Day 5 Shopping with Joe and Casey

Drama fans look away now, this was a quiet day.

A slow start at the new hotel, nestled between the freeway and the railroad tracks, which is cool because the infrequent trains do that lonesome wailing horn thing, music to my ears even as it echos off the Tuxedo warehouse next door. The pool is covered and looks like a buried trampoline, presumable because it gets a lot hotter than this and people appreciate a seasonal change even if only from English summer hot to scorching inferno.

I was a little tardy heading in to Joe’s because I needed to send a begging email to Roland at http://sparepartsco.us/# explaining my gearbox woes and requesting parts help. “What shall we do about the begging letters?” asked the lottery winner’s wife, “keep sending them” he replied.

Greg, a charming driver, Ubered me in, and on the way enlightened me about Rock Lititz, a massive ‘production community’ that can replicate any venue and allows touring shows to rehearse their set ups before going on the road. He was worried that the Rock and Roll money would spoil the local community, I wasn’t so sure that it would do any harm.

Joe and his co-pilot Casey were out of the diner and in the shop when I arrived and I busied my self with cleaning up and refitting the gearbox end case to keep the incursion of workshop grime into the workings. Rolland from Spare Parts Co (Philly) called me and emailed a short list of contacts that might have a fifth gear for me.

I rang around and the news wasn’t good, many had just got out of stocking this part that is rarely needed although some offered to see if they had a good used one and get back to me. I got the impression that Rolland might have a complete gearbox but have no idea of the price in dollars or time. He did offer the wisdom that fifth is good for around 80mph and that he liked to run his engines at around 5,000 rpm. I have been loping along at something like 3,500 rpm and so have used fifth more than he would.

Meanwhile business in the shop continued, a big custom Honda V-Twin with ape hanger bars and Harley running lights was dispatched and work started on a Cafe racer style Honda with 4 into 1 straight through pipes and a unhealthy disregard for mudguards. I got on with freeing up the bushes for my gear shift and brake pedal that both had more of an interference fit than I intended due, in part, to the copper-slip as mentioned before.

Lunch in the diner was a highlight, the three of us joined four other friends of Joe’s for a table of banter, ribbing and good company, it reminded me of my own friends back home only without the beer and bad language.

In the afternoon I discovered the magical effect that Scotch Bright (no doubt a trademark) can have on mildly oxidised aluminium and spent the hours cleaning up the Guzzi casings. Passing trade passed, many vehicle inspections and enquiries all treated with good grace by Joe and Casey with me playing a bit part as first interesting Brit, The USPS mail lady came and went with no delivery for me. I re-organised the bike, or bits of bike, on the lift so as to take up less precious workshop space although it does still hog quite a lot.

Where does this all leave me and what decisions can I make? The gearbox appears sound apart from the broken spring, a missing tooth on fifth gear and a slight leak out of the final drive shaft seal that I am ignoring on the basis that it lubricates the universal joint behind and I can top up the gearbox. The spring and seal kit (yes I could fix it) is in transit and departed Oak Creak WI distribution center at !0:30am today, the second hand gear is in transit and PostNL have it as of 14:33 (UTC?). It seems like the race is on but the likely outcome is that the spring will show tomorrow and the gear in about a week. I don’t want to wear out my welcome with Joe and Jessie and am keen to be rolling so I think that the plan is…

…to fit the spring as soon as it shows and re-assemble then see what progress I can make with 4 gears. I’m sure that Joe will not mind forwarding the gear (possibly one of the last available) to me when it shows and I can then make a call on another strip and rebuild further down the road.

Given the lack of movement I have foregone a tracking map today in favour of my room’s guest services information, there are none, and the offending spring with detached tooth.