NYC to Boston on a Buddy 125 ... doable? stupid? best route?

bimbom · Post by **bimbom** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 2:23 pm

I have a good friend who's at Harvard law and I haven't visited him once even though he's been there a year. So I'd like to finally go up there... on my Buddy 125.

- I do not want to get on any interstates (state highways are OK but I'd still yet prefer 40mph roads)
- I have no time restrictions. I just quit my job and have time, so I'm free as a bird. I would leave early in the day(5am even maybe)
- I'm ok with staying a night at a motel
- I want to take the most beautiful route known to man

The other factor is of course the weather.. it's getting cold. The coldest I've ridden in thus far is 45 F at night. And damn that was cold. The same temperature in the daytime doesn't feel nearly as chilly... the lack of sun and the silence of the night is bone-chilling. But.. I love riding in the fall! The way the sun glistens is unique to all seasons.

I haven't done a trip like this yet. The farthest I've gone is 2-up to fire Island and back (130 miles roundtrip). This one I'd be going solo.

Maybe it's a little dumb. Maybe I'll break down and have to get towed, but at least I can try. That's all I can ask myself to do.

Know that I've convinced myself to do it, has anyone else here done this trip? What I would really appreciate are route suggestions? Stops along the way.. anything part of the adventure.

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 6:11 pm

There are at least a couple organized bicycle events from NYC to Boston, so it can definitely be done. Here is a link to one that has some route information: http://tst.als.net/

The deciding factor for me would definitely be the weather this time of year. I live about an hour north of Boston and it was 36F when I looked at the thermometer this morning around 6:30am. Factor in wind chill while riding and you can be pretty much assured of a frigid journey.

If I was going to consider making the trip from NYC to Boston in October, I would want a good windshield and a lap apron like the Tucano Urbano Termoscud on top of all my normal cold weather gear.

Does your Buddy 125 run okay in the cold? My wife's Buddy 50 runs pretty crappy below 50F, so this is definitely something to consider carefully.

Everything else aside, as long as your scooter is in good running condition and you can plan for the riding conditions, I would go for it! It will be a great adventure and a great story to tell your friends for years to come.

bimbom · Post by **bimbom** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 6:28 pm

thatvwbusguy wrote:There are at least a couple organized bicycle events from NYC to Boston, so it can definitely be done. Here is a link to one that has some route information: http://tst.als.net/

The deciding factor for me would definitely be the weather this time of year. I live about an hour north of Boston and it was 36F when I looked at the thermometer this morning around 6:30am. Factor in wind chill while riding and you can be pretty much assured of a frigid journey.

If I was going to consider making the trip from NYC to Boston in October, I would want a good windshield and a lap apron like the Tucano Urbano Termoscud on top of all my normal cold weather gear.

Does your Buddy 125 run okay in the cold? My wife's Buddy 50 runs pretty crappy below 50F, so this is definitely something to consider carefully.

Everything else aside, as long as your scooter is in good running condition and you can plan for the riding conditions, I would go for it! It will be a great adventure and a great story to tell your friends for years to come.

This is great! I didn't think of looking at bicycles routes.

I have been waiting on purchasing a windshield because I'm not sure if I want a short or medium one. I want wind protection but I also don't want to feel boxed in at all.. my favorite part of the scooter is having everything right in front of me.

jartist · Post by **jartist** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 7:02 pm

Totally doable! Google maps has bicycle directions too. Cross reference them and look out for directions to bike only pathways. I think its funny that people get all kinds of reactions for taking scooters and mopeds and small bikes touring with onlookers shaking their heads and calling crazy but no one thinks twice about bicycle touring.

Pop Pop · Post by **Pop Pop** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 7:15 pm

Can't help with a route but good luck and have fun.

siobhan · Post by **siobhan** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:17 pm

Sounds like a great idea! Doable in one day; more fun in two. CT has some AMAZING roads.

I'm happy to help with routing. I can get you through CT and western/central MA, depending on where you want to cross into MA. If you want to include Rhode Island (c'mon, another state!), I can get you to Boston. Once in Boston, you're on your own. I've never managed to get to any destination without getting all wound around and backwards (even when taking the train, haha!).

Gimme a shout via PM if you're interested.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:51 pm

Totally doable. I rode an '85 Puch Maxi from Hudson, NH to Schenectady, NY and back in one day (took over eighteen hours!) back in the early ninties. It was a long day, but an awesome ride. Once you get one like that under your belt, there's nowhere you can't go on a little bike!

jonlink · Post by **jonlink** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:22 am

Doable, but you need some really warm clothes. I visit my parents in southern NH from Boston regularly. In the spring the weather feels fine at first, but after an hour at 40-50mph I was usually pretty dang cold.

I recently drove from Boston to Cape Cod, and it sucked. The weather was terrible (non-stop rain both ways) and I took state highways to make it faster, which meant I had no scenery at all. The moral: good weather is essential for long rides once you hit fall.

I've been toying around with a Boston to NY ride (in spring), so I'll be interested to hear how yours goes. It's a little complicated for me because I'll be going to see family on Long Island, so I'm not sure if it is possible without taking roads that would end in a heart attack. I guess the ferry maybe.

Good luck!

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:50 am

That's definitely a good distance for a two-day ride.

I've had pretty good luck finding routes for inter-city rides using Google Maps with the "avoid highways" option checked. The bicycle directions can be good for ideas as well, but they tend to put too much emphasis on the shortest possible distance, rather than the best route.

jartist · Post by **jartist** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:16 am

TVB wrote:That's definitely a good distance for a two-day ride.

I've had pretty good luck finding routes for inter-city rides using Google Maps with the "avoid highways" option checked.

Good one- I didn't know about that feature!

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:22 pm

siobhan wrote:Once in Boston, you're on your own. I've never managed to get to any destination without getting all wound around and backwards (even when taking the train, haha!).

Boston: the city where you can make four right turns and not end up where you started.

BuddyLicious · Post by **BuddyLicious** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:52 pm

If you have the time take a look at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ a place for bicycle tourists and their journals.Lots of pics too!You should be able to pick up tips,tricks,get questions answered etc.You can carry over many things that bicyclist do over to your scooter trip.

PS-Once at site look to the left side for "Journals by Category" and choose your bike category.

Good luck! Tim.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 4:21 pm

bimbom wrote:I have been waiting on purchasing a windshield because I'm not sure if I want a short or medium one.

At least this has a fairly easy answer. Short (sport) windscreens provide very limited wind protection. Most riders do best with a medium height screen which allows you to look over the top of the screen but which directs airflow away from your chest and face. A screen of this sort will also usually add a little bit to top end speed.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:24 pm

NY Rte 25A (Nothern Blvd) east. It opens up after Manhasset and is a nice route through most of Nassau County, winding along the north shore of Suffolk and through port towns of Huntington, Northport, and Port Jefferson. Continue east and stay left at the split for Sound Avenue in Wading River. Stay on Sound Avenue past all the farmstands and vineyards all the way to Greenport, where it merges with Rte 25. $28 on the Cross Sound Ferry from Orient to New London. After that, ask Siobhan for help with Rhode Island. Too many large cities in Connecticut, and that will cost you a lot of time to get through.

I've been trying to do the Washington to Long Island trip. Almost made it a reality about a month ago, then my scooter ended up in the shop for 2 weeks and that was that. Will try again in the spring. A pilgrimage for me back to my homeland (Miller Place, NY).

*another suggestion, the south shore of Long Island. Rockaway Pkwy to Atlantic Bridge, east through Long Beach, then Ocean Parkway from Jones Beach to Robert Moses. Cross back to the main, then Sunrise Hwy service lanes east from Islip to Patchogue where they end, then pick up Rte 27A (Montauk Hwy) east until Eastport. Then Moriches-Riverhead Rd up to downtown Riverhead, then connect with Rte 25 the rest of the way to Orient.*

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 6:36 pm

I don't know NY very well, but my thought would be less how do I get from NYC to Boston as much as it would be how many ways can I get from NYC to Boston?

siobhan · Post by **siobhan** » Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:04 pm

BootScootin'FireFighter wrote:NY Rte 25A (Nothern Blvd) east. It opens up after Manhasset and is a nice route through most of Nassau County, winding along the north shore of Suffolk and through port towns of Huntington, Northport, and Port Jefferson. Continue east and stay left at the split for Sound Avenue in Wading River. Stay on Sound Avenue past all the farmstands and vineyards all the way to Greenport, where it merges with Rte 25. $28 on the Cross Sound Ferry from Orient to New London. After that, ask Siobhan for help with Rhode Island. Too many large cities in Connecticut, and that will cost you a lot of time to get through.

I've been trying to do the Washington to Long Island trip. Almost made it a reality about a month ago, then my scooter ended up in the shop for 2 weeks and that was that. Will try again in the spring. A pilgrimage for me back to my homeland (Miller Place, NY).

*another suggestion, the south shore of Long Island. Rockaway Pkwy to Atlantic Bridge, east through Long Beach, then Ocean Parkway from Jones Beach to Robert Moses. Cross back to the main, then Sunrise Hwy service lanes east from Islip to Patchogue where they end, then pick up Rte 27A (Montauk Hwy) east until Eastport. Then Moriches-Riverhead Rd up to downtown Riverhead, then connect with Rte 25 the rest of the way to Orient.*

Miller Place, no way!
I lived in Sound Beach...picked the place out by looking at a map. I said, "I have to live there!" when I moved to LI for graduate work at Stony Brook. I wound up, eventually, living at the Garden Club in Setauket. Do you know that place? With the bamboo forest. And worked at the Fish Church in Rocky Point (home of the best Italian bread on Lawn Guyland).

As for the above routes, both are great ideas and what I was going to suggest to get through CT (in other words, take the ferry from Orient Point). The North Fork is BEAUTIFUL once you get past Riverheard (it used to be beautiful all the way from Stony Brook out east until the sprawl ate up all the farmland...remember Davis Peach Farm!).

When you get to Setauket (on Route 25), stop at Via Pizza and get a slice of "grandma's pizza"...I used to call it "pizza crack." They gave me the first slice for free and I was like a homing pigeon, coming back day after day for more.

If you're still up for this, let me know. I know eastern CT very well, and little Rhody, a gazillion ways to get you through.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:19 pm

siobhan wrote:Miller Place, no way!
I lived in Sound Beach...picked the place out by looking at a map. I said, "I have to live there!" when I moved to LI for graduate work at Stony Brook. I wound up, eventually, living at the Garden Club in Setauket. Do you know that place? With the bamboo forest. And worked at the Fish Church in Rocky Point (home of the best Italian bread on Lawn Guyland).

...remember Davis Peach Farm!).

Oh the landmarks and the history! I went to preschool at the "fish church". I love how EVERYONE refers to it as such! Davis Peach Farm, and the Sylvan Avenue park were childhood favorites in my neighborhood. Then they developed the Peach farm, now its the epitomy of suburbia! I remember when 25A was 1 lane each way and it wasn't a death wish to cross going to the brand new McDonalds. Not endorsing McDonalds, but it was a big deal as a teenager to get one, it felt like real town status at the time. In fact, cutting class to take the trail through the woods to McDonalds behind Gings Nursery (before that area was developed). The sod farm, numerous late night outs and a few keg parties under the open sky. The firehouse on MP Rd was where I got my start, but that was volunteer. That town's taken a downward spiral, but it'll always be home to me. Handy Pantry, Buddy's Bakery, McNulty's Ice Cream, fishing off of Cedar Beach dock, and hearing the early morning train whistle from Port Jefferson while waiting for the school bus. Good times! I grew up on Washington Avenue, a few houses from the border of Sound Beach.

I'm not familiar with the Garden Club, but remember most of the through roads. To put it in perspective, I was born in 80, moved to NoVA in '03.