Black Lab
08-22-2009, 03:25 PM
While returning from my recent trip, I pulled into a gas station to refuel. I also decided to check the oil level of the bike, because this trip had been over 3,000 miles long. I moved the bike away from the fuel island. The Oil Level Window indicated that the bike did need oil, (I carry extra in an MSR Fuel Bottle).
I removed the oil filler cap and placed it in its usual "cradle" on my Moose footpeg. I added oil.
While doing this, a couple of people were watching me. They came over to ask the usual bunch of questions as to what kind of bike I was riding, where I had been and where I was going. When I explained that I had just ridden the James Bay Road, the Route du Nord and out to the Gaspé and was returning back to Maine via the Southern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula; they looked totally perplexed. I then pulled out a map and was able to graphically show my "students" where I had been and where I was going.
They departed and I packed everything away and took off down the road. About 2km later, while decelerating for a traffic light, I noticed that my bike's motor sounded different; sort of more "muscle" to its exhaust.
Knowing that I hadn't modified the exhaust system in the last 15 mins, I looked down over the right side of the bike. My eyes met a big, gaping hole where the oil filler cap should be. I lifted my boot off of the right footpeg..........and let out an expletive. I had become so distracted by sharing my trip with the interested people, I totally spaced replacing the oil cap!!! It was gone.
I checked my left mirror and noticed that the nearest car behind me was about 70 yards away. I pulled a u-turn in the road and began riding against the traffic, due to the fact that this traffic light stop had a short section of a divider between the East and West bound traffic. (I mumbled to the drivers who couldn't hear me, "Don't worry my Canadian friends, I am just a dumb American.....").
I got into the East bound lane, jammed my boot sole over the filler cap hole and prayed that I would make it back to the gas station; which I did.
I parked my bike next to the small oil puddle in the gas station parking lot as the result of dropping my bike during a jump start attempt because my start switch was fried, (that is another story......), and began looking for the oil filler cap.
I paced the parking lot. I paced up and down the side of the road. No luck.
I was fortunate in that one of the owners of the gas station could speak some English. He offered to call the local Honda dealership about 5 miles away, which I asked him to do. It took a moment, but I finally got someone on the other end of the phone who spoke English and I explained my situation to them.
He told me to get the bike to his shop and he would help me. "Okay" and I hung up the phone.
I walked over to my bike and examined the size of the hole where the oil filler cap should be.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/LostOilCap.jpg
I openned up my tool bag and removed the campsaw I keep on board for sizing up wood for campfires. I walked out behind the gas station and cut a small section of dead branch off of a tree. I wrapped electrical tape around it and jammed it into the hole in the crankcase.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/StickPlug.jpg
I placed my boot on top of the stick to keep it in place and rode my bike the 5 miles to the Honda dealership. They found a proper cap and matching O-ring that fit, (they also hot wired my starter switch so I wouldn't have to jump the bike for the rest of my trip. GREAT GUYS at www.sportsbg.com in New Richmond, Québec!!)
Thanks Martin!
Thanks Ricky!
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/Ricky.jpg
Thanks Daniel!
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/Daniel.jpg
After leaving New Richmond, Quebec, I rode the rest of the way back home to Mount Desert Island arriving around 11:00pm.
I decided to never let this happen to me again, (or at least significantly reduce the chances of it happening again.).
I went to my local hardware store and purchased a stainless Mackrel fishing leader.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/MackrelJig.jpg
I removed one of the hasps off of one of the side leaders so what was left was a loop.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/RemoveHasp.jpg
I drilled a small hole through the grip of the oil filler cap.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/DrillHole.jpg
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/FillerCapHole.jpg
Using needle nose pliers, I crushed the two plastic beads on either side of the short leader.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/CrushBeads.jpg
I threaded the loop through the oil filler cap hole I had drilled and cut the main leader on either side of the short leader at lengths that would allow me loop them around part of the bike frame.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/CutLeader.jpg
I then passed the loose ends of the leader back through the loop on the other side of the filler cap.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/ThreadedLeader.jpg
I drilled out an electrical connector, (I didn't want to make another trip to the store for a "proper" crimp connection. I worked with with I had on hand.), to allow both ends of the leader to pass by each other within the connector.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/DrillOutConnector.jpg
I looped the ends of the leader around a portion of the bike frame, passing them through the connector, and I then crimped the connector "closed" on to the leader wires. (Notice the swivel of the short leader. This allows me to unscrew the oil cap without the wire winding up on itself.)
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/CrimpConnector.jpg
Now, when I change my oil, or add more oil to the crankcase, my filler cap hangs by a "teather" permanetly attached to my bike, instead of resting on my footpeg.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/FinishedTeather.jpg
Barry B.
I removed the oil filler cap and placed it in its usual "cradle" on my Moose footpeg. I added oil.
While doing this, a couple of people were watching me. They came over to ask the usual bunch of questions as to what kind of bike I was riding, where I had been and where I was going. When I explained that I had just ridden the James Bay Road, the Route du Nord and out to the Gaspé and was returning back to Maine via the Southern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula; they looked totally perplexed. I then pulled out a map and was able to graphically show my "students" where I had been and where I was going.
They departed and I packed everything away and took off down the road. About 2km later, while decelerating for a traffic light, I noticed that my bike's motor sounded different; sort of more "muscle" to its exhaust.
Knowing that I hadn't modified the exhaust system in the last 15 mins, I looked down over the right side of the bike. My eyes met a big, gaping hole where the oil filler cap should be. I lifted my boot off of the right footpeg..........and let out an expletive. I had become so distracted by sharing my trip with the interested people, I totally spaced replacing the oil cap!!! It was gone.
I checked my left mirror and noticed that the nearest car behind me was about 70 yards away. I pulled a u-turn in the road and began riding against the traffic, due to the fact that this traffic light stop had a short section of a divider between the East and West bound traffic. (I mumbled to the drivers who couldn't hear me, "Don't worry my Canadian friends, I am just a dumb American.....").
I got into the East bound lane, jammed my boot sole over the filler cap hole and prayed that I would make it back to the gas station; which I did.
I parked my bike next to the small oil puddle in the gas station parking lot as the result of dropping my bike during a jump start attempt because my start switch was fried, (that is another story......), and began looking for the oil filler cap.
I paced the parking lot. I paced up and down the side of the road. No luck.
I was fortunate in that one of the owners of the gas station could speak some English. He offered to call the local Honda dealership about 5 miles away, which I asked him to do. It took a moment, but I finally got someone on the other end of the phone who spoke English and I explained my situation to them.
He told me to get the bike to his shop and he would help me. "Okay" and I hung up the phone.
I walked over to my bike and examined the size of the hole where the oil filler cap should be.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/LostOilCap.jpg
I openned up my tool bag and removed the campsaw I keep on board for sizing up wood for campfires. I walked out behind the gas station and cut a small section of dead branch off of a tree. I wrapped electrical tape around it and jammed it into the hole in the crankcase.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/StickPlug.jpg
I placed my boot on top of the stick to keep it in place and rode my bike the 5 miles to the Honda dealership. They found a proper cap and matching O-ring that fit, (they also hot wired my starter switch so I wouldn't have to jump the bike for the rest of my trip. GREAT GUYS at www.sportsbg.com in New Richmond, Québec!!)
Thanks Martin!
Thanks Ricky!
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/Ricky.jpg
Thanks Daniel!
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/Daniel.jpg
After leaving New Richmond, Quebec, I rode the rest of the way back home to Mount Desert Island arriving around 11:00pm.
I decided to never let this happen to me again, (or at least significantly reduce the chances of it happening again.).
I went to my local hardware store and purchased a stainless Mackrel fishing leader.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/MackrelJig.jpg
I removed one of the hasps off of one of the side leaders so what was left was a loop.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/RemoveHasp.jpg
I drilled a small hole through the grip of the oil filler cap.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/DrillHole.jpg
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/FillerCapHole.jpg
Using needle nose pliers, I crushed the two plastic beads on either side of the short leader.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/CrushBeads.jpg
I threaded the loop through the oil filler cap hole I had drilled and cut the main leader on either side of the short leader at lengths that would allow me loop them around part of the bike frame.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/CutLeader.jpg
I then passed the loose ends of the leader back through the loop on the other side of the filler cap.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/ThreadedLeader.jpg
I drilled out an electrical connector, (I didn't want to make another trip to the store for a "proper" crimp connection. I worked with with I had on hand.), to allow both ends of the leader to pass by each other within the connector.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/DrillOutConnector.jpg
I looped the ends of the leader around a portion of the bike frame, passing them through the connector, and I then crimped the connector "closed" on to the leader wires. (Notice the swivel of the short leader. This allows me to unscrew the oil cap without the wire winding up on itself.)
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/CrimpConnector.jpg
Now, when I change my oil, or add more oil to the crankcase, my filler cap hangs by a "teather" permanetly attached to my bike, instead of resting on my footpeg.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg216/barry_buchanan/2009%20Modifications/Oil%20Filler%20Cap%20Teather/FinishedTeather.jpg
Barry B.