360k+
Serious Thumper
Offline
Savage heart of darkness
Posts: 680
Cartersville, GA
Gender: 
|
I was riding around the hills yesterday, when suddenly going down a mild decline I began to smell something burning. At first I thought it was just brake or clutch smell from a previous vehicle, but the smell carried with me for another 5 miles or so. I finally pulled over at fork in the road, got off the bike and looked. On the down tube of the frame and the exhaust pipe a few inches from the head I found 2 big wads of grease; I'd say at least several spoonfuls. It was black axle type grease and at first I thought it must have come from my steering head, but I was puzzled as to what could possibly make the grease squirt out? I was sure it was new because I had just washed the bike before the ride.
Anyway, I picked up a stick and scraped most of it off, and wiped the rest with a rag I carry in my bags. I got back on the bike, turned forks lock to lock, applied the front brake and rocked it hard several times to exercise the fork tubes. I got back off and examined the area and there was nothing! I felt all up under and around the steering head and it was clean. Puzzling, to say the least???
Since I couldn't find any source for the grease I decided to retrace my ride back to where I first smelled it, so I could see if anything had fallen off or out (rubber seals, washers, etc.). Once there, I got off the bike and looked around on the road. To my surprise, I found a big mound of grease in the road with, of course, my tire track thru the middle, and a nearly empty plastic tub at the side of the road. It was a tub of grease that you find at AutoZone that had apparently fallen off a vehicle. Normally I avoid any obstructions or unusual stuff I see, but this road already had many tar patches in it, and at a short distance the grease looked just like one of those.
A very weird thing to happen, but I am relieved that nothing is wrong with the bike.
|
Pages: 1
