What did you do on or to your other bike part 2

[Gone in 60]

I spy a Triumph TR6 in the background. I bought one in 1984 for $2500 in Lompoc, California. Loved that car. Replaced the engine once. I got a spare engine when I bought it. Sold the entire package when I bought my Porsche. The TR was a fun little car and fast, but not as good as the Porsche. Or as expensive. I did love that car.

I love the look of the TR5 and TR6. That was the zenith of Triumph styling in my opinion. The Petersen does a cars-and-coffee style cruise-in on the last Sunday of the month. The recent theme was British cars, and it was very cool to see a few nice examples of both models. I particularly like them on red wall tires.

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A new chapter unfolds in the Saga of the Baffles, including AI technology. 

As I've mentioned in other posts, one of the muffler baffles on my Interceptor spat itself out on the 405 Freeway. I've been enjoying the sound, and Mrs. G has reported, carefully listening to me rumble away on our cul-de-sac and coming home that the volume level, while slightly elevated, is not annoying enough to be a bother to the neighbors. Still, I had ordered a replacement pair from Royal Rider, the same eBay seller in India that I used to purchase the mufflers a year ago. 

They arrived, impeccably packed as always. I love receiving items from India. They are packed in the most bomb-proof manner, I think to reassure the buyer that even if the package fell out of the plane it was coming over on, it would be safe. Taking five minutes to extract one of the metal tubes from foam, bubble wrap and tape, I slid it into the muffler, and rather than a nice, tight fit, it thunked itself at the opening. Whuh?

Grabbing my Harbor Freight measuring device and the remaining original baffle, I could easily tell that the replacements were three millimeters larger than the original. No worky. Did I make a mistake? Looking at the product description, it said that these were a direct, OEM fit for my mufflers. Below the description, in the most carefully worded English possible, it pleaded with buyers that if there was any problem, to reach out to them and they would solve it, but please do not leave negative feedback. 

No problemo. I sent them measurements and photos, and figured basic logic would prevail. A round thing doesn't fit into a hole smaller than the round thing. Unfortunately, the answer was that this was a direct replacement part and that I must need the video to understand how it goes in. No, let's consider the basic logic thing... no dice. I just kept being told that I must somehow be doing it wrong. I gave up and said that I'd just submit for a refund based on "Product does not match description." 

That lit a fuse on a powder keg of threats. I would be responsible for return shipping to India, it would take a month, the item would probably get lost in shipping, and they'd refuse my refund anyway. But, as a consideration to me, they would consult the muffler manufacturer and get back to me as soon as they could. 

Huh. Now that I have discovered the Power of AI, I asked Gemini to analyze the situation and ask for the probable outcome if I did submit for a refund. Gemini replied that I should have just done that in the first place, and that it was a common tactic for sellers like this to try to stall buyers by making threats of international shipping hazards and "let us talk to the other guys" to run the clock out on the return window. In other words "Shut up stupid and just submit the return". 

All of this for baffles I don't really want any more anyway.