Modern Buddy

Hey folks. FYI I'm selling my beloved Blur. It's fabulous, but I'm just too tall for it and I've found something I fit on better. I posted this in the for-sale forum, but thought it worth repeating here.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/794800694.html

I really do hate to give it up, as I've really come to enjoy it. So if anybody knows somebody who wants a Blur, send them my way.

What are you upgrading to?

I lust after the Aprilia SportCity 250. I got to ride one the other day and it fits my height fantastically. Aside from the fit, it's just SO fast, has amazing brakes, only weighs about 40 lbs more than the Blur, and a really comfortable ride. It's a fuel-injected, liquid cooled version of the 250 motor in the Vespa GTS 250. It's really, really fast for a scooter. The Blur makes my ass hurt after about 30 minutes, and I just can't take it anymore. I'll miss it though, I love that bike.

I "almost" posted up a for sale for my Blur yesterday. Found a low mileage 2008 Ninja 250R in yellow about 20 miles away from me, asking $3800, so Im sure I could have talked them down to msrp of a new one, maybe lower. It took a lot of restraint, but I think ill be best keeping my Blur thru this year, then selling off in the spring to go all out on a full power, full size bike. Good luck with your sale!

Oh I feel that! I've thought about the Ninja many a time. I've got the brochure right here, actually. Seriously, the only reason I'm selling is the seat - or at least how I fit on it. Were the floor boards 3"-4" lower, it'd be perfect. But as it is, I'm constantly saddle sore after more than half an hour. The Ninja is a sweet bike though. Were I interested in shifting, that'd probably be my introduction to a proper motorcycle.

NathanielSalzman wrote:I lust after the Aprilia SportCity 250. I got to ride one the other day and it fits my height fantastically. Aside from the fit, it's just SO fast, has amazing brakes, only weighs about 40 lbs more than the Blur, and a really comfortable ride. It's a fuel-injected, liquid cooled version of the 250 motor in the Vespa GTS 250. It's really, really fast for a scooter. The Blur makes my ass hurt after about 30 minutes, and I just can't take it anymore. I'll miss it though, I love that bike.

Although I don't have any problem with saddlesore, I too have been eyeing the Sportcity 250. The only thing holding me back is the price.
I also don't have much desire to buy another motorcycle at this point in time since I've already been there, done that, but who knows...

I was just popping into the forums to see if you'd posted this excellent tutorial (thanks, Google Alerts!) here and I see you're selling.

I can't blame you, the SportCity is a very nice scoot. Aprilia's really stepped up this year.

Guess that means you'll be frequenting ModernVespa now, too?

That Sportcity 250 looks like a pretty cool scooter.. definitely one to consider.

I'm still waiting for my Blur's warranty work for its bad mileage to be completed, six weeks and counting on a bad carb.. I went a little nuts and bought something with extra legroom also, a tricked out BMW F650GS Dakar which had an extra high aftermarket seat.. probably 35"+ seat height so some room to stretch.

Edit: They got the carb in, yeehaw! Hmm now I have to come up with another excuse for buying that Dakar.

I am so torn now. I really like the Blur, but i REALLY like the Harley Davidson Sportster that Ive been looking at the past couple weeks. I told myself I could wait til next year for a bike, but part of me doesnt want to wait it out. Hows the Blur market been looking lately? Ive got quite a few desireable goodies installed that I would let go with it for a decent price. Sale of the Blur would make a great down payment on a bike, and i could probably justify doing it now instead of next year when my car is paid off.

Yeah, every time I see something bigger/faster/shinier I start to get the urge. But the Blur fits my needs so well (daily commuter - 20 miles round trip, 40-45 mph, mostly flat terrain, approximately 70-75 mpg) that reason trumps desire every time.

Besides, I think I've got the only one in the state of NJ (I'll stand corrected if need be) and there's a certain amount of satisfaction in being a lone wolf. Just like most other places, most of what I see on the streets are the typical mid-life crisis HD's (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's also interesting to note that about 98% of the classifieds for used motorcycles around here are for (what are probably those same) late-model HD's. It's bad enough buying a scooter then deciding it's not right for you. Must be awful sinking big bucks into something bigger and badder only to have to try and dump it a year later without taking a bath.

Charlie55

UPDATE

So the stars did not align for me to get the Blur sold quickly enough to nab the Aprilia I wanted. I think if this had been on my radar six weeks ago, it would have been a snap. Oh well. I love the Blur, so it isn't as though I'm "stuck" with it or anything. I think that my direction now will simply be to take some of the money I'd put aside for the Aprilia and get a custom seat done that's a couple inches higher and moves the saddle a couple inches rearward. There my height would actually work to my advantage. If I can get the seat sorted, then there's no reason I wouldn't just keep the Blur for a decade and simply add to the collection over time. I'm foreseeing a Stella in my future and possibly a Triumph Thruxton.

So fear not fellow Blurry folk, I am yet still among you. Ha ha!

Whew.. one saved


I'd be curious if you get a seat done. I've wondered how it would turn out to shave down the bump so I could just sit where I want instead of where the seat makes me

I really hate to see anyone sell their Blur because the stock seat does not fit taller folks. It took four tries but I was finally able to create a bucket of sorts for the old buns and now have a very comfortable seat. As mentioned in earlier posts, I have a 34 inch inseam and could never get comfortable. Shaving the foam back five inches helped but never completely solved the problem because of the seat pan itself. The next step was to remove part of the plastic ribs on the seat pan. That helped some but there was still a hard plastic seat pan right where I wanted to sit. Finally, I removed that section of hard plastic seat pan that prevented me from scooting back far enough. After I cut out that section of seat pan and installed a nylon strap suspension and three layer foam pad on top of the straps under the seat pan, I was there!! I now have a very comfortable seat. I am able to sit in a bucket that is a full five inches further to the rear with no noticable changes to the outward appearance to the seat. It has made all the difference in the world in how I feel about riding my Blur. It sounds like a pretty labor intensive modification but most of my time was in figuring everything out. The entire project is only about a two to three hour deal for the average person handy with an electric carving knife, a cut off wheel, a drill and a staple gun. I will be happy to address any questions you may have. guardianpds@gmail.com

charlie55 wrote:Yeah, every time I see something bigger/faster/shinier I start to get the urge. But the Blur fits my needs so well (daily commuter - 20 miles round trip, 40-45 mph, mostly flat terrain, approximately 70-75 mpg) that reason trumps desire every time.

Besides, I think I've got the only one in the state of NJ (I'll stand corrected if need be) and there's a certain amount of satisfaction in being a lone wolf. Just like most other places, most of what I see on the streets are the typical mid-life crisis HD's (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's also interesting to note that about 98% of the classifieds for used motorcycles around here are for (what are probably those same) late-model HD's. It's bad enough buying a scooter then deciding it's not right for you. Must be awful sinking big bucks into something bigger and badder only to have to try and dump it a year later without taking a bath.

Charlie55

Yea, im in no way desparate to sell the Blur, i love the little bugger. BUT, if someone threw cash down, it would instantly turn into a deposit on a bigger bike. I do love being able to put 150 miles on the thing for 8 bucks thou. Im really not a huge Harley guy, but i really like the sportster, and really like the pricetag on it. Im not exactly locked into that bike either, there are several others I have my eye on as well, the harley just sorta looks and feels like the bike Im most likely to buy at this point. For now, the Blur serves its purpose, its quick, nimble, and cheap to have fun with, but I know sooner or later it will be replaced.

would it be wrong from me to say that i think that the buddy is funner to ride that my blur. i have a 32"inseam its a bit tall for me but i still love my blur

justscooten wrote:would it be wrong from me to say that i think that the buddy is funner to ride that my blur. i have a 32"inseam its a bit tall for me but i still love my blur

Every time I ride my wife's Buddy, I want one. Not instead of the Blur, but in addition to it. Just such a fun toy.

I think it's less about shaving and more about actually adding foam to it. It'd entail probably replacing the cover material all together, but that's really not a big deal. The shape of the saddle itself isn't bad, but the position is all wrong. I'm a heavy enough guy that cutting away at the underside probably isn't the way to go. I'm thinking of pulling the cover, taking the foam that's on the seat now, adding about 3" to the underside of it, then pushing the saddle part back 3"-4". That or just make the whole thing flat on top.

Nathaniel:

Have you considered doing a quick and dirty mock-up of your desired configuration on TOP of the seat? You know, sculpt up some foam and then hold it down temporarily with a fabric overlay tacked to the underside of the seat. Sure, you wouldn't want to go on a high-speed long haul this way, but just long enough to test your theory.

Charlie55

Yeah, I was planning on just stacking a folded towel on top and positioning it to add padding here and there to find a nice position. That'll get me close, I think.

OK. so yesterday I folded up a small throw blanket into about a 3" slab of dense padding to place on the blur seat. I hopped on and rode off and it was just the trick! That extra few inches made all the difference in the world. I could still easily touch the ground, my knees didn't feel like they were in my arm pits anymore, and I was finally sitting mostly on the proper parts of my ass. So now a seat change is definitely in order. The bike even seemed to handle differently, but for the better! I think most of that feeling simply had to do with my own newfound sense of comfort.

Anyway, you can see my photoshop mockup of what I'd like to do with the seat on my blog. I'm ambivalent about whether to preserve some sort of saddle, or just build up to a full bench.

http://www.nathanielsalzman.com/?p=25