One of those days...

[WadeFillingame]

I feel the need to share this story...

I think this story should start in the middle.  Saturday afternoon I'm sitting on the side of I-75 wondering why the hell the oil plug fell of my Harley.  I had done an oil change that morning, but I've got a rule about drain plugs of any kind, they are either out or torqued.  I never leave them any other way, that way you don't end up sitting on the side of the road.  I had just watched the last quart of over priced Mobile 1 synthetic oil drain onto n the pavement.   Good news is I heard the motor change sounds and pullled over while it still had oil in it. Now I had some time while I waited for FredD to show up with a new plug and 3 qts of oil.

So I pondered my morning...

Saturday morning I was trying to get my wife and kids out of the drive on a road trip.  I need to do an oil change in her car, and at 6:30AM the only place open with oil and filters is WalMart, so off I went, but before I left I checked the battery for the HD that had been on the charger over night... 8 volts... ok, need a battery too.  Walmart was not my first choice to get a battery, but I figured WTF, I'm in a hurry and I need to get this done.  Got home, the battery came with electrolyte to add, but no caps, and no connecting screws...  

Got the wife's oil drained, can't find the strap wrench for the oil filter, I know I used it 2 months ago, but it's missing.  Go to the auto parts store (they are open now) and get a new strap wrench and a new maintenance free battery for the HD and oil for the HD (Walmart doesn't carry 20W50).

Get home, put new battery on the charger I know it can probably use an hour or two.

Finish wife's oil change.

See wife and kids off to Grandma's house.

Take battery back to Walmart for refund.

Do oil change in HD, damnit forgot how many quarts go in the HD and started pouring the 4th quart in when I realized I was over filling it.  Then it hit me, (remember I'm sitting on the side of I-75?) that's where I screwed up, I had to loosen the drain plug to drain out 1/2 a quart or so of oil, but I wasn't sure how much to drain, so I put the plug in a couple of turns and checked the oil...  looked great, forgot the plug.  



Fred shows up, saves my day, brings me oil, socket and plug and in 5 minutes I'm back on the road to Don's (CadillacDoc) albeit about three hours later than I should have been.  

About 2 hours later I'm a few miles outside of Harlan, KY when traffic on the 2 lane road comes to a stop.  Seems there is a wreck (I'm told three vehicles, one a utility truck) and we're going nowhere.  I wait around for about an hour and still no opening in the road.  

Turn around, backtrack 25 minutes to get to a place where I can get one valley further north, haul butt and finally get to Don's at about 7:40.  

Proceed to drink heavily.  (I think I had two glasses of champagne and a Moscow Mule in the first 10 minutes I was there.)

Had a great dinner (Fillet and stuffed squash blossoms)

Continued to drink heavily till about 3AM (I may still have a hangover)  

BUT, I made it  :bangin:

[dubleuhb]

Well the good news is you figured out where you messed up. Otherwise the next time out for a ride you would hear all kinds of things going wrong, even though they're not there, and that's no fun.

[WadeFillingame]

[quote author=dubleuhb link=topic=19848.msg92319#msg92319 date=1371500572]
Well the good news is you figured out where you messed up. Otherwise the next time out for a ride you would hear all kinds of things going wrong, even though they're not there, and that's no fun.
[/quote]

Only through experience does one know that  :cal:

[tarkington]

You need to get out and ride that thang more.
Or at least get a trickle charger........
Or you can do like me, get a trickle charger and put it
on the bench behind some stuff, and buy a new battery
after you find it's dead in the springtime. :)
I really have no excuse, winters are fairly mild, it's just finding the time......

[WadeFillingame]

[quote author=tarkington link=topic=19848.msg92325#msg92325 date=1371514286]
You need to get out and ride that thang more.
Or at least get a trickle charger........
Or you can do like me, get a trickle charger and put it
on the bench behind some stuff, and buy a new battery
after you find it's dead in the springtime. :)
I really have no excuse, winters are fairly mild, it's just finding the time......
[/quote]

The sad truth is that it's the first time in almost 2 yrs I've gotten the bike out (I kind of spent last summer in a wheel chair or on a cane) and these days my competition shooting takes all the spare time after work, kids, wife, house, yard get their piece.  My Triumph Speed Triple hasn't been out in 3 yrs and I don't remember the last time I took out the F2.  (I rolled the Honda and the Triumph out of the trailer and neither have any front brake, that was pretty exciting for a couple of seconds.)

[SRex]

Life, for whatever reason, gives you a little kick in the head every once in a while!  It sucks, but how you take it makes the man!

It's always good to hang with friends!

[Lo Phat]

Good thing you are aware enough to hear a change in the engine noise...and pull over.  I can't tell you how many times I heard "started making a noise so I kept going..." yadda, yadda, yadda. 

I ride too.  Wish I could get out more but seems the decent days I've been busy with other things.

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