Not feeling the buddy love

AlleyOops · Post by **AlleyOops** » Mon May 21, 2012 6:05 pm

Saw another buddy for the first time (a St. Tropez) while out riding today, I was pulling out of a parking lot and he was pulling in, I smiled and waved and he just kind of looked at me like I was a weirdo! pfffft. Where's the love??

Maybe he though I was weird for being all geared up in the heat, he was in shorts and a T-shirt.. I didn't see if he was wearing flip-flops, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Capt_Don · Post by **Capt_Don** » Mon May 21, 2012 6:15 pm

I have been foolish enough to dress similar to that... before I spilled my Arrow about five years ago. Thankfully then I was dressed for work and pretty protected, sans gloves

ouch!

I might go out with out a jacket, though I should not, but always with helmet, gloves, and jeans on. I never look down on those that are intelligent and do their best to minimize the risk we take getting on two wheels.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon May 21, 2012 6:28 pm

since Buddy's are prolific here, I always wave and say hi to other owners (and most scooters in general!).

Sometimes you just get people who are either concentrating or just not into it!

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Mon May 21, 2012 6:38 pm

When I'm on the freeway (in the carpool lane) on my MP3 I rarely wave at other riders...too busy making sure no one is thinking of cutting over in to the car pool lane.

I know that wasn't the scenario here, but the point is you just never know what stresses the other person has. Maybe they were totally concentrating on nearby cars, and just happened to notice you right when you were going by.

Still, I know what you mean...It's human nature to feel a little rebuffed if you wave and someone doesn't wave back. I know I feel that way, even when I keep what I said above in mind.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon May 21, 2012 7:28 pm

I'm not always able to ride back to other riders for various reasons. It's not because they're unloved.

Mutt the Hoople · Post by **Mutt the Hoople** » Mon May 21, 2012 8:06 pm

I felt the love today. I was riding in South County and a guy in a white pickup truck was stopped at a light to the right of me he yelled at me "hey... That's fun a isn't it?" and I looked over and it was a youngish guy and he said he has several bikes and a 50cc scooter and rides it all over the place. It was a happy exchange. It offset all of the people that have been driving like its a full moon or something. I was in my car earlier and saw what could have been a disaster.... Got stuck on the I-270 bridge because of an actual disaster... And there just seems to be something in the air... Lots of squirrily drivers.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon May 21, 2012 9:18 pm

the majority of people are like that. if the weather/season/sports team jersey/underpants change, they can't cope with it.

all you can do is try not to be one of em!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Mon May 21, 2012 9:21 pm

The bf and I went on a long ride up through the lower part of the Adirondacks (Queensbury-North River) yesterday. We saw a couple scoots here and there, but the entire ride was filled with motorcyclists.
NONE of the scooter people waved to either of us. Not one. I didn't see a single other Buddy either, a couple of Vespa 150s, a Honda Met, a Yamahahaha Vino and an ooooold chinese scoot with flames on the side (the same kind you can rent in Martha's Vineyard- kind of funny).
On our way home, when we made it out of the mountains, a couple of old guys that had been following us for a while pulled up to the stop light next to us. They were tough looking dudes on fully dressed big twin Harleys. The one closest to me pokes me on the shoulder and says "damn lil' girl, you were hauling balls on that little thing!" They took off when the light turned green, but we saw them again when I needed to stop for gas in the next town and they came over and asked all kinds of questions about the scoot. Good times.
It was a great day.

Mousenut · Post by **Mousenut** » Mon May 21, 2012 9:24 pm

I had a dude on a Harley give me a full out high school girl crazy wave about 2 weeks ago. I felt guilty only giving him the "2".

Do you remember the episode of Friends where Phoebe ran in the park all cutting loose fancy free? Sort of like that but with a helmet.

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Mon May 21, 2012 9:39 pm

I got flashed by several girls showing their upper parts. Almost made me down Gizmo "the skeeter" Dodad Rodrigez. Two of those breezies was bomb too... But yeah I guess you don't and can never know whats going on in the other riders' head. It could be he was is a bad mood, didn't see you, or just trying to concentrate on what he was doing. Don't take the bad to heart....

phatch · Post by **phatch** » Mon May 21, 2012 10:01 pm

Mousenut wrote:I had a dude on a Harley give me a full out high school girl crazy wave about 2 weeks ago. I felt guilty only giving him the "2".

Do you remember the episode of Friends where Phoebe ran in the park all cutting loose fancy free? Sort of like that but with a helmet.

Maybe his hand got caught up in the wind..?

Post by **ericalm** » Tue May 22, 2012 5:02 am

I think folks read into this wave/no wave stuff far too much.

Uncle Groucho · Post by **Uncle Groucho** » Tue May 22, 2012 12:33 pm

AlleyOops wrote:Where's the love??

Maybe he was in a bad mood. Happens to me once in a while on my scoot; usually when I'm going to work when I'd rather be doing 20 other things. It happens. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Tue May 22, 2012 1:03 pm

I try to at least nod to other bikes, or possibly do a little left-hand-still-on-the-grip peace sign, but on my urban commute the streets are just a little bumpy to where in some spots I don't take my hands off the grips. On smooth stretches, yeah, I'll shoot waves.

It's all a question of prudence.

AlleyOops · Post by **AlleyOops** » Tue May 22, 2012 1:16 pm

ericalm wrote:I think folks read into this wave/no wave stuff far too much.

You're probably right, I was just SO excited to see another buddy for the FIRST time while out riding

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:10 pm

At least you've seen another buddy rider in "the wild". Where I live I've come across a Chinese scoot, a Vespa 150 ie, a Ruckus, and a Vino 125. Thats It!!! and my MSF instructor said, "There are a lot of scoots in our neck of the woods" but I NEVER see any and no one up here even know about the Buddy so I've made it my mission to inform the wider public. Like Paul Revere... The Buddies are coming , the Buddies are coming... If someone ask me....

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Tue May 22, 2012 3:16 pm

Drum Pro wrote: Like Paul Revere... The Buddies are coming , the Buddies are coming...

Post by **ericalm** » Tue May 22, 2012 5:34 pm

I now see at least a couple Buddys a day on my commute.

AlleyOops · Post by **AlleyOops** » Wed May 23, 2012 2:08 pm

Got a BIG wave from someone on a buddy this morning driving into work... totally made up for the other day

Howardr · Post by **Howardr** » Wed May 23, 2012 2:44 pm

Rode past a least a hundred bikes yesterday when I rode to the Grand Canyon. Mostly Harleys and big cruisers. Virtually all waved at me. However, when I got back to Flagstaff, I passed 2 scooters, neither waved back. Oh Well

Howard

bgwss · Post by **bgwss** » Wed May 23, 2012 5:27 pm

I wave at all two wheeled motorized vehicles (scooter, motorcycle, moped). If they wave great if not then great too.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed May 23, 2012 6:01 pm

bgwss wrote:I wave at all two wheeled motorized vehicles (scooter, motorcycle, moped). If they wave great if not then great too.

If I did that, my left arm would be flailing around constantly and I'd probably crash once a day!

jd · Post by jd » Wed May 23, 2012 7:03 pm

To some, riding a scooter is a "lifestyle." I suspect most of the people who participate here feel that way.

There is an organization called the Moped Army which promotes mopeds as a "lifestyle" in a similar manner.

Both groups, however, can be described by Kurt Vonnegut's term "granfalloon," variously defined as "A false karass; that is, a large yet meaningless association of human beings," or "a group of people united only in a superficial manner."

Some of us get so caught up in scooterdom that we overestimate the social and/or moral significance of our scooters. To us, our bikes are a big deal. To others, they're just a way to get around. They don't consider themselves special, enlightened, or adventuresome. It's just how they get from place to place. And they aren't aware of, or recognize, any particular affinity with other scooter riders. It doesn't mean they're unfriendly.

I also assume that there are a lot of Buddy owners out there who not only have zero interest in relating to other Buddy owners, they don't even understand why anyone would want to just because they purchased the same scooter model.

I have a Dell Thinkpad laptop. I don't really care who else does. But I have little doubt that there's some group of Thinkpad owners out there who consider themselves special and related because they did. And they probably have some website where they exchange stories about their laptops. And when they wave to another Thinkpad user in a Starbucks and don't get a response, they complain on their website that the other Thinkpad owner didn't make an acknowledgement.

phatch · Post by **phatch** » Wed May 23, 2012 9:23 pm

jd wrote:To some, riding a scooter is a "lifestyle." I suspect most of the people who participate here feel that way.

There is an organization called the Moped Army which promotes mopeds as a "lifestyle" in a similar manner.

Both groups, however, can be described by Kurt Vonnegut's term "granfalloon," variously defined as "A false karass; that is, a large yet meaningless association of human beings," or "a group of people united only in a superficial manner."

Some of us get so caught up in scooterdom that we overestimate the social and/or moral significance of our scooters. To us, our bikes are a big deal. To others, they're just a way to get around. They don't consider themselves special, enlightened, or adventuresome. It's just how they get from place to place. And they aren't aware of, or recognize, any particular affinity with other scooter riders. It doesn't mean they're unfriendly.

I also assume that there are a lot of Buddy owners out there who not only have zero interest in relating to other Buddy owners, they don't even understand why anyone would want to just because they purchased the same scooter model.

I have a Dell Thinkpad laptop. I don't really care who else does. But I have little doubt that there's some group of Thinkpad owners out there who consider themselves special and related because they did. And they probably have some website where they exchange stories about their laptops. And when they wave to another Thinkpad user in a Starbucks and don't get a response, they complain on their website that the other Thinkpad owner didn't make an acknowledgement.

It's a niche thing. We own a mkV VW GTI, and when we see another one, there's a common unspoken bond. Now, we don't generally wave to each other or anything like that, but you will get the occasional nod.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed May 23, 2012 9:51 pm

Well… It takes all kinds. It's simple human nature to want to belong, to seek out commonality, shared experiences and to want to relate to others on some level.

Many new scooterists are unaware of the community when they start out, but enjoy the camaraderie once they discover such a thing exists. Traditional scooter clubs united around not just certain types of scooters but also shared fashion, music, culture, etc. Those groups are still out there. But for many of us, what unites us is little more than our scooters. There's clearly a much broader diversity of scooterists these days than a decade ago, which I think is great.

Our LA Scooter group has 779 members at present, with as many as 200 members actively participating in rides in any given month. One of the things I'm most proud of is the broad range of scooters and riders represented in the group. And I've got many friends, some close friends even, who I'd never have met if not for the scooter communities such as MB, MV, various riding groups and simply hanging out at the local shop.

Certain products lend themselves more to that feeling of belonging. There may be no love among Dell owners, but look at all the people who put Apple stickers on their vehicles. Same goes for everything from Harleys to people who listen to the same radio station.

As different as we all are, Buddy owners are a very distinct and unique group. Not everyone wants or needs to "feel the love," but for many of us, that's part of the appeal of the scooter and Genuine.

ThreeSheets · Post by **ThreeSheets** » Fri May 25, 2012 1:54 pm

<3 <3 here is some love for you!

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Fri May 25, 2012 2:24 pm

jd wrote:
I have a Dell Thinkpad laptop.

Really? Thinkpads are made by Lenovo, not dell

.

I'm just giving you grief, but I get your point and agree.

jd · Post by jd » Fri May 25, 2012 3:38 pm

skully93 wrote:
jd wrote:
I have a Dell Thinkpad laptop.
Really? Thinkpads are made by Lenovo, not dell .

I'm just giving you grief, but I get your point and agree.

Grief deserved. Yeah, it's a Lenovo. The old one's a Dell. I guess that just proves my point, right? It just gets the job done. I can't even keep the brand straight.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Fri May 25, 2012 3:58 pm

[quote="skully93Really? Thinkpads are made by Lenovo, not dell

.[/quote]

Unless you're a Geezer Geek (like me) and still have an IBM Thinkpad 701 (with the funkiest folding keyboard) lying around.... here.... somewhere....

jd · Post by jd » Fri May 25, 2012 4:05 pm

PeteH wrote:Unless you're a Geezer Geek (like me) and still have an IBM Thinkpad 701 (with the funkiest folding keyboard) lying around.... here.... somewhere....

Oh, so you think you're special, huh? LOL! I LOVED my Thinkpad 701 but it just became useless because it couldn't do anything that I needed it to do anymore. So I sold it some kid in a garage sale for $25. He thought he'd died and gone to heaven. I was glad to see it go to a loving owner.

It's a shame that IBM discontinued that platform. I have no doubt that they analyzed the hell out of the business case, but they decided that it didn't make sense to use the folding keyboard with more advanced processors. I suspect that either (1) the keyboard was too expensive to produce or (2) they decided that people wanted bigger screens and that weight, rather than physical size, was the determining factor in a purchase. Alas, they were probably right....

rsrider · Post by **rsrider** » Fri May 25, 2012 4:37 pm

The International owners have their own clique, and you're not in it.

Post by **jmazza** » Fri May 25, 2012 4:45 pm

rsrider wrote:The International owners have their own clique, and you're not in it.

We have our own wave as well.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri May 25, 2012 6:28 pm

jmazza wrote:
rsrider wrote:The International owners have their own clique, and you're not in it.
We have our own wave as well.

I have a special wave for that.

Mutt the Hoople · Post by **Mutt the Hoople** » Sat May 26, 2012 2:29 pm

Lol. I always feel like I am going get a taunting wave... Like the French Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail from Vespa Riders... "you Buddy riding K-nigggit". Oddly enough I am looking at a very nice Vespa but I'm sure I won't pass the personality test.

Question one: your shoes and hand bag must always match or coordinate with the seat of your Vespa. True or False. Huh? Is not an answer.

Question two: you wear a vintage looking helmet with leather trim, that of course coordinates with your scooter. True or False.

You can maintain a superior smug expression even with a bug caught in your front teeth at all times. True or False.

Post by **ericalm** » Sun May 27, 2012 12:14 am

False
Very false!
Probably true.

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Sun May 27, 2012 12:23 am

jd wrote:I have a Dell [sic] Thinkpad laptop. I don't really care who else does. But I have little doubt that there's some group of Thinkpad owners out there who consider themselves special and related because they did. And they probably have some website where they exchange stories about their laptops.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/
<Gives special Thinkpad wave>

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sun May 27, 2012 1:29 pm

ericalm wrote:I think folks read into this wave/no wave stuff far too much.

ericalm wrote:
bgwss wrote:I wave at all two wheeled motorized vehicles (scooter, motorcycle, moped). If they wave great if not then great too.
If I did that, my left arm would be flailing around constantly and I'd probably crash once a day!

and

Sometimes the timing is just not right. Other times, it seems like I've been constantly returning waves all day. Whether I return a wave or not is not an indication about how I feel about a machine brand or particular rider (generally), but more so of my riding situation or mood.

Rob

DebtFreeQuaker · Post by **DebtFreeQuaker** » Mon May 28, 2012 11:15 pm

I live in Colorado Springs, CO and I never get a wave from fellow scooterists, but MOST of the motorcycle guys give me the left-handed low wave.

It actually took me a while before I realized what the heck was going on. And I've never initiated it, I always just return the wave.

It is pretty cool to be a part of something that not everyone is familiar with I suppose.

Jana · Post by **Jana** » Thu May 31, 2012 10:50 pm

Since I started my two wheeling on a motorcycle years ago, I am in the habit of waving...if it's safe to do so. I haven't had many return waves from scooterists (is that a word?), but *always* get one from a biker!

I'm sure it's because I'm so cute....

Most likely because I don't see many scooters when I'm riding...but see oodles of them when I'm in my car! I don't wave to them then.

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:09 pm

"Not feeling the Buddy Love"... Is there an app for that?

rondothemidget · Post by **rondothemidget** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:29 pm

I thought this topic was going to be a critical review of the classic Nutty Professor movie with Jerry Lewis

Mutt the Hoople · Post by **Mutt the Hoople** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:41 pm

I love you guys. Really I do.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:40 am

Jana wrote:I haven't had many return waves from scooterists (is that a word?),

Yes it is. Don't let its absence from dictionaries mislead you; "whamalamabooya" isn't in them either.

pumpedoncaffeine · Post by **pumpedoncaffeine** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:44 pm

We live in a small town on the coast of Texas. My husband and I have the only two scooters in town. Almost everyone that passes us waves (and stares) at us. I only return part of them if it is safe for me to wave back, but if I can't wave I at least give them a nod.

Last week when we stopped to get gas, a car pulled up next to us and started checking out our scooters. He said it was to spread the scooter love, he was in a scooter club in Seattle.

We have met quite a few people who want to stop and talk and tell us about a scooter they used to own.

Jana · Post by **Jana** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:44 pm

TVB wrote:
Jana wrote:I haven't had many return waves from scooterists (is that a word?),
Yes it is. Don't let its absence from dictionaries mislead you; "whamalamabooya" isn't in them either.

Jana · Post by **Jana** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:48 pm

I have owned/driven two Saturns (still loving my Ion), and when they were first new, we all waved at each other! Seriously! I still catch myself waving to other Saturn drivers, just out of habit. I get a few return waves, but not as many as in "the old days."

If I put my Buddy sticker on my car, does that qualify as "Buddy love"?

pumpedoncaffeine · Post by **pumpedoncaffeine** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:07 pm

Jana wrote:I have owned/driven two Saturns (still loving my Ion), and when they were first new, we all waved at each other! Seriously! I still catch myself waving to other Saturn drivers, just out of habit. I get a few return waves, but not as many as in "the old days."

If I put my Buddy sticker on my car, does that qualify as "Buddy love"?

Thats cool, I have owned two Saturns also. I still have a L300. I stopped waving at other Saturn owners when government motors took over and Saturn was deceased.
Now I have a Buddy 150 St Tropez and my husband has a Stella.

bluebuddygirl · Post by **bluebuddygirl** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:59 pm

Rob wrote:
ericalm wrote:I think folks read into this wave/no wave stuff far too much.

ericalm wrote:
bgwss wrote:I wave at all two wheeled motorized vehicles (scooter, motorcycle, moped). If they wave great if not then great too.
If I did that, my left arm would be flailing around constantly and I'd probably crash once a day!
and

Sometimes the timing is just not right. Other times, it seems like I've been constantly returning waves all day. Whether I return a wave or not is not an indication about how I feel about a machine brand or particular rider (generally), but more so of my riding situation or mood.

Rob

plus one more, and like California, Ohio has a Lot of 2 wheeled vehicles. Sometimes I just don't feel like waving each and every time, and you can't always tell it is another scooter until it is passing you.

Modern Buddy

Not feeling the buddy love

Not feeling the buddy love

Re: Not feeling the buddy love