Carry a tow strap, lol. Some guys zip tie a spare cable to the one that's on the bike. If you were able to get the bike rolling you might be able to shift into gear without using the clutch.
Got any non-riding tips? How to deal with situations that might occur in the wilds?
Started by
cjard
, Feb 13 2012 07:55 AM
25 replies to this topic
Posted 03 April 2012 - 11:34 AM
On the longer trail rides, we take at least one aluminum can of pop or beer along to drink but ALSO to have the empty can for starting emergency camp fires. Cut the top off of the can and fill it 2/3 full of gas BUT DON'T SPILL ANY and then carefully place it in a depression in the ground and carefully stack wood on each side and over the top with at least a 1 inch space between all pieces of wood so the flames can work their way out close to the wood.
Don't worry, IF you don't spill any, you will almost have to place a match right into the can to get it started. It will burn slowly at first but will last for about 20 minutes and with 2 of these, you can start even the largest pieces of wet wood on fire.
If you don't have any matches or lighter, just dampen a stick with gas or a stick with a little TP (You DID bring the TP didn't you?) on the end, pull your spark plug wire but keep it close to the spark plug so the spark can jump (be SURE to close the gas tank first) and then kick the bike over to light the stick.
Also, My bikes have hollow handle bars so I carry spare tie wire AND a length of tubing suitable as a slow siphon or as emergency fuel line in that free space. Make sure they are long enough so they don't disappear down in the bars were you can't retrieve them.
And a final.. for now tip, to save your throttle cable AND the throttle housing itself, Route the throttle cable UNDER the front brake lever and not over it as in the photos below:
Don't worry, IF you don't spill any, you will almost have to place a match right into the can to get it started. It will burn slowly at first but will last for about 20 minutes and with 2 of these, you can start even the largest pieces of wet wood on fire.
If you don't have any matches or lighter, just dampen a stick with gas or a stick with a little TP (You DID bring the TP didn't you?) on the end, pull your spark plug wire but keep it close to the spark plug so the spark can jump (be SURE to close the gas tank first) and then kick the bike over to light the stick.
Also, My bikes have hollow handle bars so I carry spare tie wire AND a length of tubing suitable as a slow siphon or as emergency fuel line in that free space. Make sure they are long enough so they don't disappear down in the bars were you can't retrieve them.
And a final.. for now tip, to save your throttle cable AND the throttle housing itself, Route the throttle cable UNDER the front brake lever and not over it as in the photos below:
Edited by 2PLY, 03 April 2012 - 11:48 AM.
Posted 03 April 2012 - 11:42 AM
One other thing I carried while I had it, was one of those high powered green lasers. Probably not legal, but I knew for sure that if I was out at night and had any clear shot of the sky, if anyone was looking for me, they could not miss that strong green streak across the sky and could follow the beam back to where I was. This was not the ones that only leave a dot on the ground, this one would pop balloons 8 feet away. You could not be stealthy and tease people with a dot. But as a sure way to call out your location, it was great..
In the late evening or night, people didn't have to be looking your way... You could wave that in front of their view even up to 5 miles away and they could not miss it.
Problem is, most of these come from China and though expensive, are cheaply built and don't last well in a pack.
In the late evening or night, people didn't have to be looking your way... You could wave that in front of their view even up to 5 miles away and they could not miss it.
Problem is, most of these come from China and though expensive, are cheaply built and don't last well in a pack.
Edited by 2PLY, 03 April 2012 - 11:46 AM.
Posted 09 April 2012 - 09:30 PM
One more tip.. If you are running inner tubes in your tires and wish to carry spares, you only need to carry a front tire tube. It's lighter and will still work for the rear in a pinch.
And for the longer rides where I know there are creeks or lakes along the way, instead of loading up on tons of water in my Camelbak pack, I bring one of those Untra-violet water sterilizers and a matching water bottle that has a strainer top that fits the sterilizer.. I can cut back on carrying 3 or more liters of water with just the one bottle full and then using the sterilizer as I go... this way, the water is cooler and I can drink all I want without fear of running out. It will not help with muddy water, but I've been assured that it's the most affective device for saving you from Viruses and microscopic critters.
And for the longer rides where I know there are creeks or lakes along the way, instead of loading up on tons of water in my Camelbak pack, I bring one of those Untra-violet water sterilizers and a matching water bottle that has a strainer top that fits the sterilizer.. I can cut back on carrying 3 or more liters of water with just the one bottle full and then using the sterilizer as I go... this way, the water is cooler and I can drink all I want without fear of running out. It will not help with muddy water, but I've been assured that it's the most affective device for saving you from Viruses and microscopic critters.
Posted 10 April 2012 - 02:25 PM
2PLY, on 09 April 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:
One more tip.. If you are running inner tubes in your tires and wish to carry spares, you only need to carry a front tire tube. It's lighter and will still work for the rear in a pinch.
And for the longer rides where I know there are creeks or lakes along the way, instead of loading up on tons of water in my Camelbak pack, I bring one of those Untra-violet water sterilizers and a matching water bottle that has a strainer top that fits the sterilizer.. I can cut back on carrying 3 or more liters of water with just the one bottle full and then using the sterilizer as I go... this way, the water is cooler and I can drink all I want without fear of running out. It will not help with muddy water, but I've been assured that it's the most affective device for saving you from Viruses and microscopic critters.
And for the longer rides where I know there are creeks or lakes along the way, instead of loading up on tons of water in my Camelbak pack, I bring one of those Untra-violet water sterilizers and a matching water bottle that has a strainer top that fits the sterilizer.. I can cut back on carrying 3 or more liters of water with just the one bottle full and then using the sterilizer as I go... this way, the water is cooler and I can drink all I want without fear of running out. It will not help with muddy water, but I've been assured that it's the most affective device for saving you from Viruses and microscopic critters.
2PLY, on 09 April 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:
One more tip.. If you are running inner tubes in your tires and wish to carry spares, you only need to carry a front tire tube. It's lighter and will still work for the rear in a pinch.
And for the longer rides where I know there are creeks or lakes along the way, instead of loading up on tons of water in my Camelbak pack, I bring one of those Untra-violet water sterilizers and a matching water bottle that has a strainer top that fits the sterilizer.. I can cut back on carrying 3 or more liters of water with just the one bottle full and then using the sterilizer as I go... this way, the water is cooler and I can drink all I want without fear of running out. It will not help with muddy water, but I've been assured that it's the most affective device for saving you from Viruses and microscopic critters.
And for the longer rides where I know there are creeks or lakes along the way, instead of loading up on tons of water in my Camelbak pack, I bring one of those Untra-violet water sterilizers and a matching water bottle that has a strainer top that fits the sterilizer.. I can cut back on carrying 3 or more liters of water with just the one bottle full and then using the sterilizer as I go... this way, the water is cooler and I can drink all I want without fear of running out. It will not help with muddy water, but I've been assured that it's the most affective device for saving you from Viruses and microscopic critters.
Posted 14 April 2012 - 05:15 PM
MCRIPPPer, on 04 March 2012 - 08:29 AM, said:
what do you do when something as simple as a throttle cable breaks?? the one cable you cant go without.
the only reason i ever thought of it is because mine broke the other day. but i was right at the top of my driveway lol.
the only reason i ever thought of it is because mine broke the other day. but i was right at the top of my driveway lol.
Happened to me once. It broke at the throttle tube so I cut back 4"-6" of the housing with my leatherman. Then wrapped the frayed end of the cable around my pliers so I could tug it to operate the throttle. The fix was WAY easier than the ride out with one hand on the bars/clutch and one pulling the cable.
JB Quik weld is my favorite fix-it for a bike. Remember, there's always a way, it just may not always be your idea of "fun".
