Hi, I'm new here. I am planning to purchase my very first scooter this spring, and the Buddy 125 is at the top of my list! One thing I am taking into consideration is the potential of the scooter to haul a bicycle (<20 lbs) to and from local races. Goofy request, I know! Although it would make life easier, the ability to haul a bike isn't a dealbreaker; I can still use the scooter for motorpacing my teammates.
It seems like my options for hauling a bike would be either some sort of side mount or a trailer, but I haven't been able to find any info on the specific topic. I don't know that the bike frame would fit into a standard sidecar enclosure; it seems like just a basic frame would work, like something I could attach a car rooftop mount tray to. I'm a little worried that anything "custom" that I have welded on will void the warranty. Any suggestions? Any chance that any of you have hauled a bike on a scooter before?
Road bike? I'm trying to visualize how this might work and I'm having problems, mainly because of the bicycle's wheel size. I'm reasonably certain something could be fabricated to attach to a rear rack but I hate the thought of my precious road bike sitting behind me, perpendicular to the scoot. Attaching it to the side somehow might work better but would require additional fabrication. Plus, you have the difficulty of the mounts being relatively low on the scooter and much higher on the bike, at least the way I'm "seeing" it.
I think maybe the best bet is to try to rig up something on an optional front rack although I'm not sure how much weight this rack is capable of carrying. Probably a dumb idea though. I think you should talk to your scooter shop about this, hopefully they'll give you a straight answer.
Andy
2006 Buddy 125 (orange), going to a good MB home
2009 Vespa 250 GTS (black)
2012 Triumph Tiger 800 (black)
2008 Ducati Hypermotard S, traded for Tiger 800
gilby wrote: It seems like my options for hauling a bike would be either some sort of side mount or a trailer, but I haven't been able to find any info on the specific topic.
I remember seeing a picture of a scooter carrying a bike once. Forgot where. But it looked pretty dangerous. Probably not a bright idea unless its a folding bicycle. The Buddy is kind of small to be hauling stuff with too.
Uh, yeah. I think your options are probably limited to "unsafe," "dangerous" and "ill-advised" unless you get a folding bike, which I don't think is what you want. Even then, it would have to be pretty light and something you could strap to a front or rear rack, or the back of the seat.
Welding something to the scoot wouldn't necessarily void the warranty, just coverage of affected parts/systems. But making this kind of mod could damage the integrity of the frame or body parts. And, well, I wouldn't ride behind you, that's for sure.
Using the Buddy for motorpacing may not work if you need accurate speedometer readings. You'll only get 'em with a GPS; the stock speedo is 10%-12% or so off.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
Thanks, all! OMG, that bike box picture looks frightening!
gt1000: Yup, it's a road bike I'd be interested in carrying, so I'd want it to be as secure as possible without putting too much strain on the fork or wear on the rear wheel, especially with race tires on. After discussing it with the shop, I think a custom[ized] rear trailer would be the way to do it with the Buddy: remove the front wheel, lock the fork to a hitch, and have the rear wheel secured to the bed of the trailer. I'm usually able to carpool with my boyfriend to weekend races, but weeknite races are harder to coordinate. So...the capability to cary a bike would be nice, but not 100% necessary.
My primary use will be getting to & from the local velodrome three times a week (it's <25 miles away). I store my track bike there, so I don't have to worry about carrying anything other than light gear...and the Buddy would be perfect for that.
