Modern Buddy

and I am reading in a lot of scooter forums,
people are finding mice in thier scooters.
one person was driving down a road and hit a good bump and saw mice falling out the back end. they said when they got home they found a nest in the back area of thier scooter. so either mice want to hide in the scooters guts to hide from preditors, or it's a cheap way for them to travel around.

This is actually quite common with vehicles that may sit around for extended periods such as a scooter that has been stored for the winter. That is why it is a good idea to check any vehicle that has been stored for awhile.

yep! I never really stopped riding, but it's just getting back to comfortable temps.

going to be a fun summer!

One of our suggestions in our FAQ on winterizing/winter storage is to stuff a rag in the exhaust and cover other areas mice may seek out.

This happens pretty often!

I just get spiders. Overnight, even, they can make quite a mess of webs on my scooters.

I have cleaned out a few sportbike airboxes that were STUFFED FULL of corn, and one of rye seeds for winter storage. I think the big air intakes on the sportbikes are inviting for the critters. I have heard mothballs help keep them away during the winter months ...Always take a quick check before the spring start-up.

No problem with mice in my garage/shop/warehouse area. Mufasa the cat king is a great mouser!!! Scorpions and Black Widow spiders are another
matter. However have not found any on my scoots yet.

Today was the first riding day for me in several months , since as of last fall I have to drive one of the urchins to school most days. I hadn't so far worked up the initiative to get out and ride on the few nice/dry weekend days, either. Byegones.

Anyway, knowing it would be 72 and sunny today and the kid was off of school, I went out yesterday evening and uncovered the scoot, checked the oil and tire pressure, verified a green light on the Battery Tender, and fired it up. Thankfully the doses of SeaFoam and Stabil have been doing their job, and things run smoothly.

It was 33F and dark this morning when I left, so I put on some heavier gloves and threw on a safety vest, but it was good to get out and ride to work for once.

AT DAWN WE RIDE!!!!!

I came to work with no long johns, my 'midweight' gloves, and my armored hoodie. it was a tad chilly but the commute is short. Looking forward to getting out this afternoon.

Tomorrow we're doing a St. Patrick's day club ride, but it may rain. Good thing I bought the wife and I some rain gear, should arrive today. She's taking her MSF course this weekend.

A tip from my vintage car days: Mice and other rodents do not like the smell of dryer sheets. On a scooter I would place one under the seat, one in the glovebox, and one anywhere the lil' critters might get in and build a house or pile up seeds.

slotrod65 wrote:A tip from my vintage car days: Mice and other rodents do not like the smell of dryer sheets. On a scooter I would place one under the seat, one in the glovebox, and one anywhere the lil' critters might get in and build a house or pile up seeds.

I'll try it! our bikes live outside, though they rarely go unridden for more than a week. haven't had the mice move in yet but it could happen pretty fast. Bees too!

Spiders are very efficient as Eric pointed out. Had an orb weaver build a gorgeous web on mine last summer, and she looked very proud sitting in the middle of it. Hated to make her move, but I had a group ride to go to, so I picked her up with gloved hands (for the record I hate touching spiders, but I wasn't going to kill her for being a spider outside). She then built a very similar web on my OTHER scoot by the time I got back that evening.

Going to ride on Sunday, temps here should hit 70-72---finally. The
dryer sheet is a good tip, thanks. I keep Stabil in all my scoots and run them every so often during the down time. So far this year no carb problems.
Black Widows and Scorpions like dark secluded areas. Scorpion stings down here are like wasp stings, Black Widows are bad, Brown Widows are worse.
Find all 3 mostly in the barn, under stuff.

Wolfhound wrote:Black Widows and Scorpions like dark secluded areas. Scorpion stings down here are like wasp stings, Black Widows are bad, Brown Widows are worse.
Find all 3 mostly in the barn, under stuff.

I hear that. I have a friend who's a pest-control guy in Georgia and it's his job to crawl around under houses looking for trouble. I hear stories from him all the time. He got bitten by a black widow a couple years ago. Apparently, that was no fun at all.

Black Widows venom is flesh eating, but the Brown Widow is even more
venomous, can kill in some cases if left untreated.Always check your scoot,
you dont want to sit down on one!!!!

Yeah, my scoot sits in the back yard under a cover, and I've had the cover off once or twice over the winter to fire up the motor. This morning, I did check for any signs of critters

Wolfhound wrote:Black Widows venom is flesh eating, but the Brown Widow is even more
venomous, can kill in some cases if left untreated.Always check your scoot,
you dont want to sit down on one!!!!

No kidding, The Brown Widow is Real and Nasty! R

I'm trying out a new spider deterrent. I read somewhere that spiders do not like the scent of peppermint. It was suggested that you leave peppermint oil out to keep spiders away.

I'd taken a number of 2 liter bottle caps and stuffed cotton balls soaked with pure peppermint oil in them and placed them around the house and garage. So far, I've not seen a lot of spiders. Time will tell. Also, my garage smells quite fresh.

Even if it turns out to not be so effective, at least it smells good.

I have a 68 Cutlass that I only drive in the summer. 3 years back, mice decided to nest near the air intake/filter. They apparently also found it entertaining to chew on a few engine wires every now and then. It took me awhile to recover from their love of insulation.

Lesson learned. When not in use, I check on and start the car every week.

Rob

Steel wool works good to plug holes that you don't want them getting into. Not so much applicable to a scooter but it works. Also my dad wrapped part of the wiring harness on his tractor after they chewed up the wiring behind the instrument panel for the second time.

I also caught six mice in a car I had in high school, and that was when I was actively driving it. Caught four inside the car and two more that were in the ported subwoofer box. I also had a dead bird in that car. To this day I'm not sure if it flew in one night (I (used to) leave the windows down at night) and it died the next day while in the hot car at work with the windows up or if somebody planted it there. I'm guessing it flew in because one day I noticed some white stuff on the carpet underneath the dash which I later concluded was bird poop.

Doby sits outside in the cold. I don't t think it is particularly inviting to mice especially with the cover flapping in the wind

I don't get mice so much, but where I park my scooter behind my apartment, MFing spiders sure do love to nest around my nooks and crannies. AND I HATE MFING SPIDERS.

The only critters I have to deal with during winter-over are squirrels and such sneaking into the attic and the air space between my ceiling and roof. The weather's reaching the point where they vacate and return to the outdoors where they belong.

I'm back on the scooter as well. The late-March snow appears to have reached an end, and – just as importantly – I've picked up Flash following repairs to his front brake, replacement of his battery, belt, and rollers, and a general "spring cleaning". Despite 30ºF temperature for the 8-mile ride home, the roads were clear, and he performed like a champ. The forecast is still calling for around-freezing temps over the next week, but as long as the roads stay dry, I'm back in the saddle for the year! After a rather chaotic past several weeks (including a friend who spent the night stuck in a ditch after an accident), things finally start to feel like they're slotting back into place as they should be.

rats will eat your cables and their urine will rust through your frame faster than sea air.

Lokky wrote:rats will eat your cables and their urine will rust through your frame faster than sea air.

Maybe spreading some of the used kittie litter in close proxemity to the bike? Disgusting. But effective

Yep... Dryer sheets have worked well for me.
I keep a few snowmobiles in my garage at my cabin and mice used to move in and squirrels would stash food.
My old timer Wisconsin neighbor told me about dryer sheets and have not had a problem since (5 years now)
Just plug any opening.... Exhaust, etc and I toss a couple in the engine compartment and the storage areas.

If Spring is in the air why have we had freezing weather, high winds, and this morning a dusting of snow on the ground!!! Bah!! Humbug!!!

Dusting, humph. We took a foot of snow on Sunday.

We had snow here all last week, so I'm happy with a dusting right now. Just gotta watch for places where traffic and cold air have converted that "dust" into glaze.

just got a foot too!

of course it will be 65 by the weekend, which is all I ask....

Unlike ya'all Yankees, a dusting down here either means snow or we are
burning pine in the fire place!!!

Finally got decent weather! Mid 50's, sunny and dry. I rode my scooter the 15 miles to my dealer to have a front rack installed and a new top case put on along with the regular service work. My daughter and granddaughter followed behind me in the car to give me a ride home. The wind was strong but was only a problem when I had to go up on a bridge going over the railroad tracks. My new modular full face helmet worked well keeping the wind off my face and my Corazzo underhoody was comfortable to wear under my jacket. We are in for more cold weather next week but hopefully it will warm up enough to ride the scooter back home once all the work is done on it.

I really have it in for that lying SOB groundhog. If he is found not breathing one of thee days I just want you all to know I have an aliby: I was out riding in the snow and slush.