So I was out cleaning and oiling the chain. I had it on the jack stand and was doing the unthinkable of allowing it to run in gear while I sprayed chain cleaner on the chain. I then gave the throttle a few tugs to fling off the sludge.
This is only the second bike I've owned with traction control. The other is my Versys. Doing this procedure with the Versys results in nothing unusual. I twist, crud flings. With Thruxy today, I twisted and the engine bogged as the TC light went bananas. Went thru the menus, killed the TC and all worked as intended. Now it makes me wonder if my Kaw TC is actually doing anything?!
On a certain Yamaha forum, a guy posted a thread about cleaning and lubing the chain, while the engine is running. With bike on center stand and in gear, he was idling with rag on chain. The rag got caught by the chain and before he could let go, he lost a finger.
Back in 1972, when from France to the Shetland Islands with a friend. Puch 125cm3 and Jawa CZ 125 cm3. Speed was not our forte. Stopped south of Edinborough (Scotland). Camped and decided to oil the chains. Did my bike, then thought I could make it quicker by running in gear to do the other chain. My friend got the rag cought and lost 2/3 of his right index. Hospital, then continued our trip. He wrote to his parents that Scotland was a beautiful country and he might leave of part of himself there.
Years later, his daughter sees me and screams "you are the one who cut off daddy's finger".
BTW we are still friends.
DO NOT DO IT
Precisely how I would expect it to work. Just didn't expect it as my Kaw with TC doesn't cut out like that doing the same thing. When it did happen on the Thrux, I was thinking, "hmmm, now why doesn't the Kwacker do dat?"
I seem to remember someone on a Suzuki forum who used this 'technique' for oiling their chain, and lost part of their fingers too. Whilst I'm not a great believer in health & safety, this does sound like a particularly dumb thing to do.
I'm not the brightest fella who ever lived, but I've been cleaning chains for hundreds of thousands of miles (Gawd, I must be a masochist) and still have my fingers. Thumbs too!
I do have a bum leg from center punching an obese deer on a bike. Most people who don't ride think that my riding a motorcycle before and after is pretty stupid.
In this politically correct forum, Thou shall not mention any deeds deemed unsafe by those who obviously are morally superior to you. You probably have used a chair to change a lightbulb too, you heathen.
By the way, I have sprayed lube on running chains for years now without loosing any fingers. I have never been tempted to use a rag on a moving chain though. Now that would be stupid.
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