After a week of leaving poor Scoot languishing in the gloom in its basement (a week since our return, but 10 months for the poor scooter), we thought it really was time we made an honest attempt to get it out. When we left it last year we were in a bit of a rush, and made the mistake of pulling the fuses and closing the seat before we checked that the manual seat release was working. It wasn’t. So we knew on our return to claim Scoot, we’d have to find some other way to get into the seat cavity to replace the fuses to allow us to open the seat cavity to replace the fuses – get the picture?
Today I loaded a backpack with a variety of tools and a torch and set off to see how we’d get on. The manual release cable seemed to be totally locked, and despite managing to get directly at the cable it wouldn’t budge. Next was to see if I could get at the latch somehow by taking off body panels. Three-quarters of an hour later and despite half a dozen panels off, no sign of success. Karen headed back to get some more tools, while I fished about trying desperately to get into the innards of the scooter to get access to either the cable or the latch. Finally with the aid of a trusty torch I spied a cable which looked to be the size and shape of the release cable, so I gave it a good tug. A bit of noise but no real action. Another five minutes of heaving at it, but no more success, so I thought I’d give the seat a push just in case. Yep, released!
We didn’t want to get the scooter out of storage until we’d got into the seat, as our insurance-required monster lock was under the seat. Now with access to it, we could contemplate getting the scooter out from the cave. Only problem, it was down 5 very steep steps, and it is a large and heavy scooter – some 170kg. It had taken three people to control it down into the cave. No matter. We assembled a crude plywood ramp and heaved. To our surprise we got it up the ramp onto the path, then in four stages interspersed with breathers, back up a little steep road to the town, and an easy push to our door in Place de l’Eglise.
It was very grubby and dusty, so we brought down some warm water and got to work bringing it back to its normal shiny self. Partway through, I plugged in the fuses having looked up what went where, and to my total astonishment when I put the key in, the normal lights came up. And the seat release worked just like it should. Pretty good going for 10 months sitting in a basement.
So tomorrow morning we will kit up, just in case there’s enough battery to start it up, and be ready to zoom off on a little expedition to recharge it fully. Freedom again!
