What I think I always knew

Sometimes I get in these moods when I just want to clear everything out. Throw things I don't need away, and give away or donate away. It's cathartic a bit to just clean house and rid myself of the extraneous. And sometimes I just throw stuff in a bin or drawer or, in this case toolbox, and see what or if I'll ever have the need again.

So I guess I found a way to use those extra IKEA bolts from a dozen years ago that the bed for college (or maybe dresser) was 'supposed' to be using. And I guess I found it a little surprising that they were indeed still in the toolbox drawer. but happy they were, and perhaps this will start a new trend of my keeping things around. Though probably not.

So, along with some TLC and some sparks I was able to shorten and reuse the IKEA bolts for my new and most expensive air cleaner I've ever bought in my life; ladies and gentlemen I give you, the K&N air filter.

[ applause ]

And hurray for the metric system and the simplicity of the rest of the world except for us. Without whom these bolts and all this would not have been possible.

Anyway, felt good to get that sorted finally. And in a way, it is indeed a slightly global effort I have going on here. I have a motorcycle made in Japan, a sub frame from Florida, a seat from Singapore, an air filter adapter from Australia, tires from Italy, bolts from Sweden... and I've got some Hungarian in me, so there's that.

After the air cleaner victory (yes, I'm gonna call it that), I moved on to the mounting of the license plate. And in a way I wanted this to be last, since it felt like the final stamp to roadworthiness and legality, so it seemed logical to leave it till the end. But perhaps the very fact that it felt logical to do it that way meant I was ultimately never going to actually do it that way. And so I didn't.

Needed to take a bit off the top to make it land where I wanted to, but that was an easy task. It's amazing that when you have the right tool for the job it goes soooo much faster/easier/better. Still, got the right sized hole drilled and the right length created and painted up. And yes, it did make me feel like I could start it up and cruise down the block. So that part sucked. In lieu of that ability, I did push it to the nearest parking slot for a photo op though. Vanity strikes again.

Although I've got some work things happening this week which could tie up my evenings, my hope for the next 7 days is to shore up the front brake with some fluids and bleeding (the lines, not me. Hoping...) and get a new battery ordered. Maybe prep and/or paint the tank if I can get the weather to cooperate a bit more. Temps here haven't been conducive to paint drying very well. Then it'll be on to that wiring harness and one of the last remaining frontiers by which to tame.

Then maybe I won't have to push it around so much... Crossing fingers for that part.