Slo_Rider
Member
Folks,
Recently I was looking at the bike to see if I really feel like putting on the centerstand that I bought, which is a precursor to putting on lowering links, which I need badly.
As I was looking at the bike I noticed the license plate bracket and thought it could be tidied up a bit so I took off the bracket and thought it will be simple to bore a couple of holes to bolt the plate directly to the tail piece. What could possibly go wrong?
Bear in mind I am an old fart and am on extended sick leave because I have pinched something in my lower back for the umpteenth time.
Today after I got back from the doctors office I very carefully descended the six steps at the back of my apartment to look things over and thought this should take about five minutes. Maybe ten.
Going back inside I picked up my cordless drill, hit the button and nada. Zip, zilch, squat. The other battery was dead so I just put one on the charger. Nothing.
Apparently lithium ion batteries do have a shelf life after all. In spite of all the tricks I found online nothing seems to help. New battery, fifty dollars and a trip to Home Depot. Not an option right now.
It is becoming a bit of a challenge. No problem; I have my trusty corded drill that I have had for the last thirty years. The case is covered in an oily substance but I plug it in anyway, almost expecting it to catch on fire. No fire but no drill...........
!!!!!****&&&&!!!!!&&&&&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is now officially a challenge!! How hard can plastic be? I figure I can just take a Phillips screwdriver and a few twists and turns later I will have a hole. Small perhaps, but a start.
Carefully back down the steps, tools in hand with a step stool to sit my old a** on, I carefully mark my spots and start. JEEEZ... Honda seems to have gone all out on the plastic and this stuff is tuff. After a few minutes and I get a better idea. I snap up my vice grips and clamp down on a small nail and try to heat it on the kitchen range and run outside as quickly as possible to push a hole through the plastic. Not nearly quickly enough. Hmmmm. Next I get
some matches and candles I keep for a power outage and go back outside to see if I can just heat the nail with matches and finish this ordeal. No luck. Apparently I have a mini Chicago outside my apartment and the matches will not stay lit. I can't even light a candle before the damn matches go out.
I take another nail and just pound the crap out of it, trying to not miss and hit my tail section, and just as carefully, looking around to be sure Fatty Arbuckle is not looking around the corner laughing his a** off. Finally there is a dent. Well, a small dent.
Back up the steps, into my junk-hole, a.k.a., second bedroom, to get a small self tapping screw to see if I can force that through.
After what seems to be an eternity, but is probably only abut ten minutes we have lift-off. I can actually see through the hole. A bigger self tapping screw and I have a bigger hole. Next I take a lag bolt that looks to be about the size of the ones we used when I was younger and worked my way through school doing line work on top of a utility pole and there is a hole that might be big enough to get a bolt through.
Before I congratulate myself I realize I have to do this for the other hole. At least now I have a method. It might be something that would impress Rube Goldberg, but it works, barely.
Another thirty minutes and a lot of words I don't want my neighbors kids to hear, I have finished what should have taken about ten minutes, because of a lack of Lithium.
In my next life I am going to be rich and taller so I don't need lowering links, and have a wall filled with Lithium batteries.
Soooo, should I try putting on my centerstand tomorrow after I get back from PT?
Slo_Rider
Recently I was looking at the bike to see if I really feel like putting on the centerstand that I bought, which is a precursor to putting on lowering links, which I need badly.
As I was looking at the bike I noticed the license plate bracket and thought it could be tidied up a bit so I took off the bracket and thought it will be simple to bore a couple of holes to bolt the plate directly to the tail piece. What could possibly go wrong?
Bear in mind I am an old fart and am on extended sick leave because I have pinched something in my lower back for the umpteenth time.
Today after I got back from the doctors office I very carefully descended the six steps at the back of my apartment to look things over and thought this should take about five minutes. Maybe ten.
Going back inside I picked up my cordless drill, hit the button and nada. Zip, zilch, squat. The other battery was dead so I just put one on the charger. Nothing.
Apparently lithium ion batteries do have a shelf life after all. In spite of all the tricks I found online nothing seems to help. New battery, fifty dollars and a trip to Home Depot. Not an option right now.
It is becoming a bit of a challenge. No problem; I have my trusty corded drill that I have had for the last thirty years. The case is covered in an oily substance but I plug it in anyway, almost expecting it to catch on fire. No fire but no drill...........
!!!!!****&&&&!!!!!&&&&&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is now officially a challenge!! How hard can plastic be? I figure I can just take a Phillips screwdriver and a few twists and turns later I will have a hole. Small perhaps, but a start.
Carefully back down the steps, tools in hand with a step stool to sit my old a** on, I carefully mark my spots and start. JEEEZ... Honda seems to have gone all out on the plastic and this stuff is tuff. After a few minutes and I get a better idea. I snap up my vice grips and clamp down on a small nail and try to heat it on the kitchen range and run outside as quickly as possible to push a hole through the plastic. Not nearly quickly enough. Hmmmm. Next I get
some matches and candles I keep for a power outage and go back outside to see if I can just heat the nail with matches and finish this ordeal. No luck. Apparently I have a mini Chicago outside my apartment and the matches will not stay lit. I can't even light a candle before the damn matches go out.
I take another nail and just pound the crap out of it, trying to not miss and hit my tail section, and just as carefully, looking around to be sure Fatty Arbuckle is not looking around the corner laughing his a** off. Finally there is a dent. Well, a small dent.
Back up the steps, into my junk-hole, a.k.a., second bedroom, to get a small self tapping screw to see if I can force that through.
After what seems to be an eternity, but is probably only abut ten minutes we have lift-off. I can actually see through the hole. A bigger self tapping screw and I have a bigger hole. Next I take a lag bolt that looks to be about the size of the ones we used when I was younger and worked my way through school doing line work on top of a utility pole and there is a hole that might be big enough to get a bolt through.
Before I congratulate myself I realize I have to do this for the other hole. At least now I have a method. It might be something that would impress Rube Goldberg, but it works, barely.
Another thirty minutes and a lot of words I don't want my neighbors kids to hear, I have finished what should have taken about ten minutes, because of a lack of Lithium.
In my next life I am going to be rich and taller so I don't need lowering links, and have a wall filled with Lithium batteries.
Soooo, should I try putting on my centerstand tomorrow after I get back from PT?
Slo_Rider
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