Broke a CT125?! and YES you can tow one too! (sporty) [UPDATE]

[eastema]

Great story about the break down and tow! That's the adventure of many trips. What goes wrong and how we adapt and overcome the obstacles. Thank you.

 

[MisterB]

Just catching up, sorry for late reply.
I didn’t like the look of that goofy Y-cable so used one of these rather than run that very important connection through their flimsy cable. It’s a sturdy connection for the factory spade plug and the Opmid connects to the side. I cut off their Y and put heatshrink over the stub


Ancor 230613 Marine Grade Electrical Double Male-Female Adapter (5-Pack)

 

[dmonkey]

From the owner's manual:

coasting or towing the vehicle for long distances with the engine off can damage the transmission

The engine and transmission both share oil from the crankcase so you don't want to be spinning the counter shaft that holds the front sprocket for extended periods of time if the engine is not running. If you do need to tow a Trail 125 a good precaution to take is to pull the clip off the master link on the chain and remove the chain, then when the bike is being towed the rear wheel will be freewheeling without spinning any of the rest of drivetrain.

 

[m in sc]

as long as its in neutral, really doesn't matter as the transmission is s splash/bath lubrication system, not pressure fed. sometimes ya got to do what ya got to do. but it cant hurt anything.

 

[dmonkey]

Is the oil level high enough in the case that the gears touch? A service manual diagram shows the countershaft being oiled by the oil pump. Still, with the chain removed there's no risk of dropping it into gear while being towed, which is usually a hectic situation.

 

[m in sc]

yes. of course it is. thats a return galley. the 'drop' marks are oil splash. have you ever been in one of these motors?

 

[dmonkey]

I have, but never with one full of oil enough to see where that level is Interesting, I would have thought that would cause frothing.

 

[m in sc]

no.

 

[ShieldArc]

Right out of the owners manual.

(Transporting Your Vehicle If your vehicle needs to be transported, it should be carried on a motorcycle trailer or a flatbed truck or trailer that has a loading ramp or lifting platform, and motorcycle tie-down straps. Never try to tow your vehicle with a wheel or wheels on the ground. NOTICE Towing your vehicle can cause serious damage to the transmission.)

 

[op46]

Oops..... Friend bought the bike, lets see how long he remains a friend. It was running fine after shop got it working again. Shifting was just like it always was. Maybe got lucky or any damage has not manifested yet. Was a bad choice to tow I guess but we where in a bad place and the towing was so successful we just kept going instead of stopping as soon as we got to civilization and going to get trailer to bring back to camp ground. Will do that if there is a next time. Was able to start engine ever few minutes in neutral while towing but it would cut out again in a minute or so. Maybe that was enough to circulate enough oil? Actually stopped the towing and tried to go again on my own several times but engine would quit as soon as I loaded it with the throttle in gear. Will pull master link on chain if there is a next time so as to be free wheeling to avoid the potential problem. Good discussion. We all have learned several things with this string. 1) Can be towed, 2) Probably not a good idea, 3) Removal of chain thru master link disconnect may solve problem of not enough lubrication for engine/transmission if forced to tow as engine/transmission is not turning thus doesn't need lubrication. 4) Better connector for Y harness for OPMID may be required using a connector as illustrated in post above. (I got a box of them so may retrofit?)

 

[m in sc]

the oil level is high enough to lubricate the trans with out it running.. anyone that's been in one of these has never seen an oil galley to the transmission bearings. know why? they are in an oil bath in the crank cases.. also why there isn't an oil passage in the trans gear shafts.

I've rebuilt and been inside literally hundreds of motors over the past 30 years, most of them were motorcycle engines. Also take with a grain of salt what's in the owners manual, they are more avoiding litigation for somebody doing something wrong then to explain how to do it properly. (like trying to tow with it in gear). Ya'll do whatever you want. In a pinch a flat tow as above wont hurt a darn thing. been there, done it. .02

 

[SneakyDingo]

Ya'll do whatever you want.

Yah, that puts me firmly in team "removing the master link and popping the chain off if I ever have to get push-towed". Feels like a really, really low effort safeguard to prevent spending money later, both for removal and reinstallation, and I'm still getting teased over the supposedly unbreakable things that I've broken multiples of. I feel I'd be branded for life if I broke a Honda.

 

[m in sc]

cool.