1mlost: 'Wrenching'

I may seem like I'm working, but I'm really just sitting here refreshing my Amazon tracking info. The rest of the time, I'm glancing out the window. The socket set I ordered from Germany 2 months ago is out for delivery. It finally arrives DHL and it's comically tiny. I love it. Now that I have every size of torx bit in male and female (?) versions, I can really dig in and start tweaking this bike. With nothing broken on a perfectly engineered machine, the greatest danger to the bike lies in a socket wrench wielded by a knuckle head. I decide to remove the rear top box mount and passenger grip just to see what it looks like. No problem. I have the Torx 30 bit for the job. One bolt, two bolt, three bolt, four come off easily. Bolt five, however, gets stuck half-way out and promptly gets stripped. I spend an hour trying to loosen it with various techniques to no avail. It's not moving either direction and I can't get the mount either ON or OFF the bike. Tools from Germany they said.



Back to Amazon ordering a Bosch screw extractor set and 2 M6x35 T30 bolts from Max BMW in Connecticut. I'm confident that this is how almost all serious bike work goes and am satisfied with the day's substantial progress.

A week later the extractor kit arrive via USPS. Out come the extractors and all the packaging is carefully popped, deflated and sorted by "single stream recycling" or "absolute garbage." 3 minutes later I'm drilling a hole in a bolt made in Germany. It starts smoking and I instinctively look around as if checking with the other mechanics in the shop that this is normal. Next, hammer in a small spiral spike, twist and the stripped bolt comes out.



The bolt is absolutely ravaged, and I'll need to replace it. The bike does looks really good without the rear grab handles.

It was all worth it.

Let's take it out. I reach back to pull the bike forward off the center stand and the place I put my hand is gone. I've spent the better part of a week removing it only to find it completely essential. Back on go the bolts 1-5, using only the finest German tools.

-jk