The CM450 started right up this summer: turn on the fuel, pull out the choke, hit the starter, and it was running inside a second. I love that.
The Rebel, on the other hand, is probably going to need some serious work. The first step was to replace the battery, since it failed completely over the winter. And that's where my safety reminder came in.
I bought a replacement battery, which of course needed to be filled with acid. This one used a system that's new to me, and looked pretty foolproof. There's a sort of funnel that fits into the battery, and the acid bottles are sealed closed. The funnel has pins inside that puncture the bottles, kind of like stabbing a straw into a juice box. The whole system is, in theory, designed so there's no way to spill acid as long as you follow the instructions.
Unfortunately, there's frequently a difference between theory and reality. As near as I can tell, one of the bottles cracked very slightly while I was pushing it into the funnel, and a few drops of acid went flying. One of them flew straight into my left eye. As an aside, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever filled a battery without safety glasses, and I'm sure it's the first time it's ever sprayed. Bad timing coupled with a poor decision, basically.
The good news is, I usually react well under stress, and this was a good example. I had my contact out within about 15 seconds while I was running for the sink, and had my head under a faucet within about a minute. After about half an hour of rinsing, I got a ride to the ER, where they confirmed there was nothing permanently damaged, although I did wind up with some mild chemical burns around the lower eyelid. A week of eyedrops and not wearing contact lenses and I should be fine.
So this was my free warning, and I don't think it's one I'll forget.
Oh... and after I got the battery charged up, the Rebel fired up even more easily than the 450. The carb still needs cleaning, but everything else seems to be in fine shape.
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