Back in the Saddle

My license arrived in the mail from Harrisburg on Saturday afternoon, but my suspension didn't technically end till midnight.  I waited, and at about 12:30 AM the following morning I decided that I'd take a short spin on the scooter just to celebrate.  It was a hairy ride!

By the time I got to the end of my street I thought I felt the yoke wobbling a little and it seemed as if the bike was pulling a little to either side and not going quite straight.  At first with wishful thinking I thought I was just out of practice, but in the back of my mind I knew better.  I suspected that the front tire might be flat, but when I stopped and leaned to get a peek, it seemed to be inflated.  I made a right turn slowly, and as I came out of it on the straightaway I felt a definite wobble.  Because of the pattern of one way streets in my neighborhood it would take about a half mile to get back to the house.  I rode slowly and took turns gingerly till I was back under the deck safe and sound, but shaking a little because I wasn't sure that I'd make it.

It wasn't till I dismounted to check the tire pressure that I noticed that it was awfully dark.  Because I'd been worried about getting the scooter and me back in one piece I had not even seen that my headlight bulb was kaput and that I'd done my ride only by the glow of streetlights.  There were only 10 pounds of pressure in the tire.  I fired up the compressor, got the pressure up to the recommended 33 psi and came in the house thankful to be back.

When I got up for church I feared the worst when I went out and checked the pressure again.  Thankfully it held right where I'd raised it to so I rode the scooter the short distance to church and then to get some groceries afterward.  When I dropped off the produce I headed back out and rode for about a hour, but not too far from the house just in case.  The pressure's been holding at 33 since I refilled the tire, but I'm still concerned because a tire shouldn't lose 23 pounds of pressure in two weeks just from sitting.

Tomorrow I'll be heading out to western Pennsylvania for the second of four such trips I've planned for this summer.  I'm playing tuba in their community band and for 30 some years of not having played I'm not displeased with how I'm doing.  It's like riding a bike!  Somehow it all comes back to you.