I did a stupid thing -- but is it dangerous?

 

I forgot to close the fuel valve on my CX500 and let it sit that way for two
or three days.  I rode it for a couple of days, and then noticed dripping
from the transmission case at the bottom of the bike.  It is, of course, oil
mixed with gas that got past the carbs.

I called my local motorcycle shop and set up an appointment for next week to
drain the oil and replace the oil and filter (good time to get a tune-up,
too).

The motorcycle shop guy told me the bike was too dangerous to ride, and I
should have it towed it.  He said that there was a danger of explosion.

Now, I've got it sitting in my office building garage until next week when I
can get it towed to the shop -- my wife is driving me to and from work.
However, the dripping has stopped almost entirely.

Is it really as dangerous as the motorcycle shop guy said, or would it be
okay to ride it on a 5-mile round trip the next week?

 

On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 11:36:23 -0700, PTravel let slip this dark secret:


I only close my fuel valve for the winter.

--
Oh mighty Arkleseizure, thou gazed from high above.
And sneezed from out thy nostrils, a gift of bounteous love.
The universe around us emerged from thy nose.
Now we await with eager expectation, thy handkerchief,
To bring us back to thee.

 



According to the shop guy, my carbs should have blocked the flow, and may
need to be rebuilt.

 


PTravel wrote:


I knew a hippy in the late 1960's. He drove a "Captain America" step
van with all the Marvel comic heroes painted on the sides.

One day I saw his legs sticking out from under the van. The oil pan was
laying beside his legs. It was all bent up. It seems that the
carburetor float had stuck and gasoline got into the crankcase and when
he tried to start the van he heard a loud BANG!

He looked under the van and saw the oil pan laying there. The force of
the explosion sheared off many of the 20 or 30 bolts holding the pan to
the block. He was under there trying to remove sheared off bolts so he
could install another oil pan...

OK, that's about the worst case scenario. What if the gas vapors inside
your Honda engine do not explode? You could still have a hydraulic lock
from gasoline and oil inside one of the combustion chambers. You might
bend a connecting rod. I know a guy who bent a connecting rod on his
1968 Chevy Nova during a rainstorm. He was driving through deep water
standing in intersections without slowing down. Water got past his air
cleaner into the engine and he bent a connecting rod.

Again, that's not common, but it does happen.

Oil mixed with gasoline doesn't lubricate bearings very well. If you
started your engine without changing the oil, you might manage to
damage a bearing. That's why your best bet would be to drain the
crankcase and change the oil before riding the motorbike.

 

Why not just change the oil yourself and get it done with? It should take
you 20 minutes.
Dave HD