As most of you probably know, now that I have money (kind of) and have a sweet new truck and a sweet motocycle to go with it, (it's so hard to decide which one to take to work in the morning... ah the awesome problems I have!!!!) I have started doing what I do best: modifying them to make them more awesome.
I spent last weekend with the truck... de tinting the windows since I got pulled over for illegal tint (knew it was coming just was hoping not so soon) and putting in some sweet new headlights. The truck now looks pretty awesome and is legal to drive in AK. Anyway, this story is about my motorcycle.
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| Truck in progress |
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| Truck done! Definite improvement :) |
I get home today from work today, do my thing, go play some catch with my friend, have a lovely time, and come home and check the mail. This is where things went wrong. My new grips came! Cool! It is 8, I am kind of hungry, but there is still light and this should take 30 minutes tops. I excitedly rip open the clamshell. (who invented sealed calmshells anyway. Even with a knife they are dangerous and really hard to open) The grips are as sweet as I imagined! To my credit, I do check the box for any directions. Nope, none. I decide to put them on now. Why not?
I start by pulling off the old grip. Of course this is not easy and I end up cutting it off. I start trying to work the new one on. It does not want to go on. Oh, I forgot lube. I can't remember what I used on my dirtbike but I have chapstick in my pocket. So I smear it all over the tube and the inside of the grip. I try to work it on. It will not go on past the first aluminum ring. The metal is making it too tight. I try harder and try twisting. The aluminum cuts up my hands and majorly does a number on my nails, which I just painted last night. This is why I never painted my nails before.... However, I kind of like painting them and I think my coworkers like playing "guess what color Anna's nails will be" each Monday.
Anyway, I get the grip stuck on. I go inside and look for more lube. Hmmm, I have lube for the chain on my bike. I check the internet and see if that will work. Yes it does! Ok, good deal. I try to spray it on the inside of the grip. It goes all over my face, luckily missing my eyes. I really need to remember to wear safety glasses when I do stuff like this.... It still is not going on so I decide to take it off and try again.
I try putting it on without the aluminum rings on. They seem to be stopping the rubber on the grip from stretching. After much working at it, I finally get it on. The grip is too flimsy where the metal is supposed to be to be used without it. Damn. I am at my 30 minutes now and have made my bike un-rideable. I am hungry and want to give up but it is going to be getting dark soon. Ok, let's pull it off and try again.
I put the metal ring back on and spray chain lube all over the grip. I try again. After a fair bit of work, I manage to get it on. Unfortunately, the grip is rubbing on the handlebar and is making my throttle stay open. That is not safe, going to have to do something about that. Additionally, all this pulling is causing the metal to cut up the rubber in my nice new grip. Ugh. I take the grip off. Again. I notice that there is a diameter of 22mm stamped on the grip. Weird. I check the old one to see if it has any info on it. Nothing. Bummer.
I mess with the grip-less handle bar and get the throttle functional. Ok, one more try. After lubing it up a lot, I get the grip back on. Again. I get the grip on pretty well but am unable to get the second aluminum ring on the grip. Who needs that? Well, the rubber on the grip looks like shit at this point and damn it, I am giong to get that ring on there. I eventually force it on.
At this point, multiple people have left the parking lot and come back home to me still working on my bike. It is now approximately two hours later and the sun is starting to set. The sunset is pretty at least. My hands are also bleeding despite the fact that I put gloves on about 30 minutes into the procedure. My nails are also ruined.
I have the throttle working and the grip on. Kind of. Well the throttle is working but the grip is all stretched really weird and looks horrible. I decide to give up for the day. I pick up the other grip and take a look at it. The diameter on it is 24 mm. Fuck, I bet the handles are different sizes. In fact, I know they are since the other one does not have the throttle on it. Since the grip looks so shitty and I am going to have mis-matched grips for a while at this rate anyway, I decide to take the grip off and replace it with the other one.
I end up having to cut the damn thing off. Oh well, it was more or less destroyed at this point anyway. The metal rings make cutting it slightly ineffective since the part that is so tight and causing the problems is the metal. I eventually pull it off.
I lube up the 24 mm diameter grip and slide it on in about 30 seconds. Perfect fit. Awesome. I feel much better about riding with this grip on since it has no conflict with the throttle operation at all. Why did I not do this two hours ago?
Well, my grips are definitely going to be mis matched for a while now. I do not want to repeat this adventure any time soon. Even if I did, it would take a bit to get new ones shipped...
Anyway, it is now after 10. I am tired and hungry and my hands hurt a lot. Between the 2 hours of the friction from pulling on a stupid little grip and the metal cutting me, they don't feel to great. And they are all dirty like they always are when I touch anything that goes on a road and needs oil and gas to run... no matter what I am doing to it, I always get filthy.
Time to make dinner. I don't want to cook. I just want food to appear. I decide macaroni and cheese from a box can't be that hard to make. I boil the water, add the noodles, and wait. I finally strain them and add the cheese powder, a little butter, and some milk. I don't measure any of this. After stirring for a bit, I realize that I have put way too much milk in. My dinner turns out to be noodles swimming in cheese flavored milk. Ok, apparently this is not my evening.
Time to finish blogging, then wash the chain lube off my face, and finally go to bed and hope my hands heal some overnight. They really don't feel so great. :(
I would have pictures but my hands were so torn up and I was so hungry that I didn't take any. Too bad for you! But here is a picture of my sad mac n cheese
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| Yum... dinner.... |
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