how lucky was my breakdown? - Horizons Unlimited

**Neilio** · #1 18 Jul 2005

On Saturday afternoon, I went for a ride down the coast, sun shining, birds singing, fish and chips in Whitby and so on,..... all told about 160 miles of joy, and when I got home the bike cut out at the top of the drive, on closer inspection two of the wires from the ignition switch had snapped where they rub against the headstock, and killed the ignition. This could have happened any time during the day, including during many overtakes on the North York moors (with potentially disastrous consequences) but it didn't.

My point is, has anyone else had a really good breakdown like this and what should I offer to the Motorcycling Gods as a token of my thanks?

**JonStobbs** · #2 18 Jul 2005

A few years ago i got back from the ACU National Rally on my BM R65,and as i engaged neutral it just cut out.After a well needed cuppa,and checking the obvious first,i found that one of the ignition coils had decided to pack up(two 6volt coils in series).Having just covered over 1000 miles in 28-odd hours around the country without carrying a spare with me,i thought this was a good time to start doing so!!

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

**moggy 1968** · #3 19 Jul 2005

I was driving to russia through germany when the back wheel came off my landcruser at 70mph. After a couple of massive slides, missing the barrier by inches, a 360 degree spin and hitting no other vehicles I came to a rest on all 4 wheels. I was in the middle lane of one of the few stretches of 3 lane autobahn, hence how I missed the barrier. If I had been on a non motorway piece of road I would have been into the oncoming traffic and be brown bread.
check your nuts regulrly!!!

landcruiser H60
landrover 101 ambie/camper
1968 morris minor traveller

**GregM** · #4 19 Jul 2005

3 or 4 years back I was riding a 6 month old Ducati home from my parents early on a damp Sunday morning.

Slowing on a dual-carriageway approach to a roundabout I downshifted and the gearbox seized - er, completely. It locked the backwheel leaving me to slide to a nerve-racking but upright halt over 60 meters ending up 50 cms ft from the central reservation barrier and 5 meters from the roundabout.

The 'luck' part was it could have happened 5 seconds later, considerably closer to the traffic in the roundabout, it could have happened with more traffic behind me (wallop!) or it could have happened 20 minutes later where I would have been on the smooth, twisty and invitingly fast A272....in which case I wouldn't be here.

The upside is that Ducati UK didn't seem too concerned about it other than replacing the gearbox under warrenty and saying "ooh, never seen THAT before." I even had to argue with them that the tyre would be flat-spotted and they should spring for that too.

Safe travels!