... or, perhaps, a case of rinse and repeat.
Friday and Saturday have both been very similar. Most of my time has been spent in the garage polishing motorcycles, with a break in the afternoon to walk the dogs across the fields.
One might wonder how it is possible to spend so much time cleaning bikes, particularly if you have never owned one, or see them as an instrument of the devil.*
So here we go; They are incredibly intricate pieces of machinery. Almost every component is one show. Nothing is concealed behind panels as it is on a car.** All of these intricate mechanicals seem to be a magnet for dirt and it takes an age to clean each and every crevice and groove. I am also a bit of a completer/finisher, so, once I've started, I do tend to keep going until I real the shiny end.
There is also the safety element. Giving a bike a damned good clean means that each and every external component is given a visual inspection. It is an opportunity to identify loose, damaged or missing components, and rectify, before a mishap occurs.
The other thing is that I am retired and can afford to take a week or so to get my little collection looking as good as possible.
So, there you have it. I've been bike cleaning, dog walking, and I did give Michelle a hand to set up a VPN on her phone and tablet on Saturday morning.
---
* I'm not joking. I have encountered people that are absolutely appalled and literally terrified of them. They have been raised with a mindset that to sit on one will lead to imminent injury or death, and that they should be banned. I've ridden them for over forty years and have fallen off on a few occasions, mostly when riding off-road. I love them, but am well aware that I am incredibly vulnerable when riding them. Safe riding, good observation and keeping within one's limits are key survival skills.
** I accept that faired sports bikes do have panels, but they don't enclose the mechanicals in the same way as car bodywork. You still need to remove them and clean behind them.
No comments:
Post a Comment