I Am Pleased.

Billie, my Symba, has a four-speed transmission with an automatic clutch. The shift lever looks like a heel-toe shifter, but when I first got Billie I couldn't make it work as such. I'd read on a Symba forum that it helped to move the shifter a couple of notches to raise the heel. I tried that, but it was of only minimal help. I ended up thinking it was basically a toe-toe shifter, or in my case a heel-heel shifter -- push down of the front pedal with the heel to shift down and push down with the heel on the back pedal to shift up. This worked but was unacceptable to me. So, still  being a Norte-woods redneck at heart, I got out the duct tape and other assorted things I could find and started cobbling up a way to raise the front pedal.

Amazing what one can do with duct tape and a couple, three door stops.

My plan was once I had found the correct height for the shifter to actually work as a heel-toe shifter, I would find someone who could cut the lever and re-weld it in the proper position.

When Mike first looked over my bike I noticed his eyes hovering over "my mess" on the front-end of the shift lever. I explained to him what had been my plan. He said, "When I get my welder moved in, I can do that." Well, he has had his welder moved in for quite awhile, but there always something else that was a bigger priority or we were crunched for time or something. Finally, this Saturday was the day.

Here's the debris we removed from the front-end of the shift lever.

Mike said it really wouldn't take him very long to do this and I was surprised at how quick it went. This was even with having to drill out and re-tap the bolt that holds the lever on.

And here is the final product. He really did nice work.

I rode with it for a while yesterday and for a longer ride today and it works great!

Another thing I've wanted to get taken care of was the lights in the rear paniers. When I got the paniers put on, the rear turn signals needed to be moved, but the technicians that were working at Maplewood Scooter Company at the time, said they couldn't do that. I thought the lights in the paniers could work as turn signals, but they assured me they wouldn't. I picked up some LED turn signals at Cyclegear and suggested they run wires from the old turn signals to these and mount them low on the real fender. They said they could do that. And, they charged me a pretty penny to do so. Sadly, at the time I thought I was getting a deal. Oh well.

Notice the little LED Turn signal next to the license plate. Before these were added only folks directly behind me could see my turn signal. Not a good thing. But, with these little guys installed folks could see me from other lanes. This was a good thing.

Not long after Mike came to Maplewood Scooter Company, he asked me why I hadn't hooked up the lights in the paniers. I told him about my previous conversations. He just shrugged his shoulders and said he could do it and that it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. I told him I might just do that one day. Well, last Saturday was the day for that, too. Good thing, because since I last checked my turn signals one of the added lights no longer worked.

I'm really grateful that Mike is willing to let me watch him work so that I can know what he does and how he does it. I'm not a mechanical dummy, I just can't figure out how to begin anymore. That said, I'm still pretty good at knowing when someone is doing what needs doing. I can see the method in the way Mike works. It reminds me of watching my Grandpa Cole work on a project. I could see Mike checking and double checking everything. It was truly a beautiful thing to behold.

Originally the plan was to just hook up the panier lights as brake lights, but with the demise of my "high priced" turn signals we moved to plan "B". I think it turned out pretty well. Jeff the Sales Manager took this video with his iphone:

I am pleased.