BY KYLE SMITH / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED December 24, 2020 / HAGERTY / The human brain is a weird thing, maybe even weirder than a three-barrel Holley.&hellip;{"id":12040,"date":"2021-02-02T14:28:15","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T22:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=12040"},"modified":"2021-02-05T11:13:55","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T19:13:55","slug":"garage-zen-the-joy-in-the-familiar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/02\/garage-zen-the-joy-in-the-familiar\/","title":{"rendered":"Garage Zen: The Joy in The Familiar"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BY KYLE SMITH \/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED December 24, 2020 \/ <\/span>HAGERTY\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\/<\/span><\/h5>\n<p>The human brain is a weird thing, maybe even weirder than a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/automotive-history\/the-3150-holleys-forgotten-performance-carburetor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-barrel Holley<\/a>. People\u2019s minds can be wired so many different ways, but the vast majority of us all have one circuit in common: we find comfort in the familiar.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article_body-content\">\n<p>Rebuilding the the knock-off Sheng Wey carb that is currently fitted to my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/motorcycles\/honda-sl125-my-latest-impulse-buy-a-great-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Honda SL125 project bike<\/a> was akin to Zen meditation, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/motorcycles\/bike-behind-zen-and-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-joins-smithsonians-collection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pirsig would surely agree<\/a>. Why? I have rebuilt that specific carb at least seven times and done 50 or so fixes on carbs just like it. Instead of that procedural failure and repair breeding contempt, the familiar, predictable repetition of it brings me joy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article_body-content\">\n<p>Yes, I was elated to unclip the Chinesium float bowl and dump its contents into the container of old or otherwise stanky fuel that I often use to top off my fianc\u00e9e\u2019s Jeep Renegade. Reaching into the second drawer of the toolbox, I confidently grabbed the two flathead screwdrivers that fit the jets, along with the angled pick that so easily removes the float pin. I hit my stride, my hands went to autopilot, and my brain started to wander.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article_body-content\">\n<p>The problem turned out to be clogged jets, just like the last three times. If you are thinking the tank is dirty and causing problems, you are partially correct, but the main \u201cissue\u201d is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/videos\/carburetor-basics-kyles-garage-ep24\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">diminutive size of the jets<\/a> for this meager 125cc four-stroke. That tiny orifice is simply more susceptible to particles of dirt and rust that the jets of a thirstier engine would pass without issue. Cleaning the carb is also my first go-to on this machine because it requires only two 10mm bolts to remove it. The phenolic spacer between the carb and cylinder head means I don\u2019t even have gaskets to worry about. Simple job.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article_body-content\">\n<p>One explanation for this mental state could be that old saying about how one never crosses the same river twice. Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher, with a dark, dim outlook on most of the human existence, but his river concept can be interpreted in a much more positive light. Every time I rebuild this carb it\u2019s the same, but also different. Comfortable, but novel enough to hold my attention and for the subtle specifics of the procedure to present themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article_body-figure\">\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone media figure-inline\" style=\"width: 783px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-113864 article-image media__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-1024x768.jpg?resize=783%2C587&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on.jpg 1888w\" alt=\"SL125 getting worked on\" width=\"783\" height=\"587\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.hagerty.com\/media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SL125-getting-worked-on-1024x768.jpg\" data-slide-index=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text media__caption\"><span class=\"media-credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/author\/kyle-smith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Smith<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article_body-content\">\n<p>Annoying as it seems when I sit down to do it, I know that 99 percent of the time I will have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/maintenance-and-tech\/the-project-debt-payment-plan-finally-kicked-in-on-my-honda-sl125\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the bike back together and running smoothly<\/a> in 20\u201325 minutes. Tackling larger projects where things can\u2014and will\u2014go sideways is a different brand of garage adventure, but there will always be a soft spot in my heart and time in my schedule for taking on a task that I can dang near do with my eyes closed. I am lucky enough to have the space and tools to do these jobs myself; maybe one day I will tire of carburetor R&amp;Rs, but until then, you can find me in the garage with the nice screwdrivers out, happily humming a tune. Whether it\u2019s detailing, brakes, or valves, hopefully you are finding your own mechanical Zen.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, Hagerty. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more\u00a0<\/em><\/span><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/category\/classic-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/em><\/strong><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, or here for more information on\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/car-show-hours-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":12049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7503,3835,7501,34,7502,2039,1920,7500,7499],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/garagezens.jpg?fit=1000%2C750&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9nnZN-38c","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12040"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12040"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12052,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12040\/revisions\/12052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}