snow riding

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ahorsewithnoname
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snow riding

Post by ahorsewithnoname »

New to the scooter world with a Genuine Love Buddy 50 Pamplona. I need to ride over a wet grass hill in the morning to get to the road. Tires on this scoot are smallish and slippery. Tires on the RH50 look so good to me that am considering buying a new Roughouse with the large knobby tires. And would like to ride all winter even in the snow. I've been a motorcyclist for over 50 years and have ridden in snow off road and on road. I've seen videos of scoots riding in snow and would like to get an opinion on how an RH50 does in snow. My Buddy 50 derestricted is my first scoot and a keeper. Dealer gives super service for me and really happy with Genuine.

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PeteH
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Post by PeteH »

Even with knobbies, it's not as easy as it looks. I had a CT90 (and no car) when I was in college, and got stuck at school more than once when the snow flew. Slipped/slid and almost fell a few times. Most unpleasant.
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skully93
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Post by skully93 »

You could have a full on adventure bike with off road tires, and my answer would be similar.

Riding on wet grass is like glass. Wet pavement with ice or gravel is just as bad.

If you can, walk it up and down such small hill to pavement. if its really small you should be able to walk it no problem. Maybe even just roll down and then push it back up.

Know your limits too, as there's just certain times you're not going to be able to ride. Snow on most bikes is a terrible idea. The buddy has such a tiny wheelbase and tires, there's just no way. It slams you down so fast you don't have time for any kind of recovery.
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Benzo Mike
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Post by Benzo Mike »

Any 2-wheeld conveyance in snow is a deathwish. Add in an automatic clutch, even moreso.
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Post by TVB »

A motorbike with knobbies can manage on snow, but on pavement with ice and/or packed snow ... not so well. I ride my scooter as late in the Fall and early in the Spring as I can, but when I can't reliably keep my tires in contact with pavement, I park it.
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KABarash
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Post by KABarash »

Riding in snow? As others have stated, not a good time, I wouldn't.
I have in the past ridden year 'round but as soon as there's accumulation of any sort on the road, I won't.
Wet grass can be just as bad. Scary. Use caution, walk the scoot. Even drought dried grass can pose an issue. One of the 2 times I've gone down in my riding career was on dry and 'trampled' grass in a friend's yard, quite embarrassing. :oops:
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libwitch
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Post by libwitch »

I wouldn't do it but the last time I was at my local-ish scoot shop we were talking about riding in the winter and there are number of riders in that area who do -- and that is in Ithaca, NY - home of hills and its own unique little snow belt. Wider and knobbier tiers. And a windshield seemed to be key.

To be honest though, I don't think any of them were doing it on anything as small as a 50. I think you would need something with a little more weight.
pattio
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Post by pattio »

You can get 10" knobbies, they are used on kids dirt bikes and 'pit bikes'. I don't know for a fact if Buddies have the clearance for them, but I think its probable. I've used them on vintage scooters for grass drags at rallies. Maybe buy a spare wheel and mount a knobby on it just for those winter days.

Also, you are utterly out of your freakin' mind to consider riding a Buddy in snow. Old School motorcyclists, as you probably know, fit a sidecar for the winter months. They also drain the oil and bring it in the cabin to warm on the wood stove on winter nights. Gives the cabin a nice 'motorsport' smell while you work on your manifesto.
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tspinning
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Post by tspinning »

I for one am looking forward to this winter season. But I say that with the devotion of the newly fervent. I'm also excited to take it to HR at work and cash in on that silly disability plan should I go down in a sweet glistening path of ice... again. Anyway, I rode stock tires on the 125 last winter for about 1000 miles in Boston, never in actual snowing snow. Good on cold dry/wet roads, but I'm not sure anything is going to provide "confidence" in truly adverse conditions. Best of luck, at any rate I would be interested in your findings regarding tire size and fender clearance and utility!
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KrispyKreme
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Post by KrispyKreme »

pattio wrote: Old School motorcyclists, as you probably know, fit a sidecar for the winter months. They also drain the oil and bring it in the cabin to warm on the wood stove on winter nights. Gives the cabin a nice 'motorsport' smell while you work on your manifesto.

This cracked me up. :clap:
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PeteH
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Post by PeteH »

If you do choose to ride in the slushy muck, remember that road salt will eat your scoot's frame, pipe, and other metally bits alive. Clean it often!
Feel da rhythm! Feel da rhyme! Get on up! It's Buddy Time!
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az_slynch
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Post by az_slynch »

At what point does a hobby become an addiction? I'm uncertain, but after the twelfth scooter, it sorta feels like the latter...

Seriously...I've lost count...

Seven mopeds ...that's still manageable...
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siobhan
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Post by siobhan »

I ride all year, including in the snow, in New England. It can be done, all you naysayers :)

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You're in Maryland; you don't get a lot of snow, or at least it doesn't stick around for long (yes, yes, I know the last two winters were weird). My recommendation is, if you think you're going to be doing a lot of riding in snow and not just on cleared pavement, stud the tires, but you know that already since you stated you've ridden off-road in snow.

You can feel when you're going down, so just step off the scoot since it weighs nothing. I was only down once this entire winter, taking a right corner onto a street that was really icy (which, of course, belongs to my campus and the guys hadn't gotten to yet).

My plan for this winter, if it looks like it's going to be as bad as last winter, is to have a scoot with studs for when it's actively snowing, and one for when after the roads are cleared. Studs wear down fast on bare pavement.

I've ridden the last 6 years in the snow and my Buddy isn't a rusting piece of crap, so I wouldn't worry too much about salt. If you see residue on the bike, wash it off. That's the magic of tupperware!

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