Great Riding: I have been doing some great riding with my bros for the past 5 weeks or so, and this weekend was no exception. The weather has been great, which also equals great riding. I love riding my motorcycle, and there is nothing better than riding with a bunch of friends who also love riding their motorcycles. Stay tuned for some great upcoming ride reports. My ride calendar is booked solid through December. These are some beautiful times people.
Equipment malfunction: I have a Harley Davidson removable tour pak set up with a 4.25 extension kit on it. Not this weekend, but the weekend before last, I discovered that the middle two bolts of the 7 total bolts that hold the Tour Pak onto the extension kit (5 bolts hold the actual tour pak onto the extension kit, the additional two secure the extension kit to the removable tour pak bracket) sheered completely off, which left my tour pak dangerously flapping in the wind on the back 3 bolts and lock nuts. I went to the Harley dealership and found a comparable bolt and lock nut and installed them where the sheared off bolts were. Everything was great until this weekend when I rode to an event on Sunday that was in downtown Los Angeles. The streets were full of pot holes. When I got to the event I discovered that one of the front two bolts that secure the extension kit the removable tour pak bracket was gone. (It must have broken from the hard core pot holes I went over). This was a more serious situation because it meant that only 3 bolts were holding the actual extension kit to the removable bracket. If I lost the other front bolt I would have probably lost the entire tour pak off of the back. Suffices is to say I escorted my friend to his work in Burbank, then went to the Home Depot in Burbank, bought a bunch of bolts, lock-nuts, and washers, and installed one in the place where the other one broke off. Now I have a bunch of extras for the road just in case. Moral to the story, it is important to inspect your equipment before and after every ride, and make sure that you do not over tighten bolts and nuts, especially ones that are under high impact or pressure because it will cause them to snap off under certain circumstances.
By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © May 23, 2010
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