Asheville to Argentina

I hate to say it for fear that I might jinx it – but I think the pendulum has swung. Things are going the way they said they would. The detectives have leads and bolts are backing out.

I got a call from the police department this afternoon. It seems they pulled some kids over in Canton, about 20 minutes west of here. In the car they had the license plate from a bike that had been stolen on the same night and in the same area as mine. For some reason they didn’t hold the kids – one of them even had warrants out for his arrest. (nice police work there, Lou) But the police think they may have been the people that took my bike as well. We got some good finger prints and these kids will show up again, so we’ll just have to be patient.

—

The thieves broke the bikes’ ignition and I have to replace it. My repair manual was in one of the cases that wasn’t returned, so I was bit lost trying to remove the switch. I was able to get everything (fairing, instrument cluster and head light assembly) removed and get to the bolts that hold ignition in place. Then I hit a snag – there was no head on the bolts to grab. It turns out that as a safety feature, when the bolts are set to the proper torque the heads shear off so they can’t be removed. I read some about how to get them out and they needed to be drilled. This sounded like too much for me and I seriously considered taking it into the shop at this point. I went down to the machine shop at work and talked to the crew to get some advice. They said it would be easy and hooked me up with a punch and a set of left handed drill bits. I had my doubts, but I also had time before the part arrived, so I figured I’d give it a try.

I used the punch to make a little divot for the drill to bite into and I started drilling. To my total amazement the bolts backed right out. That NEVER happens.

Today was supposed to be the day
Molecules decide to change their form
Laws of physics lose their sway
Youthful indiscretion now is suddenly the norm
With the good kids sprouting horns, yeah yeah
And today was supposed to be

Not just another day
Today was supposed to be

Opposite Day

~ Andrew Bird ~

Here’s a picture of what the bike looks like right now. I have the fairing and instrument cluster taken off in order to get to the ignition. It scary to have it apart like this -and for so long. The parts I ordered should be in by Friday.