I admit it, I have a (basic) engineering degree. Most of the time in my life this does not adversely affect me too much. But every now and then the little engineer in me wants to come out and play. On those days, when he does come out, he can be the most overcomplicating and obsessive person you can imagine. Here's an example.
For quite a while the front sidecar strut was too long, which in this case meant that there was next to no room for adjustments to alter the lean of the bike. It was pretty spot on, but as the little engineer in me demanded adjustments, I decided to give in. (Also the strut had to be repainted as the paint flaked off in one spot over the Winter months.)
So the strut was put in the lathe (unfortunately it is exactly as thick as the spindle throat so no chance of a quick job) and clocked in on the steady rest.
Parted the clevis off, which is only held on by a bit of weld and a press fit section that goes into the tube.
Touched up the slightly recessed weld in the middle of the tube where I shortened it the first time, not very elegant, I know, but I was young and pressed for time.
Finally TIG-welded the clevis back on, which looked quite a bit neater than the original MIG weld that used to be on there. Probably quite a bit stronger as well.
And that's it - applied a fair amount of paint and hung it up to dry. Real world effect of all of this? 20mm more thread for adjustment of the lean angle, which quite frankly I'll probably never use and a well painted strut, which makes the rest of the bike look a bit more shabby. I'd call it a win.
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