Modern Buddy

Any chance in a “Royal Alloy� section being added to the forums?

Have any of the constituent here actually purchased one?

I'd love the opportunity to take a test ride, alas the demo day back in March at my local shop did not include the Royal Alloy among the choices to try.

I just purchased my first scooter. It is the Royal Alloy Grand Tourer. Red and Cream. Anyone else own one? I love mine!

1sunnygyrl wrote:I just purchased my first scooter. It is the Royal Alloy Grand Tourer. Red and Cream. Anyone else own one? I love mine!

Let's see some pictures! We all love pictures.

As they say, pictures or it didn't happened.

Picking mine up Thursday.

Guff wrote:Picking mine up Thursday.

That's exciting! I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

If there's enough interest, I will think about adding a Royal Alloy forum. Right now I think everybody would like to read riding impressions and see photographs. I'm certainly amenable to revisiting this issue down the line.

Gobo, The RA. Here's my first impressions. I am loosely basing this off a comparison to my other scoots. My daily commuter is a Vespa GT200 and I have a 4T Stella and a BlackJack. The RA is an awesome 150 scoot. It's feels tall and wide. I'm a bigger rider so this is comfy for me. May be a little stretch for shorter riders. I thought the split seat would pose a problem but I don't feel like it pushes me forward. Being it is a 150, it's every bit as peppy as my Stella. It's a little slower off the line than the Black Jack, but in all fairness the Black Jack jumps off the line. The only negative I have so far is the storage. No under the seat storage, but I sweet talked the dealer into throwing in a Prima bag!!!. Overall, the fit and finish of this scoot is awesome., I really hope Genuine gives it the support it deserves. I'm a fan!!

Guff wrote:Gobo, The RA. Here's my first impressions. I am loosely basing this off a comparison to my other scoots. My daily commuter is a Vespa GT200 and I have a 4T Stella and a BlackJack. The RA is an awesome 150 scoot. It's feels tall and wide. I'm a bigger rider so this is comfy for me. May be a little stretch for shorter riders. I thought the split seat would pose a problem but I don't feel like it pushes me forward. Being it is a 150, it's every bit as peppy as my Stella. It's a little slower off the line than the Black Jack, but in all fairness the Black Jack jumps off the line. The only negative I have so far is the storage. No under the seat storage, but I sweet talked the dealer into throwing in a Prima bag!!!. Overall, the fit and finish of this scoot is awesome., I really hope Genuine gives it the support it deserves. I'm a fan!!

Nice scoot!

I would love to better understand why Genuine decided to put an additional model into the thick of the Buddy/Hooligan/Kick/Chicago lineup. This is a decent-looking scoot, but is it going to extend Genuine’s customer base beyond the Buddy’s reach...or does this just cannibalize them? Is it a negotiation tool/hedge in case things go poorly with PGO after all these years?

The Psycho/Lemonhead/Black Cat/Fireball/Blackjack special editions seemed like a very smart way of making the lineup feel fresh with minimal engineering or logistical effort.

tenders wrote:I would love to better understand why Genuine decided to put an additional model into the thick of the Buddy/Hooligan/Kick/Chicago lineup. This is a decent-looking scoot, but is it going to extend Genuine’s customer base beyond the Buddy’s reach...or does this just cannibalize them? Is it a negotiation tool/hedge in case things go poorly with PGO after all these years?

The Psycho/Lemonhead/Black Cat/Fireball/Blackjack special editions seemed like a very smart way of making the lineup feel fresh with minimal engineering or logistical effort.

I'd love to see a new version of the Blackjack!

My guess would be that it is filling the Stella void. It very much feels like a Stella to me (minus the manual transmission) Steel body and sexy styling. It seems like the special edition Buddies went away when Phil left Genuine. Just an observation.

Guff wrote:My guess would be that it is filling the Stella void. It very much feels like a Stella to me (minus the manual transmission) Steel body and sexy styling. It seems like the special edition Buddies went away when Phil left Genuine. Just an observation.

This is my guess as well. After the nasty taste that the Stella Automatic left for most people looking for a decent vintage-style scoot, this one is probably meant to clear the air and give the nostalgia crowd something solid. Not a 300, mind you, but then again the stella was never a rocketship either.

I'd say you have that right. Genuine started out with the Stella as a company trying to build on the background and reputation of ScooterWorks. When the Stellas bit the dust, they looked around for a worthy successor and found Royal Alloy.

I think that if Genuine brought either the Royal Allow 200 (181cc) or the 300 (don't know how many cc's) they might have a real competitor to Piaggio's Vespas. The Royal Alloy scooters are beautiful scoots.

cummingsjc wrote:I think that if Genuine brought either the Royal Allow 200 (181cc) or the 300 (don't know how many cc's) they might have a real competitor to Piaggio's Vespas. The Royal Alloy scooters are beautiful scoots.

^^^this...if the pricing was under vespas offerings i think they would make a killing

Point37 wrote:^^^this...if the pricing was under vespas offerings i think they would make a killing

I think that will be the biggest problem with bringing over the the Royal Alloy 300. If the pricing is anything like it is over in Europe it will only be ~$400 cheaper than the cheapest Vespa 300. Unless you love the look of the Royal Alloy I think most people would buy the Vespa because it's a Vespa and it is a well known brand that makes a good scooter. I'm not saying the Royal Alloy isn't a good reliable scooter. But it is a new brand so we don't really know how good it will be.

The Royal Alloy 150 at $3500 is a pretty good buy since a Vespa 150 is over $5500. I think Genuine needs to work with Royal Alloy and Sym(I believe they make the 150 motor) to design a cheaper 250-300cc motor so they can get the price down so it is a minimum of $1000 less than the Vespa 300(ideally shooting for as close to $5000 as possible.)

scootERIK wrote:

Point37 wrote:^^^this...if the pricing was under vespas offerings i think they would make a killing

I think that will be the biggest problem with bringing over the the Royal Alloy 300. If the pricing is anything like it is over in Europe it will only be ~$400 cheaper than the cheapest Vespa 300. Unless you love the look of the Royal Alloy I think most people would buy the Vespa because it's a Vespa and it is a well known brand that makes a good scooter. I'm not saying the Royal Alloy isn't a good reliable scooter. But it is a new brand so we don't really know how good it will be.

The Royal Alloy 150 at $3500 is a pretty good buy since a Vespa 150 is over $5500. I think Genuine needs to work with Royal Alloy and Sym(I believe they make the 150 motor) to design a cheaper 250-300cc motor so they can get the price down so it is a minimum of $1000 less than the Vespa 300(ideally shooting for as close to $5000 as possible.)

100% agree...the difference needs to be enough of a savings to not want to pay just a little more for a vespa

Agreed about a sub forum needed. I just sold my 2t Stella and now I’m trying to find out more impressions and tips on the Royal Alloys. If they ever come out with a green one... man that will be the perfect replacement for my Great British Stella.

RoaringTodd wrote:Agreed about a sub forum needed. I just sold my 2t Stella and now I’m trying to find out more impressions and tips on the Royal Alloys. If they ever come out with a green one... man that will be the perfect replacement for my Great British Stella.

I really hope Genuine brings out a Royal Alloy in british racing green or monza green with a brown leather seat. Or gloss black with a black seat.

This ain't bad either-
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nqXRDnZvGvQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

scootERIK wrote:

Point37 wrote:^^^this...if the pricing was under vespas offerings i think they would make a killing

I think that will be the biggest problem with bringing over the the Royal Alloy 300. If the pricing is anything like it is over in Europe it will only be ~$400 cheaper than the cheapest Vespa 300. Unless you love the look of the Royal Alloy I think most people would buy the Vespa because it's a Vespa and it is a well known brand that makes a good scooter. I'm not saying the Royal Alloy isn't a good reliable scooter. But it is a new brand so we don't really know how good it will be.

The Royal Alloy 150 at $3500 is a pretty good buy since a Vespa 150 is over $5500. I think Genuine needs to work with Royal Alloy and Sym(I believe they make the 150 motor) to design a cheaper 250-300cc motor so they can get the price down so it is a minimum of $1000 less than the Vespa 300(ideally shooting for as close to $5000 as possible.)

As it's already built in china, I'd be worried about trying to get things made any cheaper, unless we want a 250-300 cc motor built so much on the cheap that it's a time bomb.

Stanza wrote:As it's already built in china, I'd be worried about trying to get things made any cheaper, unless we want a 250-300 cc motor built so much on the cheap that it's a time bomb.

To be even more specific- by cheap I meant lower tech not lower quality. Things like going to a 2 valve engine versus a 4 valve engine.

I just bought one! It was getting late and they aren't ready to ride off the showroom floor. Picking it up tomorrow.

This marks my return to scooters after a time of exclusively motorcycles for a couple of years.

Of course I vote for a sub-forum for these scoots

I got it!

Congrats on the new scoot!!!

Looking forward to a "mini-review" when you have spent some time with your new ride.

Guff wrote:Congrats on the new scoot!!!

Thanks! My two days of ownership as follows: Some wonder if this would cut into Buddy sales. I don't think so. It is slower and much larger than a Buddy. Riding it feels more like my old GTS250 than my Stella.

At 5'9" I have to slide to the front of the seat to flat foot it. Any shorter and the rider will have to be comfortable with one footed stops. It's been a while since I rode with 12" tires so I'm still taking it easy.

I waxed the whole thing, including the frame and undersides. The welds are a work of art. Or technology. Probably robots but they look good! The "deadlights" are already wired and ready! Simply undo four 8mm nuts holding the glovebox on and plug the color coded wires together. I thought about removing the DOT lights but they are small, bright LEDs so I decided to leave them, thinking more is better when it comes to lights.

Some have complained that the horn button being above the turn signal switch bothers them but I haven't noticed it. My ONLY complaint is the tiny indicator light that the turn signal is on. It is invisible in daylight. Decades ago Harley figured out self cancelling lights. Even my Stella had that beeper!

Adjustable shocks front and rear are a pleasant surprise! Inside the glove box is a USB, not a cigarette lighter. It comes with a small luggage rack on the back! The UK importer sells parts online so I ordered the chrome "flash" trim for the sides.

And finally, in the rest of the world the cheaper plastic bodied model is the Grand Tourer and the upscale Grand Prix is the metal bodied one. I suspect General Motors still owns the name so we get one model, the GP but it is called the GT. Also ours is a carbureted and air cooled 150. In other markets they come with or without fuel injection and water cooling. Also other markets get a choice of sizes between 50 to 300cc. I can't see Chicago importing the big ones unless the 150 really takes off.

looks awesome...nice color!...def need more review info after you ride it a while

Maybe I need a Royal Alloy to go with my Royal Enfield...

JettaKnight wrote:Maybe I need a Royal Alloy to go with my Royal Enfield...

I like the way you think!

JettaKnight wrote:Maybe I need a Royal Alloy to go with my Royal Enfield...

Some of us think that way

I think we now have as many Royal Alloy owners on the forum as G400C owners.

So far only 2 of the 5 colors are pictured. At least 3 more people need to go out and buy a Royal Alloy so we can see pictures of all the colors.

Also, we need more pictures and more reviews.

I'm curious what kind of MPG the Royal Alloy is getting out in the real world?





Smiley face eating popcorn emoticon.

olhogrider wrote:

JettaKnight wrote:Maybe I need a Royal Alloy to go with my Royal Enfield...

Some of us think that way

DUDE! I just noticed your username!

If you look at old Lambrettas you will see a hatch on the vertical panel between the seat and the floorboards. That was used for tool storage but on the RA it is where the battery sits. Trying to conserve as much space as possible, I installed a tiny lithium battery and built a toolbox from corrugated cardboard. The battery is hidden behind the box.

I'm pretty happy with the result.

Great battery / storage MOD!!! I may have to "borrow" that idea

I'd like to know more about the "tiny lithium battery". Is it DIY or off-the-shelf? Please advise.

eggsalad wrote:I'd like to know more about the "tiny lithium battery". Is it DIY or off-the-shelf? Please advise.

I use Antigravity brand made in USA. Scooters can easily get by with the 4 cell version. I recently bought a Shorai brand for another bike but it was as big as a standard battery. Somehow I missed that part.

Light weight, small size are both features of lithium batteries. It's what's in your phone. If there is no drain on the system, like an alarm, a lithium does not go dead the way a lead acid or AGM does. The only downside is cost. They are about 3x what a normal one is.

Also a correction. I used corrugated plastic like politicians make yard signs out of, not cardboard.

Lithium batteries aren't a free ride. Best comparison I've found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ywopGAXP-I

tenders wrote:Lithium batteries aren't a free ride. Best comparison I've found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ywopGAXP-I

Interesting video. So the conclusion is Lithium may not be the best choice if you are Canadian (cold) and have a habit of leaving your headlight on. Since I live in Nevada and I take my keys with me whenever I leave the scooter, I choose Lithium.

olhogrider wrote: Since I live in Nevada

We are in the same town. I'd like to know more about your lithium experience. Did you buy your battery locally?

I buy them online. Usually Amazon. I have never had one fail. I’d be happy to show you this simple mod. �

I have now seen a used Royal Alloy for sale. A 2020 in black with ~140 miles for $2499. Those 140 miles were pretty expensive miles assuming a $3500 purchase price plus freight, set-up, documentation fee, tax, title, and license. That's over $10 a mile.

$2499 seems like a really good deal though -

https://www.imotorsportsinc.com/default ... dInventory

scootERIK wrote:I have now seen a used Royal Alloy for sale. A 2020 in black with ~140 miles for $2499. Those 140 miles were pretty expensive miles assuming a $3500 purchase price plus freight, set-up, documentation fee, tax, title, and license. That's over $10 a mile.

$2499 seems like a really good deal though -

https://www.imotorsportsinc.com/default ... dInventory

WOW! So many questions. I feel sorry for the person who bought it new but it is a great deal for the next owner!

It's been a few months since the last post so how are those Royal Alloys running? And more pictures please.

if someone offered me 2500, I'd probably sell mine

Guff wrote:if someone offered me 2500, I'd probably sell mine

Honeymoon over? Why are you looking to sell?

I'm always torn when I ride it. I have a little under 1000 miles on it. It's a sexy scoot. I feel like i sit a little too high on it. I have two other 150s (which seem to pull harder and have a little more power). There's an annoying rattle in the headlight assembly. Some of these things can be remedied by the alternate seat, the performance pipe and re-jetting. I like it, I don't think I love it.

Still loving mine! Since it looks like a Lambretta and no one has ever heard of Royal Alloy I put some Lambretta emblems on mine.

scootERIK wrote:I have now seen a used Royal Alloy for sale. A 2020 in black with ~140 miles for $2499. Those 140 miles were pretty expensive miles assuming a $3500 purchase price plus freight, set-up, documentation fee, tax, title, and license. That's over $10 a mile.

$2499 seems like a really good deal though -

https://www.imotorsportsinc.com/default ... dInventory

great!! but usually people selling new machine like are new to the domain,which bring the important question ? what did they do for the break in period and do they even know it needs one, pretty crucial in my opinion,try asking them how they drove it without mentioning break -in....hope its good!!