Paging TOG

Came across this yesterday, just in case you think the Ape needs a new
paint:

http://cjoint.com/?kii77tiSKX

Made me wonder what would happen if it were submitted to the "Pimp My
Ride Europe" gang.

 

****, that's horrible.

The kids have already suggested it, but one of Helen's 'arty' friends at
school is going to "decorate" it.

She's been learning to pilot the beast. It's a steep learning curve as
(a) it doesn't tick over and (b) seems to need the choke to start it
until it's seriously hot. As it has a catalytic convertor (!!) I suspect
this is part of the reason.

It's also running a B6HS plug, which is a bit hot - recommended is a
BR7HS, so I'll change that.

The carb pilot setting and idle screw probably need attention too. I'll
have to have a look at the carb, though scooter engines are a mystery to
me. I've emailed the importer to try and obtain basic service data - if
anyone here knows, I'm all ears, because Googling didn't throw anything
up.

The gearchange, on the left-hand grip, seems connected to the mechanism
by a damper unit and a giant spring rather than a cable, but with
practice, smooth changes can be achieved.

I told her: "If you can drive this, you'll be able to drive anything..."

So far she's mastered pulling away, and going up and down through the
box, and bimbles round the quiet streets happily. She's only been doing
left-hand turns, because right-handers, at intersections, are fraught
with difficulty. The chief one is that it's so sloooooow, it takes an
age to complete the manoeuvre. Helen proved this by sprinting across the
road in less time that it took me to turn right at a junction.

The steering is incredibly sensitive - input has to be very delicate,
otherwise you basically proceed along the road in a series of swoops and
swerves. She's mastered this bit, at least.

I want her to get completely in control of the beast, so that it's
second nature, before I let her out in the traffic, because I don't want
her thinking: "Oh, what gear is this, second or third, should I go up or
down...?" instead of watching what the rest of the traffic is doing.

Which is, at the moment, mostly pissing itself laughing at this little
tripod bingling its way round Sutton.

 

I have this vision of you standing up on the pickup bed, pointing and
shouting in through the window at her.

 

It may have a geometry problem? In my youth the wine store in the
building had an ancestor of such, driven by a permanently pissed
delivery man (died of cirrhosis at 40). It couldn't have beens so
sensitive, otherwise the guy would have had a lot of accidents...

There is a fleet of Apes operated by some office cleaning business near
home. At 8:30 sharp, out of the town parking where I keep my bike, a
dozen of roaring Apes (steep ramp) get out of their lair in a single
line, driven by cloned Pakistanis with a frown and a big mustache.

 

Almost Steptoesque that little image is and somehow *so* right.

Thanks for that.

 

Close. I was actually running alongside her shouting through the window.
After heart failure nearly claimed me, I decided to sod the law and
clamber into the cab to sit besire her. Cosy, it as.

 

I have visions of a group of not-terribly-effective suicide bombers.

 

<chortle>

You need to fit running boards.

 

Me, it makes me wondering how one says "The French job" in
Pakistanese/Urdu, and which one is playing Michael Caine's part

 

Now that's a dedicated father...

 

Ong Bak:

 

One of the best of recent years IMHO.

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