Buddy's take a lickin' and keep on tickin'

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Howardr
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Buddy's take a lickin' and keep on tickin'

Post by Howardr »

I just finishes reading the thread comparing the Chinese and Taiwanese scoots. While I've never owned a Chinese scoot, I can attest to the quality of my Buddy.
I'm not a daredevil and I don't do stunts on my scooter (except that wheelie that went wrong and I ended up on my side in somebody's front yard at 1:00 am, but that's another story) however, I will take my scooter anywhere I feel like going. Last year I went hunting for a ghost town. I was on some fairly rough dirt roads and the Buddy performed admirably.
Here in Tucson, there is a mountain range just out side of town. I've post pics of group ride we've done before. It's one of the top motorcycling rides in the nation. You climb almost 6000 feet in 26 miles of twisty, 2-lane roadway.
What a lot of people don't know is that there is a back road up this mountain as well. It is single lane, 4-wheel drive only, rarely used by any one. I decided to take the "road less traveled on the Buddy.
This was 30 miles of switch-backs, less than single lane road, because some of has washed away. There were large rocks to dodge and large patches of deep, loose sand. It was so steep in sections that even at 5-10mph, where I have the most torque, I couldn't accelerate. It was about 105 degrees at the bottom and I rode 2 hours of 60mph highway driving just to get there.
The buddy did great! I did meet an SUV that was coming down the mountain. I saw his license plate and thought "Montana?" but I'm sure he got one look at me and thought "A scooter?!"
To add to the Buddy accomplishment, it has 11,000 original miles on it. I've got a Prima pipe and an NCV variator and clutch upgrade, but no rebuild or overhaul has ever been done. This, dear reader, is a quality bike.
Attachments
Here I am, enjoying the ride.
Here I am, enjoying the ride.
IMAGE_419.jpg (50.19 KiB) Viewed 1776 times
I've got to climb to the top of that and beyond.
I've got to climb to the top of that and beyond.
IMAGE_417.jpg (91.42 KiB) Viewed 1776 times
This is looking backward, down the hill.
This is looking backward, down the hill.
IMAGE_422.jpg (80.56 KiB) Viewed 1776 times
You can see some of the sand at the bottom of this pic.
You can see some of the sand at the bottom of this pic.
IMAGE_423.jpg (79.72 KiB) Viewed 1776 times
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olhogrider
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Post by olhogrider »

Great report! So many scooters only go to the store or school. Your trip makes me rethink my decision to get a KLR650.
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Skootz Kabootz
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Post by Skootz Kabootz »

Nice! Some off road tires and who know where you could go!
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Cheshire
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Post by Cheshire »

Love it! Great pictures.
I need to go exploring more often.
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DennisD
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Post by DennisD »

Thanks for the post and pics! Ohhh, I wanna go on a long, long, ride somewhere that so many others won't. 8)
prrfan53
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Arizona mtns climb

Post by prrfan53 »

OK, here's a guy who knows what boondockin' is all about! Super ride and far more fun than down to the village for whatever! And the Buddy is quite capable of these class 6 roads/ ruts. Keep on scootin' !
TVB

Post by TVB »

I'll drive on an ancient patched asphalt road in the UP or even a Wisconsin-built concrete highway. But dirt roads are where I drew the line on my trip this past week. Not with the stock tires on a Buddy 50.
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broke
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Post by broke »

Awesome post Howard! Watch out for snakes!
Want and need divide me. Mekka-lekka hi mekka hiney ho!
Anachronism
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Post by Anachronism »

I do gold camp road regularly around here on my 50.

Its not as wild as that, but it is six miles of dirt road on former railroad grade, through a few railroad tunnels.

The view overlooks Colorado Springs and the Broadmoor area, and is AMAZING.

When I'm done, I scoot through the Cheyenne Canyon road, which is a (paved) steep drop through sharp corners, and more gorgeous scenery.

Anybody in the area, this is a ride WORTH DOING, both for the fun of the ascent/descent and the view.

Here is google directions for those interested.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source= ... 5&t=h&z=16
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Howardr
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Post by Howardr »

I did dirt roads on my stock tires as well. The important is to keep your speed down, watch for rocks and loose sand or gravel and be especially careful while turning. I have done a lot of dirt roads on my buddy and it always performs well. I wouldn't race it on dirt, but taking a casual ride to see some things that you can't see from the asphalt, I'll do it any day.

Howard
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iwabj

Post by iwabj »

oops
Last edited by iwabj on Fri Jun 25, 2010 12:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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rajron
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Post by rajron »

That was a very cool, or should I say hot, ride/report - "A scooter?!"
mistievous1
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buddy takes a lickin and keeps on tickin

Post by mistievous1 »

I whole heartedly agree!!! my Buddy is a trooper!!! I take him anywhere I want as well, not to mention on a rainy day we slid for a good 50+ feet. I held on to him as long as I could but the force to strong we ended up seperating. I got up walked over to him took him directly to Vespalewisville where besides cosmetic damage he was only slightly out of alignment. They aligned him ordered my parts 10 minutes later I was back on the road. I have put Buddy through the ringer, he is hard to break!
P.S. I had the most AWESOME raingear on( which I ordered fromVespalewisville as well)I walked away with one fabric burn and no damage to the gear. Now the impact to the pavement left internal injuries, but nothing chiro and massage did not cure!!!
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Becktastic
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Post by Becktastic »

I just heard about you doing this ride Howard and I had to come have a look for myself.

You are absolutely crazy and I love it!

These pictures do not do justice to how brutal that road really is in places (probably because stopping to take photos is the last thing on your mind when it gets really gnarly). I did it the other weekend on a borrowed dirt bike (TW200) and still had a pretty wicked wipe out. I am thouroughly impressed by your scootering skillz!
Lift heavy eat clean!
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Coffeejunkie
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Post by Coffeejunkie »

Heck that sounds like fun. It makes me want to explore even more now.
Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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