02-14-2021, 09:36 PM
Back in the day riding my 1974 H2 750cc Kawasaki (3 cylinder 2 stroke) on a highway north of Terre Haute, IN. It was a Saturday around midnight in the summer. No traffic. I loved speed so pushed it up to about 110 mph for about 3 miles. I turned around and headed back to town on another high speed run. The engine redlined and I suddenly lost all acceleration so I dropped it back to idle and coasted about a mile back to the city lights where I found a gas station still open. Coasted in and took the side cover off the engine and found the nut on the front sprocket had vibrated loose and was stuck in grease on the inside of the case with the sprocket. The chain was still on the shaft and was just loosely skipping around.
It had sheared the pin that held the nut on the front sprocket. If that chain had come off the 2 inch drive shaft it would have locked up and tossed me and the bike most likely over the Hwy 41 bridge and into the Wabash river.
Realizing just how lucky I was as I figured it out. Got a more secure star washer the next day. They didn’t call them “widow makers” for nothing. Still have that bike.
It had sheared the pin that held the nut on the front sprocket. If that chain had come off the 2 inch drive shaft it would have locked up and tossed me and the bike most likely over the Hwy 41 bridge and into the Wabash river.
Realizing just how lucky I was as I figured it out. Got a more secure star washer the next day. They didn’t call them “widow makers” for nothing. Still have that bike.