It pays to keep a big hammer on hand.

Last night I decided to do some wrenching on my bike. I took the broken foot peg bracket off and examined it. I'm wondering if I can't just get a big bolt and nut and use 'em to hold that sucker together until I get the part I need. Any bikers care to comment on that?

Anyway, way back when I was replacing the rectifier, I broke off one of the bolts that holds the back of the gas tank on the bike. At the time, I thought that I was going to have to drill it out. I just kept putting the bike together so I could get out and ride. After all, there was another bolt holding the tank on!

Since I didn't have anything to do last night, I figured I'd rip it all apart again and get that bolt out. Once the tank was out of the way, I grabbed a screwdriver and my blacksmithing hammer and gave that sucker a few good hits. It made just enough of a groove in the bolt that I was able to turn it the rest of the way out. Hooray! I happened to have a new bolt in exactly the right size (purely coincidence), so my tank is now firmly attached on both side.

So that's one less thing I have to worry about.

Of course, I am still short one footpeg, which makes riding difficult. The bracket itself looks to me like it's already been welded back together once (and not very well, I might add), so I don't know if a welder would be able to repair it. I also don't know any welders, at least close to where I live.

I wonder if I could just mash it with a hammer a few times...