Modern Buddy

Hello everyone I’m thinking about entering the world of scootering and wanted some advice.

I’m 6’3”, about 195ish, size 13 feet. I have sat on a blur at a dealer and appeared to fit. I don’t have a motorcycle endorsement so I wasn’t able to drive it at all.

I want a new “vehicle” that is more fuel efficient then my current one (~20 mpg). I’m not incredibly mechanically inclined so that rules out most used cars due to not being able to keep up with potential repairs on my own. But I'm not against learning and the maintainence on a scooter seems fairly simple. So I looked into scooters. My commute to work is approximately 35-40 miles each way. It would consist of city driving and 2 lane state routes/country highway style roads.

I would prefer to spend less then $4,000 total on scooter and safety gear.

I checked out a scooter store in Columbus and they suggested the Blur. I have done some reading on this forum and anywhere else I can find info online. They have the '07 model and the '06 model available. The '06 is cheaper, are there any differences besides color? (I actually really like the orange and black color scheme).

Does the blur have the speed necessary to not feel like I’m holding up traffic? Is it safe for jaunts on the highway with traffic doing 65+? Will I be able to keep up? I don’t want to feel like I’m getting run off the road.

How’s the mileage? I’d want to be able to do 60ish mph or more without losing a ton of mileage as that’s one of the reasons for the new vehicle.

What is the resale market like if I decide I don’t like it after a few months?

How’s the learning curve? I have experience on ATVs and Jetski’s, but no motorcycles or mopeds, just a bicycle.

My work schedule would include me driving at night, how well do the headlights work at night?

How is the ride? I know there is a difference in ride quality between a ford focus and a Cadillac and also between a low end Honda bike and a BMW touring cycle. How is the ride on the blur?

How’s the storage space? Is it lockable? Able to carry groceries?

Sorry for the long post but I’m trying to get as much information as I can before making a purchase. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Bearing in mind that I haven't owned my Blur that long, my take is the following:

You'll like the mpg. I think it's like 70mpg.

If you'll spend less than $4K depends on what kind of deal you get from your dealer, and also how much protection is enough for you. You might be able to get helmet, jacket, gloves, boots at a good discount where you buy the scoot, but of course depends on the dealer.

Whether you'll feel comfortable on the highway would depend on your comfort level. It is certainly *possible* to ride with the Blur. I probably would use my bigger scooter for any sustained highway riding (I got the Blur because a smaller scoot is more fun for me for city driving - 99% of my riding these days), but there are certainly people who ride the Blur on the highway. You won't be the fastest one on the road at highway speeds, and winds can blow you around a bit. You can get used to this. Question may be: do you want to? It's an individual choice. It also depends on how quickly you feel comfortable and skilled enough to keep at that speed - I think twist and go's are very easy to get experienced in, but I'd lean on the side of caution and get used to riding gradually. But as they say, your mileage may vary.

The older model had orange, the newer is silver. There may be other small differences. I have the newer model, and it has hazard lights - I'm not sure the older one does. But I think they are generally very close.

Storage space is good - the under seat space is big enough to store a full face helmet, which is very good. But no glove box like some other scoots. You might as well check out the scooter in person sometime and see if there's enough space for you.

Resale value - I doubt it's as good as a modern Vespa - those scoots are higher priced than other scoots, but their popularity keeps resale pretty high. Not so sure about a relative unknown like Blurs. If you buy new and then re-sell, you'll likely lose a big chunk of change, but I guess that goes for pretty much any vehicle.

By and large I think the Blur is a blast to ride, a very fun scoot with good suspension, great brakes, turns easily, and with decent (for the city) acceleration.

hedgelj wrote:
I would prefer to spend less then $4,000 total on scooter and safety gear.

You'll come close, and that's not including taxes. Safety gear including armored jacket, gloves, full or 3/4 helmet and rain gear can come in under $200 if you shop the closeouts online - helmet is most important - here's an incredible deal on a full face modular helmet.
Plan on ordering the luggage rack and windshield too - the windshield is small and does not shield your face, but it dramatically improves the aerodynamics of the scooter and adds 5 mph to your top end. Order a topcase too if you can afford it.

I checked out a scooter store in Columbus and they suggested the Blur. I have done some reading on this forum and anywhere else I can find info online. They have the '07 model and the '06 model available. The '06 is cheaper, are there any differences besides color? (I actually really like the orange and black color scheme).

I haven't seen the '07 in person, I think it has a fancier looking front disc, and maybe an accessory plug in the pet carrier for charging cell phones, iPods etc.

Does the blur have the speed necessary to not feel like I’m holding up traffic? Is it safe for jaunts on the highway with traffic doing 65+? Will I be able to keep up? I don’t want to feel like I’m getting run off the road.

I'm heavier than you, and have no trouble keeping up with city traffic, even on 50mph posted roads. It does NOT have the speed for a limited access freeway - even if you barely keep up, you have absolutely no passing or get out of the way of oncoming death power. On a quiet stretch of highway with good shoulders where it doesn't matter if everyone is passing you it is fine - for maybe one exit.

How’s the mileage? I’d want to be able to do 60ish mph or more without losing a ton of mileage as that’s one of the reasons for the new vehicle.

It's hard to gauge mileage because no one really knows what units the odometer measures. But even with my lard ass and riding WOT half the time I'm getting at least 3 times the mileage I get from my Neon, so yeah, at LEAST 60mpg. It isn't going to get 100+ like the Buddy or Chetak, but a skinny rider who rides conservatively should be able to get somewhere around 90mpg

What is the resale market like if I decide I don’t like it after a few months?

Not great. Since the warrantee is not transferable you lose a lot of value, probably a full grand or more.

How’s the learning curve? I have experience on ATVs and Jetski’s, but no motorcycles or mopeds, just a bicycle.

If you can ride a bike, you can ride a Blur. Could be too easy, take it easy until you really get a good feel for the bike.

My work schedule would include me driving at night, how well do the headlights work at night?

Headlights are above average - but you aren't permitted to ride at night with only a motorcycle temp.

How is the ride? I know there is a difference in ride quality between a ford focus and a Cadillac and also between a low end Honda bike and a BMW touring cycle. How is the ride on the blur?

The ride is great, nothing handles better. You'll wish it had more power - it is so stable and handles so precisely. Some people have complained about the seat - I find it comfortable for my large rear end, butt I do get sore after a couple or three hours.

How’s the storage space? Is it lockable? Able to carry groceries?

The underseat storage is good (also called the pet carrier) It will hold a full face helmet with a bit to spare. It does lock. I has two helmet pegs so that you can lock the helmet to the outside of the seat when the pet carrier is full of stuff. I have a canvas top bag on the rack (which I'll eventually replace with a Monolock top case) I find I can fit a 12 pack plus 4 plastic bags of groceries in the case and pet carrier.

Sorry for the long post

Forgiven.

-Mark

Thank you for the two responses, I'd love to hear more opinions from anyone else. Based upon what you're telling me as much as I'd love the blur I think its use would be a little too limited. I guess I need to wait for a 200 or 250 cc engine option (yes I know that'll up the price a good bit) to increase the speed to make it a viable highway cruiser. Either that or look for a motorcycle.


thanks again and I plan on keeping an eye on this site for information.

hedgelj wrote:I guess I need to wait for a 200 or 250 cc engine option (yes I know that'll up the price a good bit) to increase the speed to make it a viable highway cruiser. Either that or look for a motorcycle.

You aren't going to do better with a 200cc scooter than you can do with the Blur 150. Among 250cc bikes, in my opinion, you can't do better than the Kymco People 250 for quality and performance vs. Price (MSRP $4000) with a top speed between 80-90mph - fast enough for any interstate.

-Mark

hedgelj wrote:Thank you for the two responses, I'd love to hear more opinions from anyone else. Based upon what you're telling me as much as I'd love the blur I think its use would be a little too limited. I guess I need to wait for a 200 or 250 cc engine option (yes I know that'll up the price a good bit) to increase the speed to make it a viable highway cruiser. Either that or look for a motorcycle.

thanks again and I plan on keeping an eye on this site for information.

I think if speed is your top priority a motorcycle is likely better at the price range you mentioned. A Ninja 250 is about $3K and can hit 100mph. On the other hand, no real built-in storage space, no fuel gauge, etc. It's reliable technology, but it's been around 20+ years and it may feel no-frills by comparison to a new scooter (on the other hand, you get to - you have to - shift). I get the impression there is more maintenance work on the motorcycle (lube the chains, etc.), but it's not that much work, I think.

Your choice would depend on your list of priorities, and chances are good you may have to drop a few on the list to get a ride in your garage. I keep looking for that 2-wheeler that does everything, but no luck. I have two scoots, and they each seem to fulfill about 80% of what I want in a ride, not perfectly overlapping, of course. And once in a while, I feel like getting motorcycle, too, just for fun and change of pace.

I guess the moral of the story is that chances are good you'll change rides as you ride more and find what you enjoy most about riding, and your needs. So good luck and hope you find something good!

In terms of top speed and acceleration the Blur does reasonably well for a 150, but any 250 will likely outrun it. At least on a straight road. The brakes and handling of the Blur are its best features. If there is a way to fit that type of rear suspension to regular scooters while maintaining a bigger step through, I'd love to see that become common practice in the industry. The Blur brakes are probably the best of any scooter I've ridden. That list includes a Gilera Runner 180 and a Peugeot Elystar 150 with power assisted ABS brakes.

Bryce-O-Rama wrote:In terms of top speed and acceleration the Blur does reasonably well for a 150, but any 250 will likely outrun it. At least on a straight road.

Sure, in terms of top speed the Blur is no match for any 250 (except some of the cheap Chinese ones), but I think it will match up well against the few 200's out there like the People 200s (which is really only 163cc, MSRP $3299), or even the Vespa GranTurismo 200 (MSRP $5440) which only seems to have a 5mph advantage over the Blur 150 - Or Buddy 125.

If highway viability is essential a 250cc is the bottom line - at least until the Blur 200 comes to America.

-Mark

After reading your purchase criteria, I have a suggestion. From what you posted, I made the following list of purchase criteria.

-Scooter
-Longish Commute with Some Highway Riding
-Good Gas Mileage
-Lockable Storage Space with Room for Groceries
-Good Headlight for Night Riding
-Under $4000 for Scooter + Riding Gear
-Brand New Machine

My suggestion is to get a used Suzuki Burgman 400. That hits every criteria except the last. There are currently two used Burgman 400s available near me, both of which could be bought along with new riding gear for your target price. The Burgman is big enough to do your longish commute with ease. It can also do highway speeds and yet it still rides and feels like a scooter.

My $0.02

BlueMark wrote:

Bryce-O-Rama wrote:In terms of top speed and acceleration the Blur does reasonably well for a 150, but any 250 will likely outrun it. At least on a straight road.

Sure, in terms of top speed the Blur is no match for any 250 (except some of the cheap Chinese ones), but I think it will match up well against the few 200's out there like the People 200s (which is really only 163cc, MSRP $3299), or even the Vespa GranTurismo 200 (MSRP $5440) which only seems to have a 5mph advantage over the Blur 150 - Or Buddy 125.

If highway viability is essential a 250cc is the bottom line - at least until the Blur 200 comes to America.

I've been on the GT200 and the Blur. The GT200 is less around 10lb heavier than a Blur, but has significantly more power. It will out accelerate the Blur and tops out higher too.

I'm with you on the curves thing though. The Blur will rule any road with more than 2 bends in it. I also agree that it offers quite a bit for the money.

hedgelj wrote: I would prefer to spend less then $4,000 total on scooter and safety gear.

Sounds to me what you really want is a Kawasaki Ninja 250. It'll do around that 95+ MPH you're looking for, has plenty of stability to go on the highway. It'll also get you around 60 miles per gallon and would fit into your budget.

Negatives: I'm certain it takes alot more to get used to riding AND learning to shift at the same time. Also, I'm sure insurance would be much greater because crazy @$$ kids wreck so much on them.

KidDynomite wrote:Also, I'm sure insurance would be much greater because crazy @$$ kids wreck so much on them.

Probably not. In my town (Toledo) Allstate will insure an $8000 motorcycle for $99 a year - but a $4000 scooter costs $500 a year to insure (I cut that in half by going to Geico). Theft is the problem. Scooters are cheaper if you only buy liability coverage. But I'll bet for full coverage a Ninja will be much cheaper to insure than a scooter - even if it is far less safe than a scooter.

-Mark

BlueMark wrote:

KidDynomite wrote:Also, I'm sure insurance would be much greater because crazy @$$ kids wreck so much on them.

Probably not. In my town (Toledo) Allstate will insure an $8000 motorcycle for $99 a year - but a $4000 scooter costs $500 a year to insure (I cut that in half by going to Geico). Theft is the problem. Scooters are cheaper if you only buy liability coverage. But I'll bet for full coverage a Ninja will be much cheaper to insure than a scooter - even if it is far less safe than a scooter.

-Mark

For what it's worth, it was cheap for me to insure my scoots (less than $100 each). Getting a new Ninja (250 or 500 made no difference) would at least double my premium. But that's because they're classified as sport motorcycles. I think partly because of accidents, partly because they tend to be prized among 2-wheel thieves. If you get a cruiser type, like a Virago, it should be less than $100, again at least from my experience (I'm using Progressive, BTW).

I have to admit, the world of 2-wheel insurance seems rather freewheeling. I mean that for different companies, there's a wide variety of quotes for the same vehicles and owners, I've found. So it might be worth checking around.

Incidentally, again about the Ninja, at least with Progressive I've found that if they're at least a couple of years old, that can bring down the premiums by a half of that of new.

Story I hear why motorcycle insurance is somewhat random, the sport bike and large HD crowd default on their loans.
which also, plays into the loan rates or vice versa.

just like insurance on certain cars is more, because of the replacement parts.
i.e. Hundaiyiii or however you spell that.

my blur is supposed to be here today, so I should have some comments in the next few days of some riding, I hope.