Who has ridden a Buddy for a while, and HASN'T crashed?!

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:01 am

I think this topic might be more reassuring to some (and at least to me), than the thread about "Who HAS crashed?"

Leeroy Jenkins · Post by **Leeroy Jenkins** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:21 am

me!

bobcat20 · Post by **bobcat20** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:55 am

This is not too reassuring so far...

ScooterTrash · Post by **ScooterTrash** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:26 am

I have been riding scoot's for 4 years with no wrecks, my wife for 2 with the same result

PasadenaSue · Post by **PasadenaSue** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:42 am

One year on my Buddy without an accident. Several years of motorcycle riding without an accident. (I hope I haven't jinxed myself now.)

PasadenaSue

nissanman · Post by **nissanman** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:07 am

Worst I've done is lose my footing with my motorcycle in a parking space. Thank goodness I've never crashed.

1cyl · Post by **1cyl** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:26 am

I've been riding since 1961. No crashes yet!

SteMer · Post by **SteMer** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:48 am

Bought my Buddy in Aug '06, no crashes.

(No, Bonegirl and Lagerhead, getting my foot caught as I was coming to a stop and setting the scoot on it's side doesn't count).

rickyd410 · Post by **rickyd410** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:51 am

Riding for year and a half now, no crashes yet.

250koala · Post by **250koala** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:11 am

It is only a crash if you started out ON the bike right? I wasn't on it.

I made a really REALLY REALLY dumb parking error. ($200 and change and the bike was out of commission for like 6 months.)

Life lesson was priceless! (Bike is bigger and has more power than I.)

I finally got my bike out of the shop a couple weeks ago. Better than new with wider mirrors and new brown grips. (and a new headset and handlebar)

I got the nerve to drive it a bit yesterday around motor vehicles test lot. I just kept reminding myself that it wasn't that I couldn't ride it. It was that I failed to use good judgement in parking.

pcbikedude · Post by **pcbikedude** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:35 am

9 months with some close calls with "distracted" cagers including this morning.

Dan Buddy · Post by **Dan Buddy** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:38 pm

9 months, 2200 miles and no crashes (knock on plastic)

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:25 pm

I have a sick feeling even responding, but:

4400 miles, 9 months, no crashes.

poop colored buddy · Post by **poop colored buddy** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:35 pm

2000 miles, no crash, all in crazy phoenix traffic.

lou76 · Post by **lou76** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:33 pm

almost 18000 in and around phx az with one minor wreck (the kite incident)

sunshinen · Post by **sunshinen** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:45 pm

6000 miles... nada.

lobsterman · Post by **lobsterman** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:00 pm

No offense to the relevant posters here, but I could have made similar comments about time and miles before I went over first a curb and then the front of my scooter ass over elbows.

To the folks with several years and quadrupal digit mileage, congratulations. Chances are good it's not just good luck so far.

To those with less than a year and only a couple thousand miles on you, congratulations to you too, but be careful. All the time. Just because it hasn't happened to you yet doesn't make you immune for perpetuity.

Crashes can happen for lots of reasons, and hardly anybody sets out saying "hey, I think I'll crash today, that sounds like a good use of my time and resources".

My crash was my own dumb fault when it happend last year, no doubt. Just plain going too fast where I shouldn't have been. In retrospect I blame the combination of inexperience and overconfidence, combined with foolishly trying to keep up with a much more experienced rider than me on unfamiliar roads.

Not my intention to put a downer on what is no doubt supposed to be a positive post, I'm fresh off of reading about a guy named Josh and a Lexus. He's either outrageously lucky to be alive or really unlucky to have been in the path of somebody driving like they're invincible.

Ride safe.

awfulshot · Post by **awfulshot** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:31 pm

1cyl wrote:I've been riding since 1961. No crashes yet!

wow!

as for me, 4 months and no near-misses or accidents yet. lets hope for the best!

BoneGirl · Post by **BoneGirl** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:18 am

I've ridden over 16, 500 miles in the last 18 months with no crashes.

littleao · Post by **littleao** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:26 am

Hoppsan

RabidChild · Post by **RabidChild** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:48 am

Been on a Buddy since July 06 and haven't has an accident.

pcbikedude · Post by **pcbikedude** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:06 am

I'll modify what I posted. 9 Months, nearly 7K miles, 2 scooters, 0 crashes.

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:38 am

I'm guessing I have maybe 200K accident free miles on motorcycles, and about 3K (so far) on scooters. (Reflex, Vespa GT, Buddy 125). That's in the last 23 years. (Knocking on wood!!) (But then there were some close calls too! Oh yes! Oh my!)

In the first four years of riding tho, I had several mishaps due to my lack of experience and stupidity. One was a severe pipe burn that crippled me for months after I stupidly tried to back up a Gold Wing off a highway on-ramp. And the other was when I rolled over this same Gold Wing when I put my right foot down onto a road that wasn't there but curved down into a ditch! The big dresser turned almost upside down into the ditch as I luckily scrambled up on top of it without injury! If the MSF courses or the book "Proficient Motorcycling" had been available to me at that time, I would've learned to always put my LEFT foot down FIRST, and probably never would've rolled over that big bike!!

After only aprox two years tho, I got rid of that big Gold Wing tub and traded down to 550 and 750cc motorcycles from then on. At least I learned that much back then; never try to force riding on a bike you consistently believe is wrong for you..!

gt1000 · Post by **gt1000** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:59 am

You cannot get any sort of accurate gauge on moto safety by reading a forum. Same goes for mechanical problems. We talk about our problems all the time, that's how we share and learn from sharing. There is no statistical trend, much less proof, that any single bike is more unsafe than other bikes. Crashes are much more about inattentive drivers not seeing bikes and inexperienced riders on whatever 1st bike they're riding.

There is a statistical base that shows new riders are at greater risk than seasoned riders. There is also a set of numbers that shows 4 year veterans as very much at risk. The conventional wisdom is that after 3 years of safe riding, overconfidence creeps in.

Over the past 5 years I've probably racked up about 11,000 miles on two scooters, a motorcycle and a bicycle. I've had two minor incidents where I took falls and both were on the bicycle. One was stupidity on my part, one was stupidity on a car driver's part (I missed her but fell anyway). I have suffered falls on motorcycles but they were a long time ago. None of this is really relevant though. If you start thinking you have enough experience, you're setting yourself up for a rude awakening.

If your bike is properly maintained, it's all about the rider and the conditions you're riding in. The brand or even the type of bike is virtually irrelevant.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:02 am

Who's superstitious? Who wants to tempt fate?

Not me. I crashed.

pcbikedude · Post by **pcbikedude** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:58 pm

I'll quote the instructor from my MSF course, "It is not a matter if you are going to crash, just when." Same goes with cars.

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:07 am

pcbikedude wrote:I'll quote the instructor from my MSF course, "It is not a matter if you are going to crash, just when." Same goes with cars.

I'll crash then after I stop riding and driving, okay?

Because I don't ride with the expectation of crashing. I know it's a possibility, but I don't consider it as irrefutable fact!!

IMO that instructor's statement is just gloomy negativity and foolish defeatism...!

Eddy Merckx · Post by **Eddy Merckx** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:39 am

Nine months... still upright....... but I've been commuting on road bicycles in urban areas since 1983, and I'm well aware of how blind your average human is whenever they drive anything, its all about realizing that its your responsibility not to get hit, not their job not to hit you... when riders realize this as a fact they will be more successful in preserving their own well being.

jmo of course... feel free to disagree at your leisure.

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:25 am

^ you are so right, we have to be a very defensive in our driving b/c we are at the bottom of the pecking order. You have to get over the belief that you have the right away etc. Laws mean nothing. I have been riding since June 06 and knock on wood, no problems so far. The more experience I get , the fewer near misses as you learn to anticipate most dumb moves. My spouse and 2 coworkers also have Buddy's and they have all had mishaps resulting in bumps and bruises. Well someone took the safety course and has been ok so far

. I hardly believe I am immune-anything can happen, but there are many measures to take to reduce risk.

maryvu · Post by **maryvu** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:36 pm

Within the first 200 yards riding my brand new Buddy 125 behind Duc Seattle (ugh...), I turned right and hit the front brake at the same time. (also prior to taking the MSF Class!). No Buddy crashes since...

Stella, on the other hand...
* Slid out in the rain to avoid a pedestrian who ran out in front of me on my gf's orange Stella (Stella_1).
* Slid out on black ice on my New Avocado Stella (Stella_2). Minor scrapes to the bike at the time...only to be slammed into while parked by the curb a few moments later by a car who also hit the black ice. Totaled, waiting for another one, (Stella_3)
* Riding slowly with a group through minefield of potholes on a back road, my front wheel slipped, turned and we fell over into a muddy embankment.

true accidents, in my mind. Can't do much about running pedestrians in the dark, black ice, or big potholes... (with the exception of the first Buddy incident, which was user inexperience.)

I am an avid cyclist, and I agree with Eddy Merckx (this is funny to say that!). Logging thousands of miles on a bike with nothing more than spandex and a helmet, definitely encourages hyper-awareness of cars, trucks, cyclists, pedestrians, rocks on the road, train tracks, suicidal bunnies (this happened to a friend..), wet manhole covers (this happened to me!), wet leaves (me too.), etc. Once I had the MSF class, I think my cycling years definitely help my Scootering. Still, accidents happen. Stack things in your favor with riding skills, protection and awareness.

cheers, maryvu

Leeroy Jenkins · Post by **Leeroy Jenkins** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:28 pm

I just crashed about 10 minutes ago.

never should have posted here.

Im ok, just a little banged up.

kazoo · Post by **kazoo** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:24 pm

Computer crashes don't count, do they?

kazoo · Post by **kazoo** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:26 pm

Lee Roy, you are joking, right? I mean, your glasses didn't even get bent. Your looking as cool as ever.

Leeroy Jenkins · Post by **Leeroy Jenkins** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:39 pm

Not a joke.

I was heading back from lunch. Swerved to miss a pot hole and hit a patch of gravel. Locked the front and tossed the bike down on its left side. 10-15mph @ impact. Buddy is scratched but ok. I went for a tumble. Trademark glasses from Walgreen's, OK. Don't worry I both two xtra sets last week. They were on sale. Now I got spares.

MSF day 2:
Dont brake and swerve.

Don't matter how much you know, if dont you apply it.

~Lee

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:08 pm

MSF day 2 Dont brake and swerve, that is day 1 in these parts. glad you're ok!

Vendredi13 · Post by **Vendredi13** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:58 am

lobsterman wrote:No offense to the relevant posters here, but I could have made similar comments about time and miles before I went over first a curb and then the front of my scooter ass over elbows.

My crash was my own dumb fault when it happend last year, no doubt. Just plain going too fast where I shouldn't have been. In retrospect I blame the combination of inexperience and overconfidence, combined with foolishly trying to keep up with a much more experienced rider than me on unfamiliar roads.

Ugh. Me too. Almost same exact thing... tried to take a turn into a parking lot a little too fast and clipped the curb. Bent my rim, messed up my tired, hurt my knee and bruised my EGO.

I think the ego bit hurt more than anything. That and all the little scratches on my previously mint-condition Scooty

luckyleighton · Post by **luckyleighton** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:16 pm

Years ago a friends bought a scooter and let me ride. I got on it for my first two wheeled experience, went off and my brain did not know to tell my hands to brake, so I went into the curb and fell.

So I was about 15ft and 5s into it.

xtetra · Post by **xtetra** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:16 pm

Been riding since 2002 I think. Had my Scoot for a year and only a few close brushes with stupid motorists.

I have laid down my 750 Yamaha 3 times though. Funny thing is twice it wasn't even moving.

The only time I laid it down while moving was when I was being lazy and riding around the back of the house to leave instead of doing a K turn in the car port. I let the clutch out slowwwwwly but the grass was just damp enough to let the rear wheel spin. Of course I jumped up and looked around with that "anyone see me" look on my face. Only damage was a clump of sod on the left foot peg.

The first time was when the bike was new to me. I was picking it up from the dealership after an inspection. They put it on the center stand.....I was so green I didn't know it had one. Anyway, there was a nice bike to the left and I didn't want to scratch it, but it wasn't mine so I didn't want to move it either. I was sort of leaning to the right to stay away from it when I was taking the bike off the center stand and it went over to the right. No damage, but same reaction as above.

The most preventable incident was when I tipped it over while parking. The culprit, I'm convinced, was NOT HAVING A PROPER LUNCH. I felt my blood sugar just drop when I pulled into a parking lot. I was kinda light headed, tired, and hot and irritable. I went to put down the side stand and somehow pushed on the foot peg instead hard enough to lean the bike to the left. I tried to stop it but the words "double hernia" popped into my mind and I let it go.

I've been very careful about eating right when I ride ever since. As far as accidents go, I've been really lucky to just have these few stupid mishaps. I have to say though, if I had never taken the motorcycle safety course, I might not be so lucky. Many times I've avoided trouble b/c I still have that crusty old biker dude's words about lane positioning and so on in my head.

ScootScoot · Post by **ScootScoot** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:55 pm

300 miles and no crash!

jetboy · Post by **jetboy** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:02 pm

Keeping the shiny side up for 4700 miles on my '07 125 so far...

That's not to say that I haven't encountered challenging "situations".

-jetboy

teacherquinn · Post by **teacherquinn** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:30 pm

I don't think I'd call it a crash but the only mishap I've had in 4 years is during a group ride. A rider in front of me grabbed her brakes and I had two choices. Run into her or hit my brakes. I hit my brakes and Rosie went down on her side. Minor damage. Had to replace one piece. Chrome would have saved her completely.

lanni · Post by **lanni** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:42 pm

luckyleighton wrote:Years ago a friends bought a scooter and let me ride. I got on it for my first two wheeled experience, went off and my brain did not know to tell my hands to brake, so I went into the curb and fell.

So I was about 15ft and 5s into it.

Same thing

Only it was earlier this year....I was happy they had bought one that already had scratches on it so you couldn't tell what I added.

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:43 pm

by the looks of it, this thread should be merged with "who has crashed"

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:59 pm

900 miles in 8 weeks and no crash

And i do stupid things... I am definately THAT 22 year old that should have crashed

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 1:25 am

my hat is off to you youngin's riding this thing. I am afraid of what I would have done if I got on it anywhere under 22. or 30... It takes every ounce of energy to keep from being silly, and I am 40. Be careful!

Christy · Post by **Christy** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 2:04 am

so far so good...been riding for 18 months.

Modern Buddy

Who has ridden a Buddy for a while, and HASN'T crashed?!

Who has ridden a Buddy for a while, and HASN'T crashed?!

none here

Me..?