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I changed the fork oil in one of my 4 bikes, all in the garage. Before jacking up the front, I loosened all of the necessary bolts: calipers, axle bolt pinch bolts, fork caps --like I was supposed to.
I took of the wheel, and changed the bearings while it was off, and changed the fork oil.
Remembering how difficult it can be starting the cap bolts, I put the wheel back on and lowered the jack until the tire was on the floor. Can you guess what happeded next??? Oh yeah, I lowered the jack all the way down!
You guessed it! The forks retracted ALL THE WAY DOWN (no restraint on the springs). The bike then rolled foreward off of the centerstand. I jumped up and out of instinct, I grabbed the handlebar -- which was not even bolted down! It was good that a riding buddy had stopped by and was observing, because he stopped the bike from tipping towards the other bikes. It would have rolled the first bike off of its sidestand, and the domino effect would have ruined all three other bikes!!! The fork springs were sticking out of the tubes as if to taunt me.
Moral of the story, put the caps on before you let down the jack. The motorcycle gods were good to me yesterday.
I took of the wheel, and changed the bearings while it was off, and changed the fork oil.
Remembering how difficult it can be starting the cap bolts, I put the wheel back on and lowered the jack until the tire was on the floor. Can you guess what happeded next??? Oh yeah, I lowered the jack all the way down!
You guessed it! The forks retracted ALL THE WAY DOWN (no restraint on the springs). The bike then rolled foreward off of the centerstand. I jumped up and out of instinct, I grabbed the handlebar -- which was not even bolted down! It was good that a riding buddy had stopped by and was observing, because he stopped the bike from tipping towards the other bikes. It would have rolled the first bike off of its sidestand, and the domino effect would have ruined all three other bikes!!! The fork springs were sticking out of the tubes as if to taunt me.
Moral of the story, put the caps on before you let down the jack. The motorcycle gods were good to me yesterday.
. Oh feces!...I thought. Thank God two guys helping load the bike were right there to catch me and the Maxim.
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