oops

well, thanks to my lacklustre efforts, the DIY movement has taken a giant leap backwards.

i got my windshield the other day, and today was the day i was going to mount it. not a huge deal, i thought, maybe take me an hour or two. so far, things have not gone exactly to plan.

i managed to remove my bikini fairing no problem, but that's about it. as it turns out, the mounting brackets for said bikini fairing also need to be removed in order to install the mounting brackets for my new windshield. unfortunately, the turn signal wiring is looped through the current brackets, and you can't just take them off. after some online searching (to no avail), i called aurora suzuki, where i found out there should be a junction point for the turn signals somewhere in the headlight bucket, so you can remove the wiring. i probably should have walked away at this point, and taken it in to have the pros do it, but i was stubborn. i decided to try and remove the headlight (the bolts needed to be loosened anyway to mount the windshield) and unplug the turn signals. unfortunately, i had only removed one bolt when i heard something drop inside the bucket (i'm assuming the nut for said bolt), and i realized i wasn't even sure if this was the proper way to remove the headlight, much less open the bucket. at this point, i decided it was better to cut my losses and admit defeat. i bolted everything back on as best i could, and am going to take her to a dealer so they can fix whatever i messed up and put the windshield on.

this might be a good place to mention that, of my many talents, things mechanical and technological are not among them. i can sometime fix very simple things, or at least diagnose what is most likely the problem, but beyond that i have very little knowledge. it's not that i wouldn't like to gain some. i had an old 70s triumph trail bike for about 6 months with the full intention of figuring out how the sucker worked and fixing it up. i just didn't have the time, and when i did the best i could do was just kind of stare at it and try to start it about 30 times (with no luck). my mind just doesn't really work that way. i'm sure with proper training i could pick up the necessary skills, but it just doesn't come naturally.

this, among everything else, has been my biggest worry thusfar in planning the trip. were something to happen to my bike on the road, i would be at almost a total loss as to what to do. i have previously looked into some basic courses on maintenance and motorcycle upkeep, but there isn't anything scheduled between now and my trip. part of me is now thinking, what business do i have riding around the country if i can't even mount a stupid windshield? and maybe that part's right. we'll just have to see.

anyway, i'm off to (hopefully) get a windshield mounted. i'll post pics if and when it gets done. and in the future, i'll probably stop pretending i know what i'm doing, and leave it to the experts.

probably.

rftc,

scott