Chicago Region BMW Motorcycle Owners Assoccrbmw

When Getting Home is What Matters 

This article originally appeared in the December, 07 issue of Chicago Region News. Our intrepid reporter was prepared in advance with a note pad. 

Murphy says "If something can go wrong, it will."

Ed Dybala says "Murphy was an optimist."

Having offered that opinion, Ed opened his motorcycle top case and commenced to extract and display the spare parts and tools that he takes on a trip.

Most important of all is the Anonymous Book, published by the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, for phone numbers of local people who can help. (Ed also carries similar books for sidecar and airhead riders). And the parts themselves: jumper cables, spare clutch cable, alternator rotor, voltage regular, diode board, carburetor jet, long-nose pliers, light bulbs.

And more: fuses, a gas line, a flash light duct tape, particularly for riders of faired bikes.

"If you drop an airhead, you pick it up and drive away. If you drop a newer bike, there's plastic parts all over the place," Ed said. "Duct tape may hold those pieces together long enough to get home."

Roadside repair of sufficient degree to get home was in fact the theme of a ChiTech session held on Sunday, Nov. 11, in Johnny Scheff's store and shop, Motoworks Chicago at 1901 S. Western Ave., Chicago.

Presentations were made by Ed Dybala, Seymour Goldberg, John Zolot, Frank Weimer, Steve Jeffries, Tim Colburn and Norm Phoenix.

Do you really, really need a tow?

A quick and creative response to a roadside failure-to-start, they noted, could save you a big towing bill or, if outside of cell phone territory, a long walk for help.

Seymour demonstrated what to do if you alternator fails and won't charge your battery--stop an auto parts store and buy a 12-volt car battery and whatever straps, rope, and tape it takes to attach the battery to some surface on your motorcycles. Then, attach the car battery to your battery or to other electrical connection recommended by your services technician with jumper cables. (You do, of course, carry jumper cables, right?) Thus rigged, and with occasional recharges of the battery at service stations, Seymour rode 400 miles from Canada to Minneapolis, then another 400 miles to Chicago, where the faulty alternator could be properly tended to.

John Zolot showed videos demonstrating what to do if your clutch cable is broken and the clutch can't be disengaged: get the bike moving and the engine started at the same time with the starter motor, then shift without the clutch by matching bike and engine speed. Stick to mid-range engine speed, he said.

"Don't wreck your transmission for the sake of saving a clutch cable," John said.

When we don't have ignition

Steve Jeffries showed photos of the various types of ignition cut-off switches that are part of the kickstand on many models. They're designed to prevent the engine from starting when the side stand is down, but failure of the switch may prevent the engine from starting when the side stand is raised. Steve described fixes for this problem that vary from one model to another, mostly involving removal of the switch and closing of the circuit with alligator clips, a piece of wire or a straightened paper clip.

In all cases of such a failure, the first step is, he said, to check the switch for accumulated road crud that might be responsible and that can just be cleaned off.

Other words of wisdom offered by various participants during the day:

And these tips

• You can jump start a motorcycle with a car, but make sure the car's engine and ignition switch are turned OFF.
• Many motorcycles with a low or dead battery can be push-started, though it won't work if the battery is dead and the bike uses electricity to run the fuel pump. Otherwise, put the bike in 2nd or 3rd gear, disengage the clutch, turn on the ignition and, when your helpers get you moving, engage the clutch.
• If your starter is shot you may have to leave the engine running while refueling. This means you'll need two keys--one for the ignition and one to unlock the fuel filler cap.
• Carry shop manuals for your bike. Even if you can't use them yourself, they'll be useful to a non-BMW mechanic who's helping you out.
• Carry a tire patch kit, but practice using it on an old discarded tire. When the puncture is found, be sure to ream it out to a large enough size to accept the plug.
• Carry 10 feet of rubber tubing to siphon gas from one bike to another, or from a car to a bike.
• The further you're traveling from home, the more spare parts and repair tools you should carry. As Ed Dybala mentioned, "I've never had a breakdown east of the Mississippi."
• And if all else fails, check the lower exterior side of the bike. If you're riding an older model, there might be a kick starter lever there!
• When using the push start method to get a bike running make sure that it is in gear and you have the clutch pulled in before you start pushing.  You do not want to be trying to get the bike in gear once you have it up to speed
• Clutch cables can be carried with you.  99% of the time you won't need it so don't bother running it beside the current cable.  Anyway if you riding buddy breaks his cable you then have to take it off the bike to loan it to him
• If you have a traditional style battery check the water level before push or jump starting
• If you ride without a clutch cable be smooth and gentile, it will work, however, you don't want to break a gear or tooth