Update: Well, Foible #3 isn't true. While sitting in a different chair in my garage/man cave this morning on a conference call I saw where I had stashed the lay-down license plate bracket. Whew. Hopefully tonight I will have some time to mask off the fender and get ready to paint.
Yes, foibles, because the other "f-word" wouldn't do as a post title. But if you are wondering, it's not "follies" (although that would work) and normally ends in "-up".
Felt like listing a few motorcycle maintenace foibles for you, my one or two readers, so I don't start coming across like I've got this all figured out and am some kind of top-knotch mechanic. I'm probably not much better than a low average mechanic-I usually have to read the shop manual twice, google or youtube videos, ask friends and still mess stuff up. Here's three recent examples:
1) As chronicled in this blog post, while working on a friend's bike I was prepared to wrestle loose his brake rotor bolts. So I inserted allen driver, started applying pressure, and immediately stripped the bolt. Quite how it happened we couldn't figure out, but it looked like some road grit was in the bottom of the bolt hole and caused the "key" not to seat fully. Should have checked them all.
2) While trying to remove the radiator cover and oil cooler cover on my Connie to clean them up and re-paint them black, I try all kinds of phillips screw drivers working around the fairing and forks. Instead of finding the right one to both fit the size of the screw head and reach in, I angle a screwdriver that sort of fits the pattern. Yep, another stripped fastener since it's likely been on there since 1986. So an easy maintenace action will now take over an hour when I get to it. On a better note, oil cooler cover came off and is now freshly painted black!
3) As my prep work on the Sportster fenders continues (update 2 here) I added two more parts I have taken off the rear fender to the bag of parts. Looking at the parts I notice the lay-down license plate mount isn't in the main bag. So I look for the bag it is in. I recently repositioned my work bench about 18 inches and didn't completely unload it before moving, but did move some items. Of course, guess which parts may have been lost? Replacement is $29.99 at the Harley dealership, gonna check Bike Bandit but also request some of my Chrome Cash just in case....
Yep, my bikes would be fine except for the nut that works on them in the garage!
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