Rattler: DC to Alaska for Charity

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:00 pm

Pete Waterman is riding his Rattler 110 from Washington, DC to Alaska.

Check it out:
http://www.trackpete.net/

http://www.facebook.com/trackpete

http://twitter.com/trackpete

5,000+ miles on a 10hp scooter from Washington DC to Alaska...
Each day gets longer and colder...
Barely any extra room for gear, fuel, food, and water...
Bears! Dude, seriously, freakin' BEARS!
Can the scooter survive? Can Pete survive?

My goal is to raise $1 per mile ridden for brain tumor research. Every person who donates will have their name written on my scooter and join me at the Arctic Circle in spirit.

Follow the adventure here! Tell your friends!

To donate:
http://www.firstgiving.com/trackpete

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:33 pm

this is totaly awesome! I really hope he meets his goal for donations.

Korova · Post by **Korova** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:39 pm

Looks like he got pulled over on an interstate for going too slow... Is rattler 110 freeway legal?

Maybe he should avoid interstates... I would... get some backroads!

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:44 pm

Here in michigan you have to ride something with 125cc or more to go on the interstate.

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:58 pm

That's trackpete, he's a member here so lets support if we can.
show em what that Rat can do, Pate!

BootScootin'FireFighter · Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:13 am

He got his from first Rattler from the same place I got mine, ended up being a lemon. He pushed it 6 miles to get serviced! I was at Mod Classics dropping of Jules scoot when we read that blog post. One of the techs and I were trying to find some email or phone number to try to pick up him and his bike and bring it in. I'd probably go a mile pushing it and quit, that's a BEAST right there... GO PETE! You're awesome dude, sorry I was at work during your sendoff party, but I got your bar tab for the evening when you get back to DC.

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:36 am

ericalm wrote:Pete Waterman is riding his Rattler 110 from Washington, DC to Alaska.

Hey, that's me! Thanks for the mention, I've been experimenting with not trying to bring too much attention to the whole thing myself just to see what happens.

Korova wrote:Looks like he got pulled over on an interstate for going too slow... Is rattler 110 freeway legal?

Maybe he should avoid interstates... I would... get some backroads!

I was in the break-in period still and doing silly things like decelerating randomly and not going over 45MPH - after around 400 miles in one day on local roads I was trying to save time by skipping lights. I figured the Interstate would be all good since I could ride slow in the slow lane for the last hundred miles after midnight but that officer was quite concerned for my safety! (try riding in India, heh)

He looked up every regulation in the book and it was all good, just paced me afterwards to make sure I really could do 50MPH.

I try very hard to avoid interstates but sometimes it's not reasonable (like getting trapped in downtown Manhattan, sucked).

BootScootin'FireFighter wrote:...I'd probably go a mile pushing it and quit, that's a BEAST right there... GO PETE!

Haha, I almost had to push it again today! Had a 150+ mile stretch in the mountains of Quebec with no gas stations and all the hills wreaked havoc with my gas mileage calculations (~70MPG instead of the normal 90+!). Luckily my spare gallon got me to a gas station on blinking E with the next town still 5km out.

No worries about the happy hour, plenty of time for beers if I make it back.

Just shy of 1500 miles in, hoping to hit Ontario tomorrow...

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:39 am

Holy wow! I don't think I've ever seen so much gear on a scooter like that before

Looks like your having quite an adventure

bigbropgo · Post by **bigbropgo** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:46 am

Great pic. Best of luck and keep us updated.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 5:53 pm

Korova wrote:Looks like he got pulled over on an interstate for going too slow... Is rattler 110 freeway legal?

The rules vary by state and province, but the lowest I've seen is 125cc.

Korova wrote:Maybe he should avoid interstates... I would... get some backroads!

That's certainly MI way to travel.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:11 pm

there's a big difference between I-90 in central Montana and the I-495 Capital Beltway. 1 would be do-able, the other is a suicide mission.

Bjc617 · Post by **Bjc617** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:58 pm

He stopped by our shop in boston for a gear oil change and some 2 stroke oil really nice guy and wish him the best of luck

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:16 pm

I just finally used your oil yesterday! I was saving it for emergencies and finally ran low a long ways from anything in either direction.

Right now I'm at a memorial for Terry Fox, who ran across half of Canada averaging 26 miles a day with one leg to raise money and awareness for cancer research in the 80's. What I'm doing isn't even 1% as amazing or hardcore as that, but I still hope it makes a little difference.

Thanks a ton to the forum members who have donated - you'll be on the scooter for the rest of the trip! Please keep spreading the word and linking friends, family, coworkers, etc. to my site at http://scootforcharity.com to help me reach my goal!

Here are a couple more photos en-route... 2200+ miles down so far!

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:00 pm

Is that Isle Royale on the background? I've never seen it from that angle, but it's near Thunder Bay and the profile looks about right. That's one of my favorites places on the planet. (Scooters aren't allowed there... and I like it that way.)

dawg onit · Post by **dawg onit** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 8:08 pm

You rock Pete, stay up amigo. I NEVER donate "online" but I think I'll make an exception here!

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 10:49 pm

Way to go, Peter! Great packing job, from the looks of it! I can't believe I never considered using the step-through for a pack. Then again, I like my leg room....

SkipsMom · Post by **SkipsMom** » Sun Jul 25, 2010 12:43 pm

I'm new to Scootin ....Good luck Pete...Gods Speed all the way...I'll have you in my thoughts and Prayers... Way to go..

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Sun Jul 25, 2010 8:46 pm

pugbuddy wrote:Way to go, Peter! Great packing job, from the looks of it! I can't believe I never considered using the step-through for a pack. Then again, I like my leg room....

It's constantly evolving - I sit far back on the seat so I still have a bit of leg room, but I had a genius idea yesterday that I was able to implement today. I installed a custom set of highway pegs that I manufactured on the side of the road using all my skill... it definitely adds some more options for foot placement! (see below)

TVB wrote:Is that Isle Royale on the background? I've never seen it from that angle, but it's near Thunder Bay and the profile looks about right. That's one of my favorites places on the planet. (Scooters aren't allowed there... and I like it that way.)

It probably is, though I can't say for sure. There was a great view from there.

dawg onit wrote:You rock Pete, stay up amigo. I NEVER donate "online" but I think I'll make an exception here!

Thanks dawg!

I had my first "oh crap" moment today when Red died at 45MPH for no apparent reason. After a few moments it started again and made it 20km more before it died again and refused to turn over - and at this point I was 60+km to the next town and 100+km past the last one.

Luckily the guys at Scooters Go Green insisted I take an extra spark plug, so I pulled out the original and man was it trashed! I didn't really keep track of the fact that I blew past 2500 miles already. I swapped in the replacement plug and after a bit of work (had to kick start it), Red finally hit the road again. I've done around 200km since the swap and it seems solid, finger's crossed...

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:44 pm

I had a lazy day yesterday (as evidenced by the posting on here) and only did 161 miles. Spent the evening in a McDonald's editing video from the first part of the trip then uploaded it this morning at the same McDonald's on the way out of town. In an hour or so I'll be back on the road for a couple days of hard riding I expect.

Direct Link to video on Facebook

Embedded:

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jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 4:22 pm

that video was totaly awesome trackpete! Looks like your having one hell of a good ride so far, hope the rest of the ride goes as well for ya

BootScootin'FireFighter · Mon Jul 26, 2010 4:43 pm

that video was sweet. I can't wait to see some mountains when you get to Alberta... maybe by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Are you planning to ride Red back, or have her shipped home?

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:41 pm

How I get home depends on how much I raise for the ABTA.

New video is up, had to take a break to wash some clothes... http://scootforcharity.com for direct links. Here's the embed:

<object width="601" height="338"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id= ... llscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id= ... llscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="601" height="338"></embed></object>

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:38 pm

3200 miles in ten days! very impressive. I've had my Buddy for almost two years now and I don't yet have 3k.

techoi · Post by **techoi** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:46 pm

You da man, Pete. Stay safe.

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:40 pm

Thanks guys! I ended up detouring down to Montana during a scare that something was seriously wrong with the engine, but then we thought it was all good and it turned out to just be carbon buildup in the exhaust (whew!).

More videos and pics up on the site and facebook, check 'em out!

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:31 pm

You know you're "out there" when you steer for Montana to find a populated place.

ScootLemont · Post by **ScootLemont** » Mon Aug 02, 2010 11:33 pm

I have been following him on Facebook - it is very cool to be keeping track of his travels & his latest video is awesome

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Tue Aug 03, 2010 1:11 am

TVB wrote:You know you're "out there" when you steer for Montana to find a populated place.

You know four-wheelers are street legal there

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:47 pm

Today starts my fourth week on the road! Just over 5300 miles so far. The Rattler is still awesome and I'm still in love with it and having tons of fun. Today I hope to get to Dawson Creek and start up the Alaska Highway tomorrow! It's definitely going to get real then.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:28 pm

I'm so freaking jealous of this trip!

Continued happy travels, man, and keep those pics and updates coming!

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:58 pm

OMG that picture makes me want to be there right now! Looks like your having one hell of a great ride.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:17 pm

jasondavis48108 wrote:OMG that picture makes me want to be there right now! Looks like your having one hell of a great ride.

Looks to me like he's having a hell of a great nap!

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 11:41 pm

TVB wrote:
jasondavis48108 wrote:OMG that picture makes me want to be there right now! Looks like your having one hell of a great ride.
Looks to me like he's having a hell of a great nap!

ah! but all of that mist you see in the picture is actually 2T exhaust

Quo Vadimus · Post by **Quo Vadimus** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 12:01 am

I don't know how this is the first time I've seen this post. How freaking amazing. Stay safe and keep gracing us with the beautiful updates!

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 12:35 am

AMAZING! I'm with Eric, soooo jealous! What a great trip. And Jasper/Banff/Lake Louise is some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. Looove it there! Ride safe and have the time of your life!!! Look forward to more reports!

BootScootin'FireFighter · Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:26 am

Awesome photo Pete. It's probably very reassuring that you're seeing mountains by now. I love the daily facebook updates, it has become part of my morning routine now.

trackpete · Post by **trackpete** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:51 am

Now the Dalton Highway is starting to look real! I'm halfway done with the Alaska Highway (actually I'm going to cut off it at Whitehorse and head up to the Top of the World Highway) and am hopefully less than a week away from Fairbanks.

My tires have been holding up perfectly and still have tons of tread with 6500+ miles, which is really mind blowing. I'm currently trying to figure out whether or not I have a shot at picking up some spare tires in Fairbanks for the ride to Deadhorse but my grand plan of throwing on some ATV tires (hey they have the same size rims right?) doesn't look likely. May have to have someone ship some scooter tires up to Fairbanks!

If only I had reliable internet... alas. Time to get into the tent for the night. Looks like I might make it a whole day without rain finally!

As always, more photos on facebook.com/trackpete