Modern Buddy

Hey guys,

I don't know about elsewhere, but my state (WA) considers any two-wheeled vehicle that can do over 30MPH a motorcycle, and requires an endorsement to drive. That got me thinking about the differences between the two and led me to be curious about why others are choosing to ride a Buddy/scooter rather than a motorcycle.

I'm still about a couple weeks out from purchasing a Buddy, and definitely see myself going that route rather than getting a bike, and really don't have a justification other than it "just seems like a better fit for me right now."

So, what led to ride a scooter rather than the alternative?

For me it was the simple fact that I just didn't see myself as a motorcyclist. I enjoy the odd/rare/weird/eye-catching vehicles (not a sedan kinda girl!) and a scooter seemed more 'me.'

Also, I grew up riding dirt bikes and occasionally being toted around on the back of my oldest brothers' Triumph but one day the old man that lived across the street putted out of his garage on a Vespa. I was instantly taken by the looks, the sound, the whole nine yards.

Years went by and Honda started hawking their scooters w/adverts starring 'rock stars' and I wished every time I saw one of those commercials that I could afford one on my piddly little allowance. More years went by and I happened past the local Vespa dealer one day as they were unloading a new shipment....the bug bit me again! I started shopping.

It took me a lot of years, but I finally bought myself one (about 5 years ago). Now, I can't imagine not having one!

I have been a motorcycle guy going back to 1971. My first bike was a Honda SL90 (look them up; they're kinda cool). I have had many bikes since then, some street bikes and many dirt bikes.

My knees aren't so crazy about riding dirt bikes on trails anymore. But I still wanted to ride. My son got a scooter so I thought I'd give it a try and bought a Roughhouse 50. I was suprised with what I have found. Scooters are really fun!

My Roughhouse is small, simple, not too fast, and very nimble. The simple joy of riding takes me back to my first bike when every ride was a pleasure. I loved riding back then and I still do. And for me, riding a large motorcycle would be like work (a small one would be okay). I like to poke around and explore, take the backroads and see what's out there.

A motorcycle is just a little less suited for what I want to do, because scooters are so nimble and lend themselves more to pure fun without the ego.

I expect to get a larger bike so I can explore further. And I surprise myself by concluding a larger scooter would be a better choice than a motorcycle. This is due to reasons I mentioned above, and also because the storage under the seat means I don't have to take a backpack, the CVT transmission means simplicity, and the emphasis is on fun, not ego or whatever.

And, having a small scooter doesn't have to limit us. My longest trip so far is 120 miles. Not bad on a 50cc Scooter. And I cannot come up with any motorcycle that I would rather have done that ride on.

At least in my case, the point never was what kind of license or insurance was required to ride a particular bike. I would never ride without previous rider training and I would never ride without insurance. That means I can ride any bike (scooter or motorcycle) that I choose. And I have ridden quite a few at different times. I ride scooters because I enjoy the ride. If I found a Goldwing more enjoyable, that is what I would ride .

I grew up with a Harley dad...spent a lot of time in his club surrounded by loud bikes. I love a good, manly looking motorcycle but when my friend's father won a Honda Elite I fell instantly for it. He let me ride it once...I was only 8 at the time...but I dreamed of one for years.

Fast forward to now. My husband is a biker and I could have gotten my license at anytime and taken my pick from any of the motorcycles in our garage but never wanted to. In fact we did have a old 250cc Yamaha that he got me but I just never had the desire to bother to ride it.

This year I got some cash from a car accident settlement and decided I was time to get my scooter. After taking the MSF course, I'm glad I did. I took the class on a bike and realized that I just don't enjoy the shifting or riding position of a motorcycle. (The damage to my back from the car accident also makes the leg swing mounting painful)

Now I ride on my Buddy right next to my husband on his big, chromed out cruiser...we make quite the pair.

A lot of us here it seems are also Motorcycle riders... I got my first motorcycle in 1966...I have a Full blown Harley Bagger now. Scooters are completely different until you start getting into the 500 and up models.. I Love my Buddy 125 for just riding around and having fun. It's light, a couple of hundred pounds, fast for what it is, nimble, and relaxing . I can Explore with it, and not worry about ending up on a dead end road, and struggling to get it turned around...plus at almost 100 miles per gallon, it's great for all that, plus making that trip to the store, for just a few items..Seems like there is always a place to park it, just about anywhere..plus people think it's CUTE, LOL....

I own both. If it has 2 wheels it i fun. I put about 4K on scooters lat year, about 6K on motorcycles. I have fun on both.

I hate shifting. I sucked at it on a bicycle, never got used to it.

I did have a standard car for a while, so I'm capable of the concept. But I never liked it.

But I don't even want to think about it in traffic.

I also prefer the way you sit on a scooter.

All personal preferences though. I totally understand the appeal of other styles. Just not for me.

For me, the fact that scooters don't necessarily require the additional expenses and licensing of a motorcycle was part of what attracted me to them. But I suppose I could have sought out a proper moped instead, so the design was also a factor.

The fact that there's storage space under the seat was really appealing (and part of why I was attracted to the Yamaha C3) because if I was going to get another vehicle, it had to be useful for things like getting groceries.

I've always had cars (and bicycles) with manual transmissions, so the Buddy's automatic transmission wasn't an issue ... but like the 12V outlet, the fact that it has it is really pretty nice.

Years and years ago, Ed Brubaker (better known today for writing Captain America, Batman, and X-Men comics) wrote and illustrated a comic about his lowlife slacker days, in which he rode a scooter, and that's appealed to me ever since.

Oh, and my mother forbade me to get ever get a motorcycle.

I was looking for a 'cycle and wound up with a scoot - and although I am getting the 'cycle still, and right now plan to sell the Buddy - I really don't want to. :(:):( I keep trying to think of ways/justify keeping both of them.

The Buddy 150 has such a "fun factor" about it, the onboard stowage is nice, it has both nimbleness and speed, it is very nice looking... They're just "friendly" in all ways.

The 'cycle I am getting is very much like the Buddy - 30" standover, 150cc engine, relatively short wheelbase (about 2" more than the Buddy), a very nice retro-ish look to it. I expect that it will get much the same reaction from folks as the Buddy, but - not from nearly as many of them.

I think the main difference between the two to non-riders is a perceived ease of use; scooters *look like* they are very simple, you just "sit, twist and go", whereas motorcycles have clutches and shift pedals and an engine hanging out in midair and visually just have more going on that makes them seem complicated and thus a bit intimidating, more than they are in actuality.

For me, the main reason I prefer the cycle just that little bit, is the larger wheels. I live in a small town, and the "low speed", urban areas for me to ride in are pretty darn small - I might be able to link up a 15 block ride of <40mph sections, but most of the roads around here are 45-60mph, and traffic is, if not city-dense, at least heavy enough that I ride constantly in the presence of big pickup trucks and SUV's. You don't find a lot of Volts or Leafs or similar in the deep South - kinda like scoots. But motorcycles are not at all uncommon. While the Buddy will easily do 50+, the small wheels are just a little too twitchy for me at that speed for sustained driving in traffic, and I definitely don't want to find out how they'll react if/when I have to hit the grass shoulder to avoid an accident. Perhaps if I was more experienced it wouldn't matter so much, but the 'mental overhead' racks up pretty good for me when running that fast, and I would definitely be more comfortable on the larger wheels. Kind of like riding my mountain bike on downhill singletrack, versus my folding bike; I love them both, but would much rather the mb in that situation, it is going to be more forgiving of small errors.

OTGH, I took the Buddy downtown yesterday afternoon, stopped in at an ice cream shop for a waffle cone and sat inside while eating it, watching people walk by the Buddy parked out front. Easily 90%+ of people who walked by took, at the least, a long look at it. Some even stopped to give it a complete once-over, or a 360* walkaround. I guess the form factor is still novel enough in this country that that is to be expected. The styling of the Buddy in particular - "new retro", for lack of a better description - really pulls people in, I think especially in comparison to the overly-angular 'transformer/speed/ninja' look many new scooters have. Go, Buddy, go!

I have a motorcycle endorsement- operating anything larger than a 50cc requires one in my state.

There are several reasons why.

1. It gets used as a commuter bike more than anything else (when I'm not changing cranks on it, thanks Genuine) and the storage comes in handy.
2. Better gas milage helps with the above.
3. Much cheaper. Compare the cost of any 250 cc scooter to a Ninja 250. Yikes.
4. Insurance is cheaper.
5. More comfortable for commutes than a motorcycle.
6. Deaths and serious injuries are about 50% lower on a scooter than a motorcycle (but about 50% higher than a car).
7. I don't trust myself on a motorcycle- if a motorcycle tops out at 180, I tend to be the type of person that would make an attempt to get it there.
8. Corollary to the above, I really enjoy being able to bang gears and fool around with my Stella (again, when it runs) while staying within a reasonable distance of the speed limit.

NikVee wrote:Hey guys,

I don't know about elsewhere, but my state (WA) considers any two-wheeled vehicle that can do over 30MPH a motorcycle, and requires an endorsement to drive. That got me thinking about the differences between the two and led me to be curious about why others are choosing to ride a Buddy/scooter rather than a motorcycle.

I'm still about a couple weeks out from purchasing a Buddy, and definitely see myself going that route rather than getting a bike, and really don't have a justification other than it "just seems like a better fit for me right now."

So, what led to ride a scooter rather than the alternative?

For me, it's the auto transmission (sorry, Stella riders) rather than the MC style heel & toe shifting with hand clutching. Also, at my age (79 soon to be 80) I like the scooter's relative lighter weight.

Bill in Seattle
'12 170i Italia

For me it is choosing the best tool for the job. I currently live in an urban area and maneuvering a 250 lb machine is much more enjoyable than making a low speed U turn on a 700 lb bike. My last bike before my Vespa was a CBR1000. I found that I would choose the cage more often for short trips.

Also, you ride with a different sort, depending on the bike. With scooters you get more diversity in your rides. Never wanted a Harley--don't like the attitude and cost of the uniforms.

i had the opportunity to ride a scooter which wasn't mine and thought after a bit "i want one of these."

a MC seemed a whole other deal for a new rider like myself at the time, and after 300 miles on a Blackjack i knew the difference even if never having rode either before. auto trans, lightweight, easy to handle, i would recommend a scooter to any new rider over a MC if it suits the needs of the rider and they want a learning curve of sorts

all depends where a person rides, though. i have Los Angeles in mind, and only Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. and getting around L.A. by scooter is a blast so i would assume other heavily congested urban environs are, as well. but posted speed limits 50mph and above are not kind to many 150cc and under scoots with traffic bearing down, so if you need that sort of speed (60 consistent mph+ in varying conditions) a bigger displacement scooter or MC would be best, regardless

otherwise scooters are awesome small bikes in the city and i will always have a small one next to a bigger MC

I just bought one because of Robin Tunney in Empire Records. You guys think too much.

you're easily persuaded moderator illnoise

What!? It was onscreen for like three or four seconds! Actually, now that I look at it, I think I already had my first Vespa when that movie came out. So it must have been a Depeche Mode video or something.

And I'm only a moderator in that I moderate my time here very efficiently by only posting dumb stuff like this once a month when I'm too tired to go to sleep.

Thinking about this a little more, part of why I wanted a scooter was that... it was all I needed. People have a tendency to go for overkill "just in case" or assuming that you can never have "too much". I don't buy that. I wouldn't get an SUV when a little hatchback is enough for nearly everything I'd ever need a vehicle for. But even that's more vehicle than I usually need. All I needed was something that could transport one person and a little stuff from one place to another. So why get a motorcycle when a 50cc scooter is enough?

Hi!

I have a scoot and a moto. The scoot is a good commuter vehicle, better than the moto in many ways

- Automatic transmission is great for traffic. I hate clutching/shifting in rush hour.
- The buddy has a storage compartment for making grocery or errand stops on the way home.
- The buddy is small and nimble and good for scooting around traffic jams and stuff (may not be legal or courteous, though!)
- Fuel efficiency is better than the moto ...
- Easier to ninja park in any environment

So, my scoot is primarily a commuter vehicle and a local run-around. I don't own a car since moving to Chicago ... and the moto is for evenings & weekends.

I ride my Stella to work.

My work is currently 2.8 miles from where I live. When I got the Stella, my commute was 12.6 miles each way 3x a week, and 2.8 miles 2x a week.

For a 2.8 mile journey, a motocycle is total overkill -- not to mention that my commute consists of the following: make a right turn onto a roadway. Follow that roadway. Make a left turn into a parking lot.

So yeah, I didn't want to be putting unnecessary wear and tear on my car... although this turned out to be the least of my worries as my wife was rear-ended whilst driving my car. Everyone turned out to be fine, but $5k worth of damage (and climbing) and having my car in the shop until mid July at the earliest seems to be a bit more of an impact than a bunch of short trips. But I digress.

It also would have been significantly more expensive to get a motocycle that has the same level of character as my Stella. If I had gotten a motorcycle, I was leaning towards a Motoguzzi V7.

gar1013 wrote:For a 2.8 mile journey, a motocycle is total overkill -- not to mention that my commute consists of the following: make a right turn onto a roadway. Follow that roadway. Make a left turn into a parking lot.

Of course, motorcycles come in all sizes . I do agree that around town a small frame CVT scooter has the big advantages of easy riding, quick steering, storage, and light weight. (course you ride a shifty - different strokes for different folks )

Dooglas wrote:Of course, motorcycles come in all sizes

If I could find a street legal monkey bike, I'd totally commute on that!

gar1013 wrote:

Dooglas wrote:Of course, motorcycles come in all sizes

If I could find a street legal monkey bike, I'd totally commute on that!

That's not a monkey bike!

This is a monkey bike in action:




As memory serves me, my father in law did this journey on a Monkey Bike:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land's_End ... _o'_Groats

what the...

i could journey to the corner on that

check this vlogger out. he rides a Ninja 636 but also does pit bike adventures as of late. fairly amusing small bike stuff

nsfw language


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rSCxDbFUmaQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I have a short answer for that. I used to go into a long explaination when my motorcycle friends asked me, "Why a scooter?". I now just look at them and say, " You are a motorcycle person, I am a scooter person." And, surprisingly, they kind of mull that over a few seconds, nod their heads, let out a hmmmpphhh...and say, "I get that!"

HAHAHA...one of those very deep non answers that no one questions!!

I have a short answer for that. I used to go into a long explaination when my motorcycle friends asked me, "Why a scooter?". I now just look at them and say, " You are a motorcycle person, I am a scooter person." And, surprisingly, they kind of mull that over a few seconds, nod their heads, let out a hmmmpphhh...and say, "I get that!"

HAHAHA...one of those very deep non answers that no one questions!!

For me, I definitely enjoy the more upright seating position and the fact I don't have to worry about shifting gears. I did the MSF course on a small motorcycle (at that time scooters weren't allowed to be used, which is no longer the case thankfully) and having to learn shifting and clutch coordination just to pass the class was a huge pain in the butt.

I did a great job of it and passed with flying colors, and am thankful I never have to worry about that again.

One of each. Please and thanks!

Scooter is my weekday ride - 8 mile commute in the small city. Cycle is my country day ride vehicle in the north woods at the cabin/weekend home.

Perhaps if I had gotten a larger scooter the 1st time (50cc Honda Met) I would not have felt the need to go bigger but I felt I outgrew that in about 2 months. So I traded it for the Honda 750. Love it but can't have it both places. So this spring scooter fever hit again and the 170i was the answer.

Perfect power in both locales.