The old bike, a long lonely road, and Halloween.
After a long season of riding, you find yourself on a long and narrow road. Darkness following you at every turn. The gentle winds pushing leaves at you as you wind all alone . With a sudden crash, you meet your demise. The HORROR.
The old bike that you’ve trusted all season long may have some hidden horrors that could be silently lurking to attack when you least expect it.
Halloween Havoc
Your old bike has parts and components that are…OLD. And unlike Micheal Myers, your bike doesn’t keep going and going after decades in hiding. Here are the horrors your bike might have for you this Halloween.
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The corroded brake system.
For an old brake system to work, it needs to circulate fluid through the lines, into the caliper, and back into the master cylinder. If you neglect that system or even one component in the line, you might be setting yourself up for a total loss of control. A brake system that doesn’t circulate, also doesn’t relax. If the caliper continues to have friction on the rotor, your brakes will heat up. With excessive heat, the pressure in the system will increase. As the pressure increases, the added pressure increases and pushes the caliper piston even tighter. One slight tap on your brake lever and you could completely lock up your wheel. https://midlifemotoz.com/2017/12/03/suzuki-rider/ I was lucky on this trip, but it could have easily gone a different way.
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The bulb bash.
Your lights are simple but complex systems. Fuses go out and batteries go dead. There are times that the bulb filament may just go out/bust. If that happens, you could be riding in total darkness. Not bad for you , as you can still see. The true problem comes when that car full of teens on their way to a Halloween party comes up on you at 30mph over the speed limit. They are not stopping.. They dont see you!
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The crusty cable.
The simplicity of an old motorcycle is why you bought that thing off Craigslist in the first place. Simple controls, gauges, and cables. The problem is, you’ve just been riding all season on 45 year old cables that have never been checked. The line is partially corroded and on your long and lonely ride, you give that throttle a little twist. The bike accelerates out of that S-Curve and you keep going . You try to roll off the throttle as you approach a hard right turn by a rocky creek. The throttle is stuck and you go into the turn destined for a meeting with the side of the creek.
Halloween is a perfect time to highlight the dangers of riding and some of the things you can prevent. Maintain your bike. With a little common sense, you can ensure that your long and lonely ride this October is not one that seals your fate.