I purchased a motor scooter recently and arranged for the shop to install crash bars.
The scooter has a seat, hinged at the front so that the seat can raise up to access a storage compartment. there is a latch at the rear end of the seat to hold it closed.
The crash bars mount two-thirds of the way from the hinge to the latch. The bar causes the seat to be four millimeters higher at the mount point.
The problem is that the part of the seat latch that is mounted to the seat gets raised along with the seat.
The mechanic first tried a four millimeter spacer to raise the non-moving part of the latch. When that didn't work, he tried four and a half millimeters.
Each try necessitated disassembling part of the gas tank tubing.
When four and a half didn't work, I grabbed a tape measure and gave the guy a lesson in proportionality of similar triangles; learned from high school geometry.
A quick measurement indicated that six millimeters was the proper amount of adjustment and it worked perfectly the first time tried.
I was gratified that the mechanic showed appreciation for the value of this lesson.
Is high school geometry required to work as a mechanic? Apparently not. Will it make for a more valuable employee who is deserving of recognition and higher pay? Yes.
Wow, I am in the presence of true genius............Why didn't you fix the damn scooter yourself if you're so smart?