And I didn't take it home. It wasn't
interesting enough for a Saved from the Scrapheap post. Besides, when
I peeked into the bin I saw something even better. But since there
wasn't a lot in the bin and it was down at the bottom, the item was
out of reach.
But I just had to have it. Improvising,
I took a bungee cord from my car and hooked it on the third try.
Indiana Jones would have been proud embarrassed.
This, as choosy motorcycle riders among
you will know, is a Perry Scott cargo box. It looked as though it had
seen a lot of miles– and possibly an accident of some kind given
the scuff marks. No matter what, I want to believe someone filled the
box with a Hefty bag filled with clothes and rode from Connecticut to
Sturgis and back again.
I'd also like to believe the motorcycle
it was sitting on it still in use today. The rest of it wasn't in the
Metal Only bin (I wouldn't have tried to lasso it if it was).
Naturally, I thought this would look
good on the back of a bicycle. But not just any bicycle. It would
have to go on the Ruler of the Island of Misfit Toys: the 30-year-old recumbent.
Not only would the Perry Scott box look interesting on the bike, but
because of the rider position, it would be the only bike such a box
could go on that wouldn't affect the drag coefficient (much).
After I took the picture of myself on
the recumbent, I fully realized just how high my back and shoulders
rise from the back of the seat, and there would be plenty of room for
the Perry Scott box.
But I was first faced with two
problems. The first one involved taking it off the metal frame it was
mounted on, and that involved using spanners on rusty bolts that
would shriek when finally loosened. While it was clamped in the jaws
of the PCS-12, I realized that whatever motorcycle this had come from
this had been sitting somewhere for quite a while. Not only was there
an abandoned bee starter home on the metal frame, but when I got the
last bolt off a stowaway jumped out and made a dash to the furnace
for its freedom.
It was definitely feeling like I had
gotten something for free at the recycling center – and that was
fine by me.
When I got the box off, I placed it on
the workbench and was slightly dismayed at the heavy weight. It is
good quality plastic, after all. Even though I really liked the
asthetics of the top rack, I reluctantly removed it to make the box
lighter.
Once I removed the rack, I held the box
and determined that yes, it was still heavy; far heavier than my
other cargo boxes, but I was still interested in the extra trunk
space.
After I gave it a good cleaning, I
faced the second problem, which was the lock on the lid of the rack was open and missing the key.
Unlike the professional bike cargo boxes and the better bike box I
made last year, there was no other latch mechanism. It would surely
pop open while riding, and it would look as though I was carrying a
toilet on my back with the seat up.
As it turned out, it was an easy fix: I
went to Keough's hardware store on High Ridge Road and an employee
there led me straight to what I needed to replace the lock. I picked
up a couple of other things too so I could properly finish the build.
I left Keough's with plastic bolts, some
rubber washers from the plumbing section, and a six dollar lock
mechanism. After I removed the old lock I did have to file the
opening a little to make the new one fit, but once I did, it worked
perfectly.
I was left with the stock knob at the
top and I thought I'd replace that too, so I rummaged through a small
collection of knobs stored in the 304 and tried my options, feeling
as though I was shopping for kitchen cabinets.
No.
Definitely no.
I ended up staying with the stock knob.
After I put it back on, I assembled my plastic bolts and rubber washers
in the four holes at the top (the result of removing the top rack) to
keep the rain out. I then very carefully centered it on the bike rack
and drilled the proper holes in the bottom for the mounting hardware, which I
borrowed from the better bike box.
When I was done, I couldn't believe how
good it looked and how much cargo space I had that I didn't have
before. I then spent several amusing minutes putting things in the box just
to see what would fit. It's the bike box equivalent of a clown car from the Ringling
Brother's circus. It truly is.
So far, I have taken the converted
Perry Scott box more than 60 miles in a few days time. The bike seems
to get even more attention; at a tag sale, a curious old man walked
up to where I had leaned it and opened up the cargo box (which
reminded me to keep it locked when I wasn't near it). I can also fit
two bags of groceries in the back and any number of random tag sale
finds.
So if you come across a Perry Scott box
and you have a cool bike to put it on, do it: it's worth the extra
weight and makes the bike – and biking – stand out. Thanks for
reading.
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