Best Places To Scooter?

[Corsair]

What are some of the best places for scootering? What makes it the best? If you could scoot anywhere in the world where would?

[ericalm]

Anywhere with a beautiful view
Anywhere with good series of curves and snakes (but debris-free roads), combined with hills—even better
Anywhere the road is newly paved (new asphalt is grippy like no one's business)
Anywhere the weather is great

I hit a combo of all of the above this weekend, as a casual "going out for a ride" turned into a trip across Mulholland Drive, through the pass at Beverly Glen, up Sunset and recently-paved curves on Sepulveda. Those routes are all faves of locals... I was taking my new rollers through their paces.

[SteMer]

I would love to scoot the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina and Virginia - lots of turns, beautiful scenery, and the speed limit is 35 or 45 mph most of the way (if I remember correctly). Only problem, there are basically no convenient stations (gas, food, restrooms) along the way. You'd have to drive into the local towns nearby the parkway, which wouldn't be that bad - getting to experience the local communities.

Ericalm - how would the PCH be for a scooting adventure?

[PasadenaSue]

Anyplace that is good for cycling would be good for scooting. But my first choice would be the South Island in New Zealand - it has almost all the criteria Ericalm posted. Open roads, beautiful scenery, good weather (or wait 15 minutes and it will change). That would be fantastic!

[Elm Creek Smith]

Talamena Drive between Talahina, OK, and Mena, AR. Ridgeline road all the way. The lodge at Queen Wilhemina State Park in AR.

Old US 66 between Tulsa, OK, and Oklahoma City, OK. Mother Road revisited.

State Highway 10 north between Tahlequah, OK, and US 412 and west along Scenic US 412 to Locust Grove, OK.

ECS

[Roose Hurro]

Highway 1, California coast...


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[gt1000]

Any place the road is clean and the weather is to your liking. Highway 1 from Carmel to Big Sur would be fantastic. The Mendocino and Russian River Valley would be great too. Out east, nothing much beats the Kancamangus Highway in the White Mountains although the Maine coastline is pretty special. I could also see taking the ferry from Washington up to Vancouver Island and scootering all over the island.

I love discovering new rural roads on my bike, but where my scooter shines is the inner city. One way streets, old brick warehouses, rail yards and, at least in Denver, the Platte river winding its way through the city. Since I started scooting I've learned so much more about my city. And since I've always loved photographing industrial stuff, the scoot is my perfect tripod on wheels.

[ericalm]

A lot of people tackle Highway 1/the PCH on scoots but I haven't yet. I'll probably make a short run to Malibu this summer, and maybe to Santa Barbara using a combination of surface roads & Hwy1. I'd love to do LA to SF but would only do it on a 250 or bigger.

I've heard some people report that the Buddy doesn't feel stable at sustained 60+ MPH speeds. Anyone have a comment on that?

[gt1000]

I've heard some people report that the Buddy doesn't feel stable at sustained 60+ MPH speeds. Anyone have a comment on that?

The roads I regularly ride on won't allow me to sustain 60 for any length of time. I've tested some of my 125's top speed capabilities on some favorite streets that run through Denver's old warehouse district. I really think the 125 is at its happiest between 40-55 mph. The Buddy gets to 40 in a hurry and it pulls pretty strong up to an indicated 55 or 60, then starts to level. I've had the speedo near 70 on these streets but only for an instant. Being happiest at 40-55 might actually be a bad thing for me because most of the streets I regularly ride on have 35 mph limits. On my Mojito (before the mods), reaching 40 could be trying. On the Buddy, I'll glance down at the speedo and see "50" and think, "uh-oh".

These are not twisty mountain roads so it's hard for me to judge stability. My take is that at speeds over an indicated 60, the Buddy has a bit of a hair trigger. Steep rake, short wheelbase makes for a bike that wants to tuck quickly into a turn. If you have a heavy hand and you make constant adjustments, I think the Buddy could feel "twitchy" at these speeds. If you're a smooth rider who takes a good line through a turn without readjusting, stability won't be an issue. The firm suspension can emphasize the twitchiness.

I think the Buddy could be tiring at sustained high speeds, that's why I choose my other bike for those instances. No matter how smooth a rider you are, nobody's perfect and everyone will need to make adjustments, especially if your ride lasts longer than 15 or 20 minutes. Maybe the Buddy is a bit of a sprinter rather than a distance runner?

[DO3]

I did a little over 100 miles yesterday at 95% WOT. I have a short windshield and the prima pipe. On my way south fighting the wind I was holding 60-65 buddy-mph (indicated) and the way home 65-70. I don't have any stability issues at those speeds but I do ride pretty smoothly thru corners. I was longing for more displacement though. Fighting the wind trying to maintain speed gets old. Then again for 125, the buddy is quite amazing. A small scooter intended for city driving out road tripping thru the country without getting passed every straight is pretty impressive. I only got passed by one Harley, that I waved by going up this very long hill, I could only hold about 55.

Oh, and as far as best place to ride, I'd say anywhere except a freeway. Don't worry, once you take delivery you'll find all the places you'll ever need.

[lojical1]

somewhere in Taiwan with a herd of BuBu's around

[Elm Creek Smith]

I have found that the Prima windscreen actually helps stabilize the Budd at speed. I think the aerodynamic load of the windshield on the headpiece damps the "twitchiness" that I noticed without it. Oh, yeah! It's much more comfortable with the windscreen. I can see over it and don't have to close the visor on my Fulmer all the way, so I get better airflow when it's warm, hear better, and can smell the dead skunks better, too!

ECS