Worst wrenching experience

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

MP Tool

Back to the thread, my worst wrenching experience was trying to use the pice of S#!t MP valve adjusting tool How in the H&!! can you get this pice of S#!t to work I tried to put it in place, then I turned the motor back the wrong direction just a little bit, and BAM! cracked head It is not my fault, it it that darn tool. Next, I tried to get it to fit in it's place without having the motor lined up right and it wouldn't go in. That darn POS tool, I KNOW IT's NOT MY "incompetence", Iam a "Super Guru moderator" or extremly XSive member, I am never wrong

[mr_misfit138]

My worst was on a tank I was refinishing on my girlfriend '86 Honda Rebel 450, that she had just barely bought as her very first bike, was super excited about, and had only ridden a few times. If any of you have ever dealt with these bikes, you probably know that you're chances of winning the lottery are better than finding replacement parts for them.

I had just re-painted the sides black and put an awesome coppery-rusty patina stripe up the center, everything was perfect, and I was on the final wet sand, and I was sitting on an upside-down 5 gallon bucket in my driveway doing it. I had to get up and do something real quick, so, instead of setting the tank on the ground, Mr. Genius here blanked. I ended up setting it on the bucket, I took a few steps, and then heard a big hollow "clunk" behind me. I knew exactly what had happened, and just cringed. I didn't even want to turn around and see what it looked like. When I did, it had a softball-sized, heavily creased dent right in the side, kinda where our emblems would be, and it chipped chunks of paint off all the way to the bare metal! My heart sank in my chest.

Since it was way to deep to Bondo over, I tried to blow the dent out with compressed air, but the sides are a lot thicker than the bottom, so the bottom of the tank ballooned a little, and I realized that it was out of my fixing ability. I had to take it in to a local auto body shop and pay $300 for them to pull the dent, smooth it out, and to repaint the black areas. Luckily, they were able to keep the patina stripe, and get it looking back to normal, but the whole reason that I was refinishing it was so we wouldn't have to pay $150 for them to repaint it in the first place...

Needless to say, I learned a very valuable lesson that day.

[je2wheeler]

At one time or another, I've done them all.

No. 1 was my most resent. When I use a torque wrench, when I’m finished with a task, I set the wrench back to zero, except right after setting the torque on the cam sprockets. The phone called me away. Upon return, I installed the chain tension, picked up the wrench popped on the 5mm allen. I thought that first screw was taking a lot of torque ‘till it went easy. In that instant, I knew what I had done. So far that is the only heli-coil on my XS.

[XJfan1]

Unfortunately, I've got several. I'd just put a motor back together and in the bike the night before. I let gasket sealer set up all night. I still hadn't installed the alternator cover, but knew the bike would run on just the battery, and I just wanted to make sure it'd run. I walked out to the garage, barefoot and in shorts, holding a cup of coffee, turned the key and hit the starter. The bike purred to life and I smiled. It sounded so good, I went ahead and blipped the throttle a couple times, totally forgetting that the galley plug that holds all the bike's oil pressure is held in place with.... the alternator cover.

I never did find that galley plug, but a good quart of fresh oil found my leg from the shin down and all over the floor before I could get it shut off. Don't work on your bike or operate machinery until you've had that first cup of coffee.

+1 i did about the same thing. letting the bike idle with the cover off watching the rotor spin. then a small pop and oil everywhere. its amazing how fast that oil comes out of that plug hole. i did find my plug though.

[skids]

Yep...done that. Anyone ever shot themselves in the forehead with the cam chain tensioer plunger? I have and that was one of my stupid moments!

[trbig]

Unfortunately, I've got several. I'd just put a motor back together and in the bike the night before. I let gasket sealer set up all night. I still hadn't installed the alternator cover, but knew the bike would run on just the battery, and I just wanted to make sure it'd run. I walked out to the garage, barefoot and in shorts, holding a cup of coffee, turned the key and hit the starter. The bike purred to life and I smiled. It sounded so good, I went ahead and blipped the throttle a couple times, totally forgetting that the galley plug that holds all the bike's oil pressure is held in place with.... the alternator cover.

I never did find that galley plug, but a good quart of fresh oil found my leg from the shin down and all over the floor before I could get it shut off. Don't work on your bike or operate machinery until you've had that first cup of coffee.

[erithanis]

Whoops

I haven't been working on bikes and cars long enough to have any truly interesting stories, but certainly my biggest whoops to date was on my first oil change on my XS.

Going along just fine, almost finished and started adding a couple quarts--until I realize that I have no idea how much oil to put back in. Can't find a dipstick like a car. Buy a Clymer manual, scrape all the caked on dirt over the window(praying the PO changed its oil at least once) and finally got that sorted out.

Happy as a clam I turn the engine over and nearly fall over with the bike as three quarts of oil slick up the garage floor. Missed the "and tighten oil filter nut" step.

several hours and several gallons of cat-litter later I was done and ready to make my next mistake. =) And follow direction a tad more closely.

[LoHo]

Yeah, "marine" and "motorcycle" are two words that mean "overpriced." The electricals of a boat do have to be marine to get by the Coast Guard (and not blow up the boat when fumes collect in that sealed vessel), but the gaskets and hard bits are a push.

I figure motorcycle = 2X the price, marine = 3X.

Sort of like "restaurant" verses "bistro" or "ristorante".

[crazy steve]

I knew a guy kinda like that; he'd ask for advice on a repair, then argue with me if what I suggested wasn't cheap enough. I wouldn't do the work; I watched him fix it multiple time via his 'method', then when the repair invariably failed, asked him if he was ready to listen to me. He finally quit asking....

He was also gullible... He was rebuilding a 302 Ford motor for his boat, and somebody convinced him he needed a special 'marine' gasket set for the motor @ $350. Got rather pissed when I showed him it was no different than the 'generic' ones I bought (down to the part numbers stamped/molded on some of them) for $35....

[Diskman01]

A few years back I did a complete brake job on a friends car. Down to the wheel cylinders and some hard lines. Brakes worked like a DREAM.

He still took it to the DEALER and had them replace everything anyway. WTF man. I lost an entire weekend.

Same guy- I fixed an intake leak on a 91ish Ford Tempo for him. Massive EGR leak. Got parts for it at the pick-n-pull yard on a weekend etc..

He then trades it in for a new Kia. Dealer gave him 200 for the car.

I would have gave him $400.

I don't work on his cars anymore.. I just advise. He still takes them to the dealer for small work. $$$$$$

[trbig]

If it had, then yes it would. But since it didn't.. it's all good! Minimal damage.. just a little excitement.

[BA80]

I know tyhat but I would have thought that burning a bike and nearly Russ' house with it would have been a pretty bad wrenching experience.

[trbig]

LOL......bike-b-q

Well in that case, he was paying me to work on it, and he did sell it to ME, so that wasn't what I was talking about.. lol.

[BA80]

Worst wrenching experience for me? Using my time, tools, spare parts, and fuel to help someone get their bike going, only to have them turn around and sell the bike.

LOL......bike-b-q

[Prothec]

Worst wrenching experience for me? Using my time, tools, spare parts, and fuel to help someone get their bike going, only to have them turn around and sell the bike.

I hate that. Last summer I helped a coworker with a GSXR600 wiring and carbs only to have him sell it right away for a loss to get some quick cash.