For want of a bolt.

It's a convoluted story, so here goes. I bought a fairing off Ebay. It didn't fit the classic, so I sold it to a buddy with a Vstar 650 custom. While I was looking at it, however, I decided to take off the fairing mounts left on by the previous owner. Three of the four mounting bolts came off without a hitch. The fourth bolt was stripped. I spent a day on one bolt. Finally broke the head off, then I started in with the EZ Out borrowed from my father in law. Broke the EZ Out.

So I just bought another tripple tree crown. When I get it, I realize I haven't put the new risers on yet .. and they won't come out of the old one. In fact, even with a "tap" from a hammer, they won't budge. Screw this - ebay - new risers.

By the time they come in the mail, I've missed the better part of a month of riding because of one damn little bolt. I put it all together and it works great ... except I have almost no front brake -- somewhere when the handlebar was off, I lost my brake fluid. (sigh)

These little frustrations slow me down, make me think about where I want to go with this bike, what I want it to look like. I am making it a point to replace every bolt with a new one as I go. Slowly but surely, I will leave this bike better than I found it.