Buzz
I sometimes wonder why I like my scooter so much. It's running like a dream after having its seized piston repaired, but now the battery is dying, and the speedometer cable has snapped... again. Neither of these problems stops me from riding it - the kickstart works a treat, and it's not like I need to watch in case I break the speed limit - but they're sort of annoying.
Part of me wants to trade up to a classier machine. I forgot to put my helmet on yesterday, and I noticed that the motor sounded like an enraged wasp trapped in an aluminium Coke can. Once I put the helmet on, covering my ears in a thick layer of foam padding, the engine note dropped about fourteen octaves to the sound I usually hear - that of a contented lawnmower.
And it didn't help that as I was riding home, I hit a speedhump a little too hard and one of the indicators fell off. It clipped right back on (once I found it again), but still, it's not something you'd expect would happen with one of these.
I'm also starting to get a little peeved by the prevailing attitude at the motorbike repair place. I stopped by last Saturday, and was told to return on Wednesday when they had more time. I duly went there after work on Wednesday, and a flunky diagnosed the snapped speedometer cable. I was told to come back next Wednesday, since they'd have to order a new one in. All of these statements were delivered in an airy tone that insinuated that they couldn't be expected to treat me like a proper customer until I grew a biker beard, a beer gut, and a 500cc Kawasaki.
I appreciate that the scooter isn't a real motorbike. I do realise that it's an idiot-proof plastic toy cleverly styled to look like a much more expensive (and better built) Italian classic. I also concede that I am incapable of doing the manly thing and repairing it myself via some ancestral memory of basic mechanical engineering. But I don't think that's any reason to treat me dismissively. Your hearts may be in the Ducatis and Harley Davidsons in the showroom, my friends, but don't pretend that these laughable little motorscooters aren't selling like hotcakes and generating a significant portion of your income. Begrudging your prosperity because it comes from less than exalted sources is very tacky.
Part of me wants to trade up to a classier machine. I forgot to put my helmet on yesterday, and I noticed that the motor sounded like an enraged wasp trapped in an aluminium Coke can. Once I put the helmet on, covering my ears in a thick layer of foam padding, the engine note dropped about fourteen octaves to the sound I usually hear - that of a contented lawnmower.
And it didn't help that as I was riding home, I hit a speedhump a little too hard and one of the indicators fell off. It clipped right back on (once I found it again), but still, it's not something you'd expect would happen with one of these.
I'm also starting to get a little peeved by the prevailing attitude at the motorbike repair place. I stopped by last Saturday, and was told to return on Wednesday when they had more time. I duly went there after work on Wednesday, and a flunky diagnosed the snapped speedometer cable. I was told to come back next Wednesday, since they'd have to order a new one in. All of these statements were delivered in an airy tone that insinuated that they couldn't be expected to treat me like a proper customer until I grew a biker beard, a beer gut, and a 500cc Kawasaki.
I appreciate that the scooter isn't a real motorbike. I do realise that it's an idiot-proof plastic toy cleverly styled to look like a much more expensive (and better built) Italian classic. I also concede that I am incapable of doing the manly thing and repairing it myself via some ancestral memory of basic mechanical engineering. But I don't think that's any reason to treat me dismissively. Your hearts may be in the Ducatis and Harley Davidsons in the showroom, my friends, but don't pretend that these laughable little motorscooters aren't selling like hotcakes and generating a significant portion of your income. Begrudging your prosperity because it comes from less than exalted sources is very tacky.
posted by Blandwagon at 6:41 PM
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