2002-05-12

Frustration

The photo is Helge as he works on my bike. The fuel tank is off and we are attempting to track down the short-circuit that is blowing the fuse. The good news is we can duplicate it by either starting the engine or, of all things, blowing the horn. That should make it a simple thing to find but despite our detective work it continues to elude us. To make it even stranger, it doesn't blow immediately on cranking the engine, but usually goes right when the starter button is released.

Each attempt we make costs another fuse so I sent Sim off to find replacements with instructions to buy as many as he can. He returns with twenty. It won't be enough. Fuses are cheap so there's no reason to economize. I asked Sim to go back and buy more along with some switches and a roll of wire. He wanted to know how much wire: two meters, three, five? I wonder why we are economizing on this rather than just buying plenty so I go with him to find the things we need.

It is late in the afternoon and we have decided to abandon our attempts to find the source of the short-circuit. Now we switch to plan B: run wires around the problem to keep the bike alive and on the road. Elegant? Perhaps not but pragmatism has an elegance all its own.

We walk to an area that is a cluster of small shops packed to the brim with all manner of auto parts and electrical goods. I take my camera so I will at least get some photos along the way. I buy 100 fuses from one shop and from another I find a couple of switches that will work well. One is a push-button switch, which we plan to use as a starter button, and the other is a toggle switch labelled "air dryer." The push-button switch will be wired up to bypass the ignition. We learned that bypassing the solenoid could start the bike without blowing a fuse. We might use the air dryer switch to wire the fan directly to the battery but if we can avoid blowing a fuse with the push-button technique it won't be necessary.

I had a mental picture of just picking up a roll or two of wire from a shop. Wrong! Now it becomes clear why Sim asked how many meters of wire I wanted. We scavenge a few meters of wire from a carboard box in this auto repair shop. In China nothing is wasted. I indicated the wire was too short but the owner was quick to teach me how it could be made longer by the simple method of twisting the ends of many pieces together!

The big black gob in the center is the push-button switch wired to bypass the starter solenoid. It is held on with zip ties and covered in black electrical tape per Helge's advice. Since the engine can be cranked without the key there is nothing good in having a shiny, attractive push-button sitting there tempting the curious to press it.

It is late and we have to get up early to ride. We put the bike back together and I try running it. It starts but a few moments later dies and refuses to restart. Misery! Helge thinks it might be flooded but I don't smell gas. I check the hoses from the petcock and see the vacuum and fuel lines are on the wrong connectors. One of our group had reinstalled the tank and reversed them. A quick swap and it's running again. Relief!

No, it's not a pet store. Try again. It's the restaurant where we had lunch.

Only older people are still seen wearing the traditional, and very bland, Mao style clothing. Deciding what to wear each day was not a problem back then.

Selling newspapers at a bus stop.

A taxi driver resting.

A street shop, quite literally in the street, to repair bicycles.

A three-wheeled taxi. Very common in China. Note the plastic-wrap windshield.

Two girls chatting at a lunch stand. It reminds me of Thailand.

Delivery drivers taking a break.

Look closely at the sidewalk. There is a textured path in the center for the blind to follow. The texture changes just in front of obstacles (like this tree) and at curbs. A wonderful idea.

Neon lights at night, reflecting on water.

A ceiling of lanterns.

Rickshaw men.

A neon pagoda.