"Provincial Field Repair"!!

[redbloke1956]

From a Previous Post:

Now that is a true "Provincial Field Repair"!!​

Bruce Metcalf
Washington, DC Section My Computer currently will not let me hit "Enter" and go down one line so I will start here: What is you best " Provincial Field Repair"!! or "get you Home repair/bodge" if you prefer?




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[bmetcalf]

A bungee on the K/S lever is too mundane, I'm sure. I used a bungee on my rear stand once when I failed to tighten the tommybar and it vibrated out.

 

[Howard]

When I was 18 I had an RE Crusader. One day while out on a run it developed a squeek. The faster I went, the more it sqeeked. I eventually traced the squeek to a split in the rear tyre, the inner tube was bulging through the split and rubbing on the swinging arm. I found a piece of string and wound it round the tyre to keep the tube in. I'd like to say I got another 10,000 miles out of the tyre, but despite what people think of me, I did only use it to get me home.

H

 

[nkt267]

I had a wheel bearing collapse on a Ford Cortina and the wheel came of on a slow bend.
I had a straight combination spannner( open end and ring at opposite ends).I removed the hub nut and refitted the wheel and drum, put the ring end of the spanner over the axle and then put on the nut and got home the remaining 6 miles like that..John

 

[TouringComet]

Nothing too dramatic...

I was on the Shadow, during the big annual All British Ride in Los Angeles back in the '80s, in the hills north of town. I came out of a corner and grabbed a bunch of throttle, and the twist grip went slack and the revs died down to an idle. Inside the throttle cable splitter, the nipple came off the end of the single cable, so both cylinders were now static. I could've made it back very slowly, but I adjusted the idle as high as I could and made it back into town at a somewhat decent pace to a truck stop. Pulled the tank off, borrowed a propane torch or soldering iron, and put the end back on. It's still there today.

Okay, I know many of you would have had a mini torch right in your tool tray but not me.

 

[TouringComet]

Geez, how could I forget, during the '99 International, I burned a hole in the Comet piston, and Corina and I stripped it down in the parking lot at the Scottish stage and replaced the piston with a spare brought to us by Russell Kemp, who heroically made a bonzai run from Wales (on two wheels) bringing spares to a few broken down Vins. John Stainton also helped us tremendously by providing an oil filter after we discovered ours was full of swarf. Our other saviour was the guy that came along the motorway and saw us stopped on the side of the road, he was in a truck with a Series D twin in the back. We swapped bikes and Corina and I rode his twin the last few miles to the rally site. Sorry I don't remember his name (are you watching the forum?).

 

[redbloke1956]

When I was 18 I had an RE Crusader. One day while out on a run it developed a squeek. The faster I went, the more it sqeeked. I eventually traced the squeek to a split in the rear tyre, the inner tube was bulging through the split and rubbing on the swinging arm. I found a piece of string and wound it round the tyre to keep the tube in. I'd like to say I got another 10,000 miles out of the tyre, but despite what people think of me, I did only use it to get me home.

H

Hi Howard, would you do the same thing today???

 

[carlm]

I always find inspiration in the ditch.
#1. Ran out of gas in my little pickup within sight of a service station. Grabbed the Jerry can out of the back and hitched to the station. Upon my return, having put some gas in the tank, found the doors locked and the keys dangling in the ignition. Walked up and down the ditch and found a Coke can. Cut it up with my Leatherperson and made a slim jim. Problem solved.
#2. 1974, Moving to Whitehorse, pulling a trailer with most of our worldly goods in it. The spring hanger on the trailer pulled right out of the frame halfway down Steamboat Mountain on the Alaska Highway. The damn frame was so rusty it was like cheese. I didn't have many tools then, and what I did have were odd sized, collected from here and there as needed. A weird collection is how you'd describe it.
Into the ditch, deep in thought, and some degree of depression. Aha! A bolt. And another one! Hmm. Rummage for nuts. Yes! Remembering the cheese like frame. Aha again! The remains of some channel steel, directional sign mounting for the use of! These sign posts are channels with flanges on either side, and perforated every couple of inches with a half-inch hole. Back to the weird toolbox. Or toolbox of the weird. Two drills bits of unknown size that "looked about right". No means of driving them. OK there's already a hole in the cheese. Ream it out with the smaller bit and vise grips. Aha! a tap. What size is that? big enough. Run that through. Then the bigger bit. Perfect! Position the spring hanger, position the hacksawed piece of sign post and CLAMP the hanger to the cheesy frame.
Lasted 500 miles into Whitehorse. Can't remember what I did with the feckin trailer. I haven't been sued, so I guess I told the next guy about the bodge. At least I hope so.

 

[Howard]

Interesting question? I'd like to say "no, I know better" but the truth is, if I was desperate I probably would. If the string gave way there was an audible warning. Of course, at the back of my mind would be the knowledge that I don't bounce as well as I used to!!

Another "fix" - in my very early days of VOC membership. At the gathering in the IoM my gearbox developed a selection problem (don't remember the details). The bike was descended on by a number of senior members who decided the kickstart case needed to be shimmed away from G50. After a walk round the pub car park, one of them returned with a number of discarded ring pulls - job done!

H

Hi Howard, would you do the same thing today???

 

[vibrac]

lost the nipple on my throttle cable stuck the loose end under the tank cap worked the throttle with my knee in the loop, found it quite effective ran like that for a few days. Ah busy life back then.