Leave. Other. People's. Shit. Alone!!!

"JohnnyWasASchoolBoy" (JohnnyWasASchoolBoy)
06/24/2015 at 19:24 • Filed to: None

I am... aggravated? Angry? Annoyed? Pick a word and I’m sure it will fit. I’m also heartbroken for my son.

My boy is 14, has his learner’s permit, and has worked exceedingly hard over the past couple of years to be able to purchase his scooter - a black, 2007, Lamberetta Uno 50. He haggled for it with the previous owner, did the paperwork, bought the insurance, and looked after the registration, all on his own. My wife and I have no financial stake in this. He did it all himself

He’s been driving it to school - the only kid in middle school with their own ride. He was given a parking spot by the school’s secretary so he had a safe place to park it.

This little, black piece-of-freedom-machine is his pride and joy.

And today, at school, someone screwed around with it.

The best we can figure - based on a mechanic friend looking at it - is that someone was fooling around with it, dropped it on its side and jammed up the throttle. Then, they placed it back on its wheels to cover their tracks, and didn’t report it. We also know that he didn’t do it himself as his afternoon teachers came to take a look and volunteered that he was in class all afternoon.

When he fired it up to go home, the throttle was jammed open and it raced off, away from him. Fortunately he wasn’t on it and wasn’t hurt. Unfortunately it bounced off the steel beam it had been locked to and then fell over. All the plastic on the right side is either cracked or outright broken, the front fairing is broken, the crankcase breather was torn off, the left-side controls are broken and the mounting screws are sheared, and it may have a severed oil line.

His newly-found freedom has been taken away by the carelessness of another person. More to the point, something he worked really hard for is now severely damaged; through no fault of his own.

The mechanics are an easy fix. The throttle housing bolts will take a while to replace. I have no idea where we’re going to find the replacement body panels for an eight-year-old, Italian scooter.

My boy is crushed. This kid works so hard to help people and to make the world a better place, that this has rocked his faith in people. Seriously. It breaks your heart. Especially today; a day that started on a high with the planting of his Urban Fruit Forest project on the school grounds. He just wants to help people, and this is what he gets in return.

DISCUSSION (25)

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:31

Were there cameras in the parking lot?

I know many high schools have them.

bob and john > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:31

cameras.

and if not. well, fuck. maybe get him a honda rukus?

E92M3 > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:32

Sorry to hear that. It’s a horrible feeling to walk up to your ride and discover someone’s damaged it. Even more so when it’s just a random stranger you did nothing to.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > bob and john
06/24/2015 at 19:33

Sadly, no cameras in the parking lot. We asked.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
06/24/2015 at 19:34

No. Unfortunately there aren’t. We asked.

BKosher84 > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:35

What pathetic pieces of garbage would do this to someones property? I hope you and the school finds out who did this and they get suspended/charged/have to pay for damages.. Gah!

bob and john > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:36

*flips shit*

CaptDale - is secretly British > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:43

That is absolutely terrible. That is very grown up of your son to take that all on by himself and then some shit fucks that all up. That is very saddening that those other children have not been taught to respect other people’s property.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 19:50

Shit....sorry about your kid’s ride. There are these sort of shitheads in middle school and high school but I don’t know how bad it could be.. http://www.adlyparts.com/scooter-parts/…

This might help you with the panels. I hope it comes through stronger and powerful than ever.

Baeromez > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 20:11

That really, really, really sucks. I would not even begin to tell you how to parent your child (it sounds like you’ve done an excellent job anyways), but I hope that you don’t throw any money at this. It’s a hard, cold truth that some people are assholes and that bad things can happen to good people for no reason, but it is an invaluable life lesson. Again, I know nothing about you or your son and wouldn’t presume to tell either of you how to live your lives, but I would bet that he’ll come out of this wiser and stronger for his struggle.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 20:11

I remember the director of my school was crazy mad when someone backed into someone else and didn’t say anything. I’d hate to see what he would have to say about this. I hope it all gets worked out for you and him.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 20:14

Do these match up?

http://www.adlyparts.com/scooter-parts/…

FlimFlamMan > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 20:16

Man... that truly sucks. That kid or a friend of theirs will run their mouth at some point in time, and word will get out. Never fails. Until then, unfortunately, it is back to the drawing board.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 20:45

Damn... that sucks. Any chance someone might have messed with it on purpose just for the laughs? Because that's the kind of shit that would happen around here... :/

Sam > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/24/2015 at 21:56

Here ya go. Should be able to get most of the broken stuff on here. It isn’t cheap, but parts are probably pretty scarce.

http://www.adlyparts.com/scooter-parts/…

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > Sam
06/25/2015 at 12:23

Thank you! We’ll go looking tonight after work/school.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
06/25/2015 at 12:24

I’m hoping for mischief rather than malice, but who knows...

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
06/25/2015 at 12:26

Yep. They’re bang on. Thanks a million! The boy and I are inventorying the broken vs salvagable parts tonight.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > Baeromez
06/25/2015 at 12:27

We probably won’t throw a bunch of cash at it. I think there is lots that can be salvaged. Couple of other people here have sent links to parts - THANK YOU! He said last night that it might be cool to strip it out and run it “Mad Max” style.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
06/25/2015 at 12:28

Thanks for the link. A couple of others sent it along as well. Love that the Jalop community is the way it is. Getting the links really cheered my boy up. Thanks again!

LongbowMkII > BKosher84
06/25/2015 at 12:37

13 year olds.

Tohru > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/25/2015 at 12:49

shiny and chrome!

Kinja'd!!!

Baeromez > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/25/2015 at 13:58

cool

Nauraushaun > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
06/29/2015 at 05:27

Your son has learned some valuable lessons. No matter how hard you work for something, there are some people who just want to ruin your shit. He sounds like an awesome kid and it’s a shame he had this happen to him so young. But unfortunately it’s the way of the world.

My second car was a pearl white 300ZX. It was a huge step up from the ‘88 Pulsar I’d been driving, and a few steps above the cars my peers were driving. I worked hard, paid with all my own cash, it was nearly immaculate. Some guy parked next to me one day, scraped the front of his car along the side of mine, bailed. Estimated 1k worth of damage. It happens.

Nauraushaun > Nauraushaun
06/30/2015 at 23:11

I might add that it was my birthday