Yesterday, I finally got all the parts i needed to repair my Katana from the accident back in June. I spent the entire day today taking old and broken parts off and putting the shiny new ones on. After all the mirrors and signals and my footpeg i had been desperatly searching for was put on and functional, i began the oil change. I know its better to do at the beginning or even the end of season but i figured i was already working on the bike and had everything i needed and i knew it had to be done anyway. So after finishing the change, i looked at the fixed up bike and took a deep breath as i turn the key to "on", pulled in the clutch and pressed the ignition button. "ningningningningningningning" was all i was getting. Well it had been on its side for a couple hours after the crash for police to take evidence, etc. so it should take a bit for everything to run back through for the first time.
So i tried again....
...and again...
...and again...
It just wouldn't fire up. It was in neutral and the killswitch was off so it wasn't a noob mistake. I half-expected something like this to happen because it had been sitting. But as i tried again and again to get it to even just turn over, i could hear the battery dying. So i plug it in and charge it up. After half an hour, i try again.
She fires up right away
I get all happy and do a little dance and have all the people around laughing and smiling at me, but i don't care, my bike is running! Its actually RUNNING!! I was so happy. So i get my guinea pig to jump on and take it down the street for a test drive. As he takes the bikes revs up, the bike sounds and looks amazing. I get on and nervously drive it home. The last time i was on it, i had ended up on the other side of the gaurdrail with 11 broken ribs and collapsed lungs. Anyone is bound to be nervous.
But as soon as i pull out and get into second, something feels a bit off. Well the gas was on reserve but thats not what felt wrong. I have been riding my XR650L recently and because it is half dirtbike, the suspension is amazing. So now on the Katana, when i would go over bumps, it felt like the tail was smacking down really hard and making a banging noise. I go to the gas station, put gas in and take a look. Everything looks okay. I give the tail a wiggle and everything feels fine to my hands. So i get back on.
So i am heading North on Bronte in Milton, and i go to make a right on Steeles. As i turn the corner, i look at the Honda Powerhouse about a kilometer ahead and think about how much it may cost to have them have a once over on it. I was going to say screw it and just keep going on Steeles but some nagging feeling is telling me to pull in and just ask them how much it will cost. I only have $65 on me. I walk in at 4:30 and ask how much it would be to just take a look at the bike because it was in an accident and today is the first day it's been running. He says he'll charge a half-hour so about $45. Okay so i give him the keys and he write me up.
He puts the bike on the table and within 10 minutes of him looking at it, he walks over to me and says that all he did was tap the gear shifter and it just "fell off". My mouth drops. He says he'll bolt it back on no charge. okay great and i feel a little better. I watch him work on it even though i can go sit in the air conditioned lounge. Something tells me to stay. I nervously keep thinking something else is wrong. He brings it off the table and get on. Starts it up and it stalls. I knew it would happen, the carbs need done, already knew that. He takes it around the property. I watch him come around and hes looking at it funny (no helmet). He stops a further distance away and does it again. He takes it once more around and brings it in. He asks another mech to take it for a ride. I'm thinking oh no this can't be good.
The new mech swings his leg over and just sits on it-SMACK! That banging sound again that i heard! He bounces on it and it does it again and again. He gets off and they check out the tail end. I can't hear what they're saying but then they grab the right side muffler and reef on it. They're trying to pry it off the brake caliper. He calls me over and tells me that when it banged into the gaurdrail on the right side, it pushed the muffler into the brake calliper. This was creating a brake fluid leak.
I can't believe what i'm hearing. I must have a gaurdian angel or something because i was going to take this bike from the west end of Milton to Brampton only and hour and a half before. I was going to completely bypass Honda. I could see the fluid leaking and i was in total shock. My gear shifter and brake line was broken. We never even noticed it the entire time i was repairing the bike and amoung previous weeks. I allowed them to keep the bike overnight to fix it in the morning for only another $45.
I walked home (not far from Honda) in utter disbelief that i listened to that instinct and gone in to get the bike inspected. It could've saved my life an others. I could've been out of front and rear brakes AND gearing down to stop.
So the moral of my story is to trust your instincts about your bike. Thanks for reading
So i tried again....
...and again...
...and again...
It just wouldn't fire up. It was in neutral and the killswitch was off so it wasn't a noob mistake. I half-expected something like this to happen because it had been sitting. But as i tried again and again to get it to even just turn over, i could hear the battery dying. So i plug it in and charge it up. After half an hour, i try again.
She fires up right away
I get all happy and do a little dance and have all the people around laughing and smiling at me, but i don't care, my bike is running! Its actually RUNNING!! I was so happy. So i get my guinea pig to jump on and take it down the street for a test drive. As he takes the bikes revs up, the bike sounds and looks amazing. I get on and nervously drive it home. The last time i was on it, i had ended up on the other side of the gaurdrail with 11 broken ribs and collapsed lungs. Anyone is bound to be nervous. But as soon as i pull out and get into second, something feels a bit off. Well the gas was on reserve but thats not what felt wrong. I have been riding my XR650L recently and because it is half dirtbike, the suspension is amazing. So now on the Katana, when i would go over bumps, it felt like the tail was smacking down really hard and making a banging noise. I go to the gas station, put gas in and take a look. Everything looks okay. I give the tail a wiggle and everything feels fine to my hands. So i get back on.
So i am heading North on Bronte in Milton, and i go to make a right on Steeles. As i turn the corner, i look at the Honda Powerhouse about a kilometer ahead and think about how much it may cost to have them have a once over on it. I was going to say screw it and just keep going on Steeles but some nagging feeling is telling me to pull in and just ask them how much it will cost. I only have $65 on me. I walk in at 4:30 and ask how much it would be to just take a look at the bike because it was in an accident and today is the first day it's been running. He says he'll charge a half-hour so about $45. Okay so i give him the keys and he write me up.
He puts the bike on the table and within 10 minutes of him looking at it, he walks over to me and says that all he did was tap the gear shifter and it just "fell off". My mouth drops. He says he'll bolt it back on no charge. okay great and i feel a little better. I watch him work on it even though i can go sit in the air conditioned lounge. Something tells me to stay. I nervously keep thinking something else is wrong. He brings it off the table and get on. Starts it up and it stalls. I knew it would happen, the carbs need done, already knew that. He takes it around the property. I watch him come around and hes looking at it funny (no helmet). He stops a further distance away and does it again. He takes it once more around and brings it in. He asks another mech to take it for a ride. I'm thinking oh no this can't be good.
The new mech swings his leg over and just sits on it-SMACK! That banging sound again that i heard! He bounces on it and it does it again and again. He gets off and they check out the tail end. I can't hear what they're saying but then they grab the right side muffler and reef on it. They're trying to pry it off the brake caliper. He calls me over and tells me that when it banged into the gaurdrail on the right side, it pushed the muffler into the brake calliper. This was creating a brake fluid leak.
I can't believe what i'm hearing. I must have a gaurdian angel or something because i was going to take this bike from the west end of Milton to Brampton only and hour and a half before. I was going to completely bypass Honda. I could see the fluid leaking and i was in total shock. My gear shifter and brake line was broken. We never even noticed it the entire time i was repairing the bike and amoung previous weeks. I allowed them to keep the bike overnight to fix it in the morning for only another $45.
I walked home (not far from Honda) in utter disbelief that i listened to that instinct and gone in to get the bike inspected. It could've saved my life an others. I could've been out of front and rear brakes AND gearing down to stop.
So the moral of my story is to trust your instincts about your bike. Thanks for reading
