Boo Boo Goes to Washington

jd · Post by jd » Fri May 04, 2012 1:32 am

My wife, Lisa, and I threw one of the Buddy 125s into the bed of the truck and brought it to Washington DC for four days of touring. We're heading home tomorrow and Boo Boo (yes, that's how I spell it) is snuggled up in the truck bed again and strapped down for travel.

It turns out that a scooter is an ideal way to get around Washington DC! We slipped through narrow half-lanes and received plenty of respect from the local traffic, which is accustomed to bicycles everywhere (the riders of which, for the most part, ignore traffic laws). We parked anywhere we wanted: On sidewalks (out of the way) and bike racks. This is a MAJOR advantage in DC.

With over 325 lbs. of two-up riders in an urban environment, we learned a few new things about Boo Boo.

The Good:
Fun as heck to drive, even with two of us on board. Great for getting around and, surprisingly, more than enough power to accelerate away from lights, squeeze into tight spots in multi-lane traffic flows, and climb hills.

The Not So Good:
It's no secret that the Buddy isn't really designed for two-up riding, and this week proved it. The passenger seating is particularly uncomfortable after about ten minutes. Lisa's legs were contorted around the edges of the seats to find purchase on the rails, the ride back there was rough, and the seat didn't provide much cushioning. Also, the metal grab bar at the front edge of the rear rack kept whacking her in the butt over bumps.

Would we do it again? In a heartbeat. We MIGHT bring the second Buddy if there's a next time, so Lisa wouldn't have to contort herself on the back. On the other hand, it was easier for her to not have to follow me in traffic on a second bike.

I'm attaching a picture of Boo Boo in front of the United States Capitol Building. We had a wonderful time visiting the Library of Congress, the Capitol, the National Archives, Washington Cathedral, Hillwood Museum and Gardens, and Mount Vernon. Oh yes, and half a dozen top-rated beer bars! Boo Boo made what would have been a great vacation, anyway, into an even better time!

kimmiekarma · Post by **kimmiekarma** » Fri May 04, 2012 3:10 am

Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing that story! SOunds like fun to me! Glad to know about that bar can affect the passenger's comfort.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Fri May 04, 2012 3:13 am

Sweet! That's what scooting is about! Having fun while going places.

scootavaran · Post by **scootavaran** » Fri May 04, 2012 5:11 am

Sounded like a fun trip!

Boo boo???

Uncle Groucho · Post by **Uncle Groucho** » Fri May 04, 2012 12:47 pm

So did Boo Boo bring a pic-a-nick basket?

//Bringing a scoot on vacation sounds like a good vacation made even better!

Post by **ericalm** » Fri May 04, 2012 4:56 pm

Thanks for posting this! Good story.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Sat May 05, 2012 9:49 pm

I'm sorry that I missed this. Been spending the last few days recovering from CB and just got my Buddy back last night. I'd love to have shown you all around on my wifes Buddy. It's a great region for riding, and looks to me like you had it all planned out well. Did you make the 15 mile trip to Mount Vernon on the Buddy? The George Washington Parkway is an awesome ride between Alexandria and Mt Vernon. The entire stretch is pretty nice, but the other segments are often mistaken for an expressway instead of the national park it is. I love the GWP at night when it's just me and the occassional deer.

Good to hear that you had a pleasant scooting experience, I'm about 10 minutes south of the National Mall on the Virginia side. It's a lot of fun riding in the city when everything settles down in the evening. Anyone in the future passing through, shoot me a PM. Did you go to King St. in Alexandria at all? That's my neck of the woods.

jd · Post by jd » Sat May 05, 2012 11:39 pm

BootScootin'FireFighter wrote:...Did you make the 15 mile trip to Mount Vernon on the Buddy? The George Washington Parkway is an awesome ride between Alexandria and Mt Vernon. The entire stretch is pretty nice, but the other segments are often mistaken for an expressway instead of the national park it is. I love the GWP at night when it's just me and the occassional deer.

Good to hear that you had a pleasant scooting experience, I'm about 10 minutes south of the National Mall on the Virginia side. It's a lot of fun riding in the city when everything settles down in the evening. Anyone in the future passing through, shoot me a PM. Did you go to King St. in Alexandria at all? That's my neck of the woods.

The ride from our hotel at Bladensburg Road and New York Avenue to Mount Vernon was in excess of 40 miles RT, which would have been mighty unpleasant on the back of the Buddy. so we took the Tacoma. We did drive the GW Parkway on the way back, however, and I was thinking how nice it would have been on the Buddy (or, actually, on TWO Buddys.) We also drove through Alexandria on the way back to DC, but didn't make any stops. Would like to next time, though. The trip to and from Mount Vernon was the only bit of Virginia that we saw this trip.

I think if we went back with two, instead of one, Buddys, I might consider spending the money on two-way radios for us. One of the pleasures of riding two-up was the ability to converse while riding. There are a lot of things to point at and comment about in DC.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:07 pm

JD: grab footpegs for Boo Boo!

If you will be carrying Lisa with your frequently, or on long trips, the footpegs will be indispensable. Her feet will have a more comfortable place to set, and thusly her legs will be much more comfortable. They bolt in on the floorboard, and will be annoying to you when you are riding alone; but if you know you won't need them for a while you can simply unbolt them. Also, they will help deflect damage if the scoot ends on its side somehow, so they are utilitarian in more than one way.

Ummmm for whatever reason I can't find them on Scooterworks, my brain may have just taken a va-cay, but here's an eBay listing with a pic:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Genuine-Bud ... 27c5b5078a

jd · Post by jd » Sun May 06, 2012 5:58 pm

LunaP wrote:JD: grab footpegs for Boo Boo!
Her feet will have a more comfortable place to set, and thusly her legs will be much more comfortable.

We discussed that possibility, and I looked at some on the Web. I don't think they will really solve the problem, though, because she still will have to curve her legs around a fairly wide portion of the seat to get to them. Even if they work, we've still got the problem of her butt being directly over the rear wheel (lots of bounce to the ounce) and that grab handle whacking her as well.

No, it's not a two-up machine. It was awesome in a pinch, and I'm delighted that it filled our need in that situation, but I really don't think there's much I can do to really make it comfortable for a passenger for more than a few miles.

Which is why we have TWO!

I've attached another pic, too!

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Sun May 06, 2012 6:27 pm

jd wrote:
LunaP wrote:JD: grab footpegs for Boo Boo!
Her feet will have a more comfortable place to set, and thusly her legs will be much more comfortable.
We discussed that possibility, and I looked at some on the Web. I don't think they will really solve the problem, though, because she still will have to curve her legs around a fairly wide portion of the seat to get to them. Even if they work, we've still got the problem of her butt being directly over the rear wheel (lots of bounce to the ounce) and that grab handle whacking her as well.

No, it's not a two-up machine. It was awesome in a pinch, and I'm delighted that it filled our need in that situation, but I really don't think there's much I can do to really make it comfortable for a passenger for more than a few miles.

Which is why we have TWO!

I've attached another pic, too!

That's a sweet photo!

The pegs stick out a couple of inches, which is why I said they'd annoy you (poking legs and all), and should help a lot with the curving leg thing... I rode cupcake on my own Buddy a lot due to a broken hand, and without the pegs I would have found it very difficult. We had planned on switching out the stock shocks for ones that could better support my weight, as I'm not a skinny gal. You could look into covering the metal bits with something from a hardware store for cushioning. But two is def better than one, either way!