Modern Buddy

I haven't been able to ride for the last 2 weeks due to some pain issues with my lower back (I hope to get them resolved this week) but every time I walk by my '11 220i Blur parked in my garage I can't get over how good it looks. I mean it just looks fast while it's parked! With the fuel tank where it is, the design is a perfect mix of motor scooter and motorcycle. It's one mean looking machine. Anybody else feel the same way?

Bill in Seattle

For a scooter it certainly looks good. I just wish it was as quick as it looks!

I did not at first like the Blur, now that a friend has one it's 'grown on' me...
'Twas too sport bike looking for my tastes.

"I just wish it was as quick as it looks!"
-I think the Blur 220 offers a lot of speed per dollar. It doesn't cost near as much as the Honda Forza or one of the Kymco 300cc scoots.
-The big wheels and longer, maxi style chassis are a good step up from a Buddy 125.
It accelerates hard, but I'm not yet convinced that it is a freeway commuter, which I would define as a scoot capable of maintaining 75mph under most conditions.
-It is a great looking scoot too. Many maxi scooters seem to have excessive, bulbous
body panels to me, giving them a heavy appearance.. The Blur has nice aero body panels without looking heavy or ungainly.
-Even if the Blur is not fast enough to meet my needs, I think it gives you your moneys worth.

wheelbender6 wrote:"I just wish it was as quick as it looks!"
-I think the Blur 220 offers a lot of speed per dollar. It doesn't cost near as much as the Honda Forza or one of the Kymco 300cc scoots.
-The big wheels and longer, maxi style chassis are a good step up from a Buddy 125.
It accelerates hard, but I'm not yet convinced that it is a freeway commuter, which I would define as a scoot capable of maintaining 75mph under most conditions.
-It is a great looking scoot too. Many maxi scooters seem to have excessive, bulbous
body panels to me, giving them a heavy appearance.. The Blur has nice aero body panels without looking heavy or ungainly.
-Even if the Blur is not fast enough to meet my needs, I think it gives you your moneys worth.

After driving one for over 4K miles I can assure you it is NOT a "freeway commuter". 75MPH is not attainable under anything but downhill runs. A realistic top speed is around 70 and that drops if you go up a hill.

At 4K it isn't very good at a speed:$ either. My CBR250r is around the same price new and will do 90mph all day. The range of a Blur is also poor at 100 miles.

I have come to the conclusion scooters will likely never be awesome in the US as we don't have a big enough market to justify bringing the best ones here. I will keep my Blur for surface street commuting but the CBR is so much better as a riding bike.

I think any 250cc motorcycle would out run a Blur. Most 250cc motorcycles also cost much less than a Honda Forza or 300cc Kymco.
I don't think it was ever in question if a motorcycle could out run a scooter of equivalent displacement and also retail for less money.
I'm a member of the CBR250.net forums also. A scoot just works better for me these days.

I love my Blur. I got it for one reason. Twisty canyon roads. It handles perfectly and is light enough to throw around with out worrying about shifting. I love it. Each scooter has a place or a market. It is just when profit margin is involved there may not be the absolute perfect scooter here in the USA.

wheelbender6 wrote:I think any 250cc motorcycle would out run a Blur. Most 250cc motorcycles also cost much less than a Honda Forza or 300cc Kymco.
I don't think it was ever in question if a motorcycle could out run a scooter of equivalent displacement and also retail for less money.
I'm a member of the CBR250.net forums also. A scoot just works better for me these days.

The Blur is close, but no cigar in my book as it needs a better motor. Imagine the CBR250 motor mounted in the Blur. That would be a great machine.

That would be sooooo sweet

toot- You have owned a 170i and a Blur 220?
Which gives you the most performance for the dollar?
I would guess the Blur handles far better, but it is also heavier than the 170.

I'm starting to understand what chickdr meant. The Ninja 250 will do 3 digits and the CBR 250 isn't far behind.
We've come a long way from Honda Rebel.

wheelbender6 wrote:I'm starting to understand what chickdr meant. The Ninja 250 will do 3 digits and the CBR 250 isn't far behind.
We've come a long way from Honda Rebel.

That is exactly what I mean. Why not go all the way and put a great motor in a sport scooter? The Blur can certainly handle more power.

I firmly believe the Blur's 22i motor COULD be awesome. I hesitate to do much to it until my warranty expires though. It needs three things to fix it right up. 1. A new Exhaust. (this one is easy.) 2. Airbox removal (even easier.) 3. A programmable ECU with mapping to handle #'s 1 & 2. (this is the hard one.)

I think 70-75 is readily attainable with this scooter if you are willing to do a few mods.

thespivster wrote:I firmly believe the Blur's 22i motor COULD be awesome. I hesitate to do much to it until my warranty expires though. It needs three things to fix it right up. 1. A new Exhaust. (this one is easy.) 2. Airbox removal (even easier.) 3. A programmable ECU with mapping to handle #'s 1 & 2. (this is the hard one.)

I think 70-75 is readily attainable with this scooter if you are willing to do a few mods.

It will do almost 70 stock(68mph in my case) so 70-75 isn't much. The issue is running at that speed would be completely flat out. What would be nice is 75mph as a cruising speed and 85 as top end. I don't think you will get there with the stock motor. If PGO added a 4 valve head and liquid cooling we might get there...

I almost forgot...one other thing can be modified to get more top end. final Drive gears. I'll have to pull the rear end apart and see what the final drive ratio is.

I love my little Blur 220, and regularly travel 60-65mph (72-80 on the speedo) during day trips along the regular highways. But even though I could keep up with the local 55mph interstate traffic around here, there's no way I would take the Blur on the interstate.

I'm lucky that the city streets are all very smooth and fairly well maintained around here, but the highway roads in my area are rough - potholes and bad patches are the norm. The interstates are far worse - awful for a motorcycle, and just plain dangerous for scooters.

Even with a bigger engine that would go 90+ I couldn't imaging driving the Blur in those conditions. It just wouldn't be safe. My little guy bucks like a mule when I hit a bad patch at 45mph. With its short wheelbase, tight suspension, and 13" tires the first pothole or raised joint section would literally throw you ass over teakettle at anything faster.

But I also have an MP3 500 with slightly smaller 12" front tires that is perfectly stable on the interstate. What's the difference? The maxi-scooters can get away with tiny tires because its softer suspension and longer wheelbase absorbs the impact of bad roads. The tradeoff is a comparatively poor turning radius and relatively slow start off the line at the traffic light.

In the city, the Blur 220 would beat the MP3 500 hands down every time, even though the MP3 has twice the motor. On the interstate, the MP3 is the way to go.

For form and function, the Blur does exactly what it was intended to do:

• > provide a sport-bike style response at the throttle,
  > have nimble handling to carve around cars and through curvy roadways, and
  > give enough power to keep the rider safe in aggressive traffic conditions.

To ask it to do more would be like asking a mustang pony to race like a thoroughbred.

toot wrote:I love my Blur. I got it for one reason. Twisty canyon roads. It handles perfectly and is light enough to throw around with out worrying about shifting. I love it. Each scooter has a place or a market. It is just when profit margin is involved there may not be the absolute perfect scooter here in the USA.

To me that is what the Blur was built for. Nope not the fastest but one of the quickest and best handling scooters I have ridden. Even here in SoFla flatland it is just flat out fun to ride!

TygerCub wrote:To ask it to do more would be like asking a mustang pony to race like a thoroughbred.

I understand what you are saying about the short wheelbase but you can ride around bad roads. I do it all the time. I take my Blur on the highway from time to time as well(55 MPH sections but traffic is typically moving 65-70). If the Blur had 20-25hp it would be perfect IMHO. Just a little more to be able to run 75-80 without struggling.

Thanks for the report, TygerCub, Sounds like the Blur can handle the two lane highways and FM roads with aplomb.

thespivster wrote:I almost forgot...one other thing can be modified to get more top end. final Drive gears. I'll have to pull the rear end apart and see what the final drive ratio is.

You only need to pull the variator cover off to figure the gear ratio. Just count how many turns of the clutch bell to turns of the wheel. I'm guessing it will be around 8.25 to 1. I'm curious what the blur 220i ratio is too. The blur, buddy 125-150-170, and hooligan all share the same gearbox with only minor differences.

We Americans are never happy with anything stock, are we? I like my Blur because of it's looks, it's handling, it's gas mileage, etc... If I wanted something faster I would not have bought the Blur. My 2007 is stock, and is quick enough, fast enough, handles well enough, and returns 80 mpg. It is also a good looking Man's Scooter: no cutesy bubble shapes, pastel colors, soft curvy shapes, etc.
Sorry for the soap box, but I can't find anything on the net that someone doesn't like because......

Boy am I late to respond to the question about the Blur vs the Buddy.. You really can not compare them, they are a totally different ride. Buddy small, and flickable in the turns, but not that sport bike feel I was after. The Blur is just perfect for canyon roads. Stiff when you want it to be, lightweight enough to take tight turns with the tires have great grip. Of course the Blur is heavier, but at higher speeds it makes me feel so much secure compared to the twichyness of the Buddy at higher speeds.. Ride safe !!!!