This is why I'm anal about people touching my bike....

Not but 30 minutes ago I let a friend who last week completed his MSF course and M1 endorsement attempt to ride my bike (It was an empty residential lot, with stadium like lighting, plenty of room, flat, so I figured what's the harm). Anyway, he moves to the end of the road, stops, forgets to foot down, my bike falls pitifully onto it's right side, engine dies.

I picked it back up. It started up OK. However, now when the choke is applied above 1/4th, the engine dies near instantly, it's like move choke - slow slow slow then as soon as it hits the 1/4th mark, instant engine kill. Some liquid started spilling out near the area underneath the cat... it felt really watery, not oil or coolant like, didn't smell like gas. There is a chirping noise coming from the right side, sounds like it's coming from the transmission.

I figured maybe some oil got into somewhere it's not supposed to, so I opened up the drain and quite a bit of oil/gunk spilled out. The engine feels (under acceleration) normal as can be, no loss of power or otherwise erratic behavior; I was able to ride it 1.5 miles back to my house. Transmission shifts OK.

Ugh....... I'll get a video of it tomorrow.... if there's something significantly wrong with the bike I'm going to have to part it out, I can't afford to keep a non-op bike with insurance, repairs, etc. and he can't really afford to pay me for the repairs/parts either.... I should have known better, I've nothing but bad luck. :frusty:

 

Sorry to hear that, dude. I'd be crushed if that happened to my VFR. I hope there's nothing significantly wrong with it. There's only a couple of people I'd let ride my bike...and they are blood relation

 

I've known him long enough he might as well be blood, haha! Trust me, anyone else would have made me really angry about the situation.

 

Sounds like the fall knocked something loose in the carb? follow the choke line to the carb, make sure it seems to operate smoothly. I havn't had a motorcycle with a manual choke for awhile. What happens if you go to full choke, then start the bike? Well sorry to hear, and go luck. Someone on here has gotta be fairly familiar with those bikes. Maybe repost the thread, under a different title, like 85 500f choke won't work or something. So they'll notice the problem in the title? Just a suggestion.

 

h8 that friend or foe not riding my bike, check your throttle housing could have got jammed a little and pinched the choke worse case take it apart clean the cables or get new cable not that much. oil coolant should have not mixed..chances are it flooded the carbs maybe a float got stuck pull float bowls off spray with b12 other then that it should be fine ive seen those bikes slide 20 yards flip over start up ride away ......keep it if you must w8 to fix just w8 worth the patiance to have your bike..

 

I'm going to shoot myself in the foot. :doh: it wasn't really my friends fault at all ...... I was messing with the pilot jets today, I guess I outscrewed one too far..... I'm missing a pilot jet on the right rear carb (luckily I have spare carbs I bought off ebay :tongue: ). I had been turning out the pilots by 1/4th turns today to try and offset a lean condition (I've got a more permanent fix coming in 2 weeks).

I haven't really gone further than that, it's a little late in the night to be cranking a motor over and listening reving the motor (or even idling). My guess is that applying the the bystarter choke system causes fuel to be redirected or split from the jets to the choke system.... but since I don't have a pilot screw there to keep fuel in, the choke either starves the rest of the system of fuel or I'm opening up an avenue for fuel pressure to escape (I have limited knowledge of these carbs).

I think I ought to be required to wear my helmet, even when I'm not riding.

 

I suppose he did me a favor... who's to say my other pilot jets wouldn't have jimmied themselves loose at a later time, potentially leaving me with a dead engine while moving at freeway speeds, or stranded on the side of the road.

I'm HOPING the pilot screw is all this is, the missing pilot jet better explains the chirping noise than something in the tranny.

 

Dude, I also let a "blood" brother ride my first VFR 750. I ended up parting it out, total loss. He was O.K. Low sided it entering a sweeper. I never held it against him, hes the one with the pics in my gallery of the Buell and SV. but I am very cautious about who i let ride my bikes since then. Only the most experienced get the privelege of taking any bike I own for a ride since then. Hope it all works out for you.

 

i hate to see that happened. there is only one person i would even let touch mine. i just fel its too expensive of a gamble. i think most people that want to take a spin do not realize the expense for just a small incident, therefore unless my father wants to ride it no one else will ever twist the throttle:smile:

 

There is only one person I let ride my bikes. He has about 40 years of experience in the dirt, on the track, on the street and on the dragstrip. He is my mechanic. And he is my brother. Anyone else who wants to ride my bikes pays for them first. :evil:

 

The last time I loaned out a bike, it was to my dad. He totaled it....and a car. I'll Never, Never, Never do that again.

 

Dang Viff, sounds like you've had a bad week You sound really mature for a 18 year old but nothing good ever comes from letting non riders try out your bike young Jedi, letting a rider who has limited experience try out a 750-800cc 500 lb bike is just asking for trouble.

That said I've switched bikes with Reg & RVFR from this board but never was worried because their both good riders and they knew what to expect, plus it's kind of an unwritten rule when you switch bikes with someone you don't push it. I hope this doesn't sound to preachy but you just joined the (I let someone try my bike club) that a lot of people belong to. I hope you get your bike back to running good because I think your one of the rare responsible 18 year old riders out there :thumb:

 

Oh I forgot about this thread.

The problem did indeed end up being just the popped out pilot jet.

My bike's been running like champ so far. I've used it everyday for the past month.

 

Times like these I thank Tori for loaning me his bike to practice and take my DMV test on ...... Heck he even lent me his helmet and jacket, albeit a size too small. But If I did wreck it I would for sure repair it .... But its my bike now so I got to wreck it twice

 

Jeesh! What's with the relatives wrecking VFR's?

My older brother came for a visit, He and I grew up on two wheels. More bikes betwen us than I can name here. He rides a BMW K100Rs just now.

Well, thinking we should go for a ride, I offer him the VFR, my best leathers,gloves and helmet. I take the dual purpose and the "dirt gear".,
As we head out the drive my wife calls to him and says, "remember, the roads here go up and down left and right", A useful bit of info since He's living in AZ where all the roads go true and flat

You would know, he tossed the bike in less then two miles from the house! Ran off to the right, then back into a guard rail. All so funny, except his leg was laid open like a gutted fish.
ER took over there. Oh! and the $4.K repairs. Jeesh! that plastic is expensive!( the leg was a lot more!)

Regards

CalG

 

I'm loaning my toys less and less. My friend loaned his $10,000 (yep that's right, $10,000) banjo to a fellow musician, who wanted to play it for a recording session. He knocked it off of a stand which broke the neck in two!!! This was a 1929 Gibson 1 of a kind banjo. Now good for firewood. What can he do? Murder comes to mind.
Like I said, I loaned my ACE to my dad who crossed over the double yellow and head-oned a car. Totaling both. I ended up fixing the bike with a new frame, forks, wheel, tire, gas tank, front fender, bars...etc...etc. To the tune of $3800.00 just in parts. OUCH!!!

 

Yea what they all said. what a bummmer and what'ss worse you watched it happen. O n another note; Besides RW, anyone here want to try my 4th gen on for size? :bolt:

 

I only have two friends allowed to ride my bikes and never worry about them...

 

Theres only one person i trust to ride my bikes. He is a far better rider then me and hes the one who taught me how to ride when i first got the Interceptor. My 85 was/is my first street bike. So of course i needed to learn how to ride it..simple way to pay the guy teaching me? Let him ride the bike occasionally which lead to me riding his bikes as well. But now that im about to get a CBR to share the driveway with the Interceptor with..im not so sure if im going to trust him with that one lol