TheScooterScoop

(Just checked the tire pressure and I’m ready to roll!)

What started out as a promise back in August evolved into something much larger. Back when Alix’s journey was expected to be 9,000 miles ending in Crawford I had posted that I would like to ride up to meet her. Forty six days later I received an email from Alix taking me up on my offer. I was both a bit excited AND a bit bummed. I mean, think of all the things I could get done in this trip but, at the same time, think of all the work that has to be done with less than one month before she arrives. I put it out there and she called me on it… so I’ll be damned if I’m gonna go back on my word. I’m doing it.

At that time I had a pretty narrow and selfish set of goals. I could promote the Scoop. I could support a cause sponsored by one of our sponsors, Genuine. I could have a story about a girl who rode 9,000 miles (which actually ended up being over 11,000) on a scooter. I might be able to finally give the Buddy a test ride. I could see how my new “summer time / inner city” Momo Helmet from sponsor Benchmark Helmets, held up in the long haul. That was about it… but this little story became MUCH larger. It became much more work, much more of a commitment, much more expensive and much more antagonistic than I even imagined… and if I had it to do over, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

First off, the Buddy? Bullet proof. No, not literally and no, I’m not simply saying that because Genuine is a sponsor of this site. The 250 miles I put on that scooter really changed my opinion of her. At first I wasn’t completely sold on her aesthetics; additionally she looked just too damn small for a 6ft 200lbs dude. I remember thinking, “125 cc FOUR stroke? I’m not going to make it to Crawford in one DAY, thats if I even make it in one PIECE.” But, I’m here to say that the Buddy is the best all-purpose scooter I’ve ever ridden.

Above our standard requirements of “tight fit and finish” and “good support and warranty”, the Buddy offered much more. First of all, from a dealer standpoint, John C. at the Urban Moto Shop here in Austin said preparing the scooter was a dream and from her first moments of life she was ready to run her entire power band. There was no sputtering or stalling, just twist and go. Most scooters need some time for the rings to seat and for the spinny bits to get all oily and settled… you wouldn’t wanna take ‘em straight out on the road.

The Buddy is light weight and easy to control. Her performance on inner city roads is impressive. The suspension was a bit harsh, but the front disc / rear drum brakes did their job nicely. The only time the brake were a bit squirrelly was when we were fooling around riding two up with nearly 450 lbs of man meat on ‘em. Surprisingly, she was still ridable.

On the freeway, yes we took the Buddy on the freeway, she did much better than I could have expected. I would never suggest you take a 125cc scooter on I35, but there were not a lot of options for us on this ride. We were in a hurry. No “scenic route” would have be able to get us from Austin to Crawford in 3 hours, so we took I35 to 317 most of the way up and ALL of the way back. Once I got past the unnerving feeling of being passed by cars, trucks and rigs doing 75 – 85mph I was ok with the freeway. My speedometer registered 74 mph at times, but I understand the Buddy’s speedo is a bit generous. Alix said I was probably doing more like 68 and while there were times she could hit this speed it was during cooler temps, on a slight decline, with a tail wind. The Buddy that Urban Moto Shop provided was a bit tuned with an aftermarket pipe, roller weights and jets, but she was still in her break-in period. Her cruising speed was around 65 and on the trip home, when it was hot and we were getting blasted by head winds, my speed actually topped out at around 55 mph. Strangely, as soon as the sun set were were back on the I35 and my speed jumped back up to the 70′s.

One more thing about her performance at top speed. She never felt unstable. Bumps in the road sometimes gave me a bone jarring rattle, but she was never scary or shaky. I think you could actually rider her at the 80 mph listed on her speedo (so that might be 74 mph) if you upgraded the shocks and maybe added a rear disc brake. You’d just have to be able to get her there (more displacement, higher compression, oil coolers, etc.)

I really got used to some of her features. Nice, bright headlight… useful storage pocket up front with cigarette lighter outlet (for charging the BlackBerry), ample storage under the seat for a change of clothes some snacks, drinks and a couple of cameras.

For three hour rides, the Buddy’s seat was passable; not a Helix seat and not a Corbin aftermarket, but functional and actually MORE comfortable than some bigger scooters I’ve ridden.

The floorboard actually fit my size 11 shoes and allowed me to change position a bit but doesn’t allow for a lot of adjusting if you are a rider with restless leg syndrome.

The aftermarket pipe we put on had a louder growl/ping so once we were getting on the highway I went with ear plugs. It’s not a bother when you’re on city streets where you vary your speed and of course the stock pipe is quite as can be.

The last thing and my only real complaint was that the handlebar grips were a tad small for my hands, which made wringing her hour out for 2+ hours straight a bit uncomfortable. (oh, and there was this weird rattle under my feet, but I’m sure it’s just that the battery needs to be buckled in. I’ll bring that up to John C.)

By now you’re starting to get what I was saying about “best all-purpose scooter” though. If you had to cover some distance you could easily. If you still don’t believe me ask Alix with over 11,000 miles or Keys with over 14,000 miles. In the city she’s about as nimble as they get… almost like controlling a mountain bike. She has nice storage options; a place to throw your gloves and glasses, a place to stow your helmet, water bottle and beef jerky AND if you need more, the ability to tack on a front rack/basket and a rear top case. She is comfortable for a smaller rider, like Alix, or a bigger rider like me. She’s kinda the VW Bug of the modern scooter world. So, you could buy one for the wife, but ride it around yourself.
Bravo Genuine, again I’m impressed.

PS>
Oh I just remembered… I’m glad the gas gage is a bit under stated, meaning when it hits the peg, you’ve still got a couple of miles of gas left in her to make it to the pump. Once during the ride I was overcome with the fear of being be stuck out in the middle of a corn field on empty, but luckily that didn’t happen. Whew.

That was the scooter review part… Stay tuned for the Helmet review AND the emotional tale of the trip coming later this week.