Topic: why am I so dumb

[scunny]

just finished buttoning up the cases on the 650, turning the motor over by hand to check the gear selectors etc before dropping the cylinders and head into place........and there it was, some dumbarse(me) has put one conrod on round the wrong way. now contemplating my navel
thanks for listening 

[scunny]

unfortunately no. it's time to split the cases or an attractive option at the moment is to wander down to the local watering hole.
edit.........walk away

[mustangcar]

wish you the best,we all do some things we can't believe we did or overlooked,  sorry i erased my previous  postquestion comcerning if it was easy to fix the problem,,thanks for the info

[scunny]

yeah cheers for that, I just can't believe I did it. still it's not the end of the world, just dents a mans pride

[mattcb350f]

Hey, you caught it didn't you  That's a sign of a solid mechanic.

If it makes you feel any better, I put all my carb bowles on the first time with the drain screws facing in  ..... like you, caught it before it was a real problem.

 Matt.

[fuzzybutt]

didnt know it mattered

[toycollector10]

A guy I know was putting his Norton engine back together over a wet weekend. His mate was helping out, all very social too. A few beers were consumed. Job finished.

No gasket on the head.

[scunny]

didnt know it mattered

it probably doesn't ? but it just goes to show I don't know what I'm doing. can I call it being senile
going to flip it around anyway, since that's the way it came apart

[Terry in Australia]

Don't beat yourself up Scunny, you can't help it if you're a thickhead!

[scunny]

thanks Terry, if I was man enough a swift uppercut would put me out of my misery. still the pub ran a close second on that one

[Terry in Australia]

thanks Terry, if I was man enough a swift uppercut would put me out of my misery. still the pub ran a close second on that one

Nothing wrong with that mate, I bamboozled myself with electrical diagnosis today, so instead of jumping up and down and teaching my neighbours some new words, I just packed it all up and headed off for a Bourbon. Plenty of bikes in the garage to ride still, so stuff it! 

[Johnie]

Yah, that is all part of why we are here.  I also did a dumb thing I am not afraid to admit.  Mine is not as time consuming as yours and happened 2 nights ago.  I am in the final stages of my KO restore and noticed I had put those rubber fork boots on upside down.  I swear I had looked at the pictures I took before I tore it all down to be sure I had them on right.  Well, my clue was when I was trying to snap those fork boots on to the bottom of the fork ears.  They did not want to stay there.  I thought the new clear may be to thick on the ears.  So I had to remove the tire and slide the forks out and re-torque everything.  Live and learn as they say...  

[jsaab2748]

This thread reminds me of a funny story I read in Hot Rod many years ago. Not quite the same, but along the same lines.. A guy with a wickedly fast Road Runner that had a history of electrical problems couldn't get it to start one particular day. It had dual points in the distributor, and the owner worked on it for hours trying new points, condensers, etc, After many attempts at adjusting the points, his dwell meter finally rewarded  him with the perfect readings. He re installed the cap and cranked the engine......It was still flat as a pancake. The owner then decided to give up on the thing, but only after beating the wazoo out of the left front fender with a softball bat. Later on, the guy's roommate comes home, learns of the guys ordeal, and suggests that they go out and check one last thing...
Sure enough, the guys roommate was right...He was out of gas....

[cafe750]

This thread reminds me of a funny story I read in Hot Rod many years ago. Not quite the same, but along the same lines.. A guy with a wickedly fast Road Runner that had a history of electrical problems couldn't get it to start one particular day. It had dual points in the distributor, and the owner worked on it for hours trying new points, condensers, etc, After many attempts at adjusting the points, his dwell meter finally rewarded  him with the perfect readings. He re installed the cap and cranked the engine......It was still flat as a pancake. The owner then decided to give up on the thing, but only after beating the wazoo out of the left front fender with a softball bat. Later on, the guy's roommate comes home, learns of the guys ordeal, and suggests that they go out and check one last thing...
Sure enough, the guys roommate was right...He was out of gas....

That's how I got my first bike, my '73 750. The guy I bought it from said that it just died on him and he pushed it a mile home. It sat in his garage for two years. I bought it, not knowing what was wrong with it. I pulled the bowls, and they were squeaky clean. I charged the battery while I was chasing other things. I took the tank off, turned the fuel to the "on" position, and nothing happened. I flipped it to reserve, and fuel started to come out. So, he ran it out of gas, didn't know where reserve was, and he parked the bike. I put fresh gas in, and she fired right up....

[bryanj]

OK many years ago I rebuilt a Triumph 650 pre unit with Morgo 750 barrells--Very nice kit by the way) and having finished turned round and found 2 wrist pin circlips on the gate post DUMB.

But the best i saw was another bloke rebuilt a 750 four and when he tried to start it found he had left a 3/8 drive socket on a big end nut!!---First crankcase i saw cracked OUTWARDS by the sprocket

[Johnie]

Good stories...here is another.  Now this was in the 1970's so I don't know how many of you guys worked on the old cars with points, condensor, and rotor.  A friend called to say he changed those items on his old Buick and now it will not start.  So I went over there and took a look.  I had an idea what he did and I was spot on.  The rotor on those cars could only go one way.  In fact, there was a square peg on the rotor to be sure you did not install it 180 degrees off.  Well, my friend managed to get this square peg into a round hole.  I turned it around and it ran fine.     We had a good laugh and a beer!!!

[chrislib]

Not bike related but, many moons ago I worked for Mitsubishi as a tech, we had a 3000GT VR4 (TT/AWD) that needed a transaxle replacement. I did the job (about 8 hours or so of work). I`m filling the gearbox with lube and the fella that worked in the bay next to me walks up with the throwout bearing in his hand asking me "if this is important"...HA HA HA, I thought he was gonna weee himself (I did`nt find it nearly as funny).

[mystic_1]

I came home from work one day, years ago, to find my roommate in the parking lot replacing his clutch pack on his GS750 with an extra-disc setup.  Said hi on the way upstairs, he said he'd been at it for hours.  I went up, ate dinner, then stood on the balcony for an hour watching him tinker with it.  Finally I finished my beer and went to take a look.  "I can't get it adjusted right" he says, "I've gone over everything and taken it apart over and over, but I just can't figure it out."  I glanced at the workshop manual lying next to the bike, loosened the clutch cable adjusters, and had the clutch adjusted in about 30 seconds.  Jumped on the bike, zipped around the parking lot once, told him to RTFM, and went back upstairs lol


mystic_1

[754]

Anyone with 1/2 a coconut would roll the engine through before buttoning up.. he will now...

[754]

Then there was the guy that was putting his main jets in on the bench, answered the phone... and then got to ride to Bonneville alone.. cause the bike would not run...

[paulages]

hey scunny-- which way is right? was installing my rods last night (650 rods also), and couldn't find anything anywhere in the literature designating which direction they are supposed to face. they look symmetrical except for the "bumps" in the castings on the sides. in the manual there is a picture with the "one bump" side facing the stator, so that what i did. is that how yours came apart?

[Porscheguy912]

This thread reminds me of a funny story I read in Hot Rod many years ago. Not quite the same, but along the same lines.. A guy with a wickedly fast Road Runner that had a history of electrical problems couldn't get it to start one particular day. It had dual points in the distributor, and the owner worked on it for hours trying new points, condensers, etc, After many attempts at adjusting the points, his dwell meter finally rewarded  him with the perfect readings. He re installed the cap and cranked the engine......It was still flat as a pancake. The owner then decided to give up on the thing, but only after beating the wazoo out of the left front fender with a softball bat. Later on, the guy's roommate comes home, learns of the guys ordeal, and suggests that they go out and check one last thing...
Sure enough, the guys roommate was right...He was out of gas....

That's how I got my first bike, my '73 750. The guy I bought it from said that it just died on him and he pushed it a mile home. It sat in his garage for two years. I bought it, not knowing what was wrong with it. I pulled the bowls, and they were squeaky clean. I charged the battery while I was chasing other things. I took the tank off, turned the fuel to the "on" position, and nothing happened. I flipped it to reserve, and fuel started to come out. So, he ran it out of gas, didn't know where reserve was, and he parked the bike. I put fresh gas in, and she fired right up....

I got my new bike through a similar blunder.
I bought my new CB750F2 from a guy who bought it as a favor for a friend going through a  divorce. He needed the money, and the new buyer knew nothing of CB's.
He rode it all year and put it away for the winter. The next spring he got it out and it would not run. No spark & no power at all. So he put it back in the garage for the summer and the following spring (this past April 2008) he puts it up for sale. $600.00 for a near mint condition bike (not running). So he tells me what happened and I noticed that the ignition switch feels really loose, so I look behind the fork and notice that the wiring harness that goes to the ignition switch has pulled out.
I paid cash, plugged it back in, Rides great.
LMAO!   

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, all this talk reminds me of the time when I came home from work early and caught a stranger making love to my wife!

I questioned him at length, only to discover that his house was very similar to mine, and he thought he had come home and was shagging his wife! Silly bugger, talk about a brain fart!

[Johnie]

Man Terry...you are one understanding guy!!!  What was that address again...

[scunny]

sorry for the delay paulages
according to haynes ...the connecting rods must be fitted in their original locations and with the numerical code towards the front of the engine. Clymer make no mention of orientation that I have found. when I pulled the crank the writing on the conrods was on the opposite side from the alternator and the caps were orientated so the writing was the right way up when holding the crankshaft with alternator towards you. so I don't know if it's important but shall do it that way.