Screwed UP!

[China Rider 27]

I had been thinking that it would be fun to have a post that details how while working on your bike you did something stupid or screwed up a process or a mechanical technique or other repair or it could be anything motorcycle related. Screwed up! Now of course if you post on this you are making yourself vulnerable and opening your reputation up to scrutiny but there is just too much humor in this to let it go AND so much to be learned. Toughen up and post and if you screw up in the future post back. I will go first.

A year ago, you know I bought a HAWK. Like others I scrutinized the forum learning about techniques and mods. I have done a lot of mechanics and rebuilt a lot of two and four barrels and lawn mowers but no motorcycle experience but still this is easy. I got the carb off and ground the bowl screws and adjusted the pilot, checked the float, and replaced the main no problem. Put it back on the bike. The throttle seemed really lose and had a long travel but I thought well, it is an inexpensive China bike so what can you expect? I finished the full assembly and out for its first fire up. As it coughed to life it exploded into the worst engine racing backfiring commotion I had ever heard, a runaway hacking misfire 3000 rpm idle. A screaming beast. I thought man, they weren’t kidding when they said it needed some tuning this thing is horrible! No adjustment would work on the carburetor. I even took a little spin around the street on it which was nothing short of dangerous given the high erratic idle.

So now I am thinking this China Bike thing don’t look to good. After tinkering awhile, I eventually took the carburetor apart and ……... you guessed it the throttle slide was hung up on the idle screw and not fully seated! So the china bike took me to school right outa the gate! Post your screw ups!

[JerryHawk250]

Haha! I know you weren't the first one to do that. That's one thing about this forum. No one will bash you for it. We are all learning as we go on the china bikes.

[China Rider 27]

It should read "right outa the crate"! LOL!

[kingofqueenz]

Similar story on my end, my TBR7 was my first motorcycle and since I'm handy with a wrench, I ordered it disassembled which was not a big deal.

A few minor screw ups

#1 Tuning the carb to the point where I did'nt need any choke at start up, well that ran way too rich


#2 Swapping the front sprocket for a 17 tooth, easy enough but getting the chain back on was no easy task and trying to eyeball the rear wheel alignment afterwards .. FORGET IT - had to purchase a nifty little chain alignment tool.


#3 Clutch adjustment, damn cluster fk when you never rode a motorcycle before. My cuz who rides finally came over and showed me just how BAD I was at adjusting it.


Jerry speaks the truth, this is a non judgmental "safe place" this forum, thank goodness

[Sport Rider]

I just don't know what to say about you guys lack of mechanical ability. My motorcycle projects ALWAYS work right the first time.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

I just don't know what to say about you guys lack of mechanical ability. My motorcycle projects ALWAYS work right the first time.

Yeah right!

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

Yeah right!

What?????

I'm offended by that comment!

Over the weekend I got the carbs installed on my cafe. no easy project sliding 4 carbs into the space meant for a spagetti noodle. Then I realized I forgot to put the fuel line on the rack. ended up just pulling them back off and doing it all over again.

[JerryHawk250]

I'm not going to lie. I did a goof up Friday night. I changed swapped the main jet trying to get the new bike tuned in. Bike ran great but seem kind of loud. I forgot to put the intake tube back on. I was lucky the clamp didn't fall off.

[BuffaloChinaRider]

Well since we are all doing it, I'll just mention what I did last week. As many of you already know and have helped me but I'll say anyway. Last week I went to adjust my valves on my apollo db36deluxe its my first OHC engine so I didn't realize the whole set up was different than my previous CG. Long story short I went to adjust the valves, I took off the plug caps that were above the valves but there was little to zero space to work to adjust the valves. So I put the caps back on.....then I took the whole dang cam cover off ������ pain in the butt. I had to buy jondabond , jerry sent me torque specs and other members here told me what to do in order to fix the mistake. Pretty much put things back together and went back to the two caps I took off in the first place took them off and adjusted the valves..that's how my week went last week but thanks to this forum and the guys on here, I put things back together without a problem and everything is fine!

[Megadan]

My most recent goof up was forgetting to double check that I had tightened the valve cover bolts down after doing a valve lash check. This resulted in one bolt backing out and a torrent of oil spraying all over my leg and the exhaust header making a pretty spectacular cloud and rather smelly experience.

Thankfully a 10mm wrench is one thing I do travel with.

[Sport Rider]

I'm just glad I'm not the only one. :-D

[Deryl]

Ok, When I got my hawk all put together I was obviously too excited to ride is so I put gas in it and rolled it into the street to fire her up. Spent the next 5 minutes draining my battery trying to start it with not even a attempt of the engine to turn over. It was 5 minutes of full choke, half choke and no choke. Now the panic is starting to set in. I GOT A LEMON!!!

Dead set on not letting this get the best of me I decide to use the kick starter to get this beast running. Everything is stock keep in mind so jetting is way off. No way in HELL this is going to kick over but I did not know this at the time. Spent at least another 5 minutes wearing my leg out trying to get this POS to turn over! Just before I passed out from trying to kick it over I wheeled it back into the garage.

Checking things over trying to see what I can do next I check the kill switch, hoping like hell it is off and that is why its not turning over. No luck, it is in the run position. Now the real panic starts in, I start sweating and get that sick feeling in my stomach, I just bought a huge paper weight. Next I decide to check the fuel petcock to make sure its working so I turn the fuel to the off position to make sure the tank doesn't empty on the garage floor.

Remove the fuel line and its bone dry, no gas has been in it. Turn it on reserve and fuel comes out! Didn't realize I needed to add so much fuel for the main to be submerged. Spent the next couple minutes laughing at calling the bike a POS when it was completely my negligence.

One more for ya, trust me I got plenty more but just one more for now. One of my first rides after breaking the hawk in I stop at a light and hit the kill switch and turn it back to the on position just because. I do this sometimes if I know I will be at the light for a while. Light turns green and I hit the start button and nothing. I jump off the bike and push it to the sidewalk to get out of traffic as everyone is honking and cussing me out.

Jump back on and hit the starter again and nothing still. Great, I am going to be the first person to buy a hawk and have it blow up before I get 100 miles on it. Now its been a few years since I had a bike so just trying to get back into riding again and not remembering everything. I look at the cluster and realize the N lights not on. Pull the clutch in and hit the starter and it fires right up. I had enough sense to pull the clutch lever in to roll it off the road but not before starting it up. Had a good laugh with that one also.

[kingofqueenz]

Dan mentions carrying a 10mm wrench... couldn't agree more not just for my TBR7... but my Honda Accord as well. Amazing how many bolts are 10mm

Regarding what Deryl said, I had a few occasions with my TBR7 throwing a false N light on me and not starting after running a quick errand.

That fear you feel of knowing you are about to do the "Walk of Shame" with your lemon of a chinese motorcycle and the 20 mins you spend checking everything else but the obvious.

Now I know, its most likely a false N light

[Deryl]

Mine wasn't a false neutral. It was in first when I killed it.

[China Rider 27]

Originally Posted by Megadan

My most recent goof up was forgetting to double check that I had tightened the valve cover bolts down after doing a valve lash check. This resulted in one bolt backing out and a torrent of oil spraying all over my leg and the exhaust header making a pretty spectacular cloud and rather smelly experience.

Thankfully a 10mm wrench is one thing I do travel with.

Couple of months ago I was going for a ride on my HAWK so I was out pre ride checking this, fiddling with that, and adjusting something else. Took a ride around the neighborhood about 20 minutes no more than 35 mph. When I got home I put the side stand down, got off and I see oil dripping all over the driveway from under the frame. I am like What the....... I walk around and I see my oil dipstick is gone. Then I think I've burned it up! Where did the dipstick go? Oh yeah, I was going to top it off after a recent oil change and I found the dipstick laying on the bench. The oil was blowing up all over the frame. Amazing how an 8th of a quart oil can look like the end!