He only knew that someone had finally given him something useful to do.
By noon, the younger mechanic had finished the initial electrical checks.
He approached the president with a clipboard.
"I want you to look at this."
The president followed him toward the Shovelhead.
The boy was standing near the yellow safety line, watching a club member polish the fuel tank. When the younger mechanic noticed him, he motioned for the teenager to remain where he was.
"Remember what you asked about yesterday?"
The boy nodded.
"The ground strap?"
"Right. We've corrected that connection, and the electrical readings are much better. But there's something else I don't like."
He showed the president a page of test results.
The motorcycle's starting problem had changed after the ground connection was restored. The system no longer displayed the same dramatic voltage drop, but the younger mechanic had discovered several inconsistent entries in the repair notes. A component listed as replaced appeared to be the same old part, and another had been installed without documentation of the required checks.
The president frowned.
"Are you saying the earlier work was wrong?"
"I'm saying we need to inspect what was actually done."
"Can it be repaired?"
"Probably. But I don't want to guess."
The president looked toward the teenager.
"What do you think?"
The boy's eyes widened.
"Me?"
"You noticed the first problem."
The teenager shifted uneasily.
"I haven't tested anything."
"Just tell me what you're thinking."
The boy looked at the motorcycle.
"If the ground was disconnected, the old tests might not tell you what you thought they did."
The younger mechanic nodded.
"Exactly."
The president waited.
The teenager continued cautiously.
"My mom always said you shouldn't keep replacing things until you know why the first thing didn't work."
The younger mechanic smiled.
"Your mother sounds like someone I'd want working here."
The boy looked down.
"She'd like this place."
Then he corrected himself.
"Most of it."
The president understood the meaning.
He gave a small nod.
"Fair."
At that moment, the lead mechanic entered through the side door.
He stopped when he saw the president, the younger mechanic, and the teenager standing together. His gaze moved to the clipboard, then to the Shovelhead. He had expected the earlier embarrassment to be forgotten by morning.
Instead, the boy was still there.
"What are we doing?" he asked.
The younger mechanic held up the records.
"Going back through the tests."
The lead mechanic frowned.
"Why?"
"Because some of the results don't match what we're seeing now."
"That's because electrical problems can be intermittent."
"Some can."
The younger mechanic spoke calmly.
"But these entries don't make sense."
The lead mechanic stepped closer.
"Are you questioning my work?"
"I'm trying to diagnose the motorcycle."