Daft things you thought was a 'fault'

[ADSrox0r]

Last few weeks the VFR has been making a weird sort of flappy/ticky noise at certain speeds. One of those things that is a definite 'something' but buggered if you know what it is and has you getting paranoid about something falling off/going grenade. Anyway, pulled into get petrol and noticed a decent length of electrical tape (old and gunky, needs renewing) hanging down around the triple area. Ripped it off and voila, noise gone. Pfff.

I also did a few hundred miles on the ZZR with THE most irritating/worrying 'TINK!' noise every time I braked/engine braked. Had me thinking all sorts was going on. Turned out my jacket zip was undone half way and tapping the tank.....

So, go on then give us your best 'thought it was a problem that was about to kill me in a fireball but turned out to be something embarrassingly simple'.......
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[WimbleHJR]

My F800st, whenever I was breaking and accelerating had a very loud rattle at the front end. Started worrying it had ran out of oil or something (it drinks oil so not unrealistic). Nursed it gently home, checked the oil and still OK so booked it into the garage to have it looked at... Next morning realised it was the camera I have sat under the front fairing that had come loose and was bouncing off the mud guard!
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YBR125, FZS600, FZ6 S2 F800ST

[chickenstrip]

Technically, this one is a fault I suppose, but so minor yet misleading. The FZS1000 has fairing inner panels, one on each side. It's quite common for them to vibrate in way that sounds like someone vigorously swirling a bunch of nuts and bolts around in a plastic bucket, and all kinds of other noises. Quite disconcerting when you hear it for the first time, and you wonder, wtf?! It's hard to tell where on earth it's coming from.

The simple solution is a bit of extra foam padding between the panels and the main fairing - problem solved. Loads of folks owning one of these bikes for the first time come on the Fazer forum asking for advice on what's about to self-destruct on their unfamiliar machine, and can be quite sceptical when you tell them to check this first.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[doggone]

My Yamaha XJ900 went on it's side in mud on a steep road in the Alps.
No real damage but in the campsite next morning, when started the oil light was on and there was a strange rattling sound.
Stopped quickly and checked oil etc ...
It was down a bit so, walked into town to buy some - had to get a whole 5 litres.
Started again - still doing it.

Then realised the starter button had stuck in due to congealed mud.
With the XJ the oil light comes on as a bulb check(?) when you use the starter button, and the weird rattling noise was starter motor still engaged.

[MarJay]

My KR1S sounds like it's got a bottom end knock when you try to kick start it. Turns out it's the fairing slapping against the engine...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[craigT19]

Leaving to meet people from here at box hill on my NSR125 and "Tried" to pull away from a petrol station with the side stand down. Obviously put it in gear and the bike cut out. Started the bike same again. Bump started the bike same again.
Called my old man to ask him to come pick me up while on the phone to him i clipped the stand with my foot and heard it fold up.
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Bikes owned :- 2001 nsr125, 1999 zx6r, 2006 yzf-r1, 2009 xmax 250, 2012 yzf-r1, 2015 MT-07
Current bike : - 2016 MT-10
BCF member pops. sadly missed 1945-2003

[DrDonnyBrago]

SV1000S with full fairings directs all engine heat straight to your legs and nutsack.

Design flaw in summer, design feature in winter.

[recman]

When I first got my bike I used to be concerned about a rattling tinkling sound coming from somewhere around the dash.

Keys.

[chickenstrip]

Inb4 Rogerborg and his Enfield: "Everything"
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[BrownTrousers]

[bacon]

Horrendous knocking noise from the engine, while 50miles from home going down the M4 on my zx7r...

Thought all manner of things. So I nursed it home as slow as I dared.

Anyway, turns out my freshly copper greased exhaust studs had let a nut come loose and one cylinder wasn't sealed anymore. I would have bet money on it being a "mechanical" knock aa the knocking was awful! But nope!

[TbirdX]

On a green laning run with the local TRF on my DT125.

We stopped at the end of a lane to let everyone catch up, I spun around in my seat to look back and the engine died. I didn't think too much of it.
As everyone regrouped and set off I thumbed the starter button. Nothing.
I pressed it again. Still nothing. I check the neutral light, side stand etc, no response from the button. Another rider sees me shaking my head and comes over.
I explain I'm getting nothing from the start button. He suggests a bump start and begins pushing me up the lane.
3 tries later and it won't bump either.
Another guy comes over, flicks the Kill Switch back to engine run and it starts on the button as normal.
I'd lent across it when I turned to look back and never gave it a second thought.
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VFR800X - TTR250

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I'd noticed the R1 starting to wander across the A-road and was sure it was a puncture, but no. Then I remembered I'd fitted a shock absorber a few weeks back, so something must have come loose, right? Everything seemed secure when I tried to wiggle the back wheel but I couldn't account for the waywardness. I rode home in the gutter at 15mph, hazard lights flashing and expecting a wheel to fall off at any moment. Back home I was no wiser until I happened to be travelling along the same road in the car later. The lowering sun cast shadows which subtly revealed wheel tracks pressed into the tarmac by heavy traffic. I'd been "tram-lining." It took a few days to trust the bike again, even though I knew it wasn't at fault. It had messed with my head!

[The_west]

Having recently passed my test I've been out putting some miles in, but I kept noticing when putting a bit of speed down the bike kept losing drive and would bounce off the limiter for a few seconds until I backed off then it's stop. Was worrying all kind of things, turns out the handguards which the bloke had made but improvised the fitting, at speed the air resistance was too much and it was being forced back and pressing against the clutch
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Grip it and rip it

[Pete.]

BMW's idea of allowing the engine to crank on the start button without the ignition firing if you try to start the bike in gear with the stand down.

Damn fool idea.

Oh and their idea of fitting normally open brake light microswiches to the non-ABS bikes and normally closed switches to non-ABS bikes. WTF? Spent an hour trying to figure out where that fault was after nicking the switch off the spare bike
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Old Git Racing]

Riding the bike to Cadwell for the August BSB meeting early morning, all over the road, wouldn't turn in, shit on the brakes into tight corners. Embarrassingly simple reason, dont ride the bike when you're still half pissed from the night before.

OGR
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2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[Ilikemyspleen]

Last week at the traffic lights, my engine died and wouldnt come back on.

Had an oil issue (spitting on the chassis - turns out a clip hadnt been put back on correctly) so id drained it and refilled to 1/2 full earlier in the day. Thought id knackered my bike, so walked it off to the side whilst loudly shouting, 'FUCK.....FUCK.....FUCK'

Called the wife and said she might have to run me down some oil.

She gets halfway there and I realised ive knocked the kill switch on.....switched it back and it starts 1st time.

I call the wife to let her know to disregard my last....she calls me a knobber......its all happy days

[Fisty]

After rebuilding the TL I could get nothing from the electrics, checked all the fuses, all the connections and safety switches. I was convinced I had fucked it up.


I hadn't connected the battery.
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Quietly and consistently taking the piss.
TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[Hawkeye1250FA]

[andyscooter]

had a scooter fail the mot for headlight aim being wrong


only problem was they could not be adjusted but when bike was sat on they were correct

took a while to argue that one with the tester
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[Yorkshire Geek]

Bike wouldn't start, repeated attempts to no avail. Sidestand was down, felt acunt.t

[Hawkeye1250FA]

Stopped bike at 4 way temporary lights. Knowing it was an age before it got around to my green light (and it was fecking hot!) - kill switch to stop bike but keep in gear ready for fast get away....

Green light comes.

Starter....

Nothing. Try again, check clutch, sidestand.... Arrrgh! Didn't flick kill switch back again!

Dick.
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1993 RF400R - 2002 Bandit 1200 - 2012 1250 FA

[thx1138]

Forgetting I have to pull the clutch in to start the vanvan

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

A couple of years ago or so, I bought a vanvan - it had less than a hundred miles on it. I could never find neutral so I thought it had some sort of knackeredness. After a thousand miles or so it was fine.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[ForestRunner]

Odd rattly noise, from somewhere behind me the other day.
Cue repeated contortion to see if I could spot it, twisting left/right. Trying to remember how long I'd got before a change of direction was needed and it would be best to be looking where I was going again....

Said issue, left the spare keys in the seat release when I was in the garage looking for something the other day....

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Slowly learning...
CBF125 Red (Stolen) -> CBF125 White -> 1999 Hornet