The throttle mechanism became stuck when I turned it to high during one of my first trips and bike ended up in the top of a tree, I was lucky to get off in time. (See story below).

Also the clutch front drive securement bolt was replaced with a non-structural grade bolt, so it worked itself loose a few weeks later while I was climbing a steep hill on a forestry tower road. The bolt came out of the engine shaft, causing the four 1" diameter steel balls inside the drive to be thrown out at great velocity, severely denting the metal protective screen on the left side of the bike.

Again, I was lucky. Thanks to the foresight of Bonham providing this screen at the right place, my shin bones were not in pieces. One of the balls could not be found, and the bolt was bent to a hook shape. I managed to roll the bike back down the hill to my wagon.

I had extra steel balls amongst the spare parts at home, fixed the clutch, got the proper bolt, drilled a hole through its head, as well as in the rim of the drive pulley, then secured the installed bolt by lock-wiring it through these holes to each other with baling wire.

It never came apart again.

A few years later the original engine of my bike had to be replaced with a different 6 HP Tecumseh engine which incorporated a magneto electric generator for lights, because the Alberta Government suddenly required lights. Bonham designed the bike without lights on purpose.

There were some rumors that something bad happened during trials when the bikes were designed:

Apparently some electric wires were damaged during a minor bike upset, causing sparks, which ignited spilled gasoline that also had leaked from the tank during the upset. The rider barely escaped being badly burned and they had trouble fighting the grass fire that ensued on the parched hillside. Bonham Corporation therefore realized a risk for being sued for "starting wildfires" and/or "causing injury", and since few people would be crazy enough to run a bike over wilderness terrain at night, purposely abandoned all wiring not necessary to run the bike's engine.

The Alberta Government knew better. The idea was of course all "All-terrain" bikes needed to be fitted with a Vehicle License Plate, paid by us owners to enrich the Government by $35 annually. To enforce this licensing law at night, enforcement officers had to be able to see the license plate at night, so now lights also had to be installed by law for all Tote Gotes operating on public land.

In my case, I did what I could to maintain safety by running the new wires to the lights inside the steel frame tubing of the bike frame, and then sealing the entry and exit points at the tubing with silicone sealant to keep moisture out and the wires from chafing. I also provided a quick disconnect plug at the removable front fork.

Owning a bike whose manufacturer went under, it became imperative for me to learn and do all maintenance and repairs, particularly when out in the back woods. There never were any "service" manuals for this bike to my knowledge.

I did however have the good luck to get some of the last parts for the bike from the Bonham plant, just prior to their shutting down.

So I was able to completely overhaul the worm gear box when needed after it had lost all its oil through a damaged oil seal. I got good advice from the local bearing supply house, found all the needed bearings and seals, installed a new brass gear from my spare parts.

That was back in the '70s, and the bike has been running ever since.