Modern Buddy

Sad to report: our local dealer is going out of business. Sad. They've been around a long time. I've taken my Buddy to them since 2010. Not sure who will take care of the bike now, who can be trusted.
May have to sell my Buddy and get something else, like Vespa or move on to a motorcycle...just dont know

Don't give up on 'Dobby' so quickly, you don't necessarily need a Genuine dealer to do your regular maintaince. Ie: learning to do it yourself, members of your local riding group can always help and/or teach you. Even the local Vespa shop for that matter, but they may try to sell you on the idea of 'upgrading' to a Vespa. There's not too much wrong with that either.
[Hug] your 'little green workhorse' and make your decision wisely, he'll help you along with the decision.....

Still, sad to hear another shop is going away.

Edit to add: You've had a five year relationship with them and unless it's a one man shop and the owner/mechanic is simply retiring, the technicians who've worked on your trusty steed will need to secure other employment, maybe you can find out where and continue to have them do your work at their new shop(s).

My local Vespa shop services our Buddy as well. That has worked out fine. You may well have an independent scooter repair shop in your area that would be another viable choice. Warranty work is one thing, routine maintenance and repairs on a CVT scooter is another. Scout out your options.

Sad to see another dealer going down, perhaps we could hope to see news of a new dealer opening somewhere? R

Stormswift, so sorry to hear. I dunno, maybe with a fresh tranny service/air filter service/final drive service/oil change/rear tire you could get your Buddy to a state where it will be a very long time until you need service? I'd have to see you give up your much-loved Buddy because of worries that you don't have a place to get it serviced. Maybe delay that day as long as possible and hope for the best?

If it's the dealership I am thinking of, they lost there lease and are just shutting down instead of moving. There aren't a lot of Genuine Dealerships close by, unfortunately. We have a couple of Buddy dealerships an hour and a half away, near us, in the Carlisle PA area. I would particularly recommend Bill at Scoot Carlisle; he is a great guy who really knows his stuff! I ride down to the Bsltimore/DC area all of the time, and it's no big deal. I would be happy to share my back road "sneak routes" if that would be helpful.

Stormswift wrote:May have to sell my Buddy and get something else, like Vespa.....

If worse comes to worse, that is not exactly the booby prize.

Very sad to hear that they are closing down. I remember the barn "shop" behind the house days! Always super helpful and fun to visit. At least you have a Buddy and they are pretty bullet proof, and not a sketchy off brand that requires attention on a regular basis. May do a road trip just to say "Good luck on future endeavors." in person. Still kinda shocked though!

now is the perfect time to go all DIY

but it is always sad to hear of a business shutting down, i always think of the employees first

good luck to all of them and now you can be your own mechanic

Second on the Bill @ Carlisle Cycle and Scooter. He is really knowledgeable about the product line.

Fact: I crashed my Stella on a Saturday. The clutch handlebar was bent and the scoot unrideable. Shop was closed Sunday and Monday. On Friday the scoot was finished and ready to ride in time for the Three Mile Island Scooter Rally. Where else would you get customer service like that?

I'm sorry to see that Moto Strada is going out of business. I purchased my Buddy from Mark in 2007. There are 4 Genuine dealers in the D.C. area although I don't know anything about them because I do my own work on my Buddy.

Sad to see that shop closing. Those guys got me started into scoots back in the 80's when I was road racing at Summit Point. Good folks with a great deal of knowledge.
The good news is that he has another line of work he loves and will shift into that. But still, always sad to see a great shop close.

Thank you for all of the suggestions, folks. I will try to find a bike shop 1st that can work on my Buddy. Traiding up is the last resort. I love my scooter. Unfortunately I never learned how yo do my own maintainance and in a townhome setting without garage it is a challenge space-wise

I'll third on Carlisle cycle and scooter. I've bought 4 scoots/motorcycles from them, and they've done two fantastic motor rebuild/build ups for me. Prices are more than fair, and they treat you like family.