Rookie mistake

[Guest]

I did some work inside the clutch hub, and happy with my accomplishments I started pouring in the oil. Almost full I notice something crawling towards my feet. Fuuuuck I forgot to screw in the drain bolt and 3 liters is spreading on my nice concrete floor.
Anyone from around the Florida region got a tip for stopping oil spills?

[Billy Ricks]

I did some work inside the clutch hub, and happy with my accomplishments I started pouring in the oil. Almost full I notice something crawling towards my feet. Fuuuuck I forgot to screw in the drain bolt and 3 liters is spreading on my nice concrete floor.
Anyone from around the Florida region got a tip for stopping oil spills?

You need to go to work for BP.

[bonanzadave]

I got that beat......

Up on the center stand with the rear wheel off. Decided to remove the fork springs without blocking up the bike. DONT EVER DO THAT. Forks collapsed, bike fell over onto a full 5 gallon bucket of drain oil . It was one of those really hot humid days too . I dont think Ive done anything that stupid since. LAL !! (live and learn)

[Walle]

I got that beat......

Up on the center stand with the rear wheel off. Decided to remove the fork springs without blocking up the bike. DONT EVER DO THAT. Forks collapsed, bike fell over onto a full 5 gallon bucket of drain oil . It was one of those really hot humid days too . I dont think Ive done anything that stupid since. LAL !! (live and learn)

thanks for sharing your story. It's comforting I'm not the only only one.

Can anyone top Dave then?

[Billy Ricks]

thanks for sharing your story. It's comforting I'm not the only only one.

Can anyone top Dave then?

I've had a few cluster fvcks in my life. Let me think about it.

[Agemax]

i was wet sanding a braced swing arm ready for polishing......in my bath!
arm slipped out my hands,big hole in the bath....water everywhere and £400 to get a new bath fitted!!!!!
my wife was not happy

[Hap Call]

i was wet sanding a braced swing arm ready for polishing......in my bath!
arm slipped out my hands,big hole in the bath....water everywhere and £400 to get a new bath fitted!!!!!
my wife was not happy

Yeah, that's going to be a tough one to beat.

I forgot to tighten the lug nuts on the driver side front wheel on my '71 VW Beetle. When it first came off I didn't realize it was mine and my first thought was, "That's strange, there goes a wheel traveling down the road..." as it passed the front of the car. A second later the ball joint hit the pavemant....

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR NUTS!!!!

[Hap Call]

Any way, use kitty litter to get most of it, then use brake cleaner and paper towels to get as much of the stain as you can. Use gloves of course.

Hap

[Walle]

I got most of it with up with rags. Good tip with the kitty litter and brake cleaner, I'll do that.

[Dogma]

Keep a jug or so of the oil-absorbent powder handy. It works far, far better than cat litter. Trying to wipe up with paper towels just smears the mess around.

I once made a similar mistake (overflowerd the waste oil tub, IIRC), and was able to pour a dam around the spill before it spread too far. I keep a pile of this stuff on the floor lately, because I haven't yet tracked down the oil leak on the 850. I try to park it over the pile, but if I miss, I just move the bike and sweep the pile over the spill. Also handy for quick cleanup of brake fluid dribbles, etc.

[850 Combat]

If its a recent spill on bare concrete, I like Castrol purple cleaner to make it soluable to mop up and keeping it from staining the concrete.

[gearhead13]

LOL rookie mistake, I got one for ya.
I worked in a automotive shop for a few weeks after some auto courses at a college.
I drove a customer's car out of the garage and forgot to close the car door, pretty near tore the door right off
I was fired the next day. 23 some odd years ago.

[koolaid_kid]

This one is non-vehicle related, but humorous (now):
I was told to ship an Inertial Navigation System to a Naval Station, and a rack to mount it on. I rolled the rack down to shipping, and then carried the INS. I asked them to ship it, filled out the paper work, etc. My thought process was that they would ship the rack as is, package the INS and ship it also.
We got a call in an couple of weeks from the Naval Station wanting to know why the INS did not work. I investigated, and discovered that the shipping department saw the INS mount on the rack, mounted it and shipped it. Totally destroyed the gyros inside the INS. $100,000 down the drain.
Got a lecture from my lead engineer, and never made assumptions after that.

[Billy Ricks]

Yeah, that's going to be a tough one to beat.

I forgot to tighten the lug nuts on the driver side front wheel on my '71 VW Beetle. When it first came off I didn't realize it was mine and my first thought was, "That's strange, there goes a wheel traveling down the road..." as it passed the front of the car. A second later the ball joint hit the pavemant....

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR NUTS!!!!

Same story, '61 Falcon station wagon. It must have been in about '72. I was driving west on IH10 here in San Antonio and all of the sudden the front end drops and my wheel goes down the highway without me. In my case the brake drum got ground down on one side.

[hillntx]

Not my proudest moment, but after doing a brake job on my GS650 I got distracted talking with a friend and forgot to tighten the bolts for the right front caliper. About five miles down the road, the bolts came out and the caliper swung down and bounced off the wheel until it went to pieces down the highway. A friend brought his truck and I took the bike home. I found a replacement caliper at a salvage yard the next day. Always double check your work before leaving the garage...