Al n' Wrench - Tea and Grease on a Sunday Afternoon
Sunday I slept into a gloriously late 9:30, which is actually very moderate considering my day prior. I commenced an energetic round of giggling at "Team America" with the blankets still pulled up to my nose. The puppets reminded me of early Saturday morning shows that I'd watch - bleary-eyed and still half asleep, but triumphant that I'd woken early enough to claim primacy over an entire Saturday morning of t.v. control. (If Pucky beat me to the t.v., I'd be stuck watching trout fishing shows and "Rawhide" all morning long = agony.)
For me it was My Little Pony, Smurfs and G.I. Joe all the way.
I managed to get a little housekeeping done before packing up my carbeurators and tea kettle for my day. First stop was a b-day tea party for my friend Fred. I managed to knock back a good quantity of tea before Al and Hilary arrived at the party and we headed north for some bike work. I'd been trying to track Al down since last Tuesday -lots of frustratingly unanswered voicemails and emails. No luck. Finally, I busted out the big guns --I got ahold of his diminutive fiancee, Hilary. Success!
After Al quickly ripped me a new one for my driving (they followed me up to my folks' in their car) Hilary promptly started up a knitting-based chant with my mum that eventually turned into a full blown discussion for Al and Hil's upcoming wedding. I think I just got offered up as a bridesmaid. This should be interesting. Slightly wary of leaving these two ladies to their own devices without observation (quite rightfully as it turns out), I took Al out to the garage to work on the bike.
Wrenching with Al is a very different experience than wrenching with either Russ or Q. Russ and Q usually instruct as we go along, painstakingly explaining each process and its ramifications. They usually have me doing the actual work. I enjoy this type of wrenching becuase I learn so much this way. However, the downside to this type of wrenching is how time consuming it is. Months spent (day-after-agonizing-day) in Q's garage a year ago this spring has made me twitchy to go anywhere near Burien or have Q so much as look in the direction of my bike.
When all you really want is your bike on the road -screw this enjoying the process of maintenance stuff, you call Al. Al wrenchwork is more akin to watching a trained magician. He moves very quickly to the point of slight-of-hand. He doesn't explain stuff because even he doesn't seem to know what it is he just did. He doesn't bother much with things like torque wrenches and gappers -- cause he just knows, BY FEEL, how tight a bolt needs to be, where the adjustment on the push rods should be set. Al has put so many Urals together that he seems to slip into a trance whenever a broken Ural stands before him. Seriously --Al is the big gun mechanic of the group. Did I mention he wrote the owners manual? Well, he did. He's one of the main reasons, Urals are street legal.
It was just shy 7 p.m. by the time we had the bike doing that happy little drunken purr that is the hallmark of a healthy ural. Al thinks I probably slightly burned another valve (ironic as I just had the valves re-ground in the left side cylinder head) from overheating the bike as I tried to balance the carbs. The carb problem with the Twinmax was most likely due to a loose compliance fitting that made one side run lean. I had to do a complete oil change (no biggie) and I have to buy yet another set of spark plugs... but otherwise the bike is fine and fettle. I didn't elect to take it home last night (I should probably test drive it around Brier before heading downtown on it) but I plan on having it back on the road midweek. Way too long coming but not surprising after an entire winter of sick Trench.
AFter being fed by my mom, I escorted Hil and Al back to the freeway. Hilary let slip that my mother and she had had a loooong conversation about me. (insert "Psycho" shriek here). Turns out my mother asked Hil if Hil knew a "nice boy" that I could settle down with. Yes, that's right folks -- my mother tried to elicit the assistance of a 24 year old in getting her youngest married off. Oh my head just hurts at the thought. I don't even want to think about the guy Hil would pick out for me -- then again, she did snag an Al and he's a very useful guy to have around :) :) :)
My last stop of the day was sectional Alto rehearsals for Ancora in Ballard. It was less singing and more drinking wine while taking trash about conductors/other sections/ the music. BUt it was fun and I feel better about Thursday when we're going to have to have half the repetiore memorized. Not a bad Sunday by half. Lets see how I survive the week to come.
For me it was My Little Pony, Smurfs and G.I. Joe all the way.
I managed to get a little housekeeping done before packing up my carbeurators and tea kettle for my day. First stop was a b-day tea party for my friend Fred. I managed to knock back a good quantity of tea before Al and Hilary arrived at the party and we headed north for some bike work. I'd been trying to track Al down since last Tuesday -lots of frustratingly unanswered voicemails and emails. No luck. Finally, I busted out the big guns --I got ahold of his diminutive fiancee, Hilary. Success!
After Al quickly ripped me a new one for my driving (they followed me up to my folks' in their car) Hilary promptly started up a knitting-based chant with my mum that eventually turned into a full blown discussion for Al and Hil's upcoming wedding. I think I just got offered up as a bridesmaid. This should be interesting. Slightly wary of leaving these two ladies to their own devices without observation (quite rightfully as it turns out), I took Al out to the garage to work on the bike.
Wrenching with Al is a very different experience than wrenching with either Russ or Q. Russ and Q usually instruct as we go along, painstakingly explaining each process and its ramifications. They usually have me doing the actual work. I enjoy this type of wrenching becuase I learn so much this way. However, the downside to this type of wrenching is how time consuming it is. Months spent (day-after-agonizing-day) in Q's garage a year ago this spring has made me twitchy to go anywhere near Burien or have Q so much as look in the direction of my bike.
When all you really want is your bike on the road -screw this enjoying the process of maintenance stuff, you call Al. Al wrenchwork is more akin to watching a trained magician. He moves very quickly to the point of slight-of-hand. He doesn't explain stuff because even he doesn't seem to know what it is he just did. He doesn't bother much with things like torque wrenches and gappers -- cause he just knows, BY FEEL, how tight a bolt needs to be, where the adjustment on the push rods should be set. Al has put so many Urals together that he seems to slip into a trance whenever a broken Ural stands before him. Seriously --Al is the big gun mechanic of the group. Did I mention he wrote the owners manual? Well, he did. He's one of the main reasons, Urals are street legal.
It was just shy 7 p.m. by the time we had the bike doing that happy little drunken purr that is the hallmark of a healthy ural. Al thinks I probably slightly burned another valve (ironic as I just had the valves re-ground in the left side cylinder head) from overheating the bike as I tried to balance the carbs. The carb problem with the Twinmax was most likely due to a loose compliance fitting that made one side run lean. I had to do a complete oil change (no biggie) and I have to buy yet another set of spark plugs... but otherwise the bike is fine and fettle. I didn't elect to take it home last night (I should probably test drive it around Brier before heading downtown on it) but I plan on having it back on the road midweek. Way too long coming but not surprising after an entire winter of sick Trench.
AFter being fed by my mom, I escorted Hil and Al back to the freeway. Hilary let slip that my mother and she had had a loooong conversation about me. (insert "Psycho" shriek here). Turns out my mother asked Hil if Hil knew a "nice boy" that I could settle down with. Yes, that's right folks -- my mother tried to elicit the assistance of a 24 year old in getting her youngest married off. Oh my head just hurts at the thought. I don't even want to think about the guy Hil would pick out for me -- then again, she did snag an Al and he's a very useful guy to have around :) :) :)
My last stop of the day was sectional Alto rehearsals for Ancora in Ballard. It was less singing and more drinking wine while taking trash about conductors/other sections/ the music. BUt it was fun and I feel better about Thursday when we're going to have to have half the repetiore memorized. Not a bad Sunday by half. Lets see how I survive the week to come.