Acquiring a part for my scooter

 Acquiring a part for my scooter.

One of the major problems of having a vehicle down here, is storing it when you are gone.  Since im only here 3 months and in calif for 9, this can be a real problem.  Just parking it is out of the question.  The humidity and salt air would render it scrap in no time.   Someone must keep it and preferably use it.   Took a flyer on a local kid several years ago and he trashed the scooter I lent him. A heap of junk when I returned.   Ah well. Bad choice.   Similar  experience the next year with the next scooter.  Sigltly better person, but  a cheating mechanic stole parts off it before returning what was left as essentially junk.  Last year left my  scooter roman numeral 3 with german ex pat who is the local fixit.   Eureka. At last I found someone I could trust.   It was in great shape when I arrived.  He even painted  it.  Word is he rode it exclusively as it gets better mileage than his gas guzzling larger bike.  Only problem is that something is wrong with the charging system and it tends to blow headlite bulbs.  One would have to experience the series of potholes that passes for the main road to understand the value of a headlite at nite.  Around the village no sweat, but my main purpose in even having the scooter is for the occasional shopping forays to the neighboring town of Puerto Viejo, 10 miles up the road.  When o go I like to have a fine meal at one of the excellent restaurants for tourists, which means a return after dark.  The road is a  pot holed experience by day and a hellish adventure by nite.   

This lengthy preamble sets the stage for the following tale: 

Acquiring a part for my scooter.

Life in cr:  part x

things happen here, that seem to require attention, are given what one supposes is sufficient attention, and then that attention doesnt bring results, and on and on.  example:  my local mechanic wrote me months ago that  we needed an electrical  part for my scooter.  wanted me to get it in states, as well as a wiring diagram.  So I tried, but several hours on computer revealed that my model was not sold in states.  no listing.  It didn’t exist. No worries.  I’ll try again when in cr.  Im here and time for plan B.  so spent several hours having tico friend abel phone  san jose yahama dealer for me, to order the part.  why my local  mech didnt do that in first place?  well, his spanish is not good enuff.  it took abel at least an hour to arrange it.  then i had to transfer money from my bank to theirs to pay for it.  except they gave us the wrong bank accnt # for that kind of transfer. Only took half an hour to figure out why the internet transfer would not work.  And three more phone calls.   For some other kind of bank to bank transfer it would work but not for that kind.  toss another hour into the void.  now the part is on its way.  can i pick it up in Puerto Viejo- the nearest freight office?  not exactly.  we had em send it to abel, not to my name.  big mistake.  can i pick it up for able?  not exactly. Can’t abel simply call the  freight office in pv and  tell em that chamba, passport so and so, will pick it up for him?  Or can he write a note to that effect, for me to give them?   probably but it might have to be witnessed/signed by a notary.  Seems to depend on the mood of the guy at the freight office.  so answer is maybe, maybe not.  are you beginning to get the picture?  oh yeah, now for the kicker.  we need a wiring diagram in order to ascertain the scooter is  properly wired in the first place, so as to  not fry the new electrical component when we put it in. [remember I bought the scooter used and only  god knows how many pseudo mechanics have fiddled with it over the years].  in states, you go on web and download the diagram which in this case does not exist [there] as the model does not exist.  so we ask the dealer to have his mechanic please photo copy the single page and send it to us, by freight along with the part, in an email, by fax, or on mule back.  whatever, just send us the diagram.  only to be informed that that is illegal.  they can only provide wiring diagram to licensed mechanic.  is this true or simply that they want to do the repairs, and no one else?  how the fuck do i know?  and what might it take to actually find out?  If they were close by it might be worth it, to bite the bullet and have em do the installation, but san jose is 5 hours by car, and one would die on the way if they attempted to ride this 100 cc scooter there.  Of course the lack of the wiring diagram is not really a problem until i have the part in my hands and its anyones guess when that might occur.  Its is “sure” to arrive today.  Will I go today to get it?  Of course not.  I’ll wait at least until tomarrow.  Slowly, and painfully, im learning. 

And lyle plans to come down here and marshal the troops to build him a house.  i can hardly wait. For sheer entertainment value it should be priceless.