Highways Agency - Good. RAC - FAIL!!

[redbikejohn]

What a night. Just finished a 12 hour shift at Heathrow and on the M25 at 7.15 Friday night (in the fast lane) when the throttle cable snapped!
XT660Z slowed down alarmingly and as traffic was so heavy there was no chance to move over to the left so I was stranded up against the armco central reservation . Jumped off and stood inside the armco and called RAC. Can't do anything you have to call police or highways agency, call back once safe. Called police and it wasn't too long until (but felt like ages) they set up a rolling road block and I pushed bike over to the grass.
Several calls later to RAC and a long wait they called back saying they will be almost two hours! WTF?
Engineer mode kicked in and got head torch out the top box. Managed to get a stump of cable attached to several cable ties and rode home one handed pulling throttle with right hand on tank. Bit lacking in coordination but got home!

[Steve T]

SCARY or what!!??

Top marks for ingenuity that man, top marks.

Steve T

[daveuprite]

Yeah, that's a proper brown trouser moment - and a nice bodge to get going again.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

My experience...never bother calling your recovery agency direct from a motorway.

Always call using the roadside phone (or 999 if you can't get to the phone). Police or highways then task the recovery agent with getting you off the m.way far quicker than if you call the agency direct, plus will close a lane or take whatever other measure is necessary to make sure you don't get squashed.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

What a night. Just finished a 12 hour shift at Heathrow and on the M25 at 7.15 Friday night (in the fast lane) when the throttle cable snapped!
XT660Z slowed down alarmingly and as traffic was so heavy there was no chance to move over to the left so I was stranded up against the armco central reservation . Jumped off and stood inside the armco and called RAC. Can't do anything you have to call police or highways agency, call back once safe. Called police and it wasn't too long until (but felt like ages) they set up a rolling road block and I pushed bike over to the grass.
Several calls later to RAC and a long wait they called back saying they will be almost two hours! WTF?
Engineer mode kicked in and got head torch out the top box. Managed to get a stump of cable attached to several cable ties and rode home one handed pulling throttle with right hand on tank. Bit lacking in coordination but got home!

There's ALWAYS a solution, and it usually involves cable-ties.

[Crossrutted]

Sounds nasty RBJ -glad you got home safe.

Cable snapped? Poor maintenance?

My much maligned Steam Engine never did that!

[redbikejohn]

Lol. If it had broken at the end I'd say yes my fault but it went an inch or so inside the outer sleeve so not visible. I suppose if I lubed cables I'd have seen it. Very little maintenance required really. 108k on clock now. Valve checks I double up or triple as they are almost never out. Charge oil now and again!

[Helicoptermanr22]

A big well done u!

[redbikejohn]

Sounds nasty RBJ -glad you got home safe.

Cable snapped? Poor maintenance?

My much maligned Steam Engine never did that!

Yes but just about everything else fell off or failed - and had the gumption to sell eventually for a good profit !

[dazcoates]

It should be made compulsory for every biker to carry a pocket full of cable ties