Most. Fun. Ever.

[Reesh]

Today, my 2010 Series Italia 150cc "Peapod" brought me home from the dealer. Riding her home was more fun than rollercoasters at six flags, although slightly less disorienting. She is PEPPY. For scooterists who ride other scoots, that may seem like a laughable statement, but I guess since the last motorscooter/moped I was on was a 50 cc Tomos in 2003... I was very impressed with how rapidly she accelerated and how easily she kept up with cars.

Apparently, Peapod is a she.

I haven't been so filled with adrenaline and joy in a long time and I'm sure people wanted to know why I was grinning like an idiot the whole ride home. I got her up to "40 mph" but based on my dealer's break-in advice I decided not to push the scoot further.

I'm extremely sad it will be raining tomorrow-- I'm not feeling confident enough to handle slick roads yet, but Friday will be nice.

Does anyone know if the seat storage is waterproof?

This is what happy feels like.

[Thadsgood]

It's not waterproof, but it's plenty resistant, especially with you sitting on it. If you are leaving it long periods in the rain then buy a cover, they are cheap. There are seat covers that are waterproof as well. Enjoy Buddy world, and a special congrats on the Italia!

[gearhead]

when we bought my gf's 07 buddy 125, we rode it back to her place which was 20 miles away from the dealership, 2 up and i was full throttling it the whole way HAHA

[jasondavis48108]

congrats on the new scoot. I have the 50cc version of the Italia and I've left her in many a rain ( not that its my first choice but theres no covered scooter parking at work) and never had any problems with water getting into the seat or the underseat storage. I think the covering on the internationals is a lot more water resistant than the covering on the standard Buddys.

[Kaos]

It's not waterproof, but it's plenty resistant, especially with you sitting on it. If you are leaving it long periods in the rain then buy a cover, they are cheap. There are seat covers that are waterproof as well. Enjoy Buddy world, and a special congrats on the Italia!

Its been waterproof for me. I ride year round in Portland, land of a thousand rainy days and never had a leak.

Welcome to the gang!

[Reesh]

Well, I couldn't resist riding to work today even though heavy rains are predicted for this afternoon. I guess it's as good a time as any to find out how it handles in the rain.

It was a beautiful 45 minute ride to work this morning at 5 am, but I did find that it took a lot more mental energy than driving in a car and by the time I got to the pool to do my morning swim I was really really low on energy. I guess I'll have to start eating a pre-breakfast at 4:45 or something so I have enough energy to swim after scooting to school.

I do think my years of bicycle commuting has really helped to ease the transition onto a scooter. It's second nature to me to be hyper-aware on the road and extra conscious of the cars around me. The head checks, the leaning and the braking is all second nature too-- just have a lot more mass and fatter tires

I was pleased to see that the cars around me seemed aware of me, even though I know I should assume that they don't see me.

[pugbuddy]

Congrats, Reesh! Glad to hear you're having a great time and riding safe!

Now come ride with us to Amerivespa in San Antonio!

[KABarash]

Well, I couldn't resist riding to work today even though heavy rains are predicted for this afternoon.
It was a beautiful 45 minute ride to work this morning at 5 am, .

Remember the best five hours of the day END at 10 AM, so you got off to a good start there....
I ALWAYS found that after a lousy day at work when I rode by the time I got home ALL the stresses of the work day had melted away!!
Ride on kiddo, ride on!!

[Kaos]

Riding does take a lot more energy than driving, but I found once I got used to it, I'm actually MORE energetic and awake when I get to work!

I ALWAYS found that after a lousy day at work when I rode by the time I got home ALL the stresses of the work day had melted away!!

Thats the ONLY way I make it these days. Scooter therapy FTW!

[TVB]

I do think my years of bicycle commuting has really helped to ease the transition onto a scooter. It's second nature to me to be hyper-aware on the road and extra conscious of the cars around me. The head checks, the leaning and the braking is all second nature too-- just have a lot more mass and fatter tires

That was my experience as well. Both the motor skills and the mindset are pretty similar. The biggest adjustment I had to make was to stop hugging the curb. I've always been a fairly assertive bicyclist; when I need to take a lane for safety reasons, or I want to use the left-turn lane, I do. But most of the time I try to stay out of motor vehicles' way. Starting out on the scooter, I had to remind myself "I am a motor vehicle", so it's OK to be out there in the middle of a traffic lane.

I was pleased to see that the cars around me seemed aware of me, even though I know I should assume that they don't see me.

They don't. They were pretending.

[TVB]

I ALWAYS found that after a lousy day at work when I rode by the time I got home ALL the stresses of the work day had melted away!!

Maybe I need a longer commute.

[Kaos]

I ALWAYS found that after a lousy day at work when I rode by the time I got home ALL the stresses of the work day had melted away!!

Maybe I need a longer commute.

Go home the long way. Like through California.

[KABarash]

I ALWAYS found that after a lousy day at work when I rode by the time I got home ALL the stresses of the work day had melted away!!

Maybe I need a longer commute.

My commute was only 7 miles at the time but it was good for me!!
NOW that I'm still unemployed, any excuse to ride is 'mental health time'!

[Reesh]

My commute is 12 miles until I get more comfortable with traffic and then it will be 11 miles when I feel more confident on the major roads.

St. Louis is famous for its overabundance of stop signs and there was no shortage of them this morning

[jijifer]

do you have rain gear? When you're going 40+ hour you get wet and cold quick.

I ride in the rain but I live is San Diego so that's like 10 times a year and never freezing. Wind is the bigger problem.

I, too, was a bike commuter for 6 years so it was second nature to get on a scooter. Just remain hyper aware and assume there's an oil slick in the water. You'll do fine and I'm here to tell you the stoke only gets bigger as time goes on!

[Reesh]

Yeah, I packed my rain pants and rain jacket for the potential deluge this afternoon. Looks like the big storms have steered clear of St. Louis though.

Last night I parked Peapod behind my house in my gated and padlocked back yard. The problem is that the gangway between my house and my neighbor's house is just 3 feet wide and the gate is even narrower and it takes some maneuvering (and some inevitable mirror scraping) to get through it. Then I drop down a 10 inch step (which I tried to make less awful with some bricks and pavers) and plop it next to my deck. It was such an ordeal getting it back out this morning (up the step and out the dark gangway) that I'm starting to think a giant immovable object near my front step and a Kryptonite or Onguard chain might be more sensible. I accidentally laid on the horn trying to throttle my way up the mini brick steps... I'm sure my neighbors loved that at 5 am.

There's got to be something easier and I guess parking it right near the opening of the gangway chained to one of those concrete/flowerpot/pipe things and covered in black would be best.

There are two people down the street with chinese scoots that keep them right out front with just the column lock for protection.

[Kaos]

Yeah, I packed my rain pants and rain jacket for the potential deluge this afternoon. Looks like the big storms have steered clear of St. Louis though.

Last night I parked Peapod behind my house in my gated and padlocked back yard. The problem is that the gangway between my house and my neighbor's house is just 3 feet wide and the gate is even narrower and it takes some maneuvering (and some inevitable mirror scraping) to get through it. Then I drop down a 10 inch step (which I tried to make less awful with some bricks and pavers) and plop it next to my deck. It was such an ordeal getting it back out this morning (up the step and out the dark gangway) that I'm starting to think a giant immovable object near my front step and a Kryptonite or Onguard chain might be more sensible. I accidentally laid on the horn trying to throttle my way up the mini brick steps... I'm sure my neighbors loved that at 5 am.

There's got to be something easier and I guess parking it right near the opening of the gangway chained to one of those concrete/flowerpot/pipe things and covered in black would be best.

There are two people down the street with chinese scoots that keep them right out front with just the column lock for protection.

I don't know your area obviously, but I never lock my scooter to anything, at my previous place it sat in the driveway between the cars, and at my current place it sits on a patio in full view of the parking lot. Nobody has even ACTED like they had any idea it was there.

I'm all for going the distance you feel comfortable with to protect your bike, but not everyone is out to get it

[Reesh]

I live in St. Louis city... there are a lot of thefts, burglaries, armed assaults, etc in my neighborhood (compared to say the suburbs), but I happen to live on a block with two cops. So... it might be all right. I'd feel fine if it was out front with a Xena alarm on it, but I'm waiting to hear if the Xena deal for MB users is still good.

[cheez37]

I live in St. Louis city... there are a lot of thefts, burglaries, armed assaults, etc in my neighborhood (compared to say the suburbs), but I happen to live on a block with two cops. So... it might be all right. I'd feel fine if it was out front with a Xena alarm on it, but I'm waiting to hear if the Xena deal for MB users is still good.

It should still be good. I got mine a couple of months ago.

[Thadsgood]

I haven't had any water leakage problems either but I also wouldn't call the seat 'waterproof' because it's just foam, vinyl-ish and it isn't a complete, tight seal. I'm plenty happy with it's performance in the rain, however, I just wouldn't drive it underwater and it expect it to stay dry!

[bunny]

From one Italia to another: WELCOME!

Two years later, I'm still grinning. Get used to your cheeks hurting.

[bluezurich]

Nothing like a new bike, scooter or motorcycle to make you feel young, alive and free.

Congratulations!

(I cannot wait to have this feeling in the next two weeks or so!)

[Stormswift]

You may want to consider a fold able ramp to get your bike off and on the step. Look in on-line stores. Mine was I think under $70.00. I too try to keep my scoot as secured as possible. I use the ramp to get my Itallia up and down the curb. The distance to the curb from the house and for theves not being able to roll the bike when it is locked is also in itself is a deterrant.I also always cover it You are probably looking at extra $200-300 spending on securing the bike. I had to pay someone to install the anchor into my front step, put a slab of concrete for the bike to sit on and for new bushes that should eventually shield the bike from being seen from the street..
The wider the ramp you are using the easier it would make things for you getting the bike on /off the step. I just have a rail-like folding ramp. It is OK but I have to make sure it is lined up perfectly else bike may derail and I can accidentally drop it. The good news is that Itallia is pretty light even for a shrimp like me. I roll it about 20 feet from door step to the curb manually. It is not big deal.The last time I tried that under "power" I scraped the side and broke of the vent cover which is thankfully only $14.00 to replace .Until I find time to replace I am using mesh gutter cover cut to size (very easy to bend and secure). Just an FYI for those kindred spirits who who like cheap "band aids"/fixes.
To be honest I do find rolling the bike back and forth a pain. I wish I did no have to but someone cased my bike a while back so not much of a choice for me.

[ericalm]

Congrats on the new scoot and welcome to the forum!

I'm waiting to hear if the Xena deal for MB users is still good.

It is, as far as I know. There was talk last year about doing a special MB Xena lock but I didn't hear back form them about it. Maybe I'll try again. It was their idea…

[Reesh]

Thanks for the tips!

It's raining this morning and dark outside, so I've decided not to ride today. I will test out rain riding when it's light out!

Hopefully Peapod will be safe during the day while I'm gone for the first time.

[kneil67@yahoo.com]

im still grinning like a half wit from ear to ear two sweet years later .

[Croatoan]

Which Xena Disc Alarms fit the Buddy 125?

[LuvMyScoot]

Congrats on the new scooter and welcome to Modern Buddy!

I have been scooting for about 2 years and just the other day, right out of the blue, I caught myself smiling for no other reason than love for my scoot. I always enjoy riding (when the wind isn't trying to kill me, that is) but I'm not always so obvious about it. Sometimes it just sneaks up though, that smile of pure joy that says "Yes, this is how it's meant to be".

[michelle_7728]

Which Xena Disc Alarms fit the Buddy 125?

I don't know if there are others, but this is the one I bought (6mm size)...one for each of my Buddy's.

http://www.xenasecurity.com/product/mot ... low/page1/

You learn to be ultra careful and slow taking them off to minimize the alarm yelp, but a tiny yelp is unavoidable, as there is no way to "temporarily disarm it". Here's how I do it: Crouch down on my knees, GENTLY grasp the alarm in my left hand (being super careful not to budge it an iota), then with my right hand super slowly and softly put the key in (very gently wiggling it to the right and left each time it stops moving forward). When you feel it is all the way in turn it to the right quickly and take it off the bike in a quick motion. Like I said, you will still get a loud (but quick) "BEEP" out of it...but it's better than the darn think piercingly going BEEP BEEP BEEP while you are in a panic to get it off the bike before someone calls the cops on you!

If you are not wanting to risk waking the neighbors when you get up, this alarm/lock may not be for you. You might want to spring for a Gorilla alarm. It would still be loud if someone messes with your bike, but (I'm assuming now, as I don't have a Gorilla alarm) you should be able to disarm it without waking your neighbors.

All this being said, I am able to keep my scooters inside, so the only time I use my Xena alarms is when I ride my scooter somewhere, so it is an ideal situation for me...just may not work for everyone.

Of course, if you are just looking for a Xena that locks on to your disk but doesn't alarm that's a different story...I am assuming you are asking about the alarming type of Xena lock.

[polianarchy]

FYI:

There is a lot of info about Xena locks in this thread topic3988.html

[Reesh]

I feel significantly more confident in traffic now after 100 miles and in some ways I feel (*feel* being the operative word) safer than in a car-- I am more alert and I have better visibility around me.

I haven't been threatened by cars yet although an Acura SUV decided that I was accelerating so quickly that I obviously wanted to race him (at 5:30 am no less) from stop sign to stop sign. It was ludicrous. My scoot accelerates faster than something with a much larger mass without much effort. I dropped back and followed behind the dude instead. It was weird though. What man thinks "YEAH! Let's race a scooter. Show em who's BOSS."

[Kaos]

IWhat man thinks "YEAH! Let's race a scooter. Show em who's BOSS."

Strangely a lot of them. It happens to me regularly.

[Quo Vadimus]

Yeah, watch out for the insecure boymen who have something to prove. They come in all vehicles - some jack tried to race me in his Dodge Caravan (circa 1990) last week. You did exactly the right thing.

[iMoses]

What man thinks "YEAH! Let's race a scooter. Show em who's BOSS."

I guess the kind that drive an Acura SUV

[pdxrita]

I haven't had any water leakage problems either but I also wouldn't call the seat 'waterproof' because it's just foam, vinyl-ish and it isn't a complete, tight seal. I'm plenty happy with it's performance in the rain, however, I just wouldn't drive it underwater and it expect it to stay dry!

Well, it might not stay dry underwater, but I'd say it could take quite a lot of water. I took my seat apart to cut down the foam. Under the vinyl, there's a plastic sheet that wraps all the way around the foam. So unless you have punctured your seat, nothing should soak through to the foam. I ride in the rain all the time and have never seen even a trace of moisture in the pet carrier. I'd say it's as dry as any top case.

[BootScootin'FireFighter]

I feel significantly more confident in traffic now after 100 miles and in some ways I feel (*feel* being the operative word) safer than in a car-- I am more alert and I have better visibility around me.

I haven't been threatened by cars yet although an Acura SUV decided that I was accelerating so quickly that I obviously wanted to race him (at 5:30 am no less) from stop sign to stop sign. It was ludicrous. My scoot accelerates faster than something with a much larger mass without much effort. I dropped back and followed behind the dude instead. It was weird though. What man thinks "YEAH! Let's race a scooter. Show em who's BOSS."

I enjoy reading your enthusiasm. Stay golden and don't let the creeps ruin the fun and adventure for you. Roadragers and show-offs are everywhere and the safest place to be is a safe distance behind them. I started out by confronting some said cagers at the next red, then realized I'd end up in jail, out of work, maimed, or even dead. The odds are way not in our favor to take them on. For every angry cager we try to win over with hostility, there are just thousands and thousands more out there. I had a chode in a black ford focus last month pull the same crap on me, but he took the opportunity to brake check me when I got behind him. $150 in damage later and almost a month of road rage scabs, with no help from the cops, unfortunately he won that time. See my post which has the entire scoop.

viewtopic.php?t=14874&highlight=

You're definately a minority in St. Louis being on a scooter. At least I have some allies on the roads in DC, but we still always have to be on guard and ride defensively.

Keep smiling, and remember... it's not an errand, it's an adventure!

[TVB]

It's not waterproof, but it's plenty resistant, especially with you sitting on it.

Rather than "waterproof" I'd call it "rainproof". As long as the water is coming from the right direction (i.e. the sky), the pet carrier should remain dry.

[Reesh]

Haha yeah, I still have no cover for it and with all the rain we've been getting, the pet carrier is still dry!

I see at least one other scooter on the road per day... we are not SO few in St. Louis, but it is a car dominated city.

The other day it was pouring rain outside and I had to move my scoot onto the lawn so the washer and dryer delivery guys could deliver my washer and dryer and the next time I looked outside I noticed there was a wet and miserable bunny taking shelter under Peapod.

It was like cute^2:

[Dean F]

2010 Buddy SI 150
2007 Trek Pilot 5.0
2008 Gary Fisher Supercaliber
2003 Toyota Corolla LE

Check your serial number. I was at Scooter Works today to pick up a new tire. They said there is no such thing as a 2010 Buddy. The only 2010 Genuine Scooters so far this year are the Blur and Stella.

[Reesh]

Eh, I just assumed it was. It's probably a 2009 then!

[jasondavis48108]

That bunny pic is really cute. I was riding home yesterday and saw this tiny little bunny just laying down right next to the road. I thought it was dead at first but nope, just relaxing 2ft from traffic, very strange

[Reesh]

Modern Bunny

[pugbuddy]

Awwwww, I'm going to choke on the cuteness of this thread!

[jasondavis48108]

Maybe the bunny was just waiting for a chance to race your scooter

[Thadsgood]

Waterproof= unaffected by water (in the general sense)
Water resistant= resistant to water but not waterproof.

I have to laugh at the persnicketyness of people on this site to argue every minor thing (ok, so I'm persnickety too, so what!)

[TVB]

Awwwww, I'm going to choke on the cuteness of this thread!

That's a challenge! This isn't a scooter-related story (except that Flash was parked nearby), but it has a high cute-lil-critter quotient.

On Sunday morning when I went to the front porch to get the paper I saw this family of ducks at the end of my driveway.
I went inside and grabbed the camera and snapped a picture.

Bad pose, bad angle, bad timing. Oh well. I skimmed the front page of the paper. I looked up again and noticed that Mom seemed to be having trouble deciding whether to cross the street. Snapped another picture.

Wait. Didn't there used to be three ducklings? I checked the first photo. Yes, there were.
Is that a storm sewer they're standing next to?
It is.
Oh, no.

Just then a neighbor walked by with his dog, and Mom got spooked and crossed the street, two ducklings in her wake. My heart sinking, I walked over and looked in the sewer. There, nestled in a liner the construction crew had put in the sewer to catch debris during the recent repaving of the road, were seven ducklings. To far down to climb out, but I could reach them.

Clearly ducks have no instincts or reasoning skills that would tell them to avoid storm sewers. And ducklings are even less clever. Ironically, Mom had probably been hanging out by the storm sewer trying to stay close to the first duckling that fell in, which led six of its cluelessly lemming-like siblings to fall in as well. Almost an entire clutch of ducklings had nearly fallen prey to the sewer.

With help from one of my neighbors, I managed to move the sewer grate. I reached down and plucked the ducklings out, and they immediately waddled off, hopefully to hook up with Mom. If not... there's a pond nearby, and the ducklings are old enough to at least have a chance on their own. (With a mother like that, they'd have to be...) It wasn't exactly washing crude oil from pelicans, but I felt good about it.

Apologies for the thread hijacking.

[pugbuddy]

Well done, TVB!

[bpatrick5]

Way to go!!

[Kaos]

Awwwww, I'm going to choke on the cuteness of this thread!

That's a challenge! This isn't a scooter-related story (except that Flash was parked nearby), but it has a high cute-lil-critter quotient.

On Sunday morning when I went to the front porch to get the paper I saw this family of ducks at the end of my driveway.
I went inside and grabbed the camera and snapped a picture.

Bad pose, bad angle, bad timing. Oh well. I skimmed the front page of the paper. I looked up again and noticed that Mom seemed to be having trouble deciding whether to cross the street. Snapped another picture.

Wait. Didn't there used to be three ducklings? I checked the first photo. Yes, there were.
Is that a storm sewer they're standing next to?
It is.
Oh, no.

Just then a neighbor walked by with his dog, and Mom got spooked and crossed the street, two ducklings in her wake. My heart sinking, I walked over and looked in the sewer. There, nestled in a liner the construction crew had put in the sewer to catch debris during the recent repaving of the road, were seven ducklings. To far down to climb out, but I could reach them.

Clearly ducks have no instincts or reasoning skills that would tell them to avoid storm sewers. And ducklings are even less clever. Ironically, Mom had probably been hanging out by the storm sewer trying to stay close to the first duckling that fell in, which led six of its cluelessly lemming-like siblings to fall in as well. Almost an entire clutch of ducklings had nearly fallen prey to the sewer.

With help from one of my neighbors, I managed to move the sewer grate. I reached down and plucked the ducklings out, and they immediately waddled off, hopefully to hook up with Mom. If not... there's a pond nearby, and the ducklings are old enough to at least have a chance on their own. (With a mother like that, they'd have to be...) It wasn't exactly washing crude oil from pelicans, but I felt good about it.

Apologies for the thread hijacking.

Wow, way to go! It never ceases to amaze me that ducks have survived at all. Just the other day I saw no less than 14 ducklings walking by themselves down the median of I-5. Who knows where the momma duck got off too. There's also a pond just around the corner from our apartment where we constantly see the dwindling numbers of ducklings as the season continues.

[TVB]

Wow, way to go! It never ceases to amaze me that ducks have survived at all. Just the other day I saw no less than 14 ducklings walking by themselves down the median of I-5. Who knows where the momma duck got off too. There's also a pond just around the corner from our apartment where we constantly see the dwindling numbers of ducklings as the season continues.

Yeah, I see that happen too. They survive as a species by being prolific. Any two adults try to produce enough offspring over the course of their reproductive years for at least two of those to survive to adulthood. A clutch of 14 ducklings in a single year is fairly high, but not un-heard-of. It's not so bad for ducks, really: compared to, say, spiders or trout, they have a pretty low infant mortality rate.