Re: "On The Road" (Repairs)
I'll start. Flat tire last Sunday night when out on the the JH600 in Gubei Area of Shanghai, after a late afternoon ride around town.
I had stopped for a quick bite to eat, then from a parked location on the sidewalk I rode off the curb and in seconds experienced a wobble - flat tire.
I was low on tools and didn't have a spare tube, so luckily the nearest moto repair shop was only a 100m push away. The owner and I pulled the tube out from the tire for inspection and it was completely blown apart (unrepairable). As the JH600 is a big bike for China he didn't have one for me, but was kind enough to ride over to his brother's shop to check. 20 mins later he was back without a tube.
I called euphonius who had a spare tube and kindly offered up for me to use. So after a quick taxi over to his place and back we were ready for the change. I worked with the owner's son to change the tire. He was challenged by the size of the bike and tire, as they are accustomed to working on smaller bikes. It was a struggle from wrenching off the wheel to fitting in the tube.
With tire inflated and wheel back I was back on the road. But had no rear brake. I pumped and pumped until they came back, but were still very "spongy".
Edit: Stock tires. 7600km, first flat (rear tire/tube).
Found this gem of a posting:
Answer
Normally with hydraulic brakes, you have to really pump them up after a tire change in order to get them working right again. (The caliper needs to be pried apart to get the wheel off, and then it takes a little work to pump them back into place with the lever and fluid.) Press the lever repeatedly while the bike is parked to get them pumped up.
However, if you have drum brakes, there may be an adjustment arm that needs to be tightened or loosened (lengthened or shortened) in order to get the shoes in just the right place. This is probably the problem. You'll need to adjust the rear brake linkage so it engages as soon as you press the pedal. This is something you need to look up in your owners manual. The mechanic had to pull it apart to change the tire, it's common for it to be not quite exactly the same when they put it back together. Think of it as "fine-tuning.
Reminder of how important it is to have spare tubes with you, especially when you're out of town.
Re: "On The Road" (Repairs)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MotoKai
Reminder of how important is is to have spare tubes with you, especially when you're out of town.
You're right! Now, if only I could find somewhere to buy them. But, frankly, having done a couple of "in the wild" changes, I'd flag down a truck and pay anything to get the bike to a shop. Roadside tire changing knows no equal in terms of knuckle-scraping misery. Having the extra inner would be a good idea, though.
Also on a JH600 (but the "B" sidecar) a few weeks ago. Was happily driving along when the engine just died, cruising at about 70 km/h. Hmmmm ... strange ... as it had been running fine. Pulled over, quickie diagnosis hinted at something with the fuel delivery (EFI). Checked out the fuses, all "looked" fine. No spare fuse to swap/test. Sheesh.
Dealer came and checked out the stranded sidecar the next day - yup, a blown fuse, but almost impossible to see visually.
Went to the auto parts market and bought seven boxes of six fuses each, for the 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 amp fuses. (42 fuses in total) Total price was about 70 rmb.
Gotta remember to carry them on the bikes. That is always my biggest problem - the stuff I need is safely tucked away at home.
Re: "On The Road" (Repairs)
Interesting thread. But I don't have much to share.
But come to think about it,it's a bit difficult to be "in the wild in China" There are people everywhere.
Once I dropped my shift lever, but found only a 100m away. Went back to look for it in the grass and mud, I did find it, but not the bolt. I used some straw to keep it in place, held up for two days..
Another time the battery died on me on top of a mountain. After some effort, kickstarted the bike and was on my way.
Re: "On The Road" (Repairs)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
slabo
Another time the battery died on me on top of a mountain. After some effort, kickstarted the bike and was on my way.
....and if you have an EFI bike (like the JH600), in that situation you're pretty much f**ked until you can find a place to recharge the battery!
Re: "On The Road" (Repairs)
G'Day,
Mates bought me a CruzTool kit last year as a gift and added extra cable ties, Leatherman Wave multi-tool, LED Lenser (incl. spare batteries), cheap small Nokia mobile phone with SIM card (incl. mini USB charger cable) as back-up. Besides bringing the CruzTool kit on long tours always carry some tubeless tire fix-a-flat (Slime / TipTop) along.
CruzTools: http://www.cruztools.com
Slime: http://www.slime.com
Leatherman: http://www.leatherman.com
LED Lenser: http://www.ledlenser.com.au
What do you carry on long distance bike trips?
1 Attachment(s)
Re: "On The Road" (Repairs)
Attachment 6309
@TB-Racing The Lensers are pretty tough. I once packed a "Mini-Mag" in my tool tray and when I finally went to look for it the body had vibrated all apart and it was worthless. The only Lenser that died on me went through the washing machine because some idiot forgot to check his pockets (not the first time, but the third time it died).
TB, sounds like the rest of your gear is pretty well sorted out.
I'm ok for basic tools, I wish I had a list of fasteners on my bike. I have a range of allen and open end wrenches but I'm not sure which I need.
High on my list is a tire patch kit (I guess a pump is better that CO2?), a charger, fuses, clutch/break levers, a clutch cable, and spare links for my chain.
As mentioned by someone in another thread I might just get a nice chain that is longer than the one I have and keep the spare links.
As well as the regular nick nacks I pack I think will have me covered for common break-downs.
I should be able to cram those and my tools down into the bottom of my saddle bags. Parts and tools are generally heavy and I *hope* their the last thing I need to unpack.
