Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Passion, Talent, Experience, Self Discipline and Time

I've always had a passion for mechanical things. It goes along with my passion for writing, languages and clinging to the opposite sex. Passion is a powerful motive force but alone it doesn't provide a "How To" schematic. To supplement a passion a person benefits from talent, experience, and self discipline. Where are you going Percy with this ramble, you might be wondering? Let me answer that by relating a most wonderful thing that happened to me recently.

The other night I was sitting watching U-tube video's when on the right of the screen, where it shows a series of related videos, I saw one about this guy who discovered an old motorcycle that had been stored in a barn for the past twenty-five years. It showed the video maker purchasing the machine, loading it in his truck and taking it back to his shop. Finding, negotiating, and transporting are subjects in their own stead and I'll pass over that. It was what happened in this video maker's shop that I found not only intriguing... but downright amazing.

I saw a good mechanic assess, disassemble, clean, repair and reassemble a motorcycle that most would consider a piece of junk... and in the end kick it over and hear it come rumbling to life. I watched this mechanic, over a series of six videos, go from start to finish. When the series ended I wondered if I could do the same thing. So I resolved to go on Craig's list and look for some cheap motorcycles in my area. Guess what....? There were plenty. I did not have to settle for something that had been sitting out in the elements, under a tarp of in some vermin infested shed for the last quarter of a century.

It didn't take me long to find a good candidate, a 100 cc Yamaha dual purpose bike from the 1970s. The owner had done some work on it and said it would start on the first kick. I told him I was interested and would drive up and take a look. Three hours later and $550 poorer I was the new owner of a dirt bike with a flat rear tire. After rolling it into my van I returned to the farm and wheeled it into my garage.

Let me pause here for a moment and say that I'd not ridden a two stroke motorcycle for a long time.... since 1968 to be exact. Sure I'd had some four strokes and even a Harley but these had been all maintained by a dealership or speciality shop. In my mind I was way ahead of the Barn Find video guy because mine actually started and ran fairly well. Still I realized there was plenty of voodoo that lurked under the wrenches and was experienced enough to know that this project was not going to be as easy as it looked on U-tube.

Prior to getting started I have to clean up my garage and make room. Then I have to make a work stand, not to mention developing a clear understanding of how all the systems work and the tools and expertise to take it apart without ruining the parts and then getting it all put back together again in the proper order and sequence.

This brings me back to passion, talent, experience and self discipline. For the present I have the passion. Self discipline hasn't always been my long suit and in the past I 'd not always completed some of the ambitious tasks I took on. So I had to ask myself, "Self" are you going to have the gumption to see this project through? Since that question had an element of futurity the answer was more an assumption than statement of fact. Then in-between was the talent and experience issue. I do not have a natural mechanical talent. The complexity of rehabilitating a dirt bike is nothing to be taken lightly. Experience is another matter and undertaking a task where one has little aptitude or background is daunting and will require some research. While I have the time, being retired, and in reasonably good health, my new project won't be easy.

So where do I start? The best place, I think, is finding a way to transfer the technical requirements into a language that I understand. By this I mean don't just start taking things apart but coming up with a process that will take the technical information from the shop manual and transfer it into my bio-processor. For example the wiring diagram for this bike looks like Spaghetti Junction and the wires under the gas tank are far from original. Not to mention understanding how the gears work and how the power gets from the battery to the spark plugs. Get the drift? Before starting I need to examine each system and make sure I understand how the theory works and apply it to the machine I'm attempting to renovate. Rather than going off half cocked and then giving up in dismay, I need to make sure I understand thoroughly what I need to do and how I need to do it. That requires a plan and a process considered in advance.

Well here I am on the threshold of a new adventure, about to step into a brave new world. Wish me luck.