My dad taught me a lot about how to do a lot of things. I can do basic carpentry, masonry, electricity, a little plumbing, and general home improvement on a small scale. Good old dad, though, doesn't know squat about the workings of the internal combustion engine and I know even less than he does. When it came to maintaining my first car, dad gave me all he could - the name and number of his mechanic.
In visiting the various scooter related posting forums I feel like a total idiot whenever somebody writes about scooter modifications. I'd no sooner take a wrench to my Piaggio than I'd take a scalpel to my own midsection. I know I'd do something stupid and ruin the whole thing if I tried, so I don't try. I'd not have bought the Fly nor the BV if my dealer's shop wasn't able to service the bikes. And when I outgrew the Fly I didn't even think about trying to de-restrict it; I bought a bigger cycle.
There are actually guys who order their bikes online, wait for their big cartons to arrive, and then hit up Google or the bike forums to figure out what's wrong when the mail order bikes don't work outright or are plagued with problems. I shudder even to imagine myself in that situation because I'm so totally mechanically inept.
The only time I roll up my sleeves is if I'm eating lobster and I'm afraid that some butter might drip down my arm. Hmmmmmmm. There's an idea! Go scootering with a lobster bib over my shirt. Think the looks I'd get would be any stranger than the usual ones?
1 comment:
I learned a long time ago, back when I was getting started in Roadracing that I was no mechanic! Like my father, I consider myself to be a mechanic of neccesity; if I'm broke down in the middle of nowhere, I usually manage to get my bike into more qualified hands, even if it means pushing. Having a buddy who is handy with a wrench has served me well also.
E.T.
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