Wrenching on da bike; or, pain and the art of motorcycle maintenance

[unixronin]

I managed to get outside for about an hour and a half today and get a little work done on my sadly (and regretfully) neglected Honda CBR929RR.  With a little trial and error, I was able (thanks to the 929's tubular rear axle) to improvise a field-expedient shop stand using assorted steel bars and a pair of heavy-duty axle stands.  This enabled me to get most of the surface rust brushed off the chain rollers and get the chain well sprayed down with WD-40, which I plan on leaving overnight, then giving the chain another brush and a good wipe with a shop towel, after which I'll liberally apply Motul chain lube.  I think the chain is saveable.

The battery is less of a success story.  According to my meter, it seems to be intact -- i.e, all six cells are functional -- but it's very deeply discharged and heavily sulfated.  After filing the rusting clamps on my start-cart back to clean metal, I put the battery on 2A trickle charge for a couple of hours, but the regular charger can't break through the sulfating, and the battery will take only a momentary surface charge that leaks away almost immediately.  (I also learned during this process that the timer on my start-cart is not working.  I assume it, too, has rusted.  I'm going to have to replace a lot of tools when, or if, we finally get out of this place.)  Motion Pro imports a battery tender-like device from Europe which they sell as the Optimate III, which can also do battery maintenance; it has the ability to detect a sulfated battery and will automatically run a high-voltage, low-current recovery cycle to break through the sulfating.  It's $60 which we haven't been able to afford until now, though.  Thanks to dafydd, I may shortly be able to justify getting one at last.  If I can get my hands on an Optimate III, I think the battery is saveable too.

---

The price I paid for this wrenching is that my left foot has been hurting badly since I came in, and will probably continue to do so for the rest of the evening.  It is entirely within the bounds of reason that after my abscess finishes healing and I start working my foot and ankle more, I'm going to have to go see a pain management specialist and get some more potent daily painkillers than the 100mg extended-release Voltarin (diclofenac sodium) I'm on now.  Otherwise, I may not be able to tolerate being on this foot long enough each day to get it worked back into shape.

On the other hand, recent indications seem to suggest I may be able to get more movement back into my ankle.  I doubt I'll ever have full motion again, but I have at least 50% more motion in it than I had immediately after the last ankle surgery.  (I tried to get into full lotus last night, sitting on the bed, just to see if I could.  My left leg went along with the idea.  About a foot and a half short of enough rotation to get my right foot into place, my right knee laughed hysterically and said, "You and whose two-by-four, boy?")

Comments

[persimmon.livejournal.com]

You haven't mentioned it - or if you have I haven't seen it, which may be more likely - but somewhere in your future should be a course of physiotherapy for the foot, shouldn't there?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Entirely possible. There's been several in the past. And if the past ones are anything to go by, it's going to HURT.

[persimmon.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I think that's probably correct. OTOP, if it is pain that can be worked through in order to produce a better working foot in the long run, it's probably worth it.

Pesi had an accident with his hand involving a table saw - push block slipped and his hand went into the routing bit: fortunately, he also had a really good surgeon, and a whole slew of physiotherapy - he's minus half one finger, but he has about 85% use of the hand, where they had originally predicted 50% if he were lucky. It hurt like a heavily censored thing on the way through, but was worth it. Cat's physio after her knee surgery worked more or less the same way, and K is looking at starting hers next week - the ankle was broken in three places, plus ligament damage, but they are hopeful that much can be done to improve functionality.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I'm sure it is. And truth to be told, I don't really care that much about pain. Pain exists, but that's the end of it, so long as it's not disabling.

That said, having Cymru massage my left foot can make me practically levitate off the bed.

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

And I'm not all that strong.