TOPIC:

Have never witnessed whatever geyser may appear from an uncapped oil filler hole on a running large Kaw four.

But have witnessed the large amount of oil that quickly escapes from a detached oil cooler line.

For such a low pressure oil pump, it moves a surprisingly large volume of oil.

Good Fortune!

kaw-a-holic wrote: Hey gang! So on the way home from Wyoming(60 miles from home) with the flag I stopped to fuel and add a little oil and went on my merry way. Fifteen to twenty minutes later my foot slips off the peg, I look done and you guessed it I'm missing an oil cap. Cap was gone, boot, jeans and the entire side of my bike are covered in oil. Dangerous! No rear brake And tire covered in oil. Between the boots, jeans oil cap and a quart of oil I'm out about $170. Now I'm pretty sure I put the oil cap on I remember checking it before I left the gas station. Most I can figure is the o-ring dropped off(it has happened before) and the vibration spun the cap loose; the rest is history. I know I'm not alone here as this happened to Saxjohn on the way to meet me in Wyoming.

Here is my solution. A tethered oil cap, never to be lost again.

That's why Harley riders always travel in pairs. The guy riding behind catches the parts falling off the bike in front. Every ten miles, they switch.

Yes Patton, Pole Vault is an apt phrase! Literally done that on one of my two occasions I left it down.

Now Ron, Let me make a couple of things clear.

1) I give you credit for giving Jon credit for his innovative idea.

2) Losing the Crank Case Oil Fill Cap is not the real dangerous issue in itself. It is running the engine with it out while riding down the road thereby blowing oil onto the rear tire and foot peg. This as I am sure you can figure out will make for deadly dangerous conditions causing; a foot to slip off the peg and/or the rear tire to lose traction while cornering. You see, discovered in time, the fill cap can then be replaced averting potential disaster. For Lawrence, he discovered the oil fill cap was missing 20 miles up the Tetons Mountain Range. We rode back to Dubois, WY and found the cap along the side of the road in town. It had fallen off shortly after leaving the gas station. Before heading back, we cleaned the oil from the top of the engine case as best we could. I then applied Gorilla duct tape over the opening as a temporary patch until we could get to Dubois and find the oil fill cap.

Ron, I do not know where you live or where you like to ride but out where Kaw-a-holic lives and rides you could be in serious trouble without the oil fill cap. It is miles and miles to anywhere.
Does that clear this up a bit?

RonKZ650 wrote: Not a common thing. In 35yrs now I've heard of it twice, and these are the only two times ever that I know of, both I've read about here tonight. Trust me, you did not install the cap. Like anything check, recheck then check again before hitting the road after doing anything.

Ron I'm quite positive that you have been riding longer than I have. And are in the habit double checking everything. Now that I have had the experience I never want it to happen again. This could have just as easily happened on the way to WY and I would have had to cancel or postpone the meet. I catch myself glancing or checking the cap every time I get on the bike. Either way, it will never happen again.

bountyhunter wrote: That's why Harley riders always travel in pairs. The guy riding behind catches the parts falling off the bike in front. Every ten miles, they switch.

This was my best laugh all day - thanks!

kaw-a-holic wrote: Hey gang! So on the way home from Wyoming(60 miles from home) with the flag I stopped to fuel and add a little oil and went on my merry way. Fifteen to twenty minutes later my foot slips off the peg, I look done and you guessed it I'm missing an oil cap. Cap was gone, boot, jeans and the entire side of my bike are covered in oil. Dangerous! No rear brake And tire covered in oil. Between the boots, jeans oil cap and a quart of oil I'm out about $170. Now I'm pretty sure I put the oil cap on I remember checking it before I left the gas station. Most I can figure is the o-ring dropped off(it has happened before) and the vibration spun the cap loose; the rest is history. I know I'm not alone here as this happened to Saxjohn on the way to meet me in Wyoming.

Here is my solution. A tethered oil cap, never to be lost again.

materials used:
1- 9" stainless steel nylon coated leader

1- #6 Stainless steel split ring

Step 1- Drill hole in oil cap i used 5/32" bit

Step 2- Connect split ring to swivel end of leader

Step 3- Find someplace to tether to(this will determine tether length)

Step 4- Run the swivel end back through the pre-fashioned loop.

Step 5- Connect split ring to oil cap

Finished

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

Here's my solution. The cap isn't twisted on super tight. I can tighten it a smidgen to release the safety wire from the cover bolt head. Then unscrew it. Reverse to put it back on. It can't vibrate on tighter and the wire keeps it from vibrating looser. On an off with no tools. It's been working for 3 years.



The only time it ran with the cap off is when I first started it after the overhaul. I was so pumped to hear it run I filled it with oil and pushed the button. It fired almost immediately and gave me a pretty good oil bath.

My problem, as you guys know is that when someone talks to me in the middle of something I tend to forget what the hell it was that I was doing or keeping track of. Blame it on my ADD I guess. Forrest wanted a receipt for the gas he pumped and I allowed myself to be distracted instead of tuning all else out while I finished the job at hand. Wow, looks like something was in the air, huh? lol At any rate I put my new anodized blue levers and oil cap that came with tether for the the racetrack and now that I did the color grew on me. At first I didn't like it. I will post up a pic of my cap and tether. I have only ever been distracted with the oil cap once before and that was with my sister complaining and asking 20 questions all the time. She irritated me to the point that I jumped on bike and told her to get on so we could leave already. Rookie mistake both times. And the backpack I almost left behind was due to the horse carriage driver and her irritation at us parking on the corner where SHE wanted to park her chariot. Everyone else ignored her while they were getting ready and I jumped at her beck and call.

Forrest wrote: Great idea! So Relieved that you did not go down from the oil.

AND.....What a crazy coincidence! As you may recall, this is the very thing that happened to SaxJonz on our way into Jackson, WY to meet YOU!

Remember This?!

I definitely want to see those pics Saxjonz. Where did you get the colored cap levers?

I got them from CNR click and roll, Powerstand Racing out of California. Was at a bike show, they were selling them for a good discount plus if you bought levers they threw in the cap for free. Going out to garage now.

when do we get to see more pics of that bike Saxjonz?

Unfreakingbelievable

I have to admit, in my 45 years of riding more than 15 bikes, I have never lost one. However, I have a system where I use a crescent wrench for the final tighten. Every time. Habit, I guess. OTOH, I have lost a gas cap on my Focus because I forgot to install it. Pretty irritating.