The kindness of strangers...

Back in the 1960s, when Honda was trying to make it in the North American market, they ran an ad campaign along the lines of, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda."  It was an attempt to erase the "biker" stigma of the nasty dude on a Harley... Along the same lines, the Kids' Cafe has benefited from the generosity of the motorcycling public.

During our tear down prior to the final build, it dawned on us that we were missing an engine mounting bracket -- the top most one that attached the cylinder head to the frame spine.  Typically this would have meant trolling eBay for parts, and while likely not expensive, there would be some hassle with shipping and etc.  And on such a small(ish) item, not a great way to spend time.  On a whim I put a "wanted" post on xs650forum.com.  Mick from PA replied that he had what he needed, and would donate it to our project for free.  He even covered the shipping costs as well.

Imagine my surprise when in the mail came not only the bracket, but a t-shirt (for Mr. S), and some decals for the students.  Bonus!  The shirt advocates motorcycle safety (reminding car drivers to watch out for bikers), and comes in a very visible shade of orange.  And the shipping costs were not cheap!  Thanks again, Mick.  Your contribution goes a long way to us finishing up this project.

On another note, the frame, swing arm, and sundry bits have been sandblasted, and Mr. Sheppard is making arrangements for powder coating when he is in Winnipeg for a conference next week.  Thanks to MillcoSteel in Brandon for the discount on the sandblasting work!