Well, lemme take a stab at this one!
1991 - Salina KS: I was cruising along between the North and South courses
at the Nationals on my Go-Ped, doing about 18 mph (max speed) and didn't see
one of those looooooooooong drainage grates coming 'til too late. (Go-Ped
tires don't like drainage grates.) I tried the one option I thought I had -
jump the grate. Having successfully jumped over things, this seemed a sure
bet. Jumped too early. Rear tire hit grate (I think, not sure). Go Ped
stops. Human beings cannot achieve 18 mph instantaneously. 10-15 feet later,
Charlie stops, 7 point landing. Elbows, knees, hands, chin. 7 stitches in
Salina hospital.
1992 - Salina KS: Go-Ped is declared a "skateboard" though it has only the
board in common with a skateboard. I wrote a letter to the SEB and Safety
Committee asking what I needed to do to make it not a skateboard (bigger
tires? add a seat? footpegs instead of board?) No answer. Go-Ped goes
into "Solo 2 Nationals hibernation."
1996(?) - Topeka KS: Charlie sees Bruce Domeck's little tiny motorcycle with
little tiny tires and has an idea.
1997(?) - Topeka KS: Go-Ped has a mini-bike seat, at mini-bike height, with
handlebars chopped to mini-bike height, and footpegs in place of board.
Charlie gets to site and immediately rides up to Andy Andrews (paddocked with
Bruce Domeck) on "Go-bike" (or is it "mini-ped?") to ask if it's allowed at
this site. Answer is "yes" as long as Charlie doesn't loan it to anyone and
promises to stay away from the one drainage grate on site (in impound.)
Charlie promises to only impound his car, not the Contraption Formerly Known
As Go-Ped. Andy advises that this allowance IS site specific, and that he
knows of Cen-Div sites where he would not allow it. Charlie (from San
Francisco Region) agrees not to bring it to those sites. Charlie also takes
considerable care riding over Topeka's many bad pavement patches, and does
not go full speed on the site at all.
Given that these scooters have even smaller tires than the CFKAG-P and
Domeck's Bike, I'm thinking they might be a bad idea at Topeka. The Chief
Safety Steward IS the person to talk to about it.
CHD
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