Starting a Stalled Motorcycle 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
I work in a large motorcycle shop in a small city in SW Virginia. We see many people who have no business being on two wheels, but a bike that was brought in for service last September really takes the cake.
The entire front end of the sport-style bike had been ripped off, which is an odd damage pattern. On asking the gentleman turning in the bike for service (names ommitted to protect the stupid), I received the following tale:
The owner of the bike had allowed it to sit for several months. The owner attempted to start the motorcycle, but the wait had caused the battery to discharge. Not to be deterred, he remembered that it is possible to "bump start" a bike. (Get it rolling with sufficient speed, put it in gear, and the bike will start.)
The owner lived at the top of a long hill, but his repeated attempts to start the bike as it rolled down the hill proved unsuccessful, which left him with another problem: he now had a stalled bike sitting at the bottom of a long incline.
The owner called his girlfriend to bring over her truck to tow the bike back up to his house. A length of rope was procured. One end of the rope was affixed to the truck's bumper, the bike's owner tied the other end around his waist.
The proceeded to set off up the hill, she in the truck and he on the bike. All was well until halfway up, he chose to make one more attempt to bump start the bike. As soon as the clutch engaged, the engine turned into a giant brake. The bike stopped cold. The owner did not.
Unfortunately, his girlfriend was blissfully unaware of what was happening behind her and proceeded to finish the drive to his house, dragging him behind.
Despite his injuries, he is expected to recover. The bike has been repaired, and he has announced his intent to return to riding. I expect a true Darwin submission in his name to follow soon. Submitted on 01/15/02
Submitted by:
Jack Adams
Reference:
Personal Account, 09/2001
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