Dont lube the chain with engine running.

Graphic, NWS.
Dont do this.
The stupidest mistake ever! *Graphic Pix* - R1-Forum.Com

I think this thread should be moved to essential reading!!!

Made sense, done deal.

Oh my goodness.. thats nasty... I have done my chain like that before.. never again....

sweet geebus.......I am never, ever going near my chain when the bike is running. Gotta admit, that guy seems to be handling it well.

All I can say is " Just call him Stumpy". That made my fingers hurt just seeing that.

I used to work on big trucks. At this time I was working on a very very old gasoline tanker.
It had the old bolted together brake drums and hubs, instead of the newer knock off drum that are a whole lot lighter.
The bosses nephew who on a side note was a crack head, had pulled the truck trailer in way to close to the work bench. It was a saturday and I just wanted to go home. 6th day of work that week and all.
Anyway to make a long story short, I was working my way around it, replacing brakes, replacing seals, cleaning bearings, and getting it ready to put into service with our company. On the easy open side we had this cool tool that would slide under the duals, you removed the hub oil cap, took the bearing nut off, and slide the duals off with brake drum and hub.
Back to the side with no room.
It wont fit, so I hung over, wanting to get this stupid thing done and go home procede to do one of the stupidest things I have ever done.
I take the wheels off, I remove the hub oiler cap, I remove the bearing nuts. I squat under the brake drum and hub assembly. Guessing it wieghs 170-200 lbs. I wiegh 150lbs. I am going to dump it off into my lap, and set it down.
At the same time a driver shows up, he wants me to make him this tool in a book so he can change some part of his car. I dont care what it is just go away. Anyway he is standing there behind me, talking. I am sliding this thing off, right as it comes off I lose my balance, and its heavier than I imagine. So bam straight to the concrete with both my hands under it. It mashed my ring, middle and index fingers to a pulp on both hands.
Middle finger left hand split open and the finger guts came out.
(The little bone at the end was broken into 9 pieces. The other middle finger right hand was in three pieces. found this out on monday)
So on to the ER.
The nurse refuses to wash my hands, she makes me do it. I was covered in oil/grease/dirt and brake dust.
ER doctor says they are not broken just mashed and gives me tylonol. Puts them in splints to protect them and sends me home.
I am in agony.
Anyway long story shorter, I went to the doctor he says they are all jacked up, and puts me on stupid crazy pain pills.
I couldnt wipe my own butt for weeks.
Dont mash your fingers.

thats crazy man i just clean my chain

I have seen the same type of injury 3 times in the last two years. Its not much fun when you tell the patient that their finger tips are no longer any use. Its so easy done though.

Pics are dead Might seem crazy... but I'd like to see them... anyone?

Well, let me add that you need to be careful even if the engine ISN'T running. Lets say you're turning the rear wheel by hand and the rag gets caught and pulls your hand into the sprocket. Can get pretty nasty. Ask me how I know...

PS: Didn't lose any digits, but I was lucky. Sortof. Cost me a trip to AMA Superbike race at VIR last year. Maybe this year I'll stay healthy...

sasper said:

Pics are dead Might seem crazy... but I'd like to see them... anyone?

Click to expand...

I'm with ya. Even though I hate looking at gruesome stuff, you just gotta see it.

Now I don't clean the chain with the bike running but I do lube it with it on the centerstand making sure to keep my fingers well away by using the red straw. Maybe after seeing the pics I will have a change of heart......

ya cant see pics but i wanted to, added reminder to be careful with stuff.

wow, i lube my chain while the bike is idling, but i never touch the chain or wipe anything, the only thing that gets close to the chain is the little plastic straw thingy that directs the chain wax.

I turn the bike on to rince the chain, and thats about it. I will scrub it like crazy, cover it up suds and then fire it up and rince it while its running. If I am within a foot of the the chain, its off.

-bryan

I've never tried lubing my chain with the bike idling before and I don't think I would ever after seeing that. Thanks for the usefull post.

For anyone who thinks it's ok to do this so long as you're careful or don't get TOO close, you do realize that no one ever intends on letting this happen, right?

:needpics:
lol
Greg A.

Way to wake up a year-old thread Steve... Either way, this is a stupid mistake that happens more often than you can imagine. This is the third person in a year that I've heard do this to their hand, one of which I saw in person at the hospital. You'd think the sprocket would make a nice clean cut, but it totally doesn't. This finger tips were mangled to ****, which is why you can't reattach them. A clean cutoff would easily be reattached, no problem.:spank:

DefyInertia said:

For anyone who thinks it's ok to do this so long as you're careful or don't get TOO close, you do realize that no one ever intends on letting this happen, right?

Click to expand...

Anyone who works on machinery for a living will tell you that there's a damn good reason we turn off power, unplug the device, put a big warning tag on it all, and only after that's done do we cautiously work on the gears/chains/rollers.

This is the kinda thing were it probably won't happen to you, but in the 1:10000 chance it does you gotta ask whether the consequences are worth it. Missing fingers or save two minutes? I'll take the extra time, thanks.