For Newbies - Who is Chacal?

When I came to this site, I saw so many references to "Check with Chacal for parts", "Have you checked with Chacal", etc.

Chacal has a website URL but no website as it's listed to be under construction. So, I was leery. Is this for real? So, I tried a few other parts sources with websites. It seemed that with some, after you placed an order it fell into a black hole. Eventually, parts appeared. What I missed was someone offering recommendations for other things to check while I was replacing whatever part I ordered as well as a couple of part options. Websites are one way communication.

So from experience after ordering from Chacal and exchanging emails with him on parts requests with questions about his recommendations, I can tell you he is very real.

For these bikes, you won't find a more knowledgeable parts resource. So, while buying parts through Chacal is not your typical experience like you are used to these days with websites, I can tell you that this 'a little old fashioned' approach is very effective when getting these bikes back on the road.

So, don't be afraid. Send him a PM or email. And don't be surprised if he replies at night or on a weekend. I am sure you will find his service to be exceptional.

 

When I think of Chacal I think of the old guy who used to run our local plumbing supply store. Youd walk up to the counter with the old thing and he'd go yeah, just a sec we got one in the back. He'd go back there and you'd here some banging and muttering and then a "oh yea, he's gonna need this". He'd come back out carrying the part and a couple of other things and say, here's the part, you should probably do this while your in there, but whatever. If you didn't do the "extra" when you came back later because you now had to, you would swear he had a smug little grin on his face, but you would never be able to prove it. After that, you always did the "extra".

 

Hey, I'm not that old, and I don't even have a beer belly! And I shower and shave AT LEAST once a week......

But I am a bit old-fashioned, just like our beloved bikes.

And speaking of plumbing...........I read this the other day and found it fascinating: the word "plumbing" comes from the latin word "plumbun", which was their word for metal "lead". The chemical symbol for the element lead is Pb.

Hope that plumbing supply guy didn't die of lead poisoning......


Thanks guys for the kind words!

 

Flint Indian Sales, Flint, MI. Herb was the kind of guy who would always have a cup of coffee and a story waiting when I went in to get Norton bits.
His shop was piled TO THE CEILING with boxes and STUFF; a pulled-out parts drawer became a place to hang things. NO organization, NO computer; you told Herb what you needed and he would disappear, rummage about, restacking boxes and digging thru others muttering and cursing, and return with your part. Every time.

He considered the Norton, BSA, Guzzi and Indian riders who supported their bikes through his shop to be "his boys."

They auctioned off his inventory when he passed; it was a sad day.

 

I actually used to work in a small hardware/small appliance repair place like this. They still had shag carpet combs for Kirby vacuums in the back (and this was in the late '90s).

You think the plumbing/hardware stuff is obscure? Try finding someone to repair your electric shaver or toaster sometime. There certainly advantages to small, family businesses - I got a kick out of it when customers would get upset and demand to see the manager/owner, only to find out they were already talking to him.

 

Used to live in a lttle burg of 13,000 folks called Forest Grove, OR. Ace Hardware had EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING. It was probable in a box in an aisle someplace but it was there somewhere. One day I came across an item that had an oak handle 12' (12 feet) long with a shovel head sticking at a 90 deg angle at the big end of the handle. At the small end the handle was probably 3 " in diameter. This was a big tool. Finally had to ask what it was. Mark looked at me with a look of disbelief that apparently I for some reason didn't own a half dozen of these things already and he told me it was a 'hole spoon'. You dig a hole for a telephone pole and you use this hole spoon to clean all the loose dirt out of the bottom of the hole.

Made more than one tuba repair out of their inventory too. Did you now that screw, at least for old hand made classics, each screw holding the things together are hand cut, one off pieces of hardware. Found screws at aACE H/W that I was able to modify to fix the horn.

BTW New tubas, professional quality, are 12,000 - 20,000.

My son starts a Masters program in the fall and more than likely needs a new horn or two.

 

Chacal,

That's funny. I teach high school science and the kids are always asking why Lead is Pb (and Gold AU, Silver Ag, Potassium K, Sodium Na) etc. Many of the elements have symbols from their latin/greek names and those are the ones that throw the kids for a loop. CHAcAl (Carbon, Hydrogen, Actinium, Aluminum)

Signed Potassium, Technetium, uranium, Berylium, Dysprosium (drop the y)

 

Cubed, I love the elements (and some compounds, too......):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM-wSKF ... re=related

Wamaxim..........you know, for that kind of tic you could buy a half-dozen nice XJ's............which do you think will be worth more 10 years down the road?

 

My students will love that...should I make them sing it?

 

It's a great way to earn extra credit.........