Modern Buddy

Hi,
I'm a scooter newbie and just got my Buddy 50 (2007 model) last week. I'm hearing buzz about longer mirror stems being available but my local dealer didn't seem at all knowledgeable about them. Does anyone out there know where to get them on-line?

Hi there and welcome!

My dealer didn't either but they called up and got the part number. Give Scooterworks (Genuine's sister company) a call

http://www.scooterworks.com

They will surely know about them. I haven't seen them on their site (haven't checked lately either though), so the phone would be the way to go.

The longer mirrors (I added them to my '07 Italia) make a HUGE difference... but I'll warn you they are likely backordered right now like a lot of Buddy parts!

Maybe Scooterworks will be able to hook you up quickly.

I went in a few weeks ago at Motorsports Scooters, they were trying to sell me the long stem mirrors.

kyscootergal wrote:Hi,
I'm a scooter newbie and just got my Buddy 50 (2007 model) last week. I'm hearing buzz about longer mirror stems being available but my local dealer didn't seem at all knowledgeable about them. Does anyone out there know where to get them on-line?

Longer stem mirrors are great w/o a whidshield, but the shorter stock ones work great with the Buddy windshield, which extends them out further...

Drumwoulf wrote:
Longer stem mirrors are great w/o a whidshield, but the shorter stock ones work great with the Buddy windshield, which extends them out further...

Ah-ha! So maybe since I do have the windshield on my Buddy I don't need the longer mirror stems???

kyscootergal wrote:

Drumwoulf wrote:
Longer stem mirrors are great w/o a whidshield, but the shorter stock ones work great with the Buddy windshield, which extends them out further...

Ah-ha! So maybe since I do have the windshield on my Buddy I don't need the longer mirror stems???

Do you feel like your vision is compromised with the current stems? I was looking at a whole lot of my shoulders with the original mirrors, but I didn't have a windscreen. Even with a windscreen, the longer stems will be, well, longer and give you more angles of vision. But like drumwoulf said, with the short stems/windscreen combo, the mirrors are already moved out farther than the stock '07 mirrors.

I purchased my Buddy50 last week. I thought I was doing something wrong with the mirrors as well as feeling bad about my weight because I was seeing an awful lot of shoulder and having to lean over a bit and squish my arm closer to my body to see directly behind me (where most cars would actually BE.

Now I know it's not just me.

What does the windshield do to the mirrors? Does it provide a different place to screw them into? It's also nice to know that there are such options as long stemmed mirrors.

Thanks

anndelise wrote:I purchased my Buddy50 last week. I thought I was doing something wrong with the mirrors as well as feeling bad about my weight because I was seeing an awful lot of shoulder and having to lean over a bit and squish my arm closer to my body to see directly behind me (where most cars would actually BE.

Now I know it's not just me.

What does the windshield do to the mirrors? Does it provide a different place to screw them into? It's also nice to know that there are such options as long stemmed mirrors.

Thanks

If you look at a pic of the windshields they mount into the existing mirror holes and then the mirrors are mounted on the brackets for the windshield, just a bit farther out.

And yup, what you are saying about seeing your shoulders is normal with the shorter mirrors. I could never really get my mirrors adjusted to see directly behind me and I'm not a very big person at all. I'd always have two very different views in each mirror. With the long mirrors I have a great view on either side.

Quick questions about the windshield for the buddy. My first bike so i was wondering do many of you riders have a winshield on your bike? If you're not on the highway or interstate, will the winshield really come in handy? Just wondering on whether to get the winshield or longer mirrors? DOES it help with the wind, since we have enough of that here?

Thank you jmazza.
If I'd have looked at that picture before this thread, I wouldn't have recognized that it adds about an inch or so to the length of the mirrors.

anndelise wrote:Thank you jmazza.
If I'd have looked at that picture before this thread, I wouldn't have recognized that it adds about an inch or so to the length of the mirrors.

No problem... I'm not sure if the longer stems add more than what a windshield adds... but obviously with both you'd have really really wide mirrors!!

I seem to bump my mirrors more often now that I have the longer ones... but they are so much better than the original short stems.

I had come across this pic: topic2182.html
and kind of think that I like the idea of the double mirror thing. Set up the inner mirrors to view out to the sides, and the outer mirrors to view that angle behind ya. Not sure how realistic that is, nor if it can be done without the windscreen.

Speaking of the windscreen, in case it was missed, jasoneg77 had asked

Quick questions about the windshield for the buddy. My first bike so i was wondering do many of you riders have a winshield on your bike? If you're not on the highway or interstate, will the winshield really come in handy? Just wondering on whether to get the winshield or longer mirrors? DOES it help with the wind, since we have enough of that here?

Anyone have any answers for this?

For myself, I don't plan on riding in heavy winds, and other than a 5 mile stretch of road doing 40-45mph, I'll be taking the back roads which are max 35mph. I'm not sure if the windshield would help any. My biggest concerns have to do with rain. I live in northwest WA and we got lotsa rain. I don't want rains to stop me from riding though. I recall reading somewhere that someone was having problems seeing in the rain with the windshield. Anyone got something to say about that?

Hmm. maybe this windshield thing should be it's own thread. But the answer to this would also answer which way to go regarding the mirrors.

anndelise wrote:I had come across this pic: topic2182.html
and kind of think that I like the idea of the double mirror thing. Set up the inner mirrors to view out to the sides, and the outer mirrors to view that angle behind ya. Not sure how realistic that is, nor if it can be done without the windscreen.

Speaking of the windscreen, in case it was missed, jasoneg77 had asked

Quick questions about the windshield for the buddy. My first bike so i was wondering do many of you riders have a winshield on your bike? If you're not on the highway or interstate, will the winshield really come in handy? Just wondering on whether to get the winshield or longer mirrors? DOES it help with the wind, since we have enough of that here?

Anyone have any answers for this?

For myself, I don't plan on riding in heavy winds, and other than a 5 mile stretch of road doing 40-45mph, I'll be taking the back roads which are max 35mph. I'm not sure if the windshield would help any. My biggest concerns have to do with rain. I live in northwest WA and we got lotsa rain. I don't want rains to stop me from riding though. I recall reading somewhere that someone was having problems seeing in the rain with the windshield. Anyone got something to say about that?

Hmm. maybe this windshield thing should be it's own thread. But the answer to this would also answer which way to go regarding the mirrors.

You don't look THRU the stock Buddy windshield, you look OVER it. So I don't think rain would block much of your view there... I find the stock Buddy windshield a great help in the cooler (or wetter) weather, as it really does offer a good geal of chest protection..
(But I do prefer the fun of riding w/o a windshield in warmer weather, myself...)
AFA mirrors go, with the windshield's extended mirror mounts I can see quite good with my shorter mirrors. W/o the shield tho, I definitely need the longer stemmed mirrors. However I didn't like the longer stemmed mirrors added to the windshield because then I felt they stuck out TOO far and became a nuisance!

And if you want to attach both kinds of mirrors at the same time, there's a mirror mount accessory you can order from MotorSport Scooters on the web. It's meant for Stellas and vintage Vespas so you have to search the site a bit for them, but they do work on Buddys and are in fact what the person on this site used to mount his double mirrors on his Buddy...

Drumwoulf, thank you, your response helped me understand the windshield and mirror thing a bit better.

For myself, I think I'll initially get the long stemmed mirrors.
Then get the double mirror attachment.
And when the rains pick up in the fall, get a windshield.
(spread out how much money I spend to correspond with actual income timing, lol)

anndelise wrote:Drumwoulf, thank you, your response helped me understand the windshield and mirror thing a bit better.

For myself, I think I'll initially get the long stemmed mirrors.
Then get the double mirror attachment.
And when the rains pick up in the fall, get a windshield.
(spread out how much money I spend to correspond with actual income timing, lol)

Yeah, they're a bit costly. Cost me $50 for two with shipping from Scoot Richmond shop. Too much for what you get, but still worth it in ride safety, IMO...
viewtopic.php?t=2090&highlight=long+stem+mirrors

Drumwoulf, if you look at the photos from your link, the bars actually look the same length to me. The difference is that the mirrors have been rotated out. I just realized this yesterday on my ride around the neighborhood, and WOW what a difference about two inches make. The mirrors are apparently folded in for shipping purposes. Try swinging them out before going and spending money for no reason.

chancerbeans13 wrote:Drumwoulf, if you look at the photos from your link, the bars actually look the same length to me. The difference is that the mirrors have been rotated out. I just realized this yesterday on my ride around the neighborhood, and WOW what a difference about two inches make. The mirrors are apparently folded in for shipping purposes. Try swinging them out before going and spending money for no reason.

This is a very good point- adjusting your mirrors starts with the stem position. Another little tip is that the mirror doesn't mount to the stem at the very center of the mirror so you can also rotate it to be a bit farther out as well.

I did all this and still wanted the longer mirrors though!

jmazza wrote:This is a very good point- adjusting your mirrors starts with the stem position. Another little tip is that the mirror doesn't mount to the stem at the very center of the mirror so you can also rotate it to be a bit farther out as well.

I did all this and still wanted the longer mirrors though!

hmmm, so the mirror part actually DOES rotate??? I figured that it should, but mine just don't seem to move and I'm afraid of breaking them. I'll have to fiddle with it tomorrow.

anndelise wrote:

jmazza wrote:This is a very good point- adjusting your mirrors starts with the stem position. Another little tip is that the mirror doesn't mount to the stem at the very center of the mirror so you can also rotate it to be a bit farther out as well.

I did all this and still wanted the longer mirrors though!

hmmm, so the mirror part actually DOES rotate??? I figured that it should, but mine just don't seem to move and I'm afraid of breaking them. I'll have to fiddle with it tomorrow.

Yup. take a look at the back of it and see where it's connected. It's a very tight fit so it needs to be gently forced a bit (if that makes sense) to get it moving.

jmazza wrote:

chancerbeans13 wrote:Drumwoulf, if you look at the photos from your link, the bars actually look the same length to me. The difference is that the mirrors have been rotated out. I just realized this yesterday on my ride around the neighborhood, and WOW what a difference about two inches make. The mirrors are apparently folded in for shipping purposes. Try swinging them out before going and spending money for no reason.

This is a very good point- adjusting your mirrors starts with the stem position. Another little tip is that the mirror doesn't mount to the stem at the very center of the mirror so you can also rotate it to be a bit farther out as well.

I did all this and still wanted the longer mirrors though!

+1...

I replaced my stock stems with longer stems about a week ago, and I love the longer stems. I don't have to shift positions to see behind me--just a glance in both directions. AND I can see behind my topcase! I'm very glad I made the switch.