Boxerworks.com

ok, we has the tools addition thread going & i realize that we need a..I mean "the" spares thread to compliment...
so with that said, if you are hauling a spare part with you knowing you have a dodgy part that will go bad sooner rather than later that is not realistic, do it before you leave the house. also we all know what overkill is, hauling a spare battery, tire, seals, bearings, etc on anything short of a MAJOR expedition is just silly to me.
& from my experience I've carry many spare parts with me to BMW rallies, I've been known to carry spares for airheads that don't apply to me. why? cause I'm a parts guy & I get asked about parts in a pinch frequently. for example, I used to always carry a set of 70-78 points on my '79 points in a can bike...it just makes sense:)
one part I could have kicked myself for not hauling with was a oilhead drain plug & crush washer....the one that you use to plug the EPA hose hole on late model heads with...why? I had one drop out on the road in TN once. luckily i was near nashville & I pulled the spark plug in my left head & rode on one cylinder to the dlr who didn't have one on the shelf & was generous enough to pull one out of a customer bike to get me back on the road. thank you Nashville dealer!
SO...we are pretty much talking about post 70 airheads here.
the question is:
What within reason is a list of spare parts you simply shouldn't leave the house without? yes...I know,

first & fore most to me is CLUTCH CABLE, Ive broken several over the yrs & only had a spare with me once.
2? a spare tube. bring a rear, if you have to you can stuff it into the front & finish your trip. to me a tube repair kit is the stuff of globe trotters on major expeditions...
3. ZIPTIES, i don't consider them tools as much as parts.
4. HEADLIGHT BULB. let me say this...duh.
5. spare throttle cable. I vote replace one, both or all three before they break & wrap 'em up & stash them somewhere out of the way. same goes for all yer ign. & charging system parts,

Airheads do not breakdown do they?????

Matt wrote: I pulled the spark plug in my left head & rode on one cylinder to the dlr who didn't have one on the shelf & was generous enough to pull one out of a customer bike to get me back on the road.

Are you saying the spark plug thread is the same as the engine oil drain bolt?

If so, you would only need to carry a spare spark plug to kill 2 birds with one stone, right?

I have tubeless tires, and I replace my cables regularly (every 2-3 years), before they fray.

gspd wrote: "Are you saying the spark plug thread is the same as the engine oil drain bolt? "
I read that there is an additional hole on an oilhead for some sort of oil recirc tube, pipe , or whatever and the plug came out of THAT. NOT the normal engine oil drain under the engine.

Jean wrote:gspd wrote: "Are you saying the spark plug thread is the same as the engine oil drain bolt? "
I read that there is an additional hole on an oilhead for some sort of oil recirc tube, pipe , or whatever and the plug came out of THAT. NOT the normal engine oil drain under the engine.

My mistake, I thought this was the AIRHEAD section.
I sensed something was wacky.
This thread MUST be relocated to the OILHEAD section immediately.
Where's a damned modernator when you need one?

I think you're both wrong. I believe he meant that the Oilhead drain plug was used to plug the air injection port on a late model Airhead.

Major Softie wrote:I think you're both wrong. I believe he meant that the Oilhead drain plug was used to plug the air injection port on a late model Airhead.

You can ride with that unplugged for a long while, won't harm anything, it just sounds crappy.

gspd wrote:. . . Where's a damned modernator when you need one?

I"m here, but I'm ignoring you.
(Well, I guess I was until I made this post.)

Ken, immoderate in Oklahoma

you can deal with bad points, not with a bad condenser. So I've a set of points and a condenser in my toolkit

I have re-read the post MS, and I see the sentence structure. Apparently on a Late-model Airhead there are some extra, committee-designed (?) appendages that are less than useless.
Which years does "Late-Model" mean in this context?
So, gspd (Ok if I just call you "gs"...we've been her a long time!) it IS an AIRHEAD post.