Author Topic: Murphy's Law for Motorcycles (GOD I miss kick starters!) (Read 3389 times)

billster · « **on:** September 14, 2005, 06:15:18 AM »

MURPHY'S LAW FOR MOTORCYCLES

1) A motorcycle cannot fall over without a crowd.

2) The odds of a motorcycle falling over are directly
proportional to the size of the audience, and the owners
ego. The newness and expense of the bike may also
factor into it.

3) Motorcycles are to yellow bugs as aircraft carriers once
were to kamikaze pilots.

4) You will not feel the need to go to the restroom until after
your have put on your rain suit.

5) The fact that your keys are in your pants pocket will only
be apparent after you have put your gloves on.

6) Quick fixes are so named for how long they stay fixed.

7) The only part you really need will also be the only one on
permanent backorder.

8) Nothing is harder to start than a used motorcycle being
shown to a prospective buyer.

9) You will never have a flat tire on the road unless you
leave the flat repair kit at home.

10) Universal kit accessories are so named because they fit
no bike in this universe.

11) A bike reluctant to start draws a crowd proportional to
the number of kicks it takes to start it.

B6mick · « **Reply #1 on:** September 14, 2005, 07:47:01 AM »

No I don't miss kick starters.
It took years of rehab to stop me from walking round in circles, and hobbling around like a geriatric.

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #2 on:** September 14, 2005, 09:30:06 AM »

Haha! Good one. And I DO miss kickstarters as an emergency backup instead of having to push start carbureted bikes.

GaryB12VA · « **Reply #3 on:** September 14, 2005, 10:45:15 AM »

Quote from: "billster"

MURPHY'S LAW FOR MOTORCYCLES

5) The fact that your keys are in your pants pocket will only
be apparent after you have put your gloves on.

I don't know how many times this has happened to me

BTW, I think the last bike I had with a kick start was a 1953 HD 45c.i. K-model flathead I had while in college

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #4 on:** September 14, 2005, 11:02:50 AM »

You had a Hardley Ableson?

Me, too.

billybandit · « **Reply #5 on:** September 14, 2005, 05:15:18 PM »

Haha so true! Ahh kickstarters. My old bike, a CZ 160cc, was pretty easy to boot up, even though the compression was much higher than standard. Having said that, 1 in 10 kicks would result in a broken foot arch lol

PaulVS · « **Reply #6 on:** September 14, 2005, 05:26:29 PM »

Favorite kickstarter story:

My sisters first husband (Alex) restored an old BSA 650 in the 70's. He was an EXTREMELY tough son-of-a-gun. I'm no slouch myself, but this guy was 200lbs of solid muscle and impervious to pain. Or so I thought.

He put the BSA up for sale when he finished restoring it. Somebody called and said they'd like to come and see the bike. Alex figured he'd better start up the bike and get it warmed up. (No electric start)

He told me that the kickstarter kicked back so hard on his ankle it brought tears to his eyes. (Damn)

The worst part was... when the buyer came to check it out... he asked Alex to start it up for him. The kickstarter AGAIN kicked back and hit him in the same part of the ankle.

Not wanting to let the prospective buyer know the bike had a killer kickstart... he had to swallow the pain and try again.

billybandit · « **Reply #7 on:** September 14, 2005, 05:37:15 PM »

Oohhh

can't imagine that. If my measly 160cc bike could cripple me, I'd dread to think of a 650 single (or parallel twin?) on kick back

billster · « **Reply #8 on:** September 14, 2005, 05:39:26 PM »

The BSA 441 or 500 thumper singles would toss yer ass right over the bars if ya wasn't careful to follow thru with yer kick.

GaryB12VA · « **Reply #9 on:** September 14, 2005, 06:28:48 PM »

Yea, I forgot to retard the spark advance once on my Triumph 600 twin and it about threw me over the handlebars

PeteSC · « **Reply #10 on:** September 14, 2005, 07:28:57 PM »

How about.....

if a DR650 falls in the infield at Road Atlanta, and nobody sees it...does it make a sound?

(NO!) Damn thing fell in the grass, 10 feet away from me. I never heard anything, just noticed it doing a 'dead fish' imitation a few minutes later.

I only missed the kickstarter on a B12 the time I attempted to 'bump' start the bike by rolling it down the slight hill in front of my apartment, it wouldn't start, and I had to push it back up...over speed bumps. The 'slight' hill seems steeper coming back up, pushing a bike!

B6mick · « **Reply #11 on:** September 18, 2005, 07:23:52 AM »

Hardly dangerous fxwg 1340. 80 model with the fold up kicker, yep at the bottom of the kicker stroke it would fold up, kick back and slap you on the back of the leg just under the knee. Hardly dangerous, well except for the kicker. Yes I've learned to hate kick starters, and still wince in pain just thinking about it.

smooth operator · « **Reply #12 on:** September 18, 2005, 09:53:25 AM »

I was apointed to be the kicker while we were setting the timming on a 850 Norton Interstate. I ended up being the kicky when it kicked back. My rt.knee was teder the rest of the year.