Rolling Again

After nearly six weeks of being out of commission, I recently got the flat on my scooter fixed and it is up and running again. What I thought would be a relatively simple task (hey, it SHOULD be) of replacing the rear tire turned into a lengthy ordeal. I knew that it would take a bit of work to get the wheel off due to things like the muffler, rear suspension, and rear brakes mounted in that area. When all was said and done, it took two visits from the mechanically inclined friend, borrowing a specialized tool called a "gear puller" from the auto parts store, and taking off a sizable portion of the rear body and seat compartment.

Ironically, there ended-up being nothing wrong with the tire; no punctures or holes of any kind. I took it in to the motorcycle shop, we ordered a new tire, and they called me back a few hours later to say the existing tire was still holding air. I ran back to get the wheel and when I tried to put it back on, I discovered a fully inflated tire can not be squeezed past the engine block to slide all the way down the axle. (This scooter is quickly earning low marks in my mind when it comes to maintainability.) Letting out some of the air and whacking on it with a rubber mallet got it back on. In a few hours I had reassembled the bike and took it out for a test ride: all was good again.

This experience has also brought to light just how poor the quality of this bike is. Several of the bearings I had a chance to inspect in this process are starting to stick and the gear meshing at the rear wheel-axel is fairly loose. "You get what you pay for" and that has played out true here as well. Fortunately, I suspected nothing less from the low price I payed and plan on making the most of this opportunity to become a more knowledgeable mechanic.

This attitude will serve we well in the near future as there is a funny rattle I need to hunt down and a front headlight that needs to be replaced.

No rest for the weary. Or those who buy cheap scooters to save a few bucks.