Topic: Anyone Ever Do This? (Or What Dumb Thing Did You Do to Your Bike Today?)

[Imago]

After struggling for 1/2 hour with picture hanging wire and eleven (count 'em, 11) taped wires, I ended up with this.

I put the left side switch wires through the right side. 

It's a good thing I have a sense of humour.

[Gordon]

Hang that work of art on the garage wall!

[Brian G]

Uh huh. Did you get that feeling of "I can't possibly have done something that stupid!" then finally come to accept the fact?. It's similar to heating a bearing in oil and having it slip nicely onto the shaft only to realize, as it cools and shrinks in place, that you forgot to slide a spacer on first. I'm glad I'm not alone. Misery loves company

Regards,

[Stev-o]

Thats a new one! 

[ekpent]

 Any beer or other volatile  materials involved 

[PlungerWaffle]

You are not alone my friend, you are not alone...

[pjlogue]

LMAO.  Yea, I've done similar.  Had a few Duhhh moments restoring my bike last summer. 

I suggest you smooth or grind the inside of the holes to remove the sharp edges if you haven't already done so.  Makes it a lot easier.  First time I pulled wires (40 years ago when I was young and ignorant) I really chewed up the harness.  This last time I got wise and really ground down the inside holes, used string and taped it to the wire ends so it was tapered.  Still had to do the hooch-pull-hooch-pull but harness was not chewed up. 

-P.

[Imago]

Any beer or other volatile  materials involved 

Nope, just me.

Here's what it looks like this morning.... much better!

[Don R]

 Yes I have, and it gets easier every time I do it. Recently I used a cord for a pull string and blew it through the bar with compressed air. I left the plastic plug in the end of the bar and it came right out the hole. I replace the plastic covering with new shrink tubing, use a little silicone spray for lube and it zings right in.

[Bailgang]

I was painting the headlight bucket the other day for a cb350 I'm putting together but screwed up so I decided to strip the paint off and start from scratch, couldn't sandblast it so I figured paint stripper would do the job. It took the paint off alright but ate the plastic headlight bucket up too. Who needs to read the directions/warnings on the back of the can huh?

[evinrude7]

couple weeks ago i was attempting to set timing for the first time with a light.  i followed instructions someone gave me on here which were great instructions by the way.  instead of just loosening the points and leaving them hanging not tight but still contained by the screw and nut, i completely removed them and accidentally let go of the spring.  the tiny brown paper washer that keeps the screw that holds the points in from touching the metal spring flew out.  no big deal right?  yeah it's small but i'll find it.  i mean i watched it fly.  then i realized it's the same color as my gravel driveway.  lost forever. 

didn't panic.  took a zip tie and cut off a tiny square.  drilled a hole in it.  it worked.  i was sorta proud for a few minutes. 

[Deltarider]

Evinrude, I wonder what insulator you mean. Are you sure that the tiniest of tiniest of insulators, hidden right in the centre of the hole where the little bolt has to be isolated, is still in place? If not, it could cause a problem.

[Airborne 82nd]

After struggling for 1/2 hour with picture hanging wire and eleven (count 'em, 11) taped wires, I ended up with this.

I put the left side switch wires through the right side. 

It's a good thing I have a sense of humour.

All you had to do was turn around on the seat and it would feel normal.

[BomberMann650]

couple weeks ago i was attempting to set timing for the first time with a light.  i followed instructions someone gave me on here which were great instructions by the way.  instead of just loosening the points and leaving them hanging not tight but still contained by the screw and nut, i completely removed them and accidentally let go of the spring.  the tiny brown paper washer that keeps the screw that holds the points in from touching the metal spring flew out.  no big deal right?  yeah it's small but i'll find it.  i mean i watched it fly.  then i realized it's the same color as my gravel driveway.  lost forever. 

didn't panic.  took a zip tie and cut off a tiny square.  drilled a hole in it.  it worked.  i was sorta proud for a few minutes.

I think evinrude has gone overboard.

Ya Don't have to disassemble the points breaker just to set timing.

[evinrude7]

Yeah thanks. I wish I'd have known.

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[evinrude7]

delta, oh yeah the one i made works.  it was a stroke of luck that it came out like it did. 

[Don R]

 I put in a spark plug, got a drink of water and tried to put another one in the same hole. Then there was the time I began to put in oil before replacing the drain plug.

[seanbarney41]

I put in a spark plug, got a drink of water and tried to put another one in the same hole. Then there was the time I began to put in oil before replacing the drain plug.

did that...except it was a cummins industrial diesel that holds 16.3 qts in the pan and I was filling with a pump in a 50 gallon drum and I get paid by the hour to know better...only took 5 or 6 qts to figure it out.  Thank god for pig mats.

[72 yellow]

Had the CB750 up on my homemade work stand.  I was in a hurry to get it down and go for a ride.  Got my wife to help me guide it off the center stand and back down the ramp.  When I went to move it forward it just slid on the stand.  Instead of just getting something to wedge under the stand, I got on the bike and rocked it off the stand.  The next thing I knew I was sliding off the left side of the seat and me and the bike were heading over.  I ended up pinned against my 77 Monte Carlo.  My wife was on the other side and unable to help.  The front wheel was stuck in the chock.  By me pinned between the bike and the car it kept the bike from falling to the floor.  Between the both of us we were able to slowly get the bike upright and off the stand.  My wife is only 4' 10" and 110 lbs.  I ended up at our daughter's urgent care for X-rays.  I had nothing broken, but a badly bruised leg and elbow. My elbow had crushed the side view mirror on the car.  Totally my fault for being in a hurry.

[Old Moe Toe]

I think everyone has done something like that once.

[evinrude7]

ah hahahaha haaa

[mrbreeze]

One time I was doing some work on a Toyota which was up on the hoist. I was working underneath and had taken the oil filter to get better access to what I was working on. When I was done I hollered up at the guy upstairs to start it up. Only problem was I forgot to reinstall the oil filter! Made a little bit of a mess.

[JBCB500]

In the last few months, many...

I spent days struggling to get my cam chain back on the sprocket, swearing blind on this forum that I'd done everything correctly, and even believing some "chain shrinkage" theories before I realised I'd put the cam chain follower in the wrong side of the chain.

Ugh.

I feel ya.

[Blasbo]

Working on some issues with turn signals. Got it all sorted but needed the bullet connectors. I got those in and when I hooked them up - nothing, no lights. Spent half an hour with a multimeter before I thought to check the fuse.

[Gene]

Too many to count. I remember once I had done some minor maintenance, but I had taken the tank off.  Put it back on and opened the petcock to start it up - had forgotten to attach the fuel lines to the tank. Lotsa mess.