With the Scooter Cannonball Run just over two weeks away, the pressure is mounting! The next critical step in my preparation journey was tackling the electronics. What a veritable labyrinth of wires, mounts, and software needed to navigate the complex web of checkpoints and bonus point opportunities.
My initial plan involved wiring the Garmin Zumo 396 directly to the scooter’s battery, serving as my trusty secondary navigation system. For primary GPS duties and, crucially, my soundtrack for those long 400-500 mile days, I added a Quadlock mount for my iPhone. Simple, right?
Well, not quite. Before even attaching the Quadlock to the mirror stem, I had a revelation: the stock mirrors were tiny, round, and offered terrible rear visibility. Safety first! After a bit of hunting, I found some aftermarket mirrors designed for a Yamaha C3 that provided a much better view of what’s behind me. Another addition was a windshield, as the Genuine Buddy didn’t come with one. I opted for a shorter version. As odd it sound, I actually enjoy the wind on my face when my helmet shield is up.
Once all the new parts arrived, the real fun began: mounting everything. Let me tell you, getting the windshield, new mirrors, and GPS mounts aligned just right was not a one-person job. Thankfully, my husband was willing to lend a crucial helping hand. It was a tedious process, but we triumphed!
However, after a couple of shakedown rides and diving deep into various forums, I encountered my next challenge. Horror stories emerged from past participants about iPhones overheating in the sun, sometimes destroying the phone and causing riders to lose precious rally points. This was a serious concern. It became clear I needed to pivot. The solution? A dedicated CarPlay unit, allowing my iPhone to stay safely tucked away in the shade.
Of course, this introduced a new problem. Wiring the CarPlay to the battery meant it would be constantly drawing power, potentially draining the battery. Back to the forums I went! Several rally veterans recommended the Healtech Thunderbox as an elegant solution for managing multiple electronics. The catch? They weren’t readily available in the US. I had to contact a company out of Miami to order one from overseas. With the scooter shipping deadline for Oregon looming, I was on pins and needles, worried it wouldn’t arrive in time. I took a gamble and ordered it. Miraculously, it arrived just in the nick of time! This did mean, however, redoing the mirrors and mounts all over again. Thankfully, the second time around was much smoother.
Just when I thought I was in the clear, my final shakedown ride revealed another issue. The app recommended by the Scooter Cannonball Run organizers didn’t pair with my CarPlay system. “Okay, no problem,” I thought, “I’ll just upload the GPX files into my Garmin Zumo 396.” You’d think that working for a software company would make the logistics of exporting GPX files from a mobile app onto a MacBook and then uploading them to the Garmin a breeze. Wrong! For the life of me, I couldn’t get anything to sync. With the clock ticking, the thought of manually wrestling with file transfers every night of the rally was a nightmare.
In a moment of desperation, I posted my woes on various forums. And thank goodness for the Cannonball community! Another rider had encountered the same issue and discovered an app that does play nicely with CarPlay. I downloaded it, tested it with the CarPlay, and voila – it worked perfectly! The final piece of the puzzle was learning how to upload the GPX files to this new app. It turns out you have to use the web version of the app to import files into a shared location, which the mobile app can then access. It’s still a few steps, but significantly less cumbersome, and most importantly, I don’t need to take my MacBook with me on this race!
Whew! After all that, I think I’m finally about ready to go!
A Widow's Ride 