While I was waiting for my shoulder to mend I was not supposed to ride even though I felt fine. Bored, I started tinkering in the shop, cleaning up and doing all the little things I never had time to do when riding was an option.
I had a CB450 that was waiting to be rebuilt so when I ran out of other things to do I decided it was time to get started on it. I put it up on the lift and began stripping off parts so that I could get to the engine. The double overhead cam design of the head prevented it from being removed while the engine was still in the frame.
A CB450 weighs about 450 pounds of which at least a quarter of which is the engine. So, well over 110 pounds. No problem, I had pulled many of them out of their frames in my days as a mechanic. Tilt it forward, lean it to the left and out it comes.
And it did so that I could carry it about 10 feet to my work bench. There was only the barest hint of a Crink from my shoulder as I did this. My wife confirmed that my right shoulder was now drooping dramatically lower than my left one. Back to Dr. Lars ...
X-rays showed that the steel plate he had inserted was bent! He was amazed and said he had never seen such a thing before. Always happy to extend medical science. A new surgery was scheduled and performed. He put in a titanium plate this time with the comment, "I'd like to see you bend this one!"
I was sent home with instructions not pickup anything heavier than a PB&J sandwich for the next 8 weeks. Luckily I had air tools to disassemble the 450 and a friend who came over and torqued the head for me. Putting it back into the frame had to wait.
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