errantember (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
errantember) wrote2008-01-31 03:14 am
errantember) wrote2008-01-31 03:14 am
Entry tags:
Hippie-Goth Odometer Mystery!
So after getting my license plate for the scooter, now dubbed Phaedron, it was finally time to experience the "going-downtown-to-go-clubbing-without-having-to-deal-with-The-Parking-Nightmare" scenario. I got all dolled up, hopped on Phaedron, and rolled for Elysium. Downtown is about six miles from my house, so I figured even in cold weather, the round-trip should be do-able without recharging. I noted the odometer before I left (410.8) and kept an eye on it as I drove, since I was cutting it fairly close. I also didn't take the charger, which was muevo-stupido.
How stupid I was continued to cycle through my mind, because of forgetting the charger, because it was cold, which can halve the scooter's range, and because there was already drizzle when I left, with the forecast having said "late night showers." Considering it was after midnight upon departure, I think "late night" applied. My anxiety grew as I watched the odometer roll and roll. Only half way there, it was already saying over 5 miles! I had that feeling that we all get from time to time, where we *know* we're doing something stupid, but we do it anyway for reasons we can't quite explain. I kept thinking "this would be a good place to turn around and go home," but I never did.
By the time I got to the 1st street bridge, it occurred to me that a good call might be to leave the scooter nearby, and then walk the rest of the way to Elysium. My power seemed to be holding up pretty well so far (7 of 10 bars), but the odometer was claiming over 10 miles already. I found a spot at 7th and Lavaca, parked Phaedron, and proceeded to boogie on over to Elysium, where I mingled and danced for the next two hours. I scouted the area for plug-in spots, but found only one iffy possibility. In warmer weather it probably won't matter, but finding an intervening coffee shop (like Divine Foods or The Green Muse) for downtown trips might be a good call.
So after all that worrying, I made it home just getting into the yellow (4 bars of 10.) This part was both expected and good. It would have been a shitty night to get stuck. However, I checked the odometer when I got back, and it said 432.1 miles. Or so I thought. So I did the math, and the odometer said I had gone 21.3 miles! This sounded totally wrong, so I fired up a mapping program and re-produced my route down to the tiniest detail. Sure enough, it said only 13.0 miles! Something about that fraction looked familiar, though, *especially* when I divided it out.
The odometer is either *really* fucking broken...
...or it's in kilometers!
Duh.
So I hope that's how it's *supposed* to work.
Also, the very first time I ran the scooter, I did so until it was blinking red, and the odometer read 32 miles. It came with 3 (km) on it, so while I *thought* I had actually gone close to the 30-mile minimum range, it turns out I only went about 18 miles. I can't 100% claim this was false advertising on the part of the manufacturer, since I outweigh the test pilot by 40 lbs, but it's still disappointing.
How stupid I was continued to cycle through my mind, because of forgetting the charger, because it was cold, which can halve the scooter's range, and because there was already drizzle when I left, with the forecast having said "late night showers." Considering it was after midnight upon departure, I think "late night" applied. My anxiety grew as I watched the odometer roll and roll. Only half way there, it was already saying over 5 miles! I had that feeling that we all get from time to time, where we *know* we're doing something stupid, but we do it anyway for reasons we can't quite explain. I kept thinking "this would be a good place to turn around and go home," but I never did.
By the time I got to the 1st street bridge, it occurred to me that a good call might be to leave the scooter nearby, and then walk the rest of the way to Elysium. My power seemed to be holding up pretty well so far (7 of 10 bars), but the odometer was claiming over 10 miles already. I found a spot at 7th and Lavaca, parked Phaedron, and proceeded to boogie on over to Elysium, where I mingled and danced for the next two hours. I scouted the area for plug-in spots, but found only one iffy possibility. In warmer weather it probably won't matter, but finding an intervening coffee shop (like Divine Foods or The Green Muse) for downtown trips might be a good call.
So after all that worrying, I made it home just getting into the yellow (4 bars of 10.) This part was both expected and good. It would have been a shitty night to get stuck. However, I checked the odometer when I got back, and it said 432.1 miles. Or so I thought. So I did the math, and the odometer said I had gone 21.3 miles! This sounded totally wrong, so I fired up a mapping program and re-produced my route down to the tiniest detail. Sure enough, it said only 13.0 miles! Something about that fraction looked familiar, though, *especially* when I divided it out.
The odometer is either *really* fucking broken...
...or it's in kilometers!
Duh.
So I hope that's how it's *supposed* to work.
Also, the very first time I ran the scooter, I did so until it was blinking red, and the odometer read 32 miles. It came with 3 (km) on it, so while I *thought* I had actually gone close to the 30-mile minimum range, it turns out I only went about 18 miles. I can't 100% claim this was false advertising on the part of the manufacturer, since I outweigh the test pilot by 40 lbs, but it's still disappointing.