Where's my clutch lever?!?! | GTAMotorcycle.com

Where's my clutch lever?!?!

arogal

Well-known member
I made a previous post in regards to my frayed clutch lever last week. All is good now, but the ride back from where my bike was worked on was pretty sketchy and nerve-wracking. I won't mention where I took my bike because it's a pretty well known place and I don't want to point fingers, but let me say, I will NEVER be taking my bike back there to get worked on (was my 1st time taking it there).
On my ride back to work I from the shop, I went to grab my clutch lever to down shift, but I couldn't find it! I was like wtf, where the hell is my clutch lever! I pulled over to the side of the road and noticed that the 2 bolts that hold the clutch lever mechanism to the clip on's were extremely loose, and my clutch lever was pointing downwards. I needed to move it back into place and hand tighten the the bolts so I could "somewhat safely" make it back to work. I can't explain how upset I was at the moment....the first thing that went through my mind was "what if I needed to make an emergency stop and I couldn't find my clutch lever....it would have added to the stress and probably wouldn't have ended nicely". The fact that this place builds and tunes track bikes and can't even remember to tighten 2 bolts leaves me speechless. This is a very simple job for any bike tech, its not like they were re-building a motor or anything. I contacted the owner and he was extremely apologetic and said he'd have a word with the tech that worked on my bike (hope he ripped him a new @$S). I was planning on purchasing a 1 piece suit from them in the near feature and said he'd give me a "deal on a suit for the inconvenience"....should I take him up on this offer, and if so what discount should I ask for?
I am just glad that I made it back safely, as that ride back to work could have ended completely different.
This is a very serious issue IMO, and for all riders safety, I would not recommend this shop to any of my friends if their bike need to be worked on.
Should I have handled this different with the owner of the shop? I don't like to be too much of a pr!ck because that never resolves issues properly, I just wanted him to know that I really could have hurt myself due to your airhead of a mechanics sloppy work.
 
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In the interest of safety and life saving issues, I think it only fair that we ALL know who did the work. No such thing as a mechanic having a bad day. Our lives are in their hands. No excuses.
What if question. You are riding on the track/road and because of a life saving issue you die. What good is,"Sorry, I didn`t mean to kill you"
I most definitely would "Out" somebody if if happened to me.

Nobody needs protection from a life saving issue. They should own it.

Most importantly. I am happy you made it home in one piece. No loss of limbs or life.
 
This is where t-clock comes into play.Does the op wish this thread to be in "reviews" forum?
 
It was Riders Choice. I spoke to Matt the next day once I calmed down a bit. I was about to immediately ride back there, but I was pretty rattled and it wouldn't have solved much.
 
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Yep, pretty sketchy ride. Thank got it was only 6km. If I was on hwy....the vibrations would have probably caused the screws to fully rattle out.

Wow. I am surprised it was RC. Thanks for coming forward.
 
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Don't think the discount amount is entirely up to you, but if it's a good one...take it and then judge future (if any) transaction as you see fit.

Good PSA though.....you should always double check their work. Sad, but true.
 
Don't think the discount amount is entirely up to you, but if it's a good one...take it and then judge future (if any) transaction as you see fit.

Good PSA though.....you should always double check their work. Sad, but true.

I agree, the discount isn't up to me what so ever, but it's worth a call to see what he's willing to do. If I was to continue bringing my bike here to get worked on (which I am not) I better be wearing full leathers while I ride away.
Was in a rush back to work, you think they'd double check their own work? I had trust that the "reputable shop" would be able to do a simple job like swap out a clutch cable without issues. I def aint going to get my bike tuned there...thats for sure.
 
FWIW - I've never had to loosen/remove the clutch lever perch when replacing a cable.
Unbolt the lever from the perch, unthread the adjuster and pop the cable end in - reverse process to reassemble.
There is definitely an explanation required here.
 
Imho you really need to learn as much about motorcycle mechanics as possible to own one
and possibly to ride one good too.

lol is that a spandex or leather onesie?
Dealers make a good markup on apparel possibly in the realm of ~25 or 30% minimum
find one you like first, make sure it fits on a bike, then offer 30% off the asking price.
:I and buy a swiss army knife with the money you save.
 
Off topic a bit but it has bothered me that RC posts in the Dealers & Vendors forums are always locked right away, preventing any response. No other posts are.
 
1. They should have done the job correctly.

2. You should always check that everything has been “buttoned down” before riding away.

3. Buy the manual for your bike and start learning how to do some of the work yourself.


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Usually take my bike to Ace Mototech or Burlington cycle and have never felt the need to double check their work....the work is always properly done. Took it to RC because they are down the street from my work and didn't think I'd make it home 40km safely.
I want to start working on my bike, I used to work on my Subaru, but just don't feel too confident atm working on something that if I was going to make a boo-boo my life is on the line. 2 wheels is a bit different than 4, and this is why I take it to licenced techs, so I can leave knowing the job has been correctly done. Lesson learned tho, like you all have said, double check the work...
I'm over it now, and have decided not to ever give them a single cent again, even if I was to score a discount deal.
Anyone else here have issues with RC?
 
Didn't the clutch lever feel odd when you were using it to upshift? I suspect it would have felt loose or a bit wonky, no?
 
Didn't the clutch lever feel odd when you were using it to upshift? I suspect it would have felt loose or a bit wonky, no?
Not that I noticed. If it did I wouldn't have left RC as I would have mentioned it to them on the spot to torque up.
 
Usually take my bike to Ace Mototech or Burlington cycle and have never felt the need to double check their work....the work is always properly done. Took it to RC because they are down the street from my work and didn't think I'd make it home 40km safely.
I want to start working on my bike, I used to work on my Subaru, but just don't feel too confident atm working on something that if I was going to make a boo-boo my life is on the line. 2 wheels is a bit different than 4, and this is why I take it to licenced techs, so I can leave knowing the job has been correctly done. Lesson learned tho, like you all have said, double check the work...
I'm over it now, and have decided not to ever give them a single cent again, even if I was to score a discount deal.
Anyone else here have issues with RC?

Have I ever had problems with RC?
Never. When I bought a bike from SON a few years ago, I asked RC if they could pick it up and go over it with a fine tooth comb. Only then did I feel comfortable to ride it. (SV 1000)
 
that could have been a nasty ending had the lever fallen off
suppose you could jam your way down to first while braking
then stall the bike out, or if you had time/space find neutral
but in an emergency you may not have had the time for that
 
Personally I'd just be happy to be ok, mistakes happen, I'd let the shop calmly and politely know. They understand the risks of such a mistake, and who would you rather be more understanding of, someone who shows their human too and looks at the positives, or someone who walks in angry at what "could have" happened and yell at them...

I was at RC this week, and a guy was having something done to his bike and they said they wouldn't touch it or let it go in an unsafe condition due to liabilities and reputation, they seemed genuinely concerned, and a lot of them are riders too, not like they did this on purpose. I had them change a chain and do a bike inspection, the guys there helped me unload/load the bike, I've always got them to price match stuff, and debit/cash is tax free, plus 4L of Liqi Moly Synthetic is $44 OTD, pretty good ;)

Also a broken clutch lever/cable while riding isn't end of the world in most cases, growing up in Kenya my dad said he used to break them while riding all the time due to the roads, he'd just shift at the right speed and cruise home till he could deal with it. Glad you saw it in time though, and I really hope the guys at RC are aware and be more attentive :)
 
Hit kill switch, coast to controlled stop using brakes as normal.

FWIW, also, the brakes on most vehicles (bikes included) can easily overpower an engine at idle power.
 

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