Second Vehicle IV: A Ray of Hope

Hmmm. Maybe a motor scooter isn't such a bad idea after all. I surf the web looking at scooters. Honda has nothing that really fits my situation, but Yamaha does: the Vino 125. Bigger engine than a moped, but smaller than a motorcycle. A practical compromise — enough power and speed for my needs, no more.

So I pay a visit to the Yamaha dealer in South Minneapolis, find the Vino and sit on it. Feels good! Looks good. Seems like a pretty good match for the Travel Adventure. I talk with a young salesman, Pete, (all names have been changed) who is amiable and helpful, and go home to think about it.

How would I bring this thing along? A carrier rack for the back of the RV is out of the question for anything this heavy — it would pull the back of the RV down. So I search for trailers. They come as fancy as you could want, upwards of thousands of dollars, but I want something small, simple, and appropriate to the task. Finally, I find one for around $500 shipped, but it would arrive as a box of parts and have to be assembled. When would I have time to do that? In the hot sun? Does this make any sense? I decide to think about it.

A couple of days later, I am struck with a Ray of Hope. Suddenly, it does make sense! Yes, I can do it! Yes, this is it! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Inspired, I revisit the Yamaha dealer, where I find that Pete is out sick that day, and Ralph can help me, but he's with another customer right now. OK, I sit on the Vino some more and wait. And wait. And wait. I go looking for Ralph and find that he's still in animated conversation with his customer, and shows no sign of acknowledging my existence on Planet Earth. So I inquire at the desk if someone else could help me, and follow Stu to his desk.

Stu is an amazing sight. It's only June, the season has barely begun, and already he's bored with selling motor scooters and motorcycles. He leans back in his chair, puts his hands behind his head, yawns, and answers my questions, but has no intention of selling me a Vino. I leave.

What's wrong with this picture? Don't they want to make sales? Don't they want to make money? Why would they brush off a person with a credit card in his pocket, ready to buy? My friends clued me in later. I don't fit the profile of their customers. I am, after all, a senior citizen.