More belt changing details

You mechanical wizards might just want to skip this post because you're going to be laughing at the rest of us (or at least me!) after you read it...

I think changing the belt is something the non-mechanical among us are always worrying about in the back of our minds. (Or maybe we're just worrying about getting stranded!) I've had my scoot for 18 months, and my original belt is still good, so it's probably not a reasonable concern, but I seem to grab onto any bit of information I can get about it, just to prepare myself for the possibility.

Tony at TravelScoot wrote out instructions for us which are posted here. Dean has also posted a comment about his recent belt change, and since not everyone reads the comments sections, I thought I'd post it here too.

From Dean:

To be honest it is easier than posted. My guy took the wrenches and first loosened and took off the protector piece of metal. Then he loosened both sides of the axle on the tire and the belt came right off....you put the new one on and tighten it back up. That was it....would be easier on a table perhaps but my 'angel' did it on the carpet of McCormick Place Convention Center....

The Miracle in Chicago

My TravelScoot and I have done alot of traveling recently. Today in Chicago the belt decided it was the end of the road. I started noticing a thump and after inspection realized I had a tear in the belt. I luckily had bought an extra belt and had my wrenches in my trusty TravelScoot bag. Being at the IFT Food Show I was wondering how I would find someone to help me. A man walked up and got a sample of a sandwich which was being given next door and asked if he could sit on our couch we had put there just for that occurrence. I said Sure. He asked me what was wrong with my scooter and I told him my tale of woe. He happened to be a mechnical engineer from Guadalajara Mexico and he quickly figured out how to do it....5 minutes later I was like new. You should know that I am married to a woman from Mexico and we have always had good luck in Mexico with people helping us when we had car trouble so I guess I should have expected this but it made me tearful. I was sort of frightened about the idea of having to walk my scooter a couple of blocks and then figuring out how to get it fixed. I am one lucky person: help comes my way when I need it. The lesson here is all folks with TravelScoot keep an extra belt with you at all times and your little Allen wrenches. You never know.......Dean Hughson

Tip from Elizabeth: Print out these instructions too!

Daniel's TravelScoot

From Daniel (in London):

You asked me about the how long the belt lasts and other TravelScoot use and wear data. I have been practising changing the Travelscoot Synchronous 5M 660 belt. It took me twenty minutes, and it is the third time I have done it myself.

The other 3 times, I got a friend to do it and watched him.

I want to be expert at replacing, so that whenever the belt breaks I can fix it -by the side of the road, if necessary.

One belt lasted me eleven months one other lasted only thirty days. Once when I was overseas and ran out of belts Hardy kindly sent one by immediate courier and so I was able to get moving again -to be with no belt is a disaster.

Here is a you-tube video of my fixing the scooter and then one with my friend trying to fix it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W3pWB2_U6E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGKCLjjjqC4

May I say something about the lovely and informative community of ideas that has developed on your Elizabeth TravelScoot website? It is that I notice reference to a picture of a bell with a crossbones image on it and a few places where mention of "high speed" and even a "not stopping for anyone" and "wind in my hair"! these terms are a bit radical ! (?) If there was ever an accident -God forbid, with a TravelScoot, the data in this website could be construed to show a cavalier attitude to fellow citizen's right to walk peaceably.

I regularly search "electric wheelchair" in Google News and see many instances of people upset by scooter-users hogging the sidewalk - some injured; some others seeking revenge! God forbid, already!

I hope you won't think the preceding three paragraphs as being unwelcome or inappropriate and I hope you won't bar me from participating in the fabulous Elizabeth TravelScoot web page.

Daniel, we welcome your participation on this blog. The references we make to speed is really more about having a taste of independence than about wanting to cause danger for anyone. I'm very careful around pedestrians, and I'm sure everyone else is too, because we don't want to give TravelScooters a bad reputation.