When I left work on the XBR today, I noticed immediately that something was wrong. I looked at the cockpit and…..was shocked! The holder that connects the upper part of the fairing to the steering head was broken! A nightmare! In other words: Drama! Disaster! My worst-case scenario for the Iron Butt Rally: Remove the fairing, throw it into the ditch and ride on. At a closer look, I realised that the thick steel bolt was neatly broken through:

Broken steel pin that holds the upper fairing in its place.

What could I do? This was the end for the Brit Butt Rally this weekend, wasn’t it? Maybe I could remove the fairing….or try to fix the auxiliary tank to the BMW in a night-shift and leave with more Boxer power? But maybe there was still hope….I would pass by the house of Heinz, the magical mechanic. Maybe he had an idea. He had helped me two days ago to get my baggage rack welded, what a relief! But this would be too delicate to fix….Let’s give it a try. I met Heinz in front of his house, walking his dog. I expressed my frustration and we investigated the problem. The pin was actually a kind of screw that was screwed into the large nut. Heinz is a man who likes challenges and he immediately was looking for a solution. He drilled out the remaining bolt with the thread and looked for a larger screw that he could transform into a bolt. He luckily has a turning machine…and he can do miracles with it!

First, the screw was turned into a steel bolt with the right dimensions…

…then a thread with the right pitch is carved (turned) into the bolt…

…correct measurements are important…

…et voilà! Old broken vs. new bolt.

And this is the final product!!!:

Finished new bolt, screwed and glued into the screw nut!

A masterpiece of fine mechanics! I’m so grateful that Heinz could help me out of this mess!
THANK YOU!!!

This means that tomorrow I can leave for my third Brit Butt Rally!