to keep all of this stuff together!
- a shop rag or two for clean up. (I wrap mine around the outside of the
tool roll.)
- a swiss army knife (to do the McGyver thing!) It also works to take the
cap off of that well deserved bottle of beer or to pull the cork out of the
wine bottle when you get back to civilisation!
One thing that I probably should add is a set of small vice grips, probably
needle nosed. These tools have an unlimited number of uses, especially when
you are alone and desperate! If you have any special fasteners that require
unusual tools, make sure that you have them with you. I should upgrade the
wrenches in the future. I have also seen a set of open/box end wrenches at
one of the local tool places that were cheaply forged instead of cheaply
cast. These may stand up a little better under roadside use. I have broken
one of the cast wrenches in the past. Better of course, will be to go to
Sears and buy a real set of wrenches on sale! (Did I mention that I am
cheap?)
I have heard of a tool kit marketed under the name of "Cruz Tools".
According to the magazine review these were pretty good. But the same
comments apply. Make sure that you actually have the tools that YOUR BIKE
needs!
Once you have the perfect tool roll, don't even think of passing it on when
you change motorcycles! This is one time that you should be selfish.
One thing that needs to be included is a large dose of confidence and some
basic familiarity with your motorcycle. This does not fit well into your
average tool roll, but is totally indispensable. If you are mechanically
inept, consider taking a basic maintenance course to pick up on the basics.
At least have the tools with you, even if you do not have the knowledge or
skills to use them. Not all good Samaritans carry metrics! Even if you do
not intend to work on the bike yourself, I strongly suggest that you
purchase a service manual and read it from cover to cover. By increasing
your familiarity with the bike, you increase your chance of changing a major
problem into a minor inconvenience.
A couple of last points. The CAA and (I assume) the AAA (sorry, that's the
Canadian and American Automobile Association) are now offering roadside
assistance for motorcycles. You may want to look into this possibility. I
think that you have to buy the extended service package, but it is
comforting to know that it is available.
Probably one of the most useful tools for roadside problems is the
ubiquitous "cell phone". If you are travelling any distance, they can be
worth their weight in gold. If you have a problem that you cannot solve,
help is literally just a call away. They also make it easy to check in with
your better half at the end of a long day.
That's it for this time. Once again, I have not said anything about special
tools. I will get to them sooner or later. In the mean time, if anyone has
any comments or would like to share their experiences and tips with others,
please let me know. I can be reached by e-mail at dgooch@xcelco.on.ca
Thanks again.
Safe riding,
Dave Gooch
PS: Tip of the month - If you ever have an ignition switch die, try
exchanging the parking light wires and the ignition wires on the back of the
switch. At least on the Alazzurra, it worked for me! (And why is it that I
only remembered this trick now instead of when I needed it in Parry Sound.
Must be old age!)
