Modern Buddy

Just picked up a Blur from Philadelphia Scooters---what a cool bunch of guys working there. They were great, and Sean was way cool with the whole purchase; he even did a great job helping me load it into the back of my FJ Cruiser (yes it will fit inside if you are careful and remove the mirrors).

I love riding this thing. I know people claim the the Buddy is faster and the new 150's are probably sik, but my lard A$$ doesn't fit on them(6'1/250). I like the looks better too---the whole retro thing is too ubiquitous now a days. (although the Buddy does have it's charm.) The one thing that I'm stoked about is the brakes--they totally rock!!!! I was out breakin' her in and since I can't get on the engine hard for a while, there's nothing stating I can't beat on the breaks. A few laps in the local parking lot and I had stoppies (aka endo's for you old BMX guys) down to a science! I've been on bikes that don't stop as well. I never thought being fuel/green concious could be so much fun. Since I have the Blur, I've decided to sell the fast 2 wheeler. So if anyone is interested in a pristine 2000 Suzuki TL1000R let me know.

As a nOOb to this forum, it's great to see people sharing the same passion about Genuine and their products. Now who has the list of hot rod parts for this thing-----the break in period is not going to be that long for me and I cannot read Chinese/Taiwanese ----I can find a lot of stuff on the web for the PGO GMax but I have no idea what it is saying.

Peace everybody and thanks for providing a forum for us to share a common joy.

Congrats on the new scoot! Much like you plan to do, I just sold my Yamaha FZ1 and picked up a scooter with about half the proceeds....and I'm loving it. Yes, the acceleration leaves something to be desired but it sure is fun!

AYBABTU wrote: I know people claim the the Buddy is faster and the new 150's are probably sik, but my lard A$$ doesn't fit on them(6'1/250)..

Yeah, people who don't know what they're talking about. Especially if you're a bigger rider, the Blur is faster in every way. Not by much, mind you, but if you listen to some MB people, the Blur doesn't go fast enough to stay upright and I wonder if they've ever seen one in person, let alone ridden one. I got sick of the unsubstantiated claims, so I did some tests - just happened to have both scooters.

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The whole "The Blur is slow" thing is a weird, insecure prejudice that I frankly don't understand - as though if the Blur is better in some way, Genuine will stop selling the Buddy and the forum will implode. Whatever. The handling, brakes, stability, top speed, and roll-on acceleration are better on the Blur, and that was never really in dispute. I guess some folk need some little excuse to snub the Blur. But again, "better" doesn't really matter in a comparison between those two because they aren't meant to compete with each other. They're for different styles of riding and different styles of style. To each their own. You'll rarely ever hear a Blur rider hate on a Buddy (I think it's a fantastic scooter), but for some reason, some of 'em are gunnin' for us.

Congrats on your new scoot! It's a magnificent machine.

I don't think the Genuine Buddy folks are dissing the Blur intentionally, it's just that some folks like the retro look of the Buddy, and the way it feels under their butts (and, granted, it is ALOT lighter in weight than the Blur). I feel that most new riders are more comfortable with a less in-your-face bike, which the Buddy is. The Blur, however, is like a mini-me version of the 250 Ninja and kicks butt over the Mojito 150 or the Kymco People 200. I am getting one real soon....been riding an Elite 80 and I'm tired of getting sand kicked in my face by cagers......or Buddy riders. Even Vespa riders laugh as they pass me....but I beat a VW bug off the line today (she was on her cell phone when the light turned green). Must be my 200 lb. butt that's been holding me back.....

I just bought an '06 Blur also.. got one in the valley for one of the lowest prices I've heard of a Blur going for so far ($2500 out the door, so maybe $2100 before taxes/DMV/freight) since the dealer was getting out of the scooter business.

I just rode it across the Bay Bridge into SF where I live.. its a really windy evening here, and riding it on the top deck, I thought it would be a little sketchy, but the ride wasn't bad at all. The Blur is very stable in the wind.

The first thing I did, before I even started it, was scrape all the orange decals off. Looks pretty decent that way. I might spray the top pieces black.. not sure.

I think that Blurs are a steal for the prices they're going for.

I don't think the Genuine Buddy folks are dissing the Blur intentionally

It's really only a handful of people - certainly not the MB population at large. But this myth that the Buddy is faster has become accepted as common knowledge, and it just isn't true.

I get on my soap box about this because there have been people who were interested in a Blur, and asked about it on the forum, and these couple of folks try to talk them out of it based on a lot of assumptions and bad information. Which is why I did that test. People were swearing up and down that the Buddy was faster off the line and since I actually HAVE a Blur and a Buddy, it was time to see if there was any truth to it. Turns out that's not the case. The truth is that right now especially, the Blur is a great deal on a fantastic scooter and a very unique machine in the market. How many other 150cc scooters are there with rear disk brakes and six-point rear suspensions for under $4k? Anybody? Bueller?

Does anybody else sense a smackdown coming???

jrsjr wrote:Does anybody else sense a smackdown coming???

Oh I'm down for a rumble. But they'll have to catch me first

My grandma's walker could catch your Blur!

NathanielSalzman wrote:

jrsjr wrote:Does anybody else sense a smackdown coming???

Oh I'm down for a rumble. But they'll have to catch me first

Whoa---turning into a shootout here? I have to agree with Nathaniel--there does seem to be a level of animosity from the Buddy crowd. All I can say to them is how often are you on your Buddy at WOT/top speed on the roads you ride? 10% of the time? 20% ? Unless you can state 90%-100%, then those extra few MPH's on the top become statistically insignificant.

Now that I have the tires scuffed in pretty good, I threw on the full leathers and get this----I was able to take my favorite left hand sweeper at speed that would give anyone on a Buddy a quick reality check. I was able to get the knee slider down and started throwing sparks from the center stand making contact. I was giddy as a schoolgirl. I thought to myself --- this is why I'm on a Blur.

For those of you who have been on scooters from the start, you probably cannot relate. But for those of us who are from the sportbike realm and are stepping down due to the graying hair and expanding spare tire; the Blur makes perfect sense. As I stated originally, the Buddy is a fantastic machine and definitely has proven itself. It's just not for me. I'm just happy to be part of the Genuine scootin' community---regardless if you ride a Buddy or a Blur. (Although, I'll admit it---I do have Rattler ENVY!)

I have to agree with Nathaniel--there does seem to be a level of animosity from the Buddy crowd.

And it's pretty one-way, which is part of what I don't get about it. I haven't really read anything from Blur owners saying the Buddy is a piece of junk or something. I think it's fantastic. I'd like to have a Buddy Italia myself. Just no point in having three scooters of the same size.

I hear ya on the leaning ability on the Blur. I've heard several stories about hitting the center stand before running out of lean. I haven't tried it myself, but that little scoot inspires a lot of confidence.

I have to agree with AYBABTU about the handling. I too come from a sport bike, but I disagree about the spare tire thing - gray hair, maybe, but no spare tire! I've also got experience on other sports scooters, but unfortunately, not in this country since most of the scooterist here seem to be stuck in the '50s. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's just not for me.
I've also scraped my center stand, usually on left turns - pretty exciting especially since it causes the rear tire to come off the ground it you hit it just right (or wrong). Having years of off-road riding experience has helped me a lot on the street.

I had a sportbike before the Blur also, so I guess that could be a factor in why we all picked that scooter.. haven't scraped the center stand yet though, and I think I'd soil myself if the back tire caught air on a turn.

Heh, I did that once on a friend's Harley (the tire-in-the-air thing, not the soil-the-pants thing ) going around a turn - sent all kinds of sparks and rude noises out behind me. Unfortunately, my friend was following me on another Harley and saw all of it. I was trying (mistakenly) to ride it like I ride my sportbike. That's why I've never owned a cruiser type bike; I wouldn't last very long...