Mistakes Were Made: Part 1

[JDChico89]

43 minutes ago, maximo said:

And now that you all are beginning to understand what @JDChico89 is capable of, why I was a bit concerned when we took our first ride together and suddenly we got to this place... 

 @maximo I just KNEW we could make that jump!

[petshark]

@JDChico89 Great pics! I can certainly relate to passing that point of no return and defeating that arrogant piece of bad-fitting plastic.

But those things are so crazy expensive for what they are... are you going to do a full restoration? 💪

[maximo]

5 hours ago, betoney said:

Wow, stunning scenery... BUT, one of those roads with a MAJOR pucker factor.

What road is this?  not one of those that you have recommended for my upcoming road trips is it? 😲

This is Cecilville Rd, between Callahan and Somes Bar. It connects 96 to 3. It's an awesome road and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It's actually paved all the way through. This section just happened to have a slide recently, which is why it looks unpaved.  You should definitely add it as a loop when you're back up in that area. 

[koth442]

Loving the story OP, thank you for sharing. 

[JDChico89]

Dear Friends, 

I thought I might just end here, letting the masses wonder what ever happened to that one guy from that one web forum who jacked up his panniers? Forever cursing you to wake up in cold sweats, crying woefully into the darkness, “PANNIERS!  NOOOOOO!!!”

But, alas, no. I couldn't leave you there!

The first step was to repair the holes somebody put in there. If this is the first post you’ve read, somebody, who was totally not me, drilled holes in my pannier in a poorly conceived plan to fix a stupid bent handle. The perpetrator was never found, but I pulled it together by focusing my Gandhi-powers to forgive his foolhardiness.

With forgiveness bestowed, it was time to make things right. The first step was to clean up the ragged holes left by my sweet Dremeling, then heat-mold a piece of Kydex to match the gaping expanse. The next step was to search the internet for ways to make the said Kydex patch stay where it should. I initially tried “black adhesive,” which I believe is closely related to the demon-sauce which held the pannier together in the first place. While this WAS effective, it was ugly…and looked stupid. ‘Twould simply not do!

After hours of carving out the black muck, it became apparent I would have to try something else to hold the plastic pieces in place. Now, I learned early in my marriage that when things broke, I got to buy tools to fix them.  It’s “necessary,” I told my wife. AND SHE BELIEVED ME!!! I’m not saying I’ve “accidentally” broken things in my life just to buy tools, but I may have taken more trips to the hardware store than might have been required.

So, off it was to my favorite hardware store, “Harbor Freight!” Cheap tools sold cheaply to cheap people! One plastic “welder” coming up!

P.S. I also ordered a sweet hot stapler from Amazon, but the first order was cancelled and the second order delivery has been pushed back since 10:00 this morning. It's almost 6pm and I’m slowly dying inside!
 

[Wintersdark]

Gotta ask: Did you ever get the handle to lay flat?

[JDChico89]

13 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Gotta ask: Did you ever get the handle to lay flat?

@Wintersdark Still working on the project.  You've tapped into my darkest fear. 

[angrygirafe]

In my experience, Harbor Freight is the best place to go for frustrating projects. Not for fixing a frustrating project, but for getting more. Like, 
"once I fix this tool I just bought, then I can work on my original project" 😄

[wordsmith]

On 5/4/2021 at 8:48 PM, petshark said:

Following!

If this gets much more entertaining you should consider starting a youtube channel. Get some ad revenues for new cases and really go nuts on them. 😈 I'm thinking controlled detonations, water pressure, ...

Oils - start a new Thread?

[Wintersdark]

9 hours ago, JDChico89 said:

@Wintersdark Still working on the project.  You've tapped into my darkest fear. 

I mean, I don't think I've ever seen an FJR, FR, or Tracer where the handles lay flat.  They may when brand new, but I noticed that immediately: The little orangey red stickers on the handles that should alert you when they're not fully closed are always peeking up, even when closed and latched securely.

[wordsmith]

On 5/4/2021 at 8:48 PM, petshark said:

Following!

If this gets much more entertaining you should consider starting a youtube channel. Get some ad revenues for new cases and really go nuts on them. 😈 I'm thinking controlled detonations, water pressure, ...

Oils - start a new Thread?

Edited May 9, 2021 by wordsmith

[wordsmith]

Here in Oz the panniers are included with each new bike Tracer purchase, allegedly free.   Which tells you how good they are!

 

Loving this story.   Chico - you have The Knack!

[texscottyd]

14 minutes ago, wordsmith said:

Loving this story.   Chico - you have The Knack!

“Can he lead a normal life?”

”No, he’ll be an engineer…”

 

[JDChico89]

MISTAKES WERE MADE PART VI

Working title: Love fixes all.

- or -

If this is love is wrong, I don’t WANT to be right!!!

After a few days of psychological abuse by Amazon (What do you mean, you cancelled my order? The new order is going to be here today by 10? What do you mean it’s delayed? WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S GOING TO BE HERE TOMORROW???), my magical heat stapler arrived!!!

So, the heat stapler is obviously cheaply made (my style), but not POORLY made. I have never fallen in love with a tool so quickly! By simply inserting a staple, and pressing a button, the magic of induction causes the staple to become melt-worthy within just a few seconds. Give it a few more seconds, and the staple is RED hot! 5 out of 5 STARS!!!

Here’s a few pictures to show the progress of rebuilding the 6-million-dollar pannier. There’s obvious work to be done, but I think she’s mending well. I have one hole left, because I ran out of Kydex. 

I guess it's time for another Amazon emotional rollercoaster! 

[wordsmith]

I have never seen or even heard of this 'heat stapler'.   Looks like a mini branding-iron from an old western movie, or even an ISIS torture device (much like the original OE MT-09/ Tracer seats).