Sudden lurch to the right......!

OK this sounds frightening......!

But the good news is that there is a happy and cheap ending!

As you may know from my posts over the last seven months or so my Wing has had a lot done to it, plus I had problems with air leaking first from the tyre valves, then the rims... Anyway, that was fixed with a powder coat. I also had a small oil leak from the right crankcase cover, where the wires from the alternator I think, come out to join the wiring harness... It's a common problem on older S'Wings and caused by the rubber grommet perishing, and is more of a weep rather than a leak. I’d kept my eye on it and had ridden the machine for about 6 months in this condition with no problem….

http://www.silverwing.org/cgi-bin/topic_show.pl?pid=6304;hl=leak

So all is well, I've spent some considerable money, (also had a two tone horn fitted) but have had everything I’ve wanted to do, all done to my trusty steed and am well happy.... The sun is shining, the snow is cleared, the ice is melted, my new rear Bridgstone is really complimenting the front Michelin well, and I'm having one of those "Zipper dee doo daa zipper deee day, wonderful feeling moments".....

So as I said, all is well with my little universe, I'm riding along on my Sexy Uber Scooter, feeling just awesome and King of the Road and all that....... Then I notice to my horror that my S'wing has started to lurch to the right when the clutch engages. It is really pronounced and well disconcerting especially from a stand still.... All kinds of horrors are going through my mind... A quick inspection reveals nothing obvious wrong, and the scoot is rideable and handling OK... I figure my front forks seals, or steering head bearing maybe dodgy, but I know these have all been recently checked, plus there is no sign of a leaky fork seal.... so I carefully ride to my friendly and efficient local dealer.....

He sees me come in, and rubs his hand with glee..... (he's the one that has done most of the performance mods for me) "You've come for the turbo charger he says!" hopefully..... I shake my head and explain about the lurch... He sees my crestfallen look.... "Don't worry!" he says, "I'll fix it!" We go out to check my S'wing and his first tentative diagnosis is that one of the rubber engine mounts may have gone.... I groan... "All the bloody plastic has to come off again" I sigh and with a heavy heart and fears of yet spending loads more money, leave the bike with the dealer and he gives me a lift home.....

Just a few days later, he rings me up…. All fixed, he says……! Apparently the problem was a rear wheel bearing in the right hand side of the swinging arm. It is part of the right side of the swinging arm assembly that you have to unbolt when you take the rear wheel off….

Delighted, I pick up my Uber Scooter….. and all was well with the world again, the balance of the universe had been restored….. So there I am again, a few days later riding around feeling on top of the world in another “Zipper dee doo daa zipper deee day, wonderful feeling moment"…… I’m happy even though am filtering through some heavy traffic in town, and pull away to burn off a particularly persistent and annoying hot hatchback that has been jostling and hassling me for the last few miles, and wham…… my Swing’s “lurch” is back….! Oh woe is me…. How can this be happening to me ?! What have I ever done to the scooter gods? I have always been good to my scooter, and always had the best stuff fitted…..

Back to the dealers…. The mechanic is now clearly upset because he feels he has let me down…. They decide keep my scoot for a while so they can sort it all out....

My dreams were dark that night…. The motorcycle gods are taunting me, riding huge powerful ghostlike machines, flames billowing from their exhausts….. “This is what happens when you favour a scooter above a bike!” they scream at me, and laughing they pull wheelies, and scorch doughnuts into the road before riding off laughing….. I awake in a cold sweat…. Oh why did I ever soup up my S’wing? But then common sense sets in…. The S’wing is built like bulldozer…… It can cope with a bit of extra power… Besides it’s not as if there is enough bhp to twist the frame or anything?

A few days later….. All is well again…. The Scooter Gods have seen the angry bike gods off… and it seems my scooter has been healed……. Apparently it wasn’t a collapsed bearing at all…. In fact it’s so simple we are all kicking ourselves….. What with the back wheel having been on and off so many times, the locking mechanism on the rear axle nut (two blade like metal grippers) had become worn and were slipping…… Thus invisible to the naked eye, the nut was slowly coming undone, and that’s what was causing the lurch…… The mechanic told me he’d ridden about 100 miles to make sure it was now fixed…. Nothing that a bit of lock tight goo can’t fix, he said though he’s ordered a replacement nut to be sure…… “How much do I owe you?” I ask, relieved. “Nothing!” he says, and smiles handing back the ignition keys….

So…… The moral of this story is, if ever you get an uncomfortable lurch to the right when the power comes on, fear not chances are it’s that rear axle nut….

Ride safe… Ride hard…..

Hey Bernardo,

I'm glad they fixed it and it wasn't serious. I like your writing skills too, you keep things interesting.

That my friend is very good information for the rest of us. Thanks for passing this along. Also glad this did not turn into something more dangerous or Expensive. And I hope your problem is cured for good. Take care ....Dick

Thanks fellas,

Glad to help! My S'wing has been fine since the last time it was in to have any work done.... So all is well... Thanks also for the comments about my writing, I'm actually finishing off my Bachelor of Arts degree, of whcih the main "arts" component is in fact creative writing.... So I must be doing something right....! :D

It's almost like going to a doctor, they make educated guesses. Sometimes you have to eliminate some of the things that may be wrong before you find the real problem. Thankfully they figured it out before you were hurt.

Great tale, well told and a good outcome.