You & Mark have the right idea with this bike. I firmly believe that this is an example of primitive engineering at its best. As with so many pieces of equipment found in (and designed for) difficult, remote, economically deprived places on Earth, creativity is assumed. I’ve witnessed a Korean driver repair a vehicle tire with a bit of plastic raincoat and a wad of chewing gum. In Italy, after WWII, a few of the improvisations I saw were using a roll of bathroom tissue as an oil filter insert, rigging an exhaust pipe patch from a drink can, linkages fashioned from fence wire, any number of various parts from several models of vehicles from different countries, etc.

I’ve not been to Russia or the Soviet Union, but judging from some of the places that I have been (including remote areas of the USA, Mexico, and Canada) ingenuity is unlimited. The Russians seem to have a very practical perspective on problem solving.

In weightlessness, a fountain or normal ballpoint pen won’t work because gravity is required to move the ink to the nib. Changes in pressure can cause leakage or malfunction as well. That was the problem facing space exploration efforts early on.

The USA solution was to redesign the instrument to have a pressurized ink supply cartridge to drive the ink toward the nib. While developing the new instrument, the ink was also changed to flow more smoothly and formulated to write underwater and through grease! The cost of the R&D was about 1 million USD.

The Russians switched to indelible pencils; R&D costs, negligible.

I have to tell you how impressed I am with your perseverence. I get aggravated when I have to wait three days for the local BMW dealer to get something for me. Yet here you folks are out beating the bushes to find any combination of hardware to keep the bike running. I thought thios chapter was going to end with you guys getting what yuu needed from a washing machine repair shop.

I’m glad it had a happy ending though.

Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
http://jackriepe.blogspot.com/