Ahha.

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While I was looking over the Haines' offerings for motorcycle manuals, I realized I have never gotten one for the Xterra.  So, I went looking tonight.  I added it to the cart, though not sure when I will buy it.  There are things I could do for the suv that I would be doing on the bike, and become partly geared up for some tasks, like oil changes, checking spark plugs, and such.

Plus, I could actually begin doing real things, not just in prep for the bike.  Why haven't I done it already?  Good question.  I actually have some mechanical skills.  Not... even up to being a shade-tree mechanic, but far closer than most would imagine.  Whatever else I did in the Navy, dealing with mechanical and some minor electrical issues was part of my training, and maybe a very small amount of what I actually did.

A quarter, three quarter, to half inch drive will well know to me.  Plus the socket sizes became familiar, with the more common sizes being known by feel even.  Zerk fittings, grease types by function, and why... non-petroleum lubricants, for use where rubber o-rings exist, and such.  So much lore, and knowledge, back in there.  My hands are rusty.  But my memory is strangely clear.  And, yes, we used manuals for everything!  Ninety percent of the time, we had to go by the book.  Even when we didn't go by the usual book, there was a sort of unwritten, or portion of, the book that was used.  Only in very rare, dire emergency, cases would we toss the book and hit it raw.  So, yes, I... learned how to read and write technical.

I never quite became a pro, like a lot of the guys.  But I was well on my way.  And, really, everyone was at some stage of becoming a hardnosed serious mechanic.  We didn't just do it, we lived it.  We smelled like oil and grease and other chemicals.  Metal imbedded our skin, our fingernails were often black, even when we washed well.  Only so much of that stuff comes out.

I never liked getting grease under my fingernails, getting dirty in general.  But, I did.  Mostly, though, I was just a learner.  But I was fully open to learning.  I listened, asked pertinent questions, sought understanding on my own and asked others.  I was an attentive student, and just absorbed gobs of knowledge.  And, being strong enough to do almost anything, I was sought for help, so was allowed to pick minds at will.

As rough as things are, now, I think I might be able to... tear in and get things maintained.  It would be easier having two vehicles though.  A motorcycle, to ride when the suv is down, apart.  And the reverse.  While the idea is to hit the project, hard, and do it right, and quickly.  I learned, on submarines, that every with every part, spare pieces, all the knowledge in the world, the books, and using those things, sometimes things just don't fit back the way they should.  Every submarine, and every system on her, was custom.  Then, every repair might well end up customizing further, beyond the book.  That's just how it goes.  Plus, with two mechanical teams on each sub, not everything was passed on, directly.  A little heat between teams for that, but... probably not rightly.  Still, it's a team based world, so there it was.

Yeah, working on things can end up being a problem, taking time.  But, I have the manual in the cart, and will order it before long.  I have enough tools for some things, and am tooling up for more.  We'll see.  If the bike can't happen until spring, I can be working on the Xterra, and getting my mechanic's hands back... the feel, the grit... it takes a bit.  Later.