There is satisfaction and a kind of peace in manual labor.
Something that can’t be found by looking at a screen.
Taking something broken and making it work again.
Peace is something that’s pretty illusive when we’re all screaming our opinions at each other trying to validate our self worth to people who don’t really care.
But working on this bike, feeling the metal, being able to see the immediate reaction of mechanical parts is something that brings me peace.
Not all the parts are original, and they don’t all fit perfectly, but they all work together.
Yes, fuel injection tends to be more reliable. Less hassle. Less maintenance. But how many people can say they can diagnose and fix it when it breaks in the middle of nowhere. How long do you have to wait for special, proprietary parts to be shipped to you. How many special tools do you need just to get to the heart of the problem.
Everything is give and take. There are good parts, there are bad parts. You can’t have one without the other.
It needs more attention, more troubleshooting. But in return you know that you breathed life back into it. It responds in kind, takes you places you didn’t think possible. All the while being your constant companion. Letting you know you’re not alone.
Like any companion though, they need love, they need your attention.
To get it right you need to focus on it. There’s no room for worrying about other problems. It needs your whole attention. It’s a different kind of meditation. Solving Problems, and then solving them again when you find out you were wrong.
