I just had a coworker ask me if I just changed my oil...  I asked why...  She told me my dipstick wasn't screwed in.  

I checked my oil last night and forgot to screw the dipstick back in...  I'm SOOOOOO glad it's not raining.  Damn I feel like a jackass...

are you serious??? your pants have oil splashes in them :lol:  must be a new fashion statement....or did you ride back home with your finger down the dipstick hole and the other on the throttle?

No oil splashes... No problems at all...  Except for the original problem of being really stupid.       Damn gold fish memory...   :x

LOL!! I've done that on my car here and there.

...God dammit. I really need to go check my dipstick. I've got just as bad a memory as you when it comes to stuff like that.

OCD OCD OCD!!

Now I'm prolly gonna check it every time I ride off...  Like my kick stand...  Either I try to put it up four times or I forget to put it up at all.  :x

You're supposed to check your oil every time you ride, according to the MSF.  I call BS, except maybe for long trips.  I "feel" my tire pressure before every ride (squeeze/press on the tires to make sure I haven't lost a ton of air), check my chain, lights, and brakes, and then I head out.  I actually measure the tire pressure and check the oil once a week when I fill up.

Be glad you didn't have oil flying up out of the crankcase and getting all over your rear wheel, that would've been fun.

I check the oil probably every 3-7 days...  I always at very very least look at the tires.  And I check them with my guage every 3-4 rides.


I AM lucky oil didn't start flying out...  I'm also luck the dipstick didn't go sideways and get chewed.  

Part of the reason for checking the oil before every ride is to prevent mishaps like this.  It also gets you into a routine, which makes it harder to forget something.  Believe me, it works.

One little trick:  When you take out the dipstick, put it on the gauge cluster.  It'll stick out like a sore thumb there.  Being an aircraft mechanic, I always alert myself like this.  It ensures that I don't start up a $200,000 engine without oil.  It's saved me more than once.

Also, get some tags from the store.  Just cheap little card tags.  When you perform maintenance or repair tie tags off the throttle with a description of the work you're doing and what to check.  This will make sure you don't leave the garage with brake calipers hanging, or chains without the rivet headed.  

One final tip:  Use a checklist, keep a notebook, and keep a logbook.  The checklist contains all the steps necessary to complete a common maintenance operation.  You check off each step once it's completed, but not before.  The notebook is used to keep track of jobs where there isn't a checklist, i.e. a repair or non-standard maintenance work.  In it you detail the work you've done, what hasn't been completed, and what to check before you return the machine to service.  The logbook is the formal record.  It contains all the pertinent information about the work, when it was done, how many miles or hours the machine had at the time, and anything else important.

Just some helpful tips.  

Quote from: GeePBeing an aircraft mechanic

That explains it...  :lol:

I need a log book to remind me of everything...

Wake up, Check.
Get out of bed, Check.
Take shower, Check.
Brush Teeth, Check.
Get dressed, Check.
Put shoes on, Check.
etc...[/list:u] I've left the house forgetting to do so many things that normal people can remember to do...   I walk into a room and think, "Why did I come in here?"  I've been driving down the street and wondered where I was going...  I gone home and not remembered how I got home...  I've driven to work and walked to the bus 'cause I forgot I drove.

I'm pretty sure I've forgotten to do everything that can be forgotten.  :x

I'm sure if I slept more than 5 or 6 hours a night my memory would work, but I keep forgetting to get more sleep.

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

man, I'll be sure to not leave anything important to you to do...  


I have done the, get home /somewhere, and not remember the getting part. Or going down the road, and think.. wait, when did I get this far?

It doesn't happen much anymore. I decided that that sucked, and fixed it.  :mrgreen:

Btw, I think that maybe for an aircraft, that is ok to do all that stuff. But in a car/bike I would be able to tell right away if there was no air, or the chain was off, or no brakes, or no headlight, or no throttle or no gas tank or no seat or no battery...  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


On a more serious tone, anything serious like, engine parts, the seat and tank would be off so you would know right away. The brakes; the first thing your suppose to do is grab the brake and mount. I would think there would be no pressure if the brake was messed with. Maybe I just take some chances you don't or maybe I notice/remember the oil cap is off..

Yea, thats it! Just don't forget. Duh. That fixes everything.  :lol:

RVertigo,

You should rent "Memento."  That's a great movie.

Make sure you check the stove and the iron on your way out the door.

Quote from: lumpoffireYou should rent "Memento."  That's a great movie.

Make sure you check the stove and the iron on your way out the door.

I've seen Memento...  I really liked it...  It's kinda like my life sometimes.   :lol:

Funny you should mention the stove and the iron...  I'm leaving for the weekend and I forgot to turn the heater down and my pleather couch is in front of it...  I wonder if my place will burn down.  

Why put the dipstick down at all?  I loosen it, get on the bike, pull it out, wipe it off, check the level (while sitting on the bike and keeping it upright), put it back in.

Quote from: RoadstergalWhy put the dipstick down at all?  I loosen it, get on the bike, pull it out, wipe it off, check the level (while sitting on the bike and keeping it upright), put it back in.

That's pretty dexterous (sp?)... do you lube your chain the same way (without a centerstand)?

Quote from: lumpoffire

Quote from: RoadstergalWhy put the dipstick down at all?  I loosen it, get on the bike, pull it out, wipe it off, check the level (while sitting on the bike and keeping it upright), put it back in.

That's pretty dexterous (sp?)... do you lube your chain the same way (without a centerstand)?

Actually, I check the oil exactly the same way RG does.  The dipstick never leaves my right hand.

Lump, I don't understand your point.  Completely different situation -- the chain never comes off -- nothing is loosened when I lube my chain.  :dunno:

Quote from: RedShift

Quote from: lumpoffire

Quote from: RoadstergalWhy put the dipstick down at all?  I loosen it, get on the bike, pull it out, wipe it off, check the level (while sitting on the bike and keeping it upright), put it back in.

That's pretty dexterous (sp?)... do you lube your chain the same way (without a centerstand)?

Actually, I check the oil exactly the same way RG does.  The dipstick never leaves my right hand.

Lump, I don't understand your point.  Completely different situation -- the chain never comes off -- nothing is loosened when I lube my chain.  :dunno:

Red,

I inferred (probably incorrectly) that Roadstergal checked her oil from the saddle so she could keep the bike upright, possibly because she had removed the centerstand.  I guess the point was that she was able to perform this task at all while mounted, and that she always had the dipstick in her hand.  To check my oil, I put the bike on the centerstand.  Removing the stand would make chain maintenance a real PITA.

Or maybe I was right, and she was talking about her DR650.

Quote from: lumpoffire

Quote from: RoadstergalWhy put the dipstick down at all?  I loosen it, get on the bike, pull it out, wipe it off, check the level (while sitting on the bike and keeping it upright), put it back in.

That's pretty dexterous (sp?)... do you lube your chain the same way (without a centerstand)?

:lol: :lol: That paints such a fascinating picture in my head.

Quote from: phire

Quote from: lumpoffire

Quote from: RoadstergalWhy put the dipstick down at all?  I loosen it, get on the bike, pull it out, wipe it off, check the level (while sitting on the bike and keeping it upright), put it back in.

That's pretty dexterous (sp?)... do you lube your chain the same way (without a centerstand)?

:lol: :lol: That paints such a fascinating picture in my head.

That's one smart woman.  She practices safe maintenance.  You've gotta be really careful these days.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

No, I still have the centerstand; I just check the oil from the saddle because it's easy.