R65 Rob wrote:Frog wrote:Rob:
I am sorry to be so blunt about this, but when I read your post about the lack of drain plug....I had to laugh. What else can you do? If it had happened to me (which it certainly could), I would just have to have a sense of humor about it.
I can't imagine that this plug just fell out and you did not notice all of that oil. Especially gear oil.....that stuff smells up an entire garage with just a few drops.
Thanks for sharing honestly.
It would be worth getting into that tranny to see what happened, but my first thoughts are that you may not want to invest the parts and labor into a transmission that was run dry until it locked up. It would be cheaper (wiser) to get a good used one and run it.
Blaise
That is OK, Blaise, I am surprised at how well I am taking this, really! Of course, this is going to put a serious dent in my La-Z-Boy love-seat budget...
The more I think about it, that drain plug must be in the garage somewhere, along with a full bottle of gear lube....
I like Vanzen's advice:
"I'd be looking for a comprehensive pre-flight inspection routine first –
Always important, but especially important
when repairs or maintenance are performed
and / or the bike is laid-up for an extended period of time."
And hopefully my mistakes will help others.
Vanzen's advice makes good sense. I am not quite that organized, but do have a few systems that help me out. I have a roll of blue masking tape in the shop. Whenever there is something that needs fluid, tightening, or attention....that I may miss, I put a small piece of tape on it. It stays there until the job is done. If I need, I write on the tape with a sharpie. That tape is so visible, that I see it right away when I walk into the shop. It sure has helped me, as I definitely have a fear of forgetting oil...
I have to admit that this system has come out of my learning the hard way. Luckily, it has only been minor things. I once rode off without tightening the rear axle pinch bolt. After three hours of riding, I figure out why my bike was a little less "tight" feeling.
Recently, I unhooked my battery, at the tranny breather, to take off my timing cover. Next morning, I went for a ride....halfway through the ride, I realized that my negative battery cable was just hanging in space. I had lost my breather bolt that had been hanging on the cable. Most importantly, the bike was starting and running because I had run a grounding wire per Rob Frankham.....so I really had never disconnected my battery. Dumb mistake
