Best laid plans.1

Yesterday I went to Rusi for an oil change. Ernie, the workshop supervisor undertook the job himself. He discovered that the engine sump drain plug was cracked and so I bought a new one and he finished the job. This morning I went down to my motorbike with the intention of taking a ride along the coast. As I carried out my normal walk round I was dismayed to find a small puddle of oil under the engine. In the 13 months I have owned the bike this is the first time it has leaked. I went back to Rusi and sat waiting until Ernie had time to look at my bike. To fix the leak he had to drain the new oil in order to remove the drain plug and sort out the problem. I left the camera running to give you a view of the comings and goings of the workshop and parts department. Looking around my bike I noticed that there was a screw embedded in the rear tyre. I removed it and was dismayed to find that it was so long that it had gone right through the carcass of the tyre and that air and sealant was bubbling through the hole. As a consequence a trip to the nearest tyre dealer to have the tyre sealed again. Having deflated the tyre and pumped in the sealant the mechanic reinflated the tyre, me having told him that the correct pressure was 36psi. When I got home I checked the tyre with my own pressure gauge/inflater and found that the pressure was 81psi! Lucky I checked as such a high pressure would have seriously affected the handling of the bike and anything higher than slow speeds. I don't know if the mechanic intentionally pumped the tyre to such a high pressure in order to force the sealant into every nook and cranny of the tyre but if he had he should have told me that so that I could later bring the pressure back to normal later. Oh well, one way to pass a morning.