Hi everyone!

[gottascoot]

First off, I have to say.."FINALLY"
Phwew, I have tried, and tried, and tried again to register on here to joing you all in discussion! For some reason I could not get that dang "captcha" picture to show up to verify that I am indeed a human, and not some horrid spam bot!
..But like I said, "Finally"!

Alright, lets see... My name is Jay, and I live in the Chicago burbs in Plainfield. Yes, PLAINfield it is rather plain...hardy harr harr. I have been looking, and looking, and looking even more into getting a scooter.

I know you all are Buddy fans here with it being a buddy forum and all... that makes sence... But I feel like I may be to big for one. SO, I am furthering my search and being open to just about anything...

I am very skinny, but I am six two... and judging by the pictures I see of these buddys, there is no way I'd fit!

From what I understand... these "lance" scooters are very unreliable but I LOVE the look of the Milan 150. Absolutly exactly what I am looking for.. and I fit on it quite nicely! Is there anything comparable?

Also, I understand I will need an L class license for 149ccs and under, and anything over needs and M class. I would like to only need an l class but I need a scooter that is going to go at least 55mpg for the roads around here.

Also, $3,000-ish recommendations please!?

Sorry, to hit you up with all these questions! But, I see that you all are very kind, informative people...and I cant wait to get to know all of you!

GOTTA SCOOT-
JAY

[Sunil]

Hello gottascoot! The buddy can feel a bit small for some people. Then again many 6 foot ish riders love it, myself included. You should go down to your local scooter shop and sit on a few models. Thats the best way to decide what fits you best. Id avoid the lance milan myself. Too many people have had trouble with the bikes breaking and trouble getting them fixed. It looks nice in photos but look at the thing up close, the fit and finish is not great. If you have 3000 to spend you can get a scooter with much nicer build and better dealer support. You may want to check out the Kymco People series of scooters if you havent already. If you really love the looks of the lance check out the aprilia mojito. It costs much more but its very nice. (i think this is the scooter that the lance is designed after, but im not sure) You could head over to modern vespa for more info on the aprilia. Welcome to the club and enjoy scooting! ps- Take the MSF class!

[louie]

hi jay, you won't know if you fit until you sit on one. but the size is one of the reasons i went witht he buddy, i'm 5-2. you might want to try a kymco, their seats are higher and the company has a good rep. i've heard good things about the kymco agility 125 and have riden with one on a couple of 150 mile trips. it ran 55 real mph just fine. the kymco people is a nice scooter and i'd like one if i were tall enough.

i don't know a lot about licensing.

good luck in your search.

[Piffle]

hey jay,

for the record im 6'3'' and fit on my buddy just fine, i can even take another person on with an adequate level of comfort. just fyi

[hackett]

First off, I have to say.."FINALLY"
Phwew, I have tried, and tried, and tried again to register on here to joing you all in discussion! For some reason I could not get that dang "captcha" picture to show up to verify that I am indeed a human, and not some horrid spam bot!

Maybe you're a robot, and you just haven't figured it out yet. Or maybe I've watched Bladerunner too many times.

I know you all are Buddy fans here with it being a buddy forum and all... that makes sence... But I feel like I may be to big for one. SO, I am furthering my search and being open to just about anything...

I am very skinny, but I am six two... and judging by the pictures I see of these buddys, there is no way I'd fit!

I'm 6'3, 180, and I can ride comfortably enough with my 5'10 wife on the back. Try it and see. I've got a friend about my size who tried one and felt it was too small. It's all about what you're comfortable with.

[k1dude]

Hi gottascoot.

Supposedly, Lance is one of the better "made in China" scooters that are out there. China made usually means 'stay away!' With China made scooters, you might get lucky and get a good one. But more likely is you'll get one that isn't so good. They're fine if you can't afford anything else and don't mind the potential headaches of working on it alot. Some come in bad but people manage to fix them up to the point they run well. Keep in mind the Kymco Agility 125 is made in China. But it is made by Kymco (Taiwan) which suggests it should be completely reliable and comes with Kymco's full warranty. A good website (forum) for China made scooter info is www.scootdawg.com

The best (most reliable) scooters in the world seem to be made in Taiwan and Japan. The Buddy is made in Taiwan. But they are also more expensive than the China made Scooters. You pay for the reliability and fit and finish. The Buddy is also one of the better handling scooters out there. The Buddy 125 can go 55 mph no problem.

I'm 6' tall and skinny. One of the first things I found was the handlebars on virtually every scooter I tried hit my knees when I turned the bars fully. That was a concern. I didn't want to be in a situation where I had to turn the bars the whole way and it wound up hitting my knees resulting in a wipeout. But since I couldn't find anything 200cc or less that would clear my knees, I took the chance and bought a Buddy anyway. I found my concern was unwarranted. Rarely ever do you crank the bars the whole way. And if you do, you want to be leaning that way at slow speed. In those conditions, you usually have your knee stuck out for balance anyway. So they're clear of the bars. Your natural tendancies for turning and leaning keep your knees out of the way.

But you'll only know if they really fit you by personally trying to sit on any scooter you're considering purchasing.

In your price range there are a lot of nice scooters available. The Piaggio Fly 150, Yamaha Vino 125, Genuine Buddy 125, Genuine Buddy International 150, Lambretta Uno 150, Kymco People 150, and the Kymco Agility 125 all come to mind. And in a couple months the Yamaha Zuma 125 comes out which seems really cool. Also, if the 2009 Kymco Super 8 150 makes it to the US, it would be really cool too. I wound up with a Buddy simply because of the rabid following it has developed in such a short time. People LOVE their buddies. Much more so than any other make that's affordable. I love the styling, the colors, the handling and the reliability. It might also be important to you that they are headquartered in Chicago.

Good luck in your decision.

[gottascoot]

WOW! This is the fastest responding forum I have ever been apart of! Way-cool!

Well, I just emailed the buddy dealer in Claredon Hills which is about half an hour away from me asking about buddys, and buddy intls. I really like the colors of the Pamplona buddy! ...Not so much the price... but the colors! Ooo Ahhh.

I don't work tomorrow, so I think I will make an early trip out to the dealership to see what I think. The website says they have a blue Buddy 125 in stock, a red and a blue stella, and the Pamps on order...whatever that means...

I am not really a fan of the Buddy blue..but maybe in person I will see it and fall in love. Really though, I am looking for a White/off-white, Red, or black scoot to get around on.

Anyone have insurance through statefarm? I currently insure my "cage" with them... just curious to see if they are legit when it comes to insuring scoots.

Again, thanks for all your help and opinions! Greatly appreciated!

Gootascoot

-Jay

[Piffle]

I have my insurance through state farm, my house, my car, and my scooter. the insurance on it for full coverage is like 19/month, not bad at all!

i know what you are saying the color on the pamplona are killer. but you can't beat an orange one =)

[k1dude]

I'm a big proponent of being as visible as possible on a scooter because they're so small. Just keep that in mind when selecting a color. Like piffle, I chose orange since it was the brightest color available for safety.

[Eddy Merckx]

I'm 6"4" tall and go in at 210 lbs and my 07 bud 125 hauls me around just fine, got front and rear racks a top case and wind shield, and it will carry a lot more than you may think, so don't worry about that aspect of your purchase, we tall guys look kinda big on all scooters except Bergman size scoots , etc. Top end speed on relatively flat-ish roads can be 55 to 65 mph but up bigger hills it will go 45 to 50 tops, at least thats been my experience so far.

Good luck hunting down your new scoot !

[gottascoot]

So it turns out that the dealership does only have one buddy in stock right now... and of course.. it's the one color i am not a fan of. A blue one. I don't know, correct me if I am wrong but pictures of this blue one make it appear to be a baby powder blue...

But, then I got thinking...I am impatient.. I need a scoot now what if I get it, and paint it myself? Krylon Fusion has proven to be a success in my cars dashboard... and i read somewhere on here that someone has repainted theres with the same. How hard is it to take all the body panels off? And, then put then back into place? I really want a deep, maroon flat colored scooter.. but then again I also would not mind a navy or black...or even brown one.

What do you recommend mates?


Also, two more questions.

1. With a price of 2,699 what do you think it would be out the door?

2. Searching craigslist I found a 2007... i think 07 Vespa 200 G.T. for 2,950. I messaged the guy and found out that the only problem with it is that the front fender has been crushed... and removed. Also, I talked him down to 2,500 cash.. What should I do?

Thanks everyone!

Gottascoot!

-Jay

[buddyboop]

The blue Buddy is a powder blue and I am not much a fan of it. I would look at the Gt and have someone go with you that knows about them. If the front fender was crushed what happened to get it that way. You don't want a bike with a bent fork. The Buddy has a 2 year warranty and thats awesome. Don't rush to buy something. You don't want to see a Pamplona in 2 weeks and look longingly at it and have regrets. Go sit and test ride take it off the stand etc. Enjoy the search but I know, I have also known the impatience.
Good Luck!

[gottascoot]

Well reguarding the GT I asked the boy the same question...

He said, "honestly... It's my girlfriends mothers Vespa. I ran it into a stop sign outside their house. I underestimated the power on the sucker....but now bitter mom wants a BRAND NEW MINT CONDITION ONE. So, I am selling this to come up with the other half."

Either way, if I go to see them I will post some pics of them for you all. I am actually heading off to see the Blue Buddy 125 at about 9:30 this morning... and then the GT tomorrow morning.

[buddyboop]

Just a cautionary note on the GT200, If only the fender was crushed and removed they can order a new fender and replace it and she will have a shiny new scoot. This makes me a bit suspicious. I have dropped my scoot once and the wind blew it over once. I replaced the windshield, side moulding, brake lever and rechromed the crash bars and you can not tell in the slightest it was dropped or fell over. I have done this two times now. It still looks brand new and unless you knew it you cannot tell.
Happy looking!

Oh! By the way, Welcome!

[buddyboop]

So, How was the looking???? Curious minds want to know. Did you fall in love with the Buddy???? How was the GT???? Are you still looking????
Did you sit on other scoots????

[gottascoot]

Well, I went up to the local dealer.. (true imports) First off, they did not seem to thrilled that I was even there in the first place.. Until I asked the guy about his blur.. then I felt a little more welcome.
At first, I saw the buddy and it was my first time seeing one in person so my heart skipped a little! I was so excited.. the I almost puked when I saw the color. (Powder Blue)

I kept looking around then I saw the rattler 110, and the dealer assured me it would be perfect for cruising at 45mph... But then I come onto the boards and ask... and they say it'd be rough and its really a just for fun scoot...

I am doing away with the thought of the Vespa Gt, becasue the whole reason I am looking to get a scoot is to save money! .... well not the whole reason.. I am getting it for FUN too. With a 200cc rather than a 125cc, and with a name like vespa I feel like the insurance will be more than just getting a buddy.

I would love to have a buddy.. but it seems like they are impossible to find.

Help?

[Trogdor7]

They are hard to find, waiting over two weeks for mine, but others have waited longer.

The good advice I got about scooter hunting (and really limited my choices) was to find a brand sold and serviced near you. If there isn't a dealer/service center near you, then pass up that brand/style.

[gottascoot]

So pass them all up? haha That local dealer took me a good hour to get to.. the only other one sells schwinns... which I have heard are no good as well.

[SKA'D_Scooterist]

Being a very new (only a few weeks) scooter owner myself and having interrogated my local dealer with some of the same questions myself, I may be able to shed some light.

I'm 6'1" and love my Bud to death, but the one reservation I have is after riding for a while (~1 hr+) my back is killing me from being hunched over. Granted you won't know if this will happen in your case, but that is something one definitely can't deduce from simply sitting on it or even a short test ride. I don't plan on riding for that long often, but it's unfortunate that if I wanted to, I'd have to pay that price in back pain (well worth it, to be sure!).

Out the door you are looking at just under $3000, like $2990 or so (my dealer is a licenced DMV so that included tax, title, registration, etc. - a nice convenience). I had my Bud changed from seafoam green to red, which cost an extra $90. Color/panel changes don't seem to be that much of an issue; it's getting the scoots to the dealers is the hard part.

Everyone has to wait to get a Buddy or any Genuine scooter it seems, as demand is way up. I'm surprised to hear that a dealer has any bikes at all on the showroom floor. It's getting crazy like that. I'm sure any Genuine dealer will help you choose the best scoot/bike for you even if it isn't a Buddy as they seem to be of high integrity (hard to find these days, ESPECIALLY in sales). Good luck!

S.S.

[pamalama]

I absolutley love my Buddy. I wanted a Stella originally, but was convinced due to my lack of ridng skilz (ZIP - NONE) to go with the Buddy. I do love riding it, she's very responsive and I've gone 65 too many times than I believe I should. It just seems she likes to drive fast, I look down at the speedo and say to her...."are you trying to get me in trouble??" Then we slow down, then next thing I know....65 again and I'm not talking downhill either! If you go with the International, you'll get 25 more cc and the cool horn.

I would seriously wait for a Buddy before settling on a Chinese thing-a-ma-jig. Genuine seems like a great company, very helpful and they know their sheet.

Hey!! I have a great idea, you're a big guy and no one will make fun of you, you could by my Sweet Pink Buddy GiGi and I'll buy the powder blue Stella. I wanna shift!! I've had my bike since May and already have almost 800 miles on her............it's a blast!!

Good luck, think with you head, not your heart. (Unless you're seriously considering buying my GiGi, then think with whatever you need to benefit me!)

Pamela

[mattgordon]

Well, I went up to the local dealer.. (true imports) First off, they did not seem to thrilled that I was even there in the first place.. Until I asked the guy about his blur.. then I felt a little more welcome.
At first, I saw the buddy and it was my first time seeing one in person so my heart skipped a little! I was so excited.. the I almost puked when I saw the color. (Powder Blue)

I kept looking around then I saw the rattler 110, and the dealer assured me it would be perfect for cruising at 45mph... But then I come onto the boards and ask... and they say it'd be rough and its really a just for fun scoot...

I am doing away with the thought of the Vespa Gt, becasue the whole reason I am looking to get a scoot is to save money! .... well not the whole reason.. I am getting it for FUN too. With a 200cc rather than a 125cc, and with a name like vespa I feel like the insurance will be more than just getting a buddy.

I would love to have a buddy.. but it seems like they are impossible to find.

Help?

I have a Rattler 110, and I weigh about 225.....50+ is max on it, but it's been rock-solid at now 1500 miles, and I love it. It's a great urban scooter, great for darting in and outta traffic. There are numerous schools of thought, (some people have the Rattler 50), and the 110 is quite tractable in town, capable of 45 mph. I ride mine into the mountains and the hills require some....errr, patience, but it's all good. It's a two-stroke, a little quirky but a great scooter nonetheless.

[mn355]

The wait for the Buddy really does suck. The only thing that's worse is the desire to hangout/eat/sleep in the garage next to it when you are not riding once it shows up. Mine showed up yesterday. I'm stoked! You have to figure though that waiting for the right scoot is better than settling for the wrong one.

I'm 5'11 and think that the fit is great. I had predicted this before buying and, after an hour or so of riding, believe it even more - scooter riding will improve my posture. If you ride hunched over, your back will hurt, I found paying attention to my posture helped a lot (something I've been trying to do anyway).

On the insurance, I have everything except my scoot through StateFarm. Even with the cars, the house, personal article, and life with them, Progressive gave a better deal and would cover medical payments (SF would not). Just my experience, but insurance is something worth shopping around for - even though it is a pain.

Good luck.

[olivemusic]

I would love to have a buddy.. but it seems like they are impossible to find.

Help?

I'm from Rockford. I got mine from Midwest Action Cycle Inc
251 Host Dr
Lake Geneva, WI 53147-4607
(262) 249-0600

They are awesome! The guys there are super cool and know what they're talking about! I can't think of a bad thing to say about them! A friend of mine drove in and walked out with a Pamploma the same day. I bought mine about a year ago, but she has had hers for about 4 weeks. I know the original drive sucks, but if they have a bunch in stock, it'd be worth calling and checking it out. It took us about an hour to get there, I'm thinking about 2 hours from where you're at. There are just not many dealers where I'm at and I'd rather drive up to WI than the hassel of driving into Chicago.

And about the whole L class versus M class license, I have my L class (125cc) and my friend has her M class (150cc). It was the exact same test. The difference is that she is legal to drive my scooter, I'm not legal to drive hers. Go for the M class and get it out of the way.

[gottascoot]

Thanks olivemusic!
I just checked out the site, and they have a pretty large inventory right now.. I deffinatly wanna check the place out...But, it's two hours away.. even if i were to buy the buddy.. how do I get it home from there? It'd take alot of calling and bugging of my step father for him to take me out to go and get a scooterwith his pick up truck... he'll more than likely say, "Go get it in your car." K, let me go fold my Aveos seats down real quick...haha

Hmm, actually..Now i am thinking...muahhahhaha
Gottascoot!

-Jay

[bfreed]

inventory is very low right now. If you have a place within a couple of hours that has multiple makes/models in stock, I'd go check them out.

My short list before buying was all Taiwan-based brands:
SYM HD125 or HD200
Kymco People 150
Genuine Buddy 125 or 150

Found a SYM locally and sat on it - I'm 5'6" and the scoot was definitely too big for me. So it might be a good option for you. The seat height for the Kymco is pretty close to the SYM, if I remember right.

So I went with the shorter Buddy - had to go 1-1/2 hours away to get it, but a good fit was important to me.

As for transportation: I have a short-bed pickup, so I used that. Other options you could try are renting a truck (Budget/Ryder or Uhaul) - a 125/150 class scooter will easily fit in just about any truck.
It'll add a little to the cost, but you won't have to beg/grovel.

[bfreed]

oops. turns out the posts go through, even with the error message.

I apologize for all my multiple posts today.

[buddyboop]

Thanks olivemusic!
I just checked out the site, and they have a pretty large inventory right now.. I deffinatly wanna check the place out...But, it's two hours away.. even if i were to buy the buddy.. how do I get it home from there? It'd take alot of calling and bugging of my step father for him to take me out to go and get a scooterwith his pick up truck... he'll more than likely say, "Go get it in your car." K, let me go fold my Aveos seats down real quick...haha

Hmm, actually..Now i am thinking...muahhahhaha
Gottascoot!

-Jay

rent a uhaul trailer if you decide to buy. get one there. Have it on reserve just in case.

[gottascoot]

Cant.. I am only 20.


Edit-

I know you all might want to throw stones at me for this.. but I was not even thinking.. My roomate works at a Suzuki dealership that sells Schwinn scooters.. I am not too sure about their reliability though.. anyone fill me in? They have two Valos in stock right now, a red and a white one. No doubt about it.. I'd go with tthe white.



What do you all think?!
I am getting desperate! I'll buy anything!
I might even go to that ebay ATV discounter guy!
Someone stop me!

[polianarchy]

I have yet to hear a single good thing about the Schwinn scooters. It's a shame, because I love the bicycles.

[k1dude]

Schwinn is not the Schwinn of old. They went bankrupt and the name/company was purchased by the Mainland Chinese. Pacific something or other. They started slapping the name on anything made in China and started selling in the big box stores. They are definitely not what they used to be a few years ago.

[Threegoofs]

Gottascoot-

I just went thru my scooter search and live around you. I wasnt impressed by the friendliness of the guys at True Imports, either. You might want to go down the street and check out DGY motorsports - they hqve lots of stuff there. Did you look at the Stellas? I see one on craigslist right now for $2700. Its in your price range and might be good if you want a manual scoot.

If you want a Buddy go straight to Scooterworks its a bit of a hike into the city for you, but - Genuine is located there and I'm sure they have the direct line on new Buddys.

Good luck!

[gottascoot]

There is a sudden huge wave of scoots coming my way!

I love it!

First I am not too scared of the schwinn, I mean my roomates father owns the dealership.. so maintenance wont be too hard... you know? I'll keep that on the back burner.

I have another lady offering me her 2006 vino for 3,000.. I think that is way too much though.. So i offered 2,800..Fair?

And, another guy just offered me a jmstar... probably chinese.. never heard of it...

Reccomendations?

Gottascoot!

-Jay

[gottascoot]

Alright, first off.. sorry for double post. But a new question has come about.

I just met up with the lady with the 2006 Yamaha Vino.

The scoot looked fantastic! It was garage kept, and there is only one itty bitty tiny scratch on the seat molding...

Only 441.9 miles on it..

She wont budge from 3,000.00
Is that a rip off for a two year old scoot?

Also, she said it doesnt like to start when its warm... is that common?
AND, when she went to show me how it would start right up... it took quite a while and quite a bit of fidgeting with it.. is that common?

I really don't know what they are worth but I have a friend who got a brand new one for 3,500 OTD.

I told her I would have an answer by thursday night because I have some others to look at...

[GFridrich3]

3k used on a vino 125 seems like a little bit much. Guy I know got one for around 2k used, 2006 model with under 1k miles on it. I dunno thou, i guess if the Vino is your style, 3k is still fairly reasonable. Just remember youll have to figure in all your own fees once you buy the scooter, and on 3k dollars, figure your in for another 500 or so to get it on the road legally (taxes, license, doc, title transfer).

Im surprised to hear someone mention that true imports was not so friendly. I bought my Blur there and the people working there were very friendly and helpful. I felt really comfortable shopping there and never once felt like I was being pushed to buy a product. Actually, I had to ASK for the rear rack and windshield to see if they even had any in stock the day I picked it up, and fortunately they did have both, but didnt even make a move to sell me up on them. If I had to do it over again, id definitely buy my next scooter there! Unfortunately thou, i wont be buying another scooter, my next 2 wheeler will be a big bike of some kind.

[Serita]

I got my Buddy 2 weeks ago and my friend (just over 6 feet tall and a Vespa rider) has taken a few spins on it and fit it just fine. He loved the feel and the zip of it. Good luck in your search!

[gottascoot]

What fees exactly should I be looking at. I am new to this and I have no clue what will or wont be paying.

Lets say I go with the Vino.
The lady said she is going to transfer the warrenty as well to my name if I purchase it. ...... is that even possible?

Also, she said she just got new plate stickers.. So I would not be paying for that would I?

What is the actual process I will be taking to get the scoot in my name in the state of il?

I am going out for my permit today.. Thats all I know I need to do really...

I know I have to..
1. Get my Permit
2. Get Title Transfered
3. Get Insurance for the scoot. (progressive?)
4. I dunno?


Gottascoot!

-Jay

[gottascoot]

I hate to do it..
but... BUMP.


Anyone?