busted

I have had a lot of fun on this scooter over the past few years but it's left me high and dry too many times now. I can't rely on it anymore and now look at it.

It refused to start for me while I was out at a store on Wednesday. I had to ask the manager if I could charge it and come back when I was off work. Fortunately, he said yes and it ended up working then. I drove it to the only scooter shop that I was aware of that worked on TNG's, Sargent's Motorsports on 102nd and Foster. They were able to figure out one of the problems but they put in a new starter engine (without calling me) and then realized that it needed even more work. They called and said I was looking at a minimum of a $600 price tag with the way it was now and that didn't necessarily cover future labor/parts. I told them to yank out what they had put in so they did that and left my bike in shambles.

Fortunately, I have awesome friends, co-workers and neighbors who helped me get it back home. So now, I'm stuck with a broken down scooter in my driveway. I know that it's already paid for itself through mileage expenses at work but I think I should be able to get more than two years out of a new vehicle.

So, I'm not a scooterer anymore. I'm a cyclist. I think it'll be better for me. Maybe someday down the road, I could see myself getting another scooter or motorcycle, especially since I have the helmet and the riding gear. But I won't be getting a TNG.

* Side note: I got a call from Sargents on Saturday morning and they said that they just had a guy come in with the exact same model of bike and he's looking for a parts scooter. I called him back and he said that what I was asking for was a bit much but he also doesn't want me to give up on the scooter. He sounds like he really loves this model (he has 22,200 miles on his!!!) and he also knows a cool guy out the way that really knows this brand and won't screw me over. Now I got to process what I'm going to do with that info...