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Scooting South
By Laurie
Sherfey
It only took a week for my first work-related trip to come up,
after getting the scooter. Since all the paperwork was all done up right and
proper, I put in my travel orders to ride the scooter, rather than take up the
last seat in the car my coworkers were all going to travel in.
I think
they have decided I am decidedly odd to want to do this, because everyone at
work generally agrees the trip from Norfolk down to Jacksonville, NC is a very
dull one, once youve done it a couple of times. Id estimate
Ive done it somewhere between 100 and 200 times over the years, and most
of those trips were in a car. No big thrills in a cage, though at least I got
paid for it!
 Laurie Sherfey THE
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What you cant explain to non-riders is that its not a
boring trip on two wheels. There are the wonderful things, like the high
swooping bridges, and the gentle curves along Route 17. There are the memorable
moments, like getting stuck behind the flat bed semi loaded up with a gazillion
chicken cages. After 10 miles of the feathers and fumes, I didnt feel
much like eating any chicken for a while.
I almost always see some
cool farm animals or wildlife along the way, and usually meet some very
friendly people during my various stops for food, gas, or a quick leg
stretcher. But most of all, its just a different trip when its all
right there, and youre in the middle of it, without a car shutting you
out from all the sights, and sounds, and smells.
Sure it might be that
truck full of shedding chickens. But it could also be a logging truck, and the
pungent smell of the fresh pine sap is like a little bit of Christmas for me,
even if it is July. Theres this wonderful, instant drop in the air
temperature when youre riding through a tree-shaded section of road, and
the air is also somehow fresher, and richer beneath the trees.
Theres the fun of easily passing that pokey car or truck, when in a car
youd be stuck behind it for mile after frustrating mile.
Each
time I ride the same route, its like its all new for me, because
theres always new things to see, and it can never become too familiar,
because Im so much more open to even the smallest changes.
Anyway, anyone who rides knows what I mean, and Uncle Sam doesnt care how
I get there, as long as I get there on time, and get the job done. So on
Wednesday morning, I finished up the last of my packing, paring my stuff down
to the point where I could fit everything in the under-seat storage, and the 2
"glove boxes" in the bikes front dashboard. I put the saddlebags away
I thought they looked kinda dorky on the scooter anyway. Anyway, the
under-seat storage is oddly shaped, but with soft things like clothes, you can
cram an awful lot in there. And last of all, I put in the rain gear, because
the skies looked dark and full of rain.
After
quick stops to top off the scooters gas tank, and get cash at the ATM, I
decided to head out of town though the Midtown tunnel. It was just after 7 AM,
and almost any route would be crowded. That is usually not as bad as most. As I
went, I decided to head South on Route 13, which joins up with 17 around
Windsor, NC. Traffic is usually lighter on 13, though the road is better on 17,
with all the recent improvements.
I was in the Suffolk area before I
knew it, and getting on 13 South. I always enjoy cruising through Whaleyville;
though I was disappointed not to see the llamas out in their field. There are
some gorgeous horses out that way.
The scooter demands a little less
of my attention than a motorcycle, with no clutch and brake levers on both
handlebars, and nothing at all for my feet to do but find a comfortable
position on the floor boards. I stretched out contentedly as I cruised toward
Ahoskie, and enjoyed how comfortable and smooth the scooter is.
I got
some very odd looks as I passed various cars and trucks maybe the
scooter itself, maybe my bright green riding jacket, or maybe the surprising
speed of such a harmless looking little machine.
I saw a buzzard up
close and personal along the side of the road, but he was busy sitting on the
ground cleaning up some unfortunate critter taken out by traffic, and so
didnt mess with me as I scooted by. I guess they are useful, even if they
are ugly. The roads would a lot more cluttered with road kill if they
didnt clean up like they do!
Ahoskie was still quiet as I passed
through, the traffic was lighter there than usual. It had been raining just a
little as I rode toward Ahoskie, so I made a quick stop to put on my rain gear
when it started to pick up as I headed through town. I left the zipper down, so
the rain suit flapped a bit when I picked up speed after getting south of the
city limits. But I stayed dry and comfortable, despite the rain coming and
going for the next hour of riding.
The Frogg Toggs are a bit on the
warm side, but if you keep moving and leave the zipper partway down, and push
the sleeves up a bit so the air can get in, the air flowing through keeps you
pretty comfortable, even at around 90 degrees (which it was already, that early
in the day).
The ride was very pleasant, despite the intermittent rain.
The scooter easily passed any slow moving traffic, though I was very careful to
not get above the speed limit. No speeding tickets today or tomorrow
either, for that matter. I was in Windsor in good time, and coming in on 13,
its easier than going through the town on Route 17. Anyway, its
right around there the 2 join up, and you head toward Williamston. Once
youre on 17, the roads are better, but theres usually more traffic,
too.
So far, the scooter seemed to be just as visible to car drivers
as the motorcycle was meaning of course, that I could never assume that
any of them were paying enough attention to see me. Still, no one tried to take
me out all morning, and a bunch of motorcycle people waved at me, so it was all
good!
Williamston has a few stop lights, and I know a good barbecue
place there (Shaws). But I headed on through the lights without stopping,
it was too early for lunch. I did decide to make a quick rest stop, and maybe
get a nice cup of coffee.
Riding in the rain, Id actually gotten
a little chilled, but not enough that I zipped up my rain gear the rest of the
way. Most of the rain seemed to hit my arms and my helmet, not much on my torso
or my legs. Anyway, I found a mini-mart with good, hot coffee. I can get away
with a whole cup once in a while now, and they even had a dark roast that
smelled delicious!
After I got the coffee, I went to get my waterproof
gloves from under the seat, to replace my wet elkskin gloves. Except when I
grabbed the seat to raise it, the butt rest came off in my hand. Its
attached with four bolts, but apparently after I reattached it, the 4 nuts all
worked loose as I rode. Two of the nuts and 3 of the washers were still there
between the seat and the support frame, the others must have fallen out
somewhere along the way.
Fortunately, the guy who sold me the scooter
left a very nice little tool set for me, and I used the hex wrenches and the
smaller crescent wrench to tighten the two remaining nuts back on, and reattach
the seat cushion to the seat pan. I hoped they would stay tight for a while
longer; if I had time when I got to Jacksonville, Id stop at the Yamaha
dealer and see if I could get more nuts and washers.
I drank my
coffee, and got back on the road, glad the butt rest didnt come off out
on the road, and also glad the seller had generously left his tool set under
the seat. Especially since I didnt take my tool set from the Strom,
either! This set was nicer, anyway.
I rode through Washington without
stopping. All along the road, the fuel gage was slowly dropping, but like most
cars, it drops a lot faster after it gets below the halfway mark. After a very
enjoyable ride over the bridge into New Bern, I stopped and filled up the tank.
I figured out I got 56 mpg on that tank not quite as good as Id
hoped, but still good! Also, the Majesty seems to run very well on regular gas,
even with the ethanol in it.
When I checked the seat bolts, they were
still tight. I hated to buy Lok-Tite out on the road, and than have to haul it
around with me the rest of the trip. But if the nuts didnt stay tight, I
figured it was an option. Anyway, so far, so good.
I decided to push
on to Jacksonville, Id have time for the motorcycle dealership and lunch
before heading into Camp Lejeune for my afternoon meeting. The last leg of the
journey, I just mellowed out, and didnt bother passing anyone.
The scooter was really, really comfortable to ride, and allowed me to move my
legs around, and keep them from getting stiff and sore. Already, I was missing
my motorcycle a lot less. The scooter already had a familiar, comfortable feel
to it, like Id been riding it for a lot more than 10 days. I could see
myself making many more trips like this one!
As soon as I got into Jacksonville, I headed for Britt
Motor Sports. Theres also one in New Bern but its a little
off my route, and the one in Jax is bigger. The nice parts department guy
looked up my nuts and washers, but didnt have them in stock. I wondered
if I could substitute something from home depot, but these did look like
stainless, and they had vinyl threads, and then the 2 missing bolts were the
kind that screw in with an allen wrench, and I hadnt seen those at Home
Depot. I went ahead and ordered them, to be sent to my home address. Id
put this set on with Lok-Tite, so I wanted them to be the right size and type.
After stopping for lunch, I headed toward the base, and was waved
right through the gates. The guard smiled at the sight of my scooter, and
didnt even ask to see my id badge. I suppose he had no idea the cute
little scooter could probably beat most any of the muscle cars coming through
that gate in a fair race. It certainly blows them away at green lights, even
when theyre trying, and Im not. I smiled back and gently
accelerated out of the gate. He might be amused, but he also had an M-16.
Im sure he knew how to use it, too.
I definitely made it to my
meeting on time, with only a bit of a bad hair day to show for my riding
adventure. My coworkers, who knew Id ridden, just grinned at me. The
Lejeune folks were amazed Id ridden all that way, especially after they
saw my Majesty parked outside the building! Some of them had seen my motorcycle
on previous trips, so I had a bit of "Splainin" to do. But I didnt
get too much hassle about the change. Id still ridden over 200 miles
in the rain. Besides, everyone thinks scooters are cool now!
It
was fun tooling around the base on the scooter, too. I did leave it that
evening, and hitch a ride to dinner. After all, Id be riding home the
next day, after our second
meeting. The next day, I got up early,
repacked my junk, and checked out of the BOQ, and hit the mini-mart on base for
a quick breakfast and some cold caffeine. I got to my meeting with time to
spare, and stashed my helmet and gear, and even put on some lipstick before my
meeting.
This meeting involved dining halls, and after lots of talk,
we did a site visit, and ate lunch at one. The food was really good, and after
visiting one more site and taking a few more pictures, I headed for home.
The trip home, was as much fun as the trip down, but without the rain.
I stopped for iced coffee this time, instead of the hot kind, and was home well
before dark. I did 465 miles, got good gas mileage, and was comfortable and
happy the entire trip, going both ways.
There were lovely hamburgers
just going on the grill when I pulled in the driveway, and they had one cooking
for me, too. A perfect ending to a perfect trip. I tucked the scooter into the
garage, and washed up for dinner. I could unpack later, and give her a good
bath the next day.
Everywhere I went, there were comments and
compliments on the scooter. One gentlemen asked if it was a BMW, impressed by
its quiet engine. My brothers would have loved that! Almost everyone asked
about the gas mileage. I need to quit cranking it up, and get the gas mileage
up over 60 mpg, so I can brag more! Except that Im having a lot of fun,
maybe too much fun to stop.
I also wonder how I ever lived without
that large locking glove box. I put a camera, a cell phone, a book, my very
large wallet, a map, and an energy bar in there, with room to spare. I had no
idea that would be so handy!
It looks like Ill get to do the
very same trip again the first week of August, and Im already looking
forward to it!
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Laurie
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from The Rambling Red Head
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