Frustration

You ever really try to fit a square peg into a round hole?

It is possible you know. Sometimes a knife helps to whittle the peg down. Sometimes it helps to just pound the peg in place with a hammer. It is all child’s play, however you get that peg into the wrong hole.

In motorcycle assembly, it just doesn’t work that way.

I followed every direction from the manual to put that motor back together. I did it several times, each step, because it was not only confusing but I was squarepegging it.

With lots of help from Calvin, lots of moral support from my roommates and my buddy Steven, it all came together finally and it was ready to reinstall the motor in the frame. The most memorable of it all was the smell of the RTV silicone sealant we used as a sealer for the case.

I have always thought that for everything I do I learn something new. Looking back I think I gained a sense of care that I have forever used to put things together. Except when I am squarepegging of course; nobody is perfect.

I learned perseverance when I worked on transmissions, but that was much later in my career as a mechanic.

To wrap this up, the bike didn’t run right off. I had to pull the motor apart again to make things right. I will blame old age for not being able to remember why I had to pull the motor out and tear it down again. Remember I am bareing all here, I really don’t remember why.


I do remember cross threading a spark plug. I walked all over the city of Bitburg looking for a Tap to rethread the hole. I learned several terms for tap and die that day in German. I ended up ordering the taps (it was a three tap kit) to make the repair from one of the hardware stores.

I remember the clerk was really helpful and so he got the order from me even though he thought the taps were too pricey. I had to wait over a week for the taps to come in. I didn’t want to wait that long without being able to ride. But in this case, Calvin came through for me, he cleaned up the threads with an old spark plug and the bike ran good once I got both spark plugs in.

Those taps are still in my toolbox.

I never squarepegged a spark plug again.

So I graduated from motocross to street rider.