How to sabotage a ride

How to sabotage a ride.

I know of no better way to sabotage a great ride than to lack confidence in your bike. Peace of mind is essential for a relaxed ride.

Even the most reliable bike needs checking over before setting off for a day’s riding – tyre pressures, fuel, oil level and circulation are the minimum. Clean the rear view mirror and goggles/visor before setting off. Any problems, known or suspected, will be coming along for the ride, taking up mental space. Any small irritation, like a rattle, a poorly positioned control lever or mirror becomes a distraction. They are  acts of sabotage.

Anxiety about running out of fuel is an acute distraction from the pleasure of riding. There are few old bikes that can’t  carry sufficient fuel for a full day’s riding, so set off with a full tank, the days of a petrol station in every village are gone. If there’s reason for doubt during the ride, stop and make a proper assessment of how much fuel is left in the tank, there might be more than you thought and that will settle your mind. If less, you can concentrate upon finding the nearest petrol station, delay will not improve matters.

The two fuel taps should be different, one for running and the other for a reserve. For the purpose of clarity, the normal running tap will have a tube projecting about an inch upwards into the tank. When fuel runs out at this tap, the reserve tap gives access to the remaining fuel. We should know how much fuel is held in reserve and how far it will take us. Naturally, the taps must be used in the correct order.

For fuel tanks that are fitted with a single tap, there are solutions. One is a BSA pattern push-pull tap with an additional reserve lever set above. I have one on my Mki KSS, the reserve is a quart, enough for 15-20 miles. This tap is available on EBay in replica form – I believe that it’s made in India and seems to be of better quality than we generally expect. I have seen modern looking lever taps with a reserve position.

I have two Mki Cammy Velo’s with small capacity fuel tanks that did not originally have a reserve. Though I have contrived reserves, I carry a small bag with a pint of petrol and a similar quantity of R40 oil. There is no possibility of finding castor oil in a time of need. 

In fact, I have discovered that mineral oil of any kind is also almost impossible to find, so on a longer run with a bike that is known to consume oil, it is a wise precaution to carry some. I have come to regard a bike without a luggage rack as deficient.

On a recent short tour of the Yorkshire Dales, I had exactly this experience, the oil level in the tank was low enough to cause concern and I had a good way to go but discovered there simply was no mineral oil in fuel stations. I found some mineral gear oil that I felt was ok to add a small quantity of to the SAE 50 that the bike normally uses. I should have carried the pint of SAE50 oil that I had prepared but it was left  at home. I won’t repeat that error.

A poorly prepared and maintained bike is a liability, not only to its owner but also to those who ride with them. Our ‘code of honour’ means that when someone breaks down or fails to re-start after a coffee stop, we must assist them to get going again. I have witnessed this type of sabotage on enough occasions to regard it as a good reason to ride alone or to be selective about who we ride with..

There is little point in the manufacturers fitting a toolbox if we fail to make good use of it. Every bike should carry its own working tool kit – a reasonable set of spanners, a screwdriver, mag spanners, a set of feeler gauges, pliers and a plug spanner. A new spark plug is an essential, a spare fuse, chain connecting link, a piece of lock wire, insulation tape and a few cable ties are also useful things to carry.

For longer journeys, I carry a spare inner tube, tyre levers, pump and can of pressurised sealant. The prospect of mending a puncture by the roadside is only slightly more appealing than being stranded, though punctures are rare nowadays.

There will be few of us who haven’t had to get the tools out for roadside adjustments and it’s not always a result of poor preparation. Recently, I had to change a spark plug by the side of the road and completed the ride without further mishap. The plug spanner and spare plug were on top, being the most likely to be needed.

Good preparation is at the heart of a reliable bike and generally only the rider knows how well the bike is maintained. If we are settled in our mind, we can focus upon enjoying the ride and the important matter of never knowingly missing an ice cream shop.