I love my buddy more than anything

[GenuineSlacker]

Had a chance to take my uncles Vespa GTS out tonight. Did a little riding in a parking lot and took it around the block once or twice while he took my buddy.

First thing I noticed of course was the real weight difference. I had a hard time getting it off the center stand, so accustomed to buddy. The thing handles like a tank.

Second, while it had a higher top speed it took a while to get it up. The controls are real fluid and it accelerated well even if I cranked it (and I did a few times.)

The thing that really got me was the headlight. It's flippin huge. I had my uncle riding in front of me for a bit and if I clicked on the brights you couldn't even see buddy's.

I must admit that it was a real joy to ride, and if I did a whole lot of long distance riding, I'd much prefer it. In the end we took em back to the parking lot and he wanted to do a little racing (not a big lot or anything) and in the short I won every time. Even let him get a lead then I'd blow past him. Stopped quicker too. Now it's not like everyone couldn't have guessed these things, but I felt like sharing. I think even now that I've had the real class act of a Vespa under my bum, I still prefer my buddy.

[Keys]

I too prefer small and zippy to fast and ponderous...which is why I'm so dissatisfied riding my wife's Helix while waiting for my Buddy to be fixed.

--Keys

[ScooterMonkey]

What's the word on your Buddy Keys?

[ericalm]

The GTS is, IMHO, the most beautiful new scoot on the market today. Wish I'd get a chance to take one for a spin! I have no envy towards the Vespa GT200, but the few times I've seen a GTS on the road I've gotten a clear pang. Comparing it to a Buddy is a bit of an apples to oranges sort of thing, though, so try out an LX150! The most interesting difference between the two for me is not speed but rather the "feel" of the ride and how weight is distributed on each one (they weight about the same).

[PhotoBob]

I just recently purchased a GTS 250 ie, and have owned and ridden a Kymco People 50 and a Blur 150. The Blur is a hoot to ride, and really gets comments (quite a few, I think, because the styling is, for some folks, quite un-scooter like). The GTS, as is mentioned, has a heavier feel to it. I am finding it to be a wonderfully smooth ride, and the styling is, as ericalm notes, quite classic. Between the three, I think that the Blur was the easiest to jump on a go...the GTS took a couple of rides to get that comfort feeling, especially in the turns.

[gt1000]

The GTS is, IMHO, the most beautiful new scoot on the market today. Wish I'd get a chance to take one for a spin! I have no envy towards the Vespa GT200, but the few times I've seen a GTS on the road I've gotten a clear pang. Comparing it to a Buddy is a bit of an apples to oranges sort of thing, though, so try out an LX150! The most interesting difference between the two for me is not speed but rather the "feel" of the ride and how weight is distributed on each one (they weight about the same).

Sums it up for me too. I rode the GTS and, frankly, it blew me away. The attention to detail is staggering and, for me at least, everything worked the way I would've designed it to work. Extremely stable, quick, and it just kept revving until I ran out of road (over an indicated 70). Sounds great too. It is a bit pricey, but if I could only have one 2 wheeler in my garage, the GTS would probably be at the top of my list.

I've only ridden an LX-150 (actually, it might've been an ET4) briefly. Ericalm, I wonder if you could explain the differences in feel between the LX and the Buddy 125. I just couldn't justify spending an additional $1500+ for the LX when I already blew so much on the GT.

[ericalm]

Ericalm, I wonder if you could explain the differences in feel between the LX and the Buddy 125. I just couldn't justify spending an additional $1500+ for the LX when I already blew so much on the GT.

The weight is more evenly distributed on the LX because, I guess, of the steel body. Most of the Buddy's weight is low and in the center/engine area. his makes the LX feel heavier, though it isn't. It also means that it leans quite differently; it takes more effort to turn and you really feel it lean a lot more. At the same time, it seems to me like the LX has wider lean angles. This means that in some ways it's harder to control the LX, but the rider may have more control at times because it's tilting under force you're exerting over it.

In comparison, the Buddy feels "loose." It tilts easily; I hit kickstand my first time out on it, which has never happened on the LX. When combined with its zip, this makes the Buddy a fun ride that corners and handles with ease at fairly high speed. But as has been noted elsewhere, this contributes to the "overconfidence factor." For me, this means just having to be a lot more conscious of how much control I really have when maneuvering because it's quite tempting to drive it at its limits.

[Keys]

Scootermonkey...so far, not much. The parts were shipped this last Thursday. They should receive them at the shop today or tomorrow, I would think.

--Keys