Modern Buddy

Has anyone ever taken a turn on there scoot at such a degree they actually scrape the kick stand? haha I've done it twice now on my buddy 125 (still amazed at how agile it is) and makes me wonder if I'm riding to aggressively or just because the kickstand isn't high enough. By kickstand I'm meaning the one that props the scooter completely up off the ground.

It's normal. The Buddy handles so well it's easy to do. But it can get you into trouble, so it's best to learn the limits and stay within them.

Miah does it all the time, I do it accidentally on Left turns sometimes.

I still try NOT to do that .

Unfortunatly all the time. I don't think I am being to aggressive I just think it hangs to low, thinking of taking it off.

Im new to the buddy experience so have not quite mastered the bravery it takes to tilt and turn at speed. So not experienced this as yet.

Good to know that I'm able to lean more than i am and still be ok, but reckon it may take a lot longer than the week i have owned the bike to master it completely.

well good to know! The first time I did it I made a little course out of a local parking lot and was surprised when it scraped, then accidently yesterday so I think im just finally comfortable with the scooter. Thanks for everyone's feedback!

I used to do it, until the center stand scraped and actually kicked my rear wheel off the ground, resulting in my first crash. That was Memorial day 2008. I haven't scraped anything since.

Howard

it's very easy to do, just follow the advice others gave. Now try coming from sportbikes and then riding a cruiser. You lean like 1 inch and scrape the floor boards. Now that is a scary sound the first time that happens.

As Howardr and ThreeSheets point out, it is possible on most bikes. When it occurs, this also means that you really have not yet figured out the limits of the bike and adjusted accordingly. Leaning the bike is one way to maintain balance in a corner. Shifting your own weight is another. Yes, you can modify the bike itself, but there will still be limits to lean angle which you will need to understand and follow.

I must be taking my turns to slow and to rational

Upgrade the rear shock, dial in some extra preload, enjoy extra lean angle. I scrape the kickstand and the prima pipe.

ThreeSheets wrote:it's very easy to do, just follow the advice others gave. Now try coming from sportbikes and then riding a cruiser. You lean like 1 inch and scrape the floor boards. Now that is a scary sound the first time that happens.

I went from scooters to a small cruiser when I visited my family in Italy and rode my father's marauder 250. It was scraping galore especially when I rode up to my family's mountain house and the road is one hairpin turn after the other

I started out riding dirtbikes as a kid and mainly rode at the local track so I think that's where im getting the leaning from haha just kind of habit. I actually had a near crash on the scoot when I put my foot down like as if I was on a dirtbike...bad idea. Good to know though! thanks for all the tips.

Once on a left turn I scraped so hard I lifted the rear tire and had to hit the pavement hard with my left foot to keep from going over. I almost filled my pants! I had to pull over for a few minutes to calm down. Very scary. I've scraped many other times to a lesser degree.

Howardr wrote:I used to do it, until the center stand scraped and actually kicked my rear wheel off the ground, resulting in my first crash. That was Memorial day 2008. I haven't scraped anything since.

^This^

It's possible to take a fairly sharp turn at fairly good speed on a stock Buddy without scraping the stand. (I hit stand my first time on a Buddy, too.)

It's also easy to hit stand and wind up crashing, usually, as Happened to Howardr, from losing traction on the rear wheel.

It's not necessarily riding too aggressively; it's not having the optimum lean for your speed and the curve to hit it without scraping.

You can also grind the peg down.

ThreeSheets wrote:Now try coming from sportbikes and then riding a cruiser. You lean like 1 inch and scrape the floor boards.

Did this on the Stella a couple times. Yup, not a good sound.

Howardr wrote:I used to do it, until the center stand scraped and actually kicked my rear wheel off the ground, resulting in my first crash. That was Memorial day 2008. I haven't scraped anything since.

Howard

Yup. Same thing happened to me. But when the rear tire hit the ground again it almost launched me into a high side at 35 mph into some parked cars. Be careful about scraping the stand in a turn.

ericalm wrote:

Howardr wrote:I used to do it, until the center stand scraped and actually kicked my rear wheel off the ground, resulting in my first crash. That was Memorial day 2008. I haven't scraped anything since.

^This^

It's possible to take a fairly sharp turn at fairly good speed on a stock Buddy without scraping the stand. (I hit stand my first time on a Buddy, too.)

It's also easy to hit stand and wind up crashing, usually, as Happened to Howardr, from losing traction on the rear wheel.

It's not necessarily riding too aggressively; it's not having the optimum lean for your speed and the curve to hit it without scraping.

You can also grind the peg down.

As Dooglas pointed out, learning to shift your weight is an easy way to prevent scraping. It takes energy and technique, but it's better than scraping your stand in a high speed turn. It's basically what knee dragging racers do.

Point your knee in the direction of the turn. Turn left - point left knee outward towards the turn. Turn right - point right knee outwards towards the turn. At the same time, shift your butt over to the side of the seat that you're turning and lean your torso over the ground in the same direction as the turn. As this is all going on, keep the scooter as upright as possible as you shift your body weight into the turn. This keeps the scooter more upright and prevents the stand from scraping.

It takes time and practice to get good. But it really works. That's why racers do it. Unfortunately, it's hard to do well on a scooter compared to a motorcycle, because you can use the seat on a motorcycle to hang your body weight all the way. Your knees have nothing to grip on when you hang over on a scooter.

k1dude wrote:It takes time and practice to get good. But it really works. That's why racers do it. Unfortunately, it's hard to do well on a scooter compared to a motorcycle, because you can use the seat on a motorcycle to hang your body weight all the way. Your knees have nothing to grip on when you hang over on a scooter.

Yes, it takes some practice and skill, but (as you say), it can be done .

Be careful, you can also scrape the Prima pipe exhaust header (that low point at the bend) in a right turn.
There are some threads on MB about this.
That metal is pretty thin so it won't take many scrapes to wear a hole.

Dooglas wrote:Yes, it takes some practice and skill, but (as you say), it can be done .

Pheh, Lambretta!

Most of the Buddys outfitted for racing have the center stands removed. Excess weight (and the peg, too)!

For those of you who regularly scrape, you might consider doing the centerstand mod described here:
viewtopic.php?t=14380


I wouldn't recommend removing the centerstand unless you're actually going to race. You should be using the centerstand almost exclusively when you park. It's just too easy to knock the scooter down with a little bump, or even a strong gust of wind, when it's on the sidestand.

Lokky wrote "I went from scooters to a small cruiser when I visited my family in Italy and rode my father's marauder 250. It was scraping galore especially when I rode up to my family's mountain house and the road is one hairpin turn after the other "
Wow, if my family lived in Italy I would so never leave. I would eat Italian ice, drink coffee and ride my Colnago all day long [/quote]

pdxrita wrote:For those of you who regularly scrape, you might consider doing the centerstand mod described here:
viewtopic.php?t=14380


I wouldn't recommend removing the centerstand unless you're actually going to race. You should be using the centerstand almost exclusively when you park. It's just too easy to knock the scooter down with a little bump, or even a strong gust of wind, when it's on the sidestand.

+1 Also, when you start it up and the back tire speeds up, it's kind of nice to not have to sit on the scooter with your hands on the brakes.

I've only scraped once on the Buddy. That was scary enough to me, but when I scraped on the MP3 250 I used to have, I decided I'd better tone it down a bit.

michelle_7728 wrote:

pdxrita wrote:...I wouldn't recommend removing the centerstand unless you're actually going to race. You should be using the centerstand almost exclusively when you park. It's just too easy to knock the scooter down with a little bump, or even a strong gust of wind, when it's on the sidestand.

+1 Also, when you start it up and the back tire speeds up, it's kind of nice to not have to sit on the scooter with your hands on the brakes.
...

...and you need the center stand for routine maintenance like oil changes, transmission service, tire changes etc...

Howardr wrote:I used to do it, until the center stand scraped and actually kicked my rear wheel off the ground, resulting in my first crash. That was Memorial day 2008. I haven't scraped anything since.

Howard

This happens to me a lot... the tire kicked out on me. (On memorial day weekend as well )..but I was able to keep the bike up, this was pure luck , not due to any advanced riding skill, lol.... whew!

Once or twice so far. More to come, I would fathom.