Topic: What's the worst/dumbest thing a PO did to your bike?

[grepper]

On a CB650 I found an old T-Shirt stuffed under the tank...  guess because the tank rubbers were worn out.

[ekpent]

Hose clamps to install the mounting bracket for a vetter fairing... unless thats a common practice idk... i thought it looked sketchy

Actually that is the common practice of installing the Vetter bracket,or at least the many I have taken off.

[MoMo]

he could have at least used a SS zip tie FFS   

or a coat hanger...Larry

[MCRider]

he could have at least used a SS zip tie FFS   

or a coat hanger...Larry

Yes a coat hanger would be far more..elegant.

[550Z]

the po for my bike put chopper forks on the front end which looked terrible, and he took the bike and covered it in 2 quarts of oil to prevent it from rusting!! it was outside for a week!!!! then he sold it to me!!

[oldbob]

Hose clamps to install the mounting bracket for a vetter fairing... unless thats a common practice idk... i thought it looked sketchy

Actually that is the common practice of installing the Vetter bracket,or at least the many I have taken off.

That is how Vetter did it. In August of 1973, I picked up (long story) a new Windjammer at the factory in Illinois, and I installed it on my Suzuki GT550 before leaving.

Bob

[steam-powered man]

winna - winna - chicken - dinnah!

could it be?  omg.

taking the rear wheel off for refurb last night, i found that the PO had used a valve stem to hold the brake arm to the brake panel.  first clue was little flat nut, then the air valve.   

he'd cut the valve stem out of a tube, and stuffed the rubber part into the recess on the backside of the brake panel.  everything else has looked fine so far, but now ...................       

[mjstone]

Hose clamps to install the mounting bracket for a vetter fairing... unless thats a common practice idk... i thought it looked sketchy

Actually that is the common practice of installing the Vetter bracket,or at least the many I have taken off.

That is how Vetter did it. In August of 1973, I picked up (long story) a new Windjammer at the factory in Illinois, and I installed it on my Suzuki GT550 before leaving.

Bob

It is how they are intended to be mounted!  To be fair about it, there is 8 clamps holding the the fairing bracket to the frame.  Very solid mounting.  Craig Vetter is a genius.  The support to hold the trunk lid open is a coil spring used as a rod.  The wind catches it and nothing brakes.  Closing the lid just folds the spring over. 

MJ

[Jay Ace]

Cut original pipes, cut original MINT fenders (front and back), stripped and filled gas tank then covered in #$%* paint job, stripped (from over tightening) valve adjustment port covers, missing fuse box, ape hangers and who knows what else ...

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Think of a master link, the type with the removable clip used on final drive chains.  You know what I'm talking about, two pins welded to a side plate, push the pins thru the ends of the chain, add another side plate, hold it all together with a spring  clip.  Easy Peasy.

Now, imagine if you instead assembled it this way... Side plate with pins followed by the second side plate, push the pins thru the chain ends, hold it all together with the clip. 

That's right, he/she has BOTH of the side plates one ONE side!  That poor little spring clip doing its best to hold the other side by itself!  The extra thick side gauging the case while your at it too!

[madmtnmotors]

Cut original pipes, cut original MINT fenders (front and back), stripped and filled gas tank then covered in #$%* paint job, stripped (from over tightening) valve adjustment port covers, missing fuse box, ape hangers and who knows what else ...

My recent project also has quite a laundry list of things "not to do". So much so, that I would say the worst thing the P.O. did to my bike was the act of buying it in the first place.... 

[dummy]

on my 75 when the #2 plug wire broke on the en that attaches to the plug he used a sheetrock screw to re attach it. but the dumbet was removing the airbox, leaving the carbs open, and letting it sit for 14 years. my motor looks awesome on the inside.

[CycleRanger]

winna - winna - chicken - dinnah!

could it be?  omg.

taking the rear wheel off for refurb last night, i found that the PO had used a valve stem to hold the brake arm to the brake panel.  first clue was little flat nut, then the air valve.   

he'd cut the valve stem out of a tube, and stuffed the rubber part into the recess on the backside of the brake panel.  everything else has looked fine so far, but now ...................     

I'm having a hard time visualizing that..

[Jay Ace]

Front brake light was not coming on so I looked and saw this:



One wire was cut and it was just dangling like that. Not taped off or anything 

[steam-powered man]

pic for mr ranger:

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

confessions of a dirty dirty PO.
Hello boys, my name is Joe.....and I have done some bad, bad things.
I was the PO that used black ducktape to cover the seat on that CB550.
 I used the entire kit of Caswell tank sealer on that Dunstall tank (frigging thing weighs around 10lbs empty)
I was the guy that used cardboard and Bondo to fix that rocker panel on the 75 Dodge Dart Swinger.
I was the guy that tried to weld the rust on that International ScoutII, only to give up and use aluminum tape and bedliner to fill the hole.


sorry

[MoMo]

pic for mr ranger:

Maybe he was trying out a new theory of cushioned breaking( I meant breaking rather than braking as there is a high possibility of breaking all your bones with that brilliant repair)...Larry

[CycleRanger]

pic for mr ranger:

Ha ha! That's actually kinda clever, in a way. Somebody put some thought into that!

[Stev-o]

This thread reminds me of this website.....



http://failblog.cheezburger.com/thereifixedit/tag/motorcycle/page/4

[MoMo]

This thread reminds me of this website.....



http://failblog.cheezburger.com/thereifixedit/tag/motorcycle/page/4

That's a good one, seen many of the photos but not all in one site.  Amazing ingenuity ...Larry

[754]

 Jay that wire is likely not cut, they break sometimes.
.The. Schrader valve in the back brake is scary, not much shear strength in brass. The original should have a shoulder , so that threads are not in shear.

[Jay Ace]

Jay that wire is likely not cut, they break sometimes.

I neglected to mention that whoever noticed it before me, took the time to push it out of the way behind the tank. They knew it was like that. Right circumstances that could have cause a big fire.

[754]

I just taped mine back together to make it look connected..cold weathercriding is hard on them, Not sure it could start a fire..easily..

[Jay Ace]

That bare wire touched the frame and threw a giant spark ... right under the tank.

[Terry in Australia]

A giant spark from a brake light wire? If that's the case, you've got a major electrical fault mate...........