Hello all, I'm your new Buddy!

[Lostmycage]

Sorry for the bad pun, but it fits, and it's late. I've been lookin round these forums for about a week now and it seems that you folks are pretty reliable about good info on the Buddy and scootin' practices. I'm happy that you exist, but I'm more happy to join your ranks!

I just purchased an 08' Italia (oddly-enough, this is the first vehicle I've bought first-hand, directly from the manufacturer). I figured, there's no point in buying a 50cc, then a 125cc, then this 150cc, if I'd just end up buying the bigger model; so we just got the big one. I know myself fine. No matter how hot it gets outside, it's always gonna be cooler than driving my Cherokee Oven (even though it's a super torquey 5 speed that gets damned near what the Honda does (I milk the torque). So, any advice, encouragement, tips, tricks, wisdom, warnings, or WTF's would be graciously received.

I'll post some sort of fancy Avatar once I take ownership of said M-class endorsement requiring beast. but as it is, the kind folks at Scoot/Richmond are still in the prep stages of getting my new commuter ready.

Thanks all and I look forward to completely siphoning up your tid-bits of knowledge, wisdom and smart arseness.

And I totally plan on blasting those tools in the SUV's on their cell phones with the horn on this silly beast

[jmazza]

welcome!!!

Lots of threads with advice around here, as you've probably already seen. Definitely hit the MB Guides section down below.

Don't know if this is your first set of two wheels, but if so, make sure to take it slowly and practice... consider that riding your Buddy is no different than riding a larger motorcycle and make all the risk calculations, etc.

MSF Basic Rider Course is a good thing to look into (file under "do as I say, not as I do" for now...).

But most of all, have fun - it's a total blast to ride a scooter instead of driving cooped up in a cage!!

[addictionriot]

Yay another Italia! Congrats

[Oceanicluv]

Really happy for you. The Italia is a flashy scoot. I had a hard time deciding on my St Tropez. All three 150's are such beauties. Have fun. I'm still waiting on mine.

[jmazza]

Yay another Italia! Congrats

addictionriot have you come up with our gang sign yet? That was your job, right???

[twoscoots]

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the ranks. I'm sure I'll see you around town!

[7eregrine]

Welcome!! You are going to love it!!

My Buddy (125) is also my first ever new vehicle.

[EP_scoot]

Welcome aboard !

as far as suggestion, tips, etc:
- look into the MSF course, and take it.
- read Proficient Motorcycling
- ride like NOBODY sees you
- ride like you have no right of way
- use the search option when questions come up, chances are they have come up before If you read previous post and still need aclarification/answer/explanation, etc, by all means, go ahead and post.
- get the gear based on your level of risk. If you want to know what damage can occur at different speeds check out this thread: www.modernbuddy.com/forum/topic635.html
- be as nice and courteous a scooterist as you can be. What you do reflects on all of us.
- get some ointment to massage your face. Your muscles will get sore from all the smiling you are gonna be doing

Have a blast !

[addictionriot]

Yay another Italia! Congrats

addictionriot have you come up with our gang sign yet? That was your job, right???

I've been trying but I get beat up when I show it to people... Maybe the inner city is the wrong place to try it out. hmm

[Lostmycage]

I told some of the folks I work with about the Buddy and, of course, had to endure a heavy ribbing about it.

"You're getting a scooter?"- says the guy with the 06ish Mustang
"Haha, you're gonna be that guy with the crash helmet holding up traffic!" - says the guy with the truck
"Hehe, I can just see you now, man pfpfpfpfpftttttttt (raspberry sounds)... awe man, now I have to clean my monitor" says the guy that thought it was cool right away.

My telling of the mileage to the guy with the mustang prompted dead and unrecoverable silence.
The other guy can quietly to me later on that day asking where this place was... after I told him the kind of acceleration and speed the 150cc can put out.
The third guy was just funny cause he slobbered all over his monitor


So, after having to wait all weekend, then finding out that the shop was swamped and it got pushed back a day or two.... I got a call this afternoon telling me my buddy was ready. I felt like a kid at Christmas. After work, me and the wife headed down there to get riding gear that we picked out when we bought it, then changed my mind about 15 times on which helmet I wanted, gloves, etc.. Then they took it out back and showed me the basics of how it works. I'm no stranger to a bike, mind you, but a motorized one felt a little foreign at first.

I took it around the lot a little, tried the breaks, turning at various radii, familiarized myself with the signals, kill switch, mirrors.... Still hadn't made up my mind if I was going to drive it home or get it delivered. I took it around the block a few times, made mental notes on how certain responses from the bike felt, then told the wife not to tailgate me home... about 10 miles or so away. At first I was nervous as can be, then I just kinda entered this zone... wow, just wow. This thing is awesome, perfect for a busy downtown. Of course, the first time, I took everything slow, broke before my corners, made note of things in the road I didn't want to hit. What a blast. I think after practicing some of the maneuvers from the MSF book and getting comfortable with the speed and agility of the Buddy, I'll be scootin back and forth to work everyday I can.

They told me that if I had any problems on the way home to give a call... I was just a hair shy of calling and asking how to remove the grin. I still think that the most amazing thing is how the vented jacket that I got felt a TON cooler than a T-shirt <boggles> It took about 5 minutes to take off the massively over sized logo on the back of it too, lol.

[schroeder]

Congrats. I am green with envy. I have been waiting since June 3 for my tangerine Buddy 125. Waiting is really tough. Many happy days of riding to you. Just take it nice and slow. It is easy to get overconfident and lose concentration.