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Just back from Holiday.
Last Sunday I was touring with my Motorcycle in Les Vosges (France) (la route des crêtes) enjoying the views and the hairpin turns ... and then my clutch cable snapped.
Luckily for me, my sixth sense warned me something seemed to be going ill and we weren't in any hairpin section. Double "luck" for me I was smart enough to have myself insured for the trip. If it would have snapped in a hairpin I would probably have fallen (best case) or driven in a ravine (worst case). Unlucky for me, it was Sunday and both Monday and Tuesday, garages were closed.
A lot of phone calls later and a taxi-train-taxi trip home (with my motor gear  ) I'm safe and sound, yet my bike is still there. I really, really hope they can tow it back to my place instead of me having to fetch it.
For the curious among you, it is a Honda Transalp (2008)
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A lucky escape for you, and hope the insurance covers the recovery costs. That happened to me years ago, but in a car, and fortunately I had just stopped in a small town. Half an hour later I would have been in the middle of nowhere without a mobile phone.
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It happened to me too, many years ago in my car I drove the 20 miles back home, is it not possible to do that on a motorbike?
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Not so easy as with a car - the gearbox only has one neutral position, and it's between 1st and 2nd.
It's fairly easy to get up the box by crashing it with a quick dip in the throttle to release the pressure on the gears, but going down is a lot worse as it horribly easy to lock the rear wheel. Plus ... emergency stops become a nightmare.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Thanks OG, having never owned one, I wasn't sure what the issues would be.
I imagine you could stay in 1st or even 2nd on a bike and do a few miles home or to the garage, basically the same as I did in my old Escort MK1 1300GT (XVX 604L), Its worth a bit of money now, sadly I don't own it now.
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The problem is that if you're more than a few miles from home puttering around in 1st gear's both a major timesink and unless you're able to do it on very slow or minimally trafficked roads you become a road hazard because you're going so much slower than the prevailing speed.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Agreed, I would only do this on a less busy road where its safe to do so. If I was causing any delay to other motorists I would stop frequently to let them pass.
Unlike the farm traffic drivers around here. 
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Ouch - could have been nasty.
Never had a clutch cable break on a bike - several throttle cables though, and that's almost worse because you can just swap the ends over, so the return opens it. Only hassle is that also reverses the twist grip, so you have to pay attention ... 
Worst cable breakages have been in cars: a handbrake cable that snapped as I pulled up (on a slope, natch) for my MOT (UK annual compulsory "fitness to be on the road" test). And the real fun: the throttle cable in my Lancia Beta HPE 2000, at 08:00 Monday morning while driving over Blackfriars bridge in the rush hour. While that's not technically as dangerous as clutch on a hairpin, it can induce serious road rage in commuters ...
And I once had all the rear sprocket bolts shear on a motorcycle (my first, a CD175 Honda) while doing a hill start. That was confusing ...
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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My throttle cable broke last week on my bike as I was going over a bridge. Got down to 10 mph on a 70 mph before I could get off the bridge. Its a bad feeling.
Lucky for me it was close to home, so the tow was cheap!
Hogan
Hogan
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I had a discussion a few days ago on the level of debt people in my country have. Way too many people can't even buy a new fridge without using their credits.
I understand that I'm on the other side of the scale, as I can buy a new Mercedes tomorrow, in cash, if I would want to. (I don't, it's a waste of good money)
But how much reserves do you have?
And how much do you feel is a necessary minimum?
Personally I feel that, if you're not able to buy a new fridge and pay the garage when your car has broken down, you're on the wrong side of the savings limit.
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The politicians have enforced the central banks to lower the rates and "print" money. This money has to be somewhere. So it may be in your pockets. Even being a millionaire doesnt mean you are "rich"!!!
Consider investing money for your retirement, because you may get around 90. Think about some real estate (a city flat or a small home), buying some blue chip shares and gold. Times may change...
Most of all live well and help our family and friends and give some charity. 
Press F1 for help or google it.
Greetings from Germany
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KarstenK wrote: Consider investing money for your retirement, because you may get around 90. Think about some real estate (a city flat or a small home), buying some blue chip shares and gold. Times may change...
The way things are going, I predict if you have too much monetary worth after retirement governments will take most of it away until you don't. A small regular post retirement income is nice, it doesn't have to be anything like a pre-retirement income though.
Most of the people I know who saved every last penny whilst they were working have trained themselves so well to do so, they end up dieing with all that money too. Your devisee will enjoy spending your worth for you though. 
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In the US, real estate can be a horrible investment. Property values can drop dramatically, and property taxes keep going up.
Schools are funded by property taxes, and people keep voting to increase them. We had two 50% property tax increases within a couple years, with no increase in selling prices in the area.
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Do you suppose there's a cause & effect relationship there?
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Jörgen Andersson wrote: I can buy a new Mercedes tomorrow, in cash,
Wow. 
Jörgen Andersson wrote: But how much reserves do you have?
Watning: Reserves low. Er... wait. Reserves dry.
Jörgen Andersson wrote: And how much do you feel is a necessary minimum?
Would depend on the counrty you live in I guess.
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Abhinav S wrote: Would depend on the counrty you live in I guess
That's why I mentioned it in fridge and a car repair rather than a number.
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Abhinav S wrote: Jörgen Andersson wrote: I can buy a new Mercedes tomorrow, in cash,
Wow.
It'd take me a bit longer than a day to do that since I can't write a check against my savings account. OTOH doing so would set me back a half dozen years on my plans of home ownership; so a few months ago I took out a loan for a Honda. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I, too can by a car without credit, but for good reasons I would not buy even a fridge that way...
With the pressure on the market I can get a fridge with good prize and excellent payments, so there is no reason to spend reserves or even use cash...
I could get a fridge about 3500 NIS in one payment (immediate charge) and can get the same for 3600 NIS in 12 (300/month), and as a fridge is a long time investment I pay it long time. On the other hand, short time investments, like food, entertainment, holidays and so I pay cash (technically I use my card, but for immediate charge and not as credit)...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: but for good reasons I would not buy even a fridge that way...
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote: about 3500 NIS in one payment (immediate charge) and can get the same for 3600 NIS in 12 (300/month)
So you'll pay more for a fridge and you think that is a good thing? 
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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In this case - yes.
I add a 100 NIS and fold the new fridge into my monthly payments, without touching the reserves... It is definitely a good one...
If the difference were higher I probably wouldn't do it, but for $30?
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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I could not buy a mercedes, but I could pay a new fridge, garage or similar and even survive some months jobless without having to worry much while I search for something new.
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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I am in the same postion as Nelek. I notice that alot of Techies(programmers) who look forward and do planning also do the same in their own life.
No I could not go buy a mercedes tomorrow. But I could buy a decent used car tomorrow and I could survive about 6 months without income. AFter that I might start to hurt a bit.
I have a house payment and nothing more at the moment. But I do take advantage of the put this on credit and we will give you 5% in rebate deals all the time. Then pay it off the next month. So I use my credit to help me out alot.
To err is human to really mess up you need a computer
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Jörgen Andersson wrote: I can buy a new Mercedes tomorrow, in cash
Me too. Although when I was working and bringing up a family I rarely had more than one month's salary in the bank. The whole economic model these days is out of control. People (and governments) are encouraged to get into debt merely to own things they really could manage without.
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If only things were that simplistic. Having cash lying round to buy a Merc is lazy unproductive money.
So could I buy a Merc. Not with cash, but I would have to cash up investments / assets etc. would I buy a fridge or pay for car repairs on credit. No, I like to have some leeway for emergencies. So it's all about a balance of ready cash for emergencies and having the rest invested, and what that is will depend on personal circumstances and where you live.
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