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 you’ve done it a couple of times. I’d estimate I’ve 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!

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What you can’t explain to non-riders is that it’s 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 didn’t 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, it’s just a different trip when it’s all right there, and you’re 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. There’s this wonderful, instant drop in the air temperature when you’re riding through a tree-shaded section of road, and the air is also somehow fresher, and richer beneath the trees.

There’s the fun of easily passing that pokey car or truck, when in a car you’d be stuck behind it for mile after frustrating mile.

Each time I ride the same route, it’s like it’s all new for me, because there’s always new things to see, and it can never become too familiar, because I’m so much more open to even the smallest changes.

Anyway, anyone who rides knows what I mean, and Uncle Sam doesn’t 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 bike’s 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 scooter’s 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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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, it’s easier than going through the town on Route 17. Anyway, it’s right around there the 2 join up, and you head toward Williamston. Once you’re on 17, the roads are better, but there’s 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 (Shaw’s). 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, I’d 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. It’s 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, I’d 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 didn’t come off out on the road, and also glad the seller had generously left his tool set under the seat. Especially since I didn’t 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 I’d 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 didn’t stay tight, I figured it was an option. Anyway, so far, so good.

I decided to push on to Jacksonville, I’d 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 didn’t 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 I’d 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. There’s also one in New Bern – but it’s a little off my route, and the one in Jax is bigger. The nice parts department guy looked up my nuts and washers, but didn’t 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 hadn’t seen those at Home Depot. I went ahead and ordered them, to be sent to my home address. I’d 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 didn’t 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 they’re trying, and I’m not. I smiled back and gently accelerated out of the gate. He might be amused, but he also had an M-16. I’m 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 I’d ridden, just grinned at me. The Lejeune folks were amazed I’d 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 didn’t get too much hassle about the change. I’d 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, I’d 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 I’m 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 I’ll get to do the very same trip again the first week of August, and I’m already looking forward to it!

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