happier than...

[mandelia]

- a tornado in a trailer park
- a kitten with a q-tip
- a swine in swill

i had my new '07 sunset orange buddy, a.k.a. orange juice, delivered this weekend (thanks for the riding lesson, pocphil!). let me just say, i've never been happier going the speed limit

i've never ridden before, but i grew up in india and spent a lot of time standing on the floorboard of my uncle's chetak while he rode it around town. i was nervous about riding the buddy, but after putting about 25 miles on it (and getting looks from a dude in a 'vette), i'm now nervous of becoming over-confident!

thanks to everyone here at MB (i've been lurking for a while now ). buddy owners are obviously the happiest people on the internet, cos i've never seen a forum where people are nicer to n00bs. thanks guys!

and a quick shoutout to all my fellow cleveland (and ohio) scooterists... hope to see you all around soon! i don't usually go downtown much, but i can't wait to park my buddy outside one of those nightclubs on west 6th, next to the stretch hummer limo that's inevitably there, just to watch the look on the faces of the wasted bachelorettes/party bussers/wannabe wallstreeters stepping out of it

[weaseltamer]

- a kitten with a q-tip

they're so cute. and happy. good memories

[lobsterman]

Welcome!

It's gonna be lots of fun, no question.

Put the WKRP Rally in Cincinnati on your schedule for next year.

[San Francisco]

I'm now nervous of becoming over-confident!

It is very easy to become too confident and relaxed on the Buddy because
it is so easy to ride.

Best to NEVER forget that when riding you are mixing it up with numerous
moving metal objects weighing two tons each, most driven by fools,
idiots, mental slobs and mean people. In any battle, the Buddy [and you]
will lose, so literally you should attempt to steer, brake or accelerate clear of trouble.

Best tips I can give you without a long post:

1. Assume you NEVER have the right of way and ride in that manner,
meaning that you NEVER have the right of way.

2. When you see trouble ahead, always scan the area in front of you
for an escape route. The best way to avoid an accident is to get the
hell out of the way.

3. When riding, don't look directly in front of you, at the road. Scan
the area for potholes, etc., but generally always look well ahead of you
so to spot trouble BEFORE you arrive at it.

4. Always ride on defense.

Assume the car in the lane next to you will change lanes into yours without
seeing you or to simply cut you off.

Assume when entering an intersection that cars will run red lights and will
hit you but for your seeing them ahead of time.

Assume that even though you have the right of way at an intersection with
stop signs that the car will bolt out in front of you.

While the Buddy's front brake is best to apply more pressure to when
using front and rear brakes, for now remember to apply equal pressure
to both brakes when stopping and especially when having to stop quickly.

Wear a full face helmet, not a half helmet.

Stay off the freeways or interstate.

Experience comes with time on the Buddy. You do NOT know what you are
doing until you have at least 3000 to 5000 miles on the scooter.

You will dump the scooter at some point. It happens to everyone,
especially newbies. No big, just be ready for it and remember, it happens
to everyone, no matter how expert he or she may say they are.

Bonus Tip: The easy way to make u-turns - While turning look at a spot
on the road where you want to end up after the turn. Do NOT look at the
road in front of you, in front of the tire, for example. When you focus at
where you want to end up, the u-turn is easy and balanced. When doing
this technique you are almost looking behind you during the turn or at
abut 8:00 o'clock.

You also should read everything on these pages:

http://www.msgroup.org/TIPS.asp

[mandelia]

Best to NEVER forget that when riding you are mixing it up with numerous moving metal objects weighing two tons each, most driven by fools, idiots, mental slobs and mean people. In any battle, the Buddy [and you] will lose, so literally you should attempt to steer, brake or accelerate clear of trouble.

tell me abt it! already had at least two people driving like idiots behind me i'll have to learn to mitigate my road rage by the same factor as the reduced metal protecting me

as far as safety - the tips are greatly appreciated. i decided to forego all the mods and purchase good safety gear instead.

let them laugh at the apparent excessiveness!! i'd rather stay alive to ride another day...

</drama>

[lobsterman]

One last tip, which is plastered all over MB but bears repeating:

If you have not already done so, take the MSF Basic Rider course:
http://www.motorcycle.ohio.gov/brc.htm

[bwilms]

One last tip, which is plastered all over MB but bears repeating:

If you have not already done so, take the MSF Basic Rider course:
http://www.motorcycle.ohio.gov/brc.htm

Agreed. I just took and passed the course the weekend of the 14th and I can really feel improvement in my riding. It's an excellent course and you'll likely get an insurance drop as well. You might still be able to register for summer classes, but they fill up quick.

Whereabouts in the Cleveland area are you?

[mandelia]

Agreed. I just took and passed the course the weekend of the 14th and I can really feel improvement in my riding. It's an excellent course and you'll likely get an insurance drop as well. You might still be able to register for summer classes, but they fill up quick.

Whereabouts in the Cleveland area are you?

Registering for it tonight... I'm hoping I can get in by the end of May.

I'm in the Cleveland Heights area. Close to Coventry.

[weaseltamer]

tell me abt it! already had at least two people driving like idiots behind me i'll have to learn to mitigate my road rage by the same factor as the reduced metal protecting me

very well said. (Applies to me very much so)

[peabody99]

too funny I find myself being like a little banty rooster crowing at all these fools while on my tiny bike.

[Elm Creek Smith]

i decided to forego all the mods and purchase good safety gear instead.

let them laugh at the apparent excessiveness!! i'd rather stay alive to ride another day...

</drama>

YES! Good choice! I recommend www.newenough.com. Take a look at the closeout pages first.

Also, you can designate your change to go to Modern Vespa, which means it supports Modern Buddy, too!

ECS

[ericalm]

The "overconfidence" factor led to several crashes and mishaps in the early days of the Buddy. Good time to dredge up this old thread:
viewtopic.php?t=509

Also, the MSF has some scoot-specific riding tips in this brochure:
http://msf-usa.org/downloads/Scooter_tips-screen.pdf

[lobsterman]

Registering for it tonight... I'm hoping I can get in by the end of May.

Reminder - MSF classes fill up fast, but there are often "no shows" and you can walk-in. Just pick a scheduled time for the first day of class and show up 45 minutes early, make your intentions known to the instructor as soon as you get there. They'll put you on a wait list and if somebody doesn't show up, you'll get in. Make sure you have your checkbook and any other stuff the website says you need to bring for day 1.

[scooterbuttons]

I don't think that anyone has mentioned this yet but PARKING LOTS, mini malls, strip malls, grocery store parking lots even the 7-11 can become your worst nightmare! I have been backed into with people starring right at me but in fact they said they didn't see me at all. This has happened to me on a Honda Rebel and a BRIGHT RED LX150 and for some strange reason slamming on the horn still does not get there attention. In the case of the BRIGHT RED LX, we were both leaving and she's waiting for traffic to clear to make her right turn out onto the street, I am behind her and 2-up, when all of a sudden, SHE DECIDES TO PUT IT IN REVERSE all I could do was lay on the horn and watch while she tore into the front fender.

[mandelia]

thanks for the links, ericalm... that scooter brochure is really helpful. do we have some sort of library of all the things new riders should go over? i think that would be helpful

lobsterman, i might just have to do that... the next available class i can attend is in mid-june... i'm wavering between just taking the class on a motorcycle and trying to do it on the buddy (the latter would negate the walk-in option, though)... any thoughts?

EDIT: looks like they don't update the online course listings often enough - first available is in mid-AUGUST!! i guess that settles the buddy vs. motorcycle question

[weaseltamer]

I am behind her and 2-up, when all of a sudden, SHE DECIDES TO PUT IT IN REVERSE all I could do was lay on the horn and watch while she tore into the front fender.

this kind of stuff always worries me. damn stupid people.

[ericalm]

thanks for the links, ericalm... that scooter brochure is really helpful. do we have some sort of library of all the things new riders should go over? i think that would be helpful

Helpful—I agree! I need to talk to the site admin about adding some sections. A "new scooterist guide" or library compiling a lot of the FAQs would be great, especially with so many riders flocking to the Buddy as their first scoot.

[lobsterman]

lobsterman, i might just have to do that... the next available class i can attend is in mid-june... i'm wavering between just taking the class on a motorcycle and trying to do it on the buddy (the latter would negate the walk-in option, though)... any thoughts?

I did a walk-in, and used my scooter. I got prior approval to use the scooter from the Ohio MSF coordinator, and took that with me when I walked in to the first day of class.

[mandelia]

I did a walk-in, and used my scooter. I got prior approval to use the scooter from the Ohio MSF coordinator, and took that with me when I walked in to the first day of class.

ah yes, good ole mr. bob seacrest... do you happen to have his email address handy? or did you speak with him over the phone?

[lobsterman]

ah yes, good ole mr. bob seacrest... do you happen to have his email address handy? or did you speak with him over the phone?

We exchanged email, he was very helpful.

[email protected]

[mandelia]

ah yes, good ole mr. bob seacrest... do you happen to have his email address handy? or did you speak with him over the phone?

We exchanged email, he was very helpful.

[email protected]

awesome! thank you

[peabody99]

I am behind her and 2-up, when all of a sudden, SHE DECIDES TO PUT IT IN REVERSE all I could do was lay on the horn and watch while she tore into the front fender.

this kind of stuff always worries me. damn stupid people.

I live in an industrial area and have had this happen twice...with an 18 wheeler. Out of the blue they stop and throw it in reverse.

[mandelia]

I live in an industrial area and have had this happen twice...with an 18 wheeler. Out of the blue they stop and throw it in reverse.

peabody99, have you been following the great lakes brewery delivery truck around again?

[louie]

Yesterday was a study in what to do when taking a curve and the oncoming traffic is in my lane. It happened twice on my way to work. Yikes!

[Keys]

I was coming home yesterday and I make a right turn off of a main 4-lane road to get to my house. I had my signals on for at least 200 yds and my brakes applied gently to light up the brake light and behind me was a big 'ol SUV...a Ford Explosion or Chevy Suburban Subdivision or something with it's own zip code, and they were NOT slowing down. The driver must have been either on the phone or watching a movie because it wasn't until the last second (before I became road pizza) that I heard the screech of tires. I was ready to take that corner at about 45 mph!!!

--Keys

[peabody99]

I live in an industrial area and have had this happen twice...with an 18 wheeler. Out of the blue they stop and throw it in reverse.

peabody99, have you been following the great lakes brewery delivery truck around again?

I am ashamed to say that is exactly where it happened last time. While I was not stalking the beer truck, I am not above such acts!