Crap Happens (rant)

[Hook#3287]

So I sit down to rebuild my front forks last week, Thursday evening I think.

I had pulled them apart the week before and ordered up some parts from Partzilla and new Progressives springs off the web.

Went to my local MC shop and picked up 3 bottles of fork oil.

Waited the 7 days or so for the parts.

They came in Wednesday and I was ready to reassemble.  Got everything laid out and the shop manuel opened up and I get the new dust and oil seal on the right slider.  New bushings installed. Insert the lock and damper and go to install the allen bolt and NO WASHER!  What?  It was there when I took it off and I know I put it in the parts bucket.  I KNOW I did.  Drain the bucket of the residual oil, nope, not there.  CRAP!

I look on all the countertops and work areas, nope.

I look around the floor where I disassembled the fork, no luck.

I remember I had vacuumed the floor over the weekend, so I open my R2-D2 style shop vac and sifted, very completely, through about 5 Lbs of dirt and crap.  I found a couple of nuts and washers that shouldn't have been in there, but not the "special one".  Crap.

Then I thought, maybe I have one in my new parts bin.  I usually, when ordering parts, get at least 2 of what I order cause I figure if I needed it once, I'll need it again and I vaguely remember ordering this "Special Washer" the first time I did a fork rebuild about 14 years ago.  Now I just reuse them.

Search through the bin, which has easily over a hundred assorted little white plastic packages, but nope, no luck.   Found some other stuff I forgot I had.

I thought, maybe I can match it up at my local plumbing supply store, it's copper.  Naw, PITA to me and the plumbing store guy.

So I sit down to the computer, resolved I'm going to have to order the stupid $1.85 "Special Washer" and pay shipping and wait for a week.   I usually group all my parts together so I hit the free shipping.  Usually.

Then, I wonder, is this "Special Washer" used anywhere else on the Valk and I can steal borrow one from another one of my girls and I can continue.  I have no idea where another would be used, but I was grabbing at straws after spending a couple of hours searching.  What a DUMMY!

So I look at the list of the bikes this thing is used on and it seems Honda used it on just about every one they make, but only on the front fork, a couple rear shocks and nothing else.

Then it dawns on me, I got several sets of GL1000 forks sitting around as future projects for when I'm done with Valkyries.   Hopefully never.

I check down the rather long list and sure enough, 1978 GL1000 A FRONT FORK  is there.   

Go check my forks and low & behold, the bolt & washer look to be there.

Take the fork apart, drain the really smelly oil (probably 1978 vintage) pull the bolt, and there is the little shiny POS.  But I love it, I'm happy.

By then I was spent, to late to put the forks together and pay attention to the job.

Put it all aside and reassembled yesterday.

I don't know what the moral of the story is, except don't be a dummy, but I learned that years (decades) ago and still can't seem to do it.

Rant Off.

[Bighead]

Main thing is you got it done

[The emperor has no clothes]

It's very heartening for some reason to know I have company Bill. Only I would have had to wait 10 more days.
 Good job by your Patriots yesterday  TODAY IS FOR COWBOYS !!

[Pete]

I do not think there is a moral to the story.

Do not know you age, but I do know mine and I now spend more time looking for parts I just set down than I do actually doing a job.

My determination is that very short term memory which is affected by age is the issue.

So to combat the issue I now only put small parts in a magnetic tray when working, never anywhere else. And that works well for the small parts.

So now the problem is that I misplace wrenches and larger parts. I do not have a large magnetic tray for those, YET. But if I find one I intend to buy it immediately.

At present I just try to organize the wrenches and large parts as I remove or use them in one location. That seems to help.

Good luck

[Jess from VA]

Moral of the story is (you nailed it).... Sh!t happens.  

Title of the story is..... How one small part worth $1.50 screwed up my entire day, gave me high blood pressure, and made me crazy.   (you're not alone there)

My first experience with forks.... I was installing spacers to lower them on my wife's bike (easier than a rebuild).  I had the manual out and was proceeding with care, particularly keeping my head and face out of the line of fire. I was going very slowly and carefully taking off the cap which was supposed to release the big compressed spring in there.  Finally it came off, but nothing happened.  Hummm?  So I kicked the front tire a couple times, and nothing happened again.  So I get my rubber mallet out and still keeping my head away from the tube, gave it a nice whack.... and wala it was like mission control at the Cape.  All the internals launched in an oily mess, out, up and over my 7' fence into the neighbor's back yard.  He mowed twice a summer, whether it needed it or not, but I was able to find everything..... as far as I know.

To this day, I still can't figure out the logic that adding longer spacers inside the tube made the forks shorter.  Pure voodoo and black magic.  

And how many times have you completed a mechanical tear down and rebuild, rolled the bike away from the jack, and discovered one small nut, bolt or widget laying there and wondering ..... where in the hell do you belong?

I am also the proud owner of three magnetic parts/small widget trays.  

[John Schmidt]

Been there done that....more than a few times. The last really irritating happening was a couple years ago and really got me PO'd. I have one of those small round trays with a magnet in the bottom, comes in really handy most of the time. I also have a couple of those "scooter" stools with a round tray on the bottom, one for each side of the bike. One day while working on the old 1200, I put the magnet tray on the tray at the bottom of the stool I was using. A short time later while disassembling something, a special type/size nut and washer went flying. I heard it hit the rubber mat the bike sits on so knew it didn't go far. I looked for an hour or more to no avail, so went ahead and ordered the replacement parts. A week or so later I was cleaning up the area and putting stuff away, including the magnetic tray. Soon as I lifted it off the bottom tray on the stool I heard a couple clinks on the floor. Upon rolling the stool away, there lay the missing parts. The #^&@*^%# magnetic tray had picked them up as they rolled underneath, I never thought to look under the stool's tray. 

[Robert]

OK I can share a work around, Not that its happened to me mind you but Ive heard  When you are missing a part or tool you know is there but just cant find it go on to something else. Most times when I do this magically the tool/part shows up and I haven't lost to much time since I was always doing something. Not to mention it makes you look better also since no one can tell why you decided to go on to something else.  

[Oss]

when taking plastic parts off the bmw I draw the part on cardboard and put each bolt (they are always different sizes) THRU the cardboard and mark the size (just in case)

Sometimes I still mess up  like having that stupid copper spring thing on the brakes pop out across the garage and land who knows where

+1 on the part holder and I also have a telescoping magnetic part picker upper thingy for when those f*@!)@ bolts pop loose in the
engine area and dont hit the ground.

[old2soon]

When ya gitz all done and got er back on da road that washer WILL turn up and ask ya-didja miss me??  Go on ahead and ax me how I KNOW!  RIDE SAFE.

[Harryc]

When ya gitz all done and got er back on da road that washer WILL turn up and ask ya-didja miss me??  Go on ahead and ax me how I KNOW!  RIDE SAFE.

Exactly what I was thinking. You'll spot it one day when you least expect it. Been there, done that.

[cookiedough]

When ya gitz all done and got er back on da road that washer WILL turn up and ask ya-didja miss me??  Go on ahead and ax me how I KNOW!  RIDE SAFE.

Exactly what I was thinking. You'll spot it one day when you least expect it. Been there, done that.

I think everyone has more than just a few times.  Problem with me I get obsessed at finding an object I know where in general it should be and keep looking for hours until it is found.  By then,  the day is shot.

I have dropped small screws/nuts/washers or other small parts knowing full well it is within 3 to 8 feet away but NEVER found, very upsetting.   

[old2soon]

When ya gitz all done and got er back on da road that washer WILL turn up and ask ya-didja miss me??  Go on ahead and ax me how I KNOW!  RIDE SAFE.

Exactly what I was thinking. You'll spot it one day when you least expect it. Been there, done that.

I think everyone has more than just a few times.  Problem with me I get obsessed at finding an object I know where in general it should be and keep looking for hours until it is found.  By then,  the day is shot.

I have dropped small screws/nuts/washers or other small parts knowing full well it is within 3 to 8 feet away but NEVER found, very upsetting.   

            Well luck were on his side cuz he had a spare stashed. I have used the first "one" then the stashed spare and had to await Another parts order!  Ain't wrenchin FUN.  RIDE SAFE.

[sandy]

Poor OSS. He'd probably never use the expression "Jesus" when these little spring loaded things spring across the garage floor.


"Sometimes I still mess up  like having that stupid copper spring thing on the brakes pop out across the garage and land who knows where"

[Robert]

OK so how about the flip side of the lost thingamajjigge. You get to the end of the job and find a few extra parts  ??? Swore up and down everything went back just as it was. 

[Bighead]

When stripped my Is down to the frame for repaint, all that was sitting on the Jack stand was the frame and engine. I or even the forks for new seals ( just because I had it part might as well go ahead and do it) and rear was off for routine maint. Every nut bolt or whatever got put I to a ziplock and I marked on it R or L radiator pod or wherever it came from and when finished putting it back together I had zero extra parts or any missing must have been a first and very lucky

[Sorcerer]

Last month it was testing a used revolver I had just bought. It is a 9 mm revolver so it uses moon clips, black moon clips. I was trying different brands to function check. Grabbed 3 boxs, took them back to the range bag and grabbed 2 more boxes. Get back to the firing line and I can't find the @&&@@&@ moon clip. The firing line tables are plastic and the range has covered them with bed liner. See where this is headed? Yup it took 2 trips back and forth between the firing point and the range bag and a couple of minutes to finally find it hiding in plain sight.

[art]

Good stories here. My problem seems to be big feet. While working on my counter top either disassembling or assembling something something always falls to the floor and I try to listen for the clink or whatever to hear where it goes because my shop has 3' deep cabinets all around. Well this happens more than not. The darn screw,washer,spring or whatever hits my shoe toe and off it goes into the twilight zone under the cabinets. I usually don't find the part and off I go to the hardware store to spend more money on something I already have in the twilight zone.

[Hook#3287]

Good stories

As I get older, I find I spend more and more time looking for the stuff I just had.  Just happens.

I also seem to be able to tell the future now, cause as I'm removing a screw or bolt or nut or whatever, I say to myself "I'm going to drop that once I get it off" and sure enough, I'm on the ground looking for it.

I got the little magnet trays also, don't matter.

So today I spend the day installing the front end, reinstalling the carbs, intakes, air box, battery box and reorganizing the wiring and such.

Stand  back and look at what I got left to do and what's sitting there on the ground smiling at me, the air guide plate,  ??? ???   that thin black piece of plastic that has gotten more than a few cuss words out of me over the years.

Guess what, it's staying out till next winter cause I ain't taking the carbs back out till then, if ever.

[Valker]

I use empty egg cartons to hold small bits. Found out years ago that an old king size bedsheet laid on the floor under the bike and jacks will catch all the stuff I drop. I like a dark colored one to make them easy to see. Just a bit of foldover of the edges stops rolling parts from hiding under the tool box! If I really can't find something I dropped, I can pick up the edges to make everything roll towards the center.

[baldo]

Good stories

As I get older, I find I spend more and more time looking for the stuff I just had.  Just happens.

I also seem to be able to tell the future now, cause as I'm removing a screw or bolt or nut or whatever, I say to myself "I'm going to drop that once I get it off" and sure enough, I'm on the ground looking for it.

I got the little magnet trays also, don't matter.

So today I spend the day installing the front end, reinstalling the carbs, intakes, air box, battery box and reorganizing the wiring and such.

Stand  back and look at what I got left to do and what's sitting there on the ground smiling at me, the air guide plate,  ??? ???   that thin black piece of plastic that has gotten more than a few cuss words out of me over the years.

Guess what, it's staying out till next winter cause I ain't taking the carbs back out till then, if ever.

That piece of plastic is SUCH a PITA...I ended up slicing mine to make it easier to fold when reinstalling, then used speed tape to seal it again. Made it a bit easier, but not a whole lot.

[old2soon]

I use empty egg cartons to hold small bits. Found out years ago that an old king size bedsheet laid on the floor under the bike and jacks will catch all the stuff I drop. I like a dark colored one to make them easy to see. Just a bit of foldover of the edges stops rolling parts from hiding under the tool box! If I really can't find something I dropped, I can pick up the edges to make everything roll towards the center.

                       THAT'S one of dem dere why in the hell didn't I think of dat thingys!  RIDE SAFE.

[John Schmidt]

Guys, if that plastic piece you're talking about is the air dam that goes behind the fan.....guess what....you don't have to remove it to pull the carbs. I'll leave it there and let you think about that. 

Really quite easy. 

[cookiedough]

I once lost a bungee cord that I use to mount my stuffed animal on the back of my Valk I/S chrome luggage rack.  It is the only one just right sized and non-scuff plastic hooks that works well.  I spent hours trying to find it, but after that, I gave up and just left the animal off the bike.  Put bike up for winter and 2-3 months later I find that same bungee cord in my basement after looking for hours prior months all over for it on a bedroom table wooden headboard not being used in my basement.  I was like HOW the F did it get there?     I must have just put it there for some odd reason but have no clue on why??   

You can imagine if it takes me hours (or months) to find a bungee cord, how many hours it would take to find a nut or bolt or screw?   

[Hook#3287]

Guys, if that plastic piece you're talking about is the air dam that goes behind the fan.....guess what....you don't have to remove it to pull the carbs. I'll leave it there and let you think about that. 

Really quite easy. 

I know the answer, learned it the hard way.

I won't ruin your fun

I only took it off to clean behind there and I already had the carbs out.