[Dark Sol]

I have not broken down yet and let's hope I never will, but I gotta know just in case.. how long can you push the bike with the engine off before you damage something? The book says even out of gear it's not advised to push the bike for very long with the engine off, cause you will wear out the trans with nothing flowing around in there.



Let's say I broke down about 15 Mi. from home which is definitely a 2 or 3 hour push. Would that be too far?

 

[Gerry]

Dark Sol, it would be a "dark day in hell" before you would be inclined to push your bike 15 miles. I think, you are a bit like me, in that you worry to much about the 'what ifs'.



Not sure who would be the 'expert' on this one, I'll give you my opinion. I 'think' the gears (bearings) are lubricated from "the inside out". That is to say, with the engine running, and the bike in gear, the gears are meshed in such a way as to 'push' the oil "into" the pressure points. Without the engine running, the oil is not 'pushed' but a couple of the bigger gears may contact the oil, at least a bit and pull it up from the crankcase. In any event, without the engine running, and in neutral, not much oil will be getting to the bearings. Then again, if you are pushing, I don't think it be anywhere near the concern as it would be if you were being towed (higher speed/more heat?).



I don't think anyone would be inclined to push their bike very far, unless perhaps they were 18 and the Girlfriend called on the cell and said, " I really Love You and I think it would be REALLY SPECIAL if we took your bike to that neat area by the creek.



Well, that was my dream anyway . I would accept a tow for 5 miles, put the bike in 4th and hold in the clutch, then let it out from time to time to engauge the gears to pick-up oil. Please understand, this 'idea' comes from the gut, not any experience that had me tearing down an engine and double checking the result of my 'folly'. Lets hear what others have to say.... Gerry

 

[Dark Sol]

I do worry a lot yeah, because it can happen. I just want to be prepared. I don't know how hard the reality of pushing the bike that far would be, but I'll gladly push it to save a 100$ towing fee, so long as it doesn't hurt the bike. When you're 21 years old without THE dream job (yet) 100$ is a lot!



Yeah, I would like to hear exactly (or as close as possible) how long you're able to push the TW before you risk damaging/ruining it. Basically, how far can it go with no long/short term damage?

 

[ckahleer]

Removing the chain would work.

Craig Kahler

 

[Dark Sol]

Removing the chain would work.

Craig Kahler

I feel like an idiot now.....

Of course...with no chain, the counter shaft would not be connected to the wheel and could not turn. Why I did not realize that is beyond me. Guess I just need throw a simple pair of pliers with me to pop the masterlink and I'll be set! Thanks..sometimes the simple obvious solutions slip your mind completely and make you look silly

Still, if somebody wants to tell me all about how long the bike can go with the engine off I'd be interested in listening.

 

[Gerry]

Dark Sol, I didn't mean to make fun of "you". After 60 plus years, worrying has done me little good. For me it seems, you can never anticipate what life has in-store.



Could not think of a better solution than the one offered by Craig. This is the solution I will remember and employ should I find myself in that situation.



I carry lots of tools. I think you would want more than a pair of pliers. A good small screw driver that you have filed the blade like a chisel helps me get under and lift the link-clip to remove.



The best bet might be to carry a phone and keep the number of a couple of good Friends with pick-up trucks. I think between two guys, the bike could be carefully lifted and laid down in the bed for a slow drive home. Gerry

 

[poweber]

Most states require at least liability insurance and those of us who have bikes financed in some manner are even required to have full coverage. Towing insurance costs about $3.25 per month and just might be worth the yearly cost if you are even remotely worried about a breakdown. Do find out if it covers some of the more remote regions we sometimes travel. Just a thought...........

 

[Dark Sol]

Hey Gerry it's cool, I do not feel you were making fun of me at all. I do agree, if it's your time life is gonna throw you a challenge no matter what you do to try and prevent or work your way around it. So I suppose...now that I know how to get the TW home without ruining it, it'll just throw something completely unrelated at me when I least expect it.

I do carry the tool bag with a few additions thrown in, I just never thought to add pliers. Don't know where I would put the chain, my backpack would be off limits cause I don't wanna get it all dirty, worse comes to worse I could just carefully lay the chain on my lap and carefully ride home. Considering I've carried a full fledged wood axe on my lap while riding my ttr125 through the trail looking for stumps and other stuff to cut out, I think I can handle a chain.

I already pay about 50$ a month just to have the TW on the road, which is kinda ridiculous when you consider I am responsible enough to pay for damages if I hit somebody, but whatever. I also live waaaaay far from any major cities or even towns, so yeah they might want another 50$ a month for towing service which is not worth it unless I get towed every month. Suppose it's worth checking into at least though, be nice if was 3$ a month....maybe?



I think the chain removal trick should work fine, I usually don't venture too far from the nest, maybe 15-25 Mi. max on an average trip. If nothing else pushing the bike for a few hours would be a GREAT work out for me! Gotta look on the positive side

But if I got stuck several hundred Mi. away, yeah I'd just suck it up and pay the towing fee.

 

[Petrus]

The book says even out of gear it's not advised to push the bike for very long with the engine off, cause you will wear out the trans with nothing flowing around in there.

I think this was meant for people towing the bike behind a car with the Front wheel lifted and the rear wheel still on the ground.



If you tow the bike like this for a few hundred km`s you will damage the transmission. Pushing it around would not be a problem.



Removing the chain like craig said would be best then - when towing..

 

[ericj]

Hey Gerry it's cool, I do not feel you were making fun of me at all. I do agree, if it's your time life is gonna throw you a challenge no matter what you do to try and prevent or work your way around it. So I suppose...now that I know how to get the TW home without ruining it, it'll just throw something completely unrelated at me when I least expect it.

I do carry the tool bag with a few additions thrown in, I just never thought to add pliers. Don't know where I would put the chain, my backpack would be off limits cause I don't wanna get it all dirty, worse comes to worse I could just carefully lay the chain on my lap and carefully ride home. Considering I've carried a full fledged wood axe on my lap while riding my ttr125 through the trail looking for stumps and other stuff to cut out, I think I can handle a chain.

I already pay about 50$ a month just to have the TW on the road, which is kinda ridiculous when you consider I am responsible enough to pay for damages if I hit somebody, but whatever. I also live waaaaay far from any major cities or even towns, so yeah they might want another 50$ a month for towing service which is not worth it unless I get towed every month. Suppose it's worth checking into at least though, be nice if was 3$ a month....maybe?



I think the chain removal trick should work fine, I usually don't venture too far from the nest, maybe 15-25 Mi. max on an average trip. If nothing else pushing the bike for a few hours would be a GREAT work out for me! Gotta look on the positive side

But if I got stuck several hundred Mi. away, yeah I'd just suck it up and pay the towing fee.

WOW $50 a month?!?! I'm afraid I'd have no bike at that price, I pay about $80/year for insurance on my TW. No collision on it however.

 

[Polar_Pilot]

Let's say I broke down about 15 Mi. from home which is definitely a 2 or 3 hour push. Would that be too far?

I do not want to be skeptical - but if you can push a bike 15 miles in 3 hours you are a super fit individual.



I think a more realistic time for that distance would be 6 or 7 hours.

 

[davidsonsgccc]

i pushed my 84 yamaha 400special for a little over a mile and thought i was going to pass out. now i might be a wimp but i think the bike faired alot better from that experience than i did lol.

.the thought of leaving the bike to get stolen was a good driving force to keep pushing. removing the chain may have made the task easier i didnt think of it nor did i carry tools then.



hope you never have to push yours. shawn

 

[chevitz]

I have not broken down yet and let's hope I never will, but I gotta know just in case.. how long can you push the bike with the engine off before you damage something? The book says even out of gear it's not advised to push the bike for very long with the engine off, cause you will wear out the trans with nothing flowing around in there.



Let's say I broke down about 15 Mi. from home which is definitely a 2 or 3 hour push. Would that be too far?

I would think if you just tipped the bike on its side every hundred yards you would get the oil to move around enought to prevent damage, just dont drop the bike doing this.

 

[assquatch20]

I've had two push situations, one where I held the clutch and walked pretty slowly, and the other where I just found a very grown up area of weeds and walked without pushing. My ankle was pretty swollen so I couldn't handle much extra weight on that one. Both of these were at night.



If you can afford to ditch the riding gear so nobody realizes there's a bike sitting somewhere, and you can hide the bike very well, give it a shot. I wouldn't do it in an area I didn't know though.

 

[qwerty]

It is not necessary to pop the master link to remove the chain. All you'll do is lose the pieces, and end up carrying a greasy chain. Then you'll probably have to pull the side cover to put it all back together. Slide the axle forward and slip the chain off the sprocket. A ziptie or piece of string can be used to hold the chain off the axle/sprocket/hub.

 

[Two Shoes]

I pushed mine 8 miles to get it home.



Into a strong head wind.



With a flat tire!



I'm serious.... It sucked!



But my bike doesn't now, nor has it ever had any transmission problems.



Even after the long push home.

 

[elime]

I don't think you could push a bike by hand and hurt the transmission. Zero stress on the parts and they are moving pretty slowly. I think about the time the transmission got hurt the chain would also be squeaking pretty loudly and how far would you have to push a bike before the chain started giving you problems?



I also once had to push a bike. About 3 miles and I am pretty sure it took over 2 hours. I started pushing around midnight. 3 miles from home is a really long ways when that motor stops running.

 

[arrowsmith]

I have never pushed a bike and at 63 I do not think I ever will.

I have been towed home though.

 

[wrench-puller]

Dont forget the trans oil is also the engine oil and at just over 1 litre of oil in the base most of the gears and shafts are covered. So if I was in the "got to get it home" mode, I would have no problem pushing it. You have to remember these are tough little bikes, not much hurts them to the point you cant ride em home, and if it is that bad you will most likely be tearing it down anyhow. So just ride it the way it was designed for and enjoy the scenery.