re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

GBD Approved

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

Needed very much

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

I have very theortical knowledge on this and have only one practical experience of a long drive from Pune to Aurangabad (250 Kms) during 2009 on my 3 year old super splendor which was in top condition. At that time i was very amateur person and wanted to have exiting journey hence called a friend from aurangabad by bus and we went as doubles.

Started during daytime early morning at around 07;00 AM with literally a tank full of fuel (approx 10 litres - for around 600 kms assuming 60 km pl average) . Filled air in tyres and prayed to god that let the journey be a safe one (not a religious person though) . My only worry was flats or punctured tyres as if vehicle breakdowns you can push the vehicle on slopes or roads and drag it easily but in case of flats it becomes really hard to push the vehicle. Also i took a liesure 6-7 hours for the 250 km journey with breaks of 10-20 minutes in between every 20 kms , as i had not referred any manual on how long i can drive my bike without taking stoppings. Whenever i stopped at dhaba for tea / snacks took some water from dhaba and poured it on engine so that engine will cool. I was under the impression that driving more than 20 kms at a stretch may overheat engine and its better if i take break every 20 kms for around 10-20 minutes. Luckily didnt get a flat or had any other hurdles and reached safely to my destination. Didnt carry spare tubes or anything with me. It was lucky and good trip for me.

From my experience of travelling between cities, there are rarely any stretches which are totally deserted. Usually a journey between cities consists of small villages / districts in between wherein you can find assistance for repairing flat tyres. You can flag down a two wheller / tempo for help, you will surely find people who might be commuting on that stretch of road on a daily basis between two nearby villages / districts for work / other purposes and they must be aware of their territory and they know the survival techniques in that area. Not everyone will be a solo rider like you, unware of where the next puncture shop is.


As far as any other breakdown is concerned that should ideally not happen, the engine condition can be predicted and the vehicle should be in good condition to take beatings, hence a check can be done every xx kms for abnormal heatings , or any other symptoms of failure. Following spares can be kept in case of emergencies:

Spare tubes and puncture repair kit with air pump if you know you will travel a huge deserted stretch of road.
Spark plugs and a cutter, tape, small wires for minor temporary joinings.


Before going on solo trips you should do a reliability check of the vehicle and ensure that vehicle should be able to take the beating of long trip. Punctures / flat tyres are totally unpredictable but a unpredictable breakdown may be very rare. It should have shown some symptoms which you must have ignored and took the bike on long rides.

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

[MENTION=35321]rsk11584[/MENTION]

Appreciate you sharing your experience, mate. That was helpful.
Hope more people pitch in with their thoughts so we can benefit from collective experiences.

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

Never ever do the bold part again

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

now you must have known how much amateur i might have been. But i found out that you mean to say the engine could crack or what.

Is it bad to spray a hot engine with water? - General Dirt Bike Discussion - ThumperTalk is this what you meant to say about the consequences?

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?


yes this is what i meant to say but I am amateur by myself and we all are learning here.In my opinion real specialty is being alive on Indian road and I do not care if we can fix a simple nut or can drive in triple digit or can ride continuously for hours as long as we are alive and unhurt.

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

I guess below is a good option in case of breakdown.
Its All India Emergency Rescue System (AIERS) which has a centralized database of our fellow biker's contact numbers with there locations. In case of emergency you will definitely get some help.

re: What to do in case of a breakdown?

See it all depends on the situation, circumstances and above all location. From new rider point of view -

Whenever you are touring solo, the first thing should be which place you are going. Try to find out about the location as much as you can. Make notes and note down all important numberds as in a small diary ( I dont depend on gadgets as they may run out of battery ). As per your riding comfort plan your route and time. For example, you will be riding in day time only and will halt around 5pm or 6pm (depending on the location you are going). Also if you doing any pre-booking keep the hotel owner informed about your progress. Also back at home, have one of your friend be updated with your progress, for eg. - you have reached here, halted for tea, halted for lunch, I am so much kms away, etc, etc.

Now for breakdowns. When you are touring on a Motorcycle, you should know your vehicle inside out. Atleast carry tools to repair puncture (tubeless tyres), or to open the front or back wheel in case of puncture (tube type tyres) which is the most common issue one faces. For this purpose you need to be able to have some basic tools which you can purchase after consulting with your mechanic. Then you should always carry cash with you, do not keep all the cash at one place, distribute it among the different pockets or bags which will be handy for you. Money is the biggest friend when it comes to help.

In case of some major breakdown where you cannot ride or take the motorcycle along with you. In that case have a small bag with you which you can carry on your shoulders. If this happened in an isolated place, first park your bike in some safe place at the road side, take all the important documents, cash with you. If you carrying a big bag then either you will have to leave it behind or hide it near your bike where-ever you can. Then take some local transport and go to the nearest town where you can get a tempo or anyone to get your vehicle their. In case of Himachal/Utaranchal people are quite helpful, if you know how to speak nicely and humbly to them, then they may help you without asking you any money. Inform your hotel guy about the happening as well as your friend.

The biggest thing is to be calm, patient and logical when you are stuck in some situation.

Which are the general things in bike I should know in case of breakdown

Hello,

I have been driving my bike since 7 years or so but never bothered to learn small tricks / things in bike in case of breakdown.

Is there any tutorial / video made on xbhp where I can learn and not just be a rider but rider with tiny brains of mechanic

For example what to do when rain water enters in the silencer (big problem in our city). Generally I take the bike to some roadside mechanic he opens the bottom panel and does something with battery etc plus keeps kicking the bike.

Secondly if bike doesn't start sometimes we press the clutch and ask somebody to push the bike to keep rolling and then we release the clutch it sometimes start. I want to learn these type of things.

I want to be a pro in it so in case of general breakdown I can atleast fix these type of things without having to be over dependent on a mechanic.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Re: Which are the general things in bike I should know in case of breakdown

Approved and merged!

Stuff you mentioned earlier is very basic stuff and you can read all in a day. Working on the bike needs patience, temperament, will, time (and money) and most importantly, tools!
You learn a lot with experience and the rest by getting your hands dirty.

Re: Which are the general things in bike I should know in case of breakdown


There is a difference between knowing the path & Walking the path.

You will have to devote time, energy, money, get your hands dirty.
Sit with your trusted mechanic - build a repo - tell him your situation and requirement.

For the truly insane ones there is always 'Automobile Engineering'.


Cheers.