This morning I figured I might get a few miles in.. not much, just an hour or so to get the bikes ( and my) juices flowing a bit and help me prepare for the chores I need to get done this afternoon.
I go out to the shed and push her out, and it spins..and spins.. and spins. I let it sit for a bit then it spins and spins and finally starts. I let her run for a few minutes then go in to get geared up and when I return.. it spins and spins and spins... take a break and it spins for another long while and I finally crack the throttle about 1/4 and it starts again. It's a bit cool this morning so I shrug it off figuring it has been sitting a couple of weeks.
It has been acting a little odd since my igniter went out and since I couldn't afford to pay 600 dollars for a replacement, I bought a Procom unit and set it on the suggested detent... the bike hasn't been the same since. Had I known that it was not a direct replacement, I certainly wouldn't have wasted my money.. but I digress.
Anyway. I pull out in the road and of course it is running lean and coughing like it has since the module replacement until it gets warmed up. I then proceed to the fuel stop and pondered not even shutting it off but thought better of it and shut it down. Probably a good thing..
I had the nozzle in my right hand and mashed the premium button with my left and fuel began immediately spraying from the nozzle covering my tank, headlight, speedometer, gloves and front end with fuel. It seems the lever lock was engaged on the nozzle for whatever reason.
Dunno if it was stuck, I did it accidentally (though it has never happened to me any of the other 40+ plus years I've been putting fuel in machines)or what but nonetheless, I am now sitting at the pump with fuel dripping from my bike and onto the hot engine and headers.
Figuring I needed to remove the bike and myself from the puddle of fuel we're sitting in, I push the bike out into the sun in hopes of drying away the fuel and give a chance to wipe it down. Looking around I see that there is, of course, no fire extinguisher in sight.. nor even a water hose.
Sure enough it is in the headlight bucket(not a good place for fuel) console, front fender etc. so I dig into my saddlebags to finds that for the first time ever since I've had this bike, I didn't have one single rag. Now anyone who has ever ridden with me can attest that I usually carry at least 2.. but not today it seems.
So I did what I had to and took off my jacket then sacrificed a perfectly good Triumph T-shirt to the cause. I got out my tool roll (soaked with fuel as well) and removed the headlamp to clean out the bucket, wiped everything else down and sat for a bit to let most of the fumes dissipate.
Figuring that this wasn't meant to be. I decided to call it a day and head back home.... of course it didn't want to start again until I cracked the throttle.
So what, exactly, am I trying to say? Well I guess today just wasn't a good day to ride and Procom igniters suck... I am definitely not a satisfied customer.
