Its official...

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:34 pm

I am selling my Buddy tonite

Its time for bigger, and less fuel friendly things... Dont you worry... ill still be around these parts!

jperkins · Post by **jperkins** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:48 pm

you will regret it. I have bought and sold a buddy twice and i still regret it and a thinking of a black jack.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:51 pm

2348 posts in less than a year? Your not going anywhere!

So what are you getting?

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:53 pm

chloefpuff · Post by **chloefpuff** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:08 am

boo hoo

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:40 am

jperkins wrote:you will regret it. I have bought and sold a buddy twice and i still regret it and a thinking of a black jack.

Oh I know... I fully plan on getting another one in the near future... thinking winter of this year... I just cant justify two motocycle type contraptions at the same time right now... but the future is looking bright!

I am still shopping around different 250's (Ninja) and 500's (GS 500F, Ninja) I am also going to test ride a 650 or two... see how that feels. Im not looking at any sport bikes or any Inline 4 motors for that matter... something light/fast/fun.

I really think it will either be a new body style Ninja 250 or a Ninja 500 or Suzuki GS 500F...

jperkins · Post by **jperkins** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:04 am

consider the Piaggio BV 500.....more power and still a scoot!

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:18 am

I just signed the bill o sale... sad day.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:36 am

jperkins wrote:consider the Piaggio BV 500.....more power and still a scoot!

Scarabeo 500! Same price but prettier!

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:41 am

well mikie, with that being said, you should look into an 08 or higher ninja 250

ScooterTrash · Post by **ScooterTrash** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:21 am

And you wanted to run the RBC

. Guess I lost my VP

Post by **Lostmycage** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:26 am

I just got the title to my Buddy in the mail today. I hit the "pay off now and stop screwing around with loan interest" button. It should be properly signed over to my friend this weekend. He's very excited. Best part is: I still have a scooter!

Have fun with your new bike MT! I hope you don't regret it.

Oh, hell, you're not foolin' anyone. Your plan is to get a Blackjack come winter to take advantage of the winter sales. Yeah... that's right: I see right through you!

Hehe, just a little ribbin'. Let us know how the new bike is. Hope you enjoy it!

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:57 am

MikieTaps wrote:
jperkins wrote:you will regret it. I have bought and sold a buddy twice and i still regret it and a thinking of a black jack.
Oh I know... I fully plan on getting another one in the near future... thinking winter of this year... I just cant justify two motocycle type contraptions at the same time right now... but the future is looking bright!

I am still shopping around different 250's (Ninja) and 500's (GS 500F, Ninja) I am also going to test ride a 650 or two... see how that feels. Im not looking at any sport bikes or any Inline 4 motors for that matter... something light/fast/fun.

I really think it will either be a new body style Ninja 250 or a Ninja 500 or Suzuki GS 500F...

I've got a friend with a killer deal on a ninja 250 for sale. He wants $1000 for it....

Post by **Lostmycage** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:08 am

Too bad I'm so far away... that'd make a great streetfighter project base.

Scooter Hoot · Post by **Scooter Hoot** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:35 am

I've heard rumors that '10 is when the Ninja 500s are supposed to get a body style upgrade. I'm seriously considering going that route when they come. I'll have to convince my gf to buy my scoot off of me though ... then I can just steal it when she's not looking

:ride:

enzomatic · Post by **enzomatic** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:44 am

ninja 250s are really great bikes, wheels a bit narrow though.

MAJensen · Post by **MAJensen** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:22 pm

You should check out the SV 650 and the new Gladius also.

ScooterTrash · Post by **ScooterTrash** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:42 pm

enzomatic wrote:ninja 250s are for girls, wheels a bit narrow too.

Thats not nice

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:01 pm

thats funny, i have a bigger bike and am wanting to go smaller. opposite way your going lol

Post by **illnoise** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:33 pm

ericalm wrote:
jperkins wrote:consider the Piaggio BV 500.....more power and still a scoot!
Scarabeo 500! Same price but prettier! :P

That's a fun argument, but I'd take the BV. I like the looks of it better, actually, and the BV just seems better engineered and more utilitarian. I think it has more storage, though I could be wrong.

The biggest reason, though: Your dealer is as important as your bike, and most Aprilia shops are often motorcycle dealers who sell the scooters as an afterthought, so you're more likely to get better attention/service/parts/tech know-how at a scooter-specific Piaggio dealer, though obviously that varies by location/dealer. Even if you an find a scooter-friendly Aprilia dealer, though, I hear parts availability and training in general is better for Piaggio than Aprilia (at least for the Aprilia scooters).

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:46 pm

illnoise wrote:
ericalm wrote:
jperkins wrote:consider the Piaggio BV 500.....more power and still a scoot!
Scarabeo 500! Same price but prettier!
That's a fun argument, but I'd take the BV. I like the looks of it better, actually, and the BV just seems better engineered and more utilitarian. I think it has more storage, though I could be wrong.

The biggest reason, though: Your dealer is as important as your bike, and most Aprilia shops are often motorcycle dealers who sell the scooters as an afterthought, so you're more likely to get better attention/service/parts/tech know-how at a scooter-specific Piaggio dealer, though obviously that varies by location/dealer. Even if you an find a scooter-friendly Aprilia dealer, though, I hear parts availability and training in general is better for Piaggio than Aprilia (at least for the Aprilia scooters).

I'll make the disclaimer that I like the looks of the Scarabeo better too, but arn't the Scarabeo gt500ie and the BV500 actually the same bike with slightly different body panels? So how would one be engineered better than the other?

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:53 pm

ScooterTrash wrote:
enzomatic wrote:ninja 250s are for girls, wheels a bit narrow too.
Thats not nice

Hahaaha nice edit...

Kaos wrote: I've got a friend with a killer deal on a ninja 250 for sale. He wants $1000 for it....

PM Sent.

oryx · Post by **oryx** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:56 pm

my husband saw this on the ninja250.org forum:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/mcy/1078488866.html

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:58 pm

wow! I was filtering out stuff under $1000 because i didnt want to look through ads for helmets and stuff too... thats SUPER cheap... i may need to check it out.

KCScooterDude · Post by **KCScooterDude** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:25 pm

MikieTaps wrote:
jperkins wrote:you will regret it. I have bought and sold a buddy twice and i still regret it and a thinking of a black jack.
Oh I know... I fully plan on getting another one in the near future... thinking winter of this year... I just cant justify two motocycle type contraptions at the same time right now... but the future is looking bright!

I am still shopping around different 250's (Ninja) and 500's (GS 500F, Ninja) I am also going to test ride a 650 or two... see how that feels. Im not looking at any sport bikes or any Inline 4 motors for that matter... something light/fast/fun.

I really think it will either be a new body style Ninja 250 or a Ninja 500 or Suzuki GS 500F...

You will grow tired of the Ninja 250 in about two weeks. Go for the 500 at least. You will get tired of shifting gears pretty quick. Even the 500 is going to mean a lot of shifting around town. I see the appeal of th 250 because of the new body style, but I really do think you'll regret it after a while.

If I might make a suggestion. I looked at a lot of these same bikes and decided to keep my scooter and buy a 1981 Suzuki GS550L for $425 bucks. It's only got 10,500 miles on it. A lot of bikes like this are just sitting around people's garages and they want to get rid of them. They might or might not run, but generally all that you have to do is drain the fluids out of them, clean out the carbs and they'll run great. On my bike, I did this (It helps to have a friend who knows their way around carbs if you don't), put new shocks on it, fix a gas tank leak and it runs fantastic. All I've got to do is put a new front tire on it and put new fork oil in it and it will be as good as new.

Really, you can get a good-looking, well-running Japanese bike from the '80s for $600 when you are all done and a weekend worth of work.

I'm glad I did this, because now that I've ridden I've completely changed my taste in bikes. After a few months of riding the motorcycle my impressions are this: If you are commuting and riding around town doing errends stick with a scooter. You need the storage space and it's just twist and go. If you are going on 100 mile rides with your buddies to have breakfast at some little diner out in the country, buy a bike - and here's the main thing I've discovered - less than 750cc won't cut it. Buy a 900-1200cc Cruiser or sport touring bike.

And, if you haven't ridden a motorcycle, you are not ready for that bike. I'm not. Buy a cheap used bike, take the MSF course and figure out what you want a bike for before spending much money. I've got too many friends that spent $6-10k on a brand new bike only to find it doesn't fit their needs.

Just one man's opinion.

My

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:34 pm

You'll be back. So many people want a bigger bike, usually motorcycle and after a while realize why they like scooters so much. Its nice to have both when you can. If I could only have one I think it would be a scooter.

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:47 pm

I FULLY plan on getting another scooter in the near future... VERY near future... looking for year end sales

I will be looking for a new type of scooter tho, either Vespa, or a Stella... try out a few different things... im young, and have plenty of time for more... many more 2-wheeled adventures.

and thats the best part of getting a 250. If i get a used 250, ride it for a few weeks and get tired of it, ill sell it for just as much I bought it for a few weeks or months ago, and then ill get a bigger bike, or ill just get a 500 now who knows, its all an adventure. And in the long run, the more bikes I ride, the more proficient I will be, so if it works out to be a Ninja 250 for a month or two, then a dual sport, then a 500 street bike style or even a 650 2-cyl, then a 600cc Sport bike, or a Stella, and a blackjack, then a MP3500 there will always be a next bike

coffeebrown · Post by **coffeebrown** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:02 pm

Mikie,

I bought a Ninja 250 (and kept my scooter too). It is nice to have the option of choosing one or the other depending on your needs for that given day. For quick, local errands around town - I use the scooter (more storage, NO shifting). For longer, enjoyable, for-the-fun-of-it rides - I take the ninja. All of the shifting is a PIA (sometimes) but it's a great little bike.

Did I just confuse you more (make your decision less easier)????

GL with whatever decision you make.

coffeebrown · Post by **coffeebrown** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:05 pm

oops - double post

gt1000 · Post by **gt1000** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:56 pm

and thats the best part of getting a 250. If i get a used 250, ride it for a few weeks and get tired of it, ill sell it for just as much I bought it for a few weeks or months ago, and then ill get a bigger bike, or ill just get a 500 now who knows, its all an adventure. And in the long run, the more bikes I ride, the more proficient I will be, so if it works out to be a Ninja 250 for a month or two, then a dual sport, then a 500 street bike style or even a 650 2-cyl, then a 600cc Sport bike, or a Stella, and a blackjack, then a MP3500 there will always be a next bike Very Happy

So, what you're saying is that it's quite possible you'll be spending more time buying and selling different bikes than riding them. Hey, like you said, you're young and you've got time to try a little bit of everything.

Me? I actually like to ride and, unlike some folks, I don't really enjoy the process of buying or selling bikes AT ALL. In fact, I hate the thought of it. In many cases, you'll take a big loss when selling but that's mostly with a new bike.

All that said, I think you've got your priorities right. Sounds like you'll be buying used, so losses will be less than if you were buying new. Unless you're under 150 pounds, I'd avoid the 250's and shop in the 450 to liter range. There are some 450 to 650 dual sports that are very nice. Once you start looking in the 650 to liter range, you have virtually the entire universe of motos to look at. Just avoid pure sport machines with high horsepower ratings.

And one last thing...if this is mostly for commuting, heed KCScooterDude's advice and buy a bike that won't need constant shifting to stay in the powerband. It doesn't have to be a big bike, just a torquey bike, so singles and V-Twins are ideal. Good luck and most important of all, test ride lots of bikes before you decide.

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:58 pm

buddy and motorcycle FTW

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:10 pm

My commute is about 1.5 miles so im not worried about commuting comfort, the bike is all for fun, so shifting, and "sporty" riding positions are just fine by me

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:24 pm

MikieTaps wrote:My commute is about 1.5 miles so im not worried about commuting comfort, the bike is all for fun, so shifting, and "sporty" riding positions are just fine by me

shifting and non-shifting are fun. shifting in traffic.. not so fun.

1.5 miles?! lucky

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:43 pm

ya i hate commuting... waste of time... so when I get a new job I will move, if possible, closer to the job. I dont want to waste over an hour a day commuting. I like being able to practically see my office building from my Apartment... and being able to ride my bicycle there in 7 minutes if I need to.

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:42 pm

school and work for me is only a mile commute, I LOVE IT

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:23 pm

r0sa wrote:school and work for me is only a mile commute, I LOVE IT

Same here, kinda lame though. Everyone in the scooter club is like you only have HOW MANY MILES ON YOUR BUDDY?! yeah, less than 4k in over a year and I ride like every single day. Should easily double that this summer though.

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:59 pm

KRUSTYburger wrote: Same here, kinda lame though. Everyone in the scooter club is like you only have HOW MANY MILES ON YOUR BUDDY?! yeah, less than 4k in over a year and I ride like every single day. Should easily double that this summer though.

yeah, it IS LAME, due to the fact that i don't get to rack up as many miles on my buddy, but then again, its good that i can leave 10 minutes before class starts...and also, get ROCKSTAR parking!!!

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:16 am

r0sa wrote:school and work for me is only a mile commute, I LOVE IT

less than a mile... like 1/4 miles

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:06 pm

KRUSTYburger wrote:
r0sa wrote:school and work for me is only a mile commute, I LOVE IT
Same here, kinda lame though. Everyone in the scooter club is like you only have HOW MANY MILES ON YOUR BUDDY?! yeah, less than 4k in over a year and I ride like every single day. Should easily double that this summer though.

Yeah, I wish it were like that sometimes, I've got 14k miles on my '08 already...

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:25 pm

gearhead wrote:
r0sa wrote:school and work for me is only a mile commute, I LOVE IT
less than a mile... like 1/4 miles

are you like...STALKING ME or something?

Orange Guy · Post by **Orange Guy** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:47 pm

MikieTaps wrote:I am selling my Buddy tonite

Its time for bigger, and less fuel friendly things... Dont you worry... ill still be around these parts!

Time to eat crow for all the crap I gave you. I never thought I'd be there ... but I was outside yesterday working on my Allstate when a neighbor who walks by all the time stopped and asked if I'd consider selling it. After talking with him awhile, I realized he didn't want an old scoot, he just wanted a scoot. I showed him the Buddy. He asked how much. I did some quick math in my head (based on the FOR SALE threads on here, plus the add-ons). He said he wanted to go home and think it over. Well, 15 minutes later, he was back. It's a done deal. I can always get another Buddy, but I really enjoy tinkering with the old Allstate ... and that would be tougher to replace.

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:17 pm

Orange Guy wrote:
MikieTaps wrote:I am selling my Buddy tonite

Its time for bigger, and less fuel friendly things... Dont you worry... ill still be around these parts!

Time to eat crow for all the crap I gave you. I never thought I'd be there ... but I was outside yesterday working on my Allstate when a neighbor who walks by all the time stopped and asked if I'd consider selling it. After talking with him awhile, I realized he didn't want an old scoot, he just wanted a scoot. I showed him the Buddy. He asked how much. I did some quick math in my head (based on the FOR SALE threads on here, plus the add-ons). He said he wanted to go home and think it over. Well, 15 minutes later, he was back. It's a done deal. I can always get another Buddy, but I really enjoy tinkering with the old Allstate ... and that would be tougher to replace.

SEE, im not THAT crazy!

oh and update to the thread, I did get a bike, Ninja 500r

Orange Guy · Post by **Orange Guy** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:22 pm

MikieTaps wrote:SEE, im not THAT crazy!

Crazy, no. Gullible, yes.

armacham · Post by **armacham** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:50 pm

you'll be back

Modern Buddy

Its official...

Its official...

ninja 250 in seattle for $400

Re: Its official...

Re: Its official...

Re: Its official...