12-steppers: time to 'fess up. it's good for the soul :)

in the past, i have:

cracked both cylinder skirts & broken 1 ring.

removed my sprocket-cassette incorrectly and watched lil tiny bearings scatter everywhere.

gone on a test ride and then discovered i forgot to re-connect my brake cables.

pedaled my butt off with the plug-wire disconnected.

[srdavo]

where to start?

I'll see your cracked skirt and broken ring, & raise you 3 more broken rings & a broken chunk of skirt.

years ago, when I was putting Rusty back in service as a pedal bike, I packed & re-used the wornout 50 year old crankset bearings.
these bearings failed the very next day. I was pulling a loaded trailer, about 2 miles away from home....thank goodness the push/ride home had a couple good downhills.

you sure this is good for me? cause I don't feel any better!

[azbill]

I removed an engine sprocket without removing clutch pin first and wrecked a perfectly good engine (that azvinnie just paid 110$ to have 2 broken mount studs drilled and tapped )...fubared the clutch assembly
I also drove 28 miles up, and then back down a mountain holding nice, flamed,and full (3.3 gal)gas tank with my knees because I forgot to tighten a bolt and it snapped from the weight of the fuel

[sideshowsideswipe]

I spent 2 hours pedaling HARD in sub zero temperatures and nearly puked. The engine turned over but wouldn't kick in. I pushed the bike home uphill, 3 hours late for dinner with an upset wife.

there was a piece of something blocking the pin in my carb. all I had to do was knock it out and the engine turned over.

[grakker]

I left a friends house, after he was yelling to, "use your engine". I made it about 2 blocks (short blocks). Then my engine died. I would start it, and as long as I peddled, it seemed to be working, but if I let up it died. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Kept doing the same thing over an over. Then I noticed bubbles coming up the fuel tube to the filter.

I had left the fuel valve closed. This was after some sweating and thinking about how I was miles away from home...

[Alaskavan]

Here's something I found amusing. (Of course, if you know me, I find almost everything amusing) Anyway. My TLE 43 has always been a little tough to start in the morning. Often 10+ pulls. I just accepted that, it sorta made up for all the exercize I'm not getting pedaling. Well, I pulled the cover off the aircleaner to blow dust out of the little foam ring the other day, and discovered that way back when I got this thing (about 800 miles ago), I'd put the cover on wrong, so it wouldn't seat right for the choke to work. Isn't that a hoot? This morning I wheeled the bike outside, pumped the bulb a couple 3 times, flipped the choke on, and she fired up first pull. Should we start a poll to determine just how big a fool I am?

so..no pedaling, now no extra pulls?

you're gonna get fat.

[Alaskavan]

Thank god I'm one of those people born with high metabolism. I won't get fat. But the limbs might atrophy.

[Dockspa1]

Ya, embarasing moments. I just built my Kulana, took it for a short run and thought I would put it back on the work bench to check every nut etc, then I turned just in time to see my brand new baby falling and I coulden't get to it in time to catch it.
Broke off 4 cooling fins along with some other stuff.
Oh well, We live, we learn and we screw up again!
doc

[az cra-z]

I forgot to put a rim strip on my new Staton wheel. Must have been a pretty good tube, because I went 7 miles at speed before the tire flattened!