A Widow's Ride

Good morning, folks! As I dive deeper into prepping for the Scooter Cannonball Run, I’ve been thinking a lot about a term my husband, a heavy equipment mechanic, often uses: the “TnT mechanic.” He’d vent about guys in his field who never progressed beyond being able to handle just taillights and tires. Well, when it comes to my trusty scooter and this epic adventure, I’m determined to be more than a “TnT mechanic” myself!

I have tackled the break-miles, meaning it’s time for the first oil change. Now, the real learning begins. With the Scooter Cannonball Run clocking in at around 3,800 miles and my scooter needing fresh oil every 1,875 miles, I’ll perform at least one oil change mid-rally. There’s no getting around it. I need to learn how to do this myself. The days of relying on others for basic (and not-so-basic) maintenance are numbered!

Beyond the essential engine care, I knew I had to address visibility. The Cannonball will likely involve some early morning starts and late evening finishes which means riding before sunrise or after sunset is pretty much a given if I want to make those 400 to 500-mile days. The stock running lights on my scooter were, let’s be honest, more for show than go. So, I took the plunge and swapped them out for some serious LEDs. Thank goodness for pre-made kits and the glorious institution that is YouTube! Watching those tutorials gave me the confidence to tackle the swap, and let me tell you, the difference is literally night and day.

But perhaps the skill I’m most proud of mastering recently is plugging a tire. This one felt really important. I vividly remember when I first started driving, my father was absolutely adamant that I learn how to change a tire on the side of the road. It was one of the best life lessons I ever received – the power of not being dependent on others to get you out of a jam.

The challenge? I didn’t exactly have a stack of old scooter tires lying around to practice on. Opportunity knocked when Mark and I were invited to camp at a motorcycle event hosted by our friends David and Emy. I spotted a veritable mountain of used tires on their property and tentatively asked David if I could sacrifice one for the cause. He kindly pointed me to a suitable pile.

Armed with my handy GRAND PITSTOP Tubeless Tire Gun Puncture Repair Kit (an Amazon find!), and with some fantastic guidance from a fellow scooter rider, Robert, I sat down to learn. I practiced taking out a nail and then the really tough part which is burrowing a larger, clean hole to properly use the tire gun and insert the mushroom plug. It’s definitely a bit of a workout!

It was quite the scene. A few fellow motorcycle campers gathered around to watch, and I have to say, they seemed pretty impressed as I wrestled with the tire and eventually got that plug seated perfectly. I even offered to let them use my tools to give it a try themselves, but funnily enough, no one took me up on it. Maybe they just didn’t want to be shown up by a girl! 😉

Anyway, I’m by no means a full-fledged scooter mechanic yet, but I’m definitely on my way to being more than just a “TnT mechanic.” Every new skill learned is another step towards self-sufficiency and a successful Scooter Cannonball Run.

Stay tuned for more updates on my prep. The countdown to the rally is getting smaller everyday!