It is funny how bikers will select just the right helmet, a href=http://motorcyclebootsforwomen.com/ target=_blankmotorcycle chaps/a or motorcycle jacket to protect their head, skin and feet before they ever think about getting on a motorbike. Nevertheless, they will just hope on their bike with out a thought of doing a pre-ride safety check. br /
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Pre-ride motorcycle safety inspections are important. They insure that you make it to where you are going and back again safely and help prevent brake downs.br /
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Over the years, I have heard horror stories about terrible motorcycle accidents because of a blown tire or a brake or suspension malfunction. Fortunately, this has never happened to anybody close to me . br /
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On the other hand, my wife did have a break down one day because we didn’t give the bikes a good once over before we went for a cruise. br /
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My wife Sherry rides what a lot of a href=http://motorcyclebootsforwomen.com/3/selecting-motorcycle-boots-for-women/ target=_blankmotorcycle women/a are riding these days, a Harley Sportster 883 Low and I ride a Honda VTX1300R. Sherry didn’t like the feel of the center controls so we had forward control’s put on her Sportster . She loved the way her bike rode after we added the forward controls.br /
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All was good, so one sunny Sunday morning we decided to go for a motorcycle ride in the country. It was a beautiful day and the ride was wonderful. We took the back roads for about 90 miles or so and then decided to head back home for dinner. br /
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The shortest way back was to take the highway. br /
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As we turned down the onramp towards home it was a good thing I glanced in my rear view mirror because my wife was stopped along the side of the freeway onramp flashing her high beams like crazy . br /
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I pulled over, parked my motorcycle, and walked back to her to see what the problem was. br /
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As it turned out, the linkage that connects the foot shifter, to the transfer case had fallen off and Sherry had no way of shifting gears. br /
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This was a big problem. We were ninety miles away from home , we didn’t want to leave a brand new Harley Davidson sitting on the side of the road and I could not leave my wife there alone sitting on her bike sportster while I went to try and find linkage. Although that would have been impossible because it was Sunday and none of the bike shops are open on Sunday where we live. br /
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Not all was lost though. I asked Sherry if she knew the last time she had shifted gears. She told me she had changed gears just before we turned onto the on ramp of the highway . Therefore, I went on a quest up the ramp to see if I could locate the linkage and the two bolts that held the linkage in place. br /
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Fantastic! About half way up the onramp , I found the linkage. I was half way home. I still needed to find the two bolts that connected the linkage on to the bike so Sherry could shift and we could continue our ride home. br /
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I went up one side of the highway onramp and down the other looking for the ever so elusive linkage bolts. Frustration was setting in, as I looked and I looked again for those bolts. br /
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It didn’t help matters that a couple of half drunk hill billys in an old 1953 lima bean colored flat bed truck had stopped by Sherry and started to bother her. I think they thought better of it when Sherry told them to go do something with themselves that I am sure neither one of them had done with a women in years and they saw me walking up the ramp scowling. They drove off gesturing, I guess they though that we were number one or something. br /
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Back to the problem at hand, I had the linkage but no bolts to put it on with . I had my motorcycle, however, it is a metric bike and Sherry’s Harley Davidson is good old American standard.br /
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If you know anything about metric and standard bolts, they do not go together . The threads will not match up. Anyway , that didn’t stop me. I found out that the seat bolts on my VTX are just about the same size as the bolts that hold the shifter linkage for the forward controls on a sportster Low. The difference is the thread pattern is a bit larger. They did fit just enough though; I just didn’t tighten them in. br /
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After my discovery, it took no time at all and we were back on the road heading home. br /
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I guess the reason for all of this babble is not to take doing a pre ride check for granted. br /
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You would have thought that having work done on your new motorcycle by a certified Harley Davidson dealer would insure that the work would be done correctly . Well as it turned out, the mechanic that switched the controls on Sherry’s sportster didn’t put lock tight on the linkage bolts and after a few months of riding the bolts came out. br /
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Could the problem have been eliminated if the mechanic had installed the linkage the right way? Yes, it could have. Although , it could have also been eliminated if we had taken just a few extra minutes and done a pre ride check. br /
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We were fortunate that it was just a linkage that failed and not something that could have caused a fatal accident . br /
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For your safety and the safty of others , take the extra time and do a pre ride safety check. It will save your life some day. br /
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