New to the scooter world! And extremely excited!

groovy scooter · Post by **groovy scooter** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:12 pm

I sold my Harley last week... and bought a Buddy 170. Granted, I'm already a scooter guy with my woodie paneled, white wall tire sporting Vino 50.... but the scooter got ridden nealy every day around the ocean here in Newport, and the Harley sat there in the garage. I guess I discovered that bohemian scooter-ism and Harleys don't mix!

Love the Buddy 170!

roblinx · Post by **roblinx** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:19 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:
PeteH wrote:The Trimax 5.5 is only $12.94 at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W0RQCI

I got mine a few weeks ago and love it. I opted for a non-alarmed disc lock plus the Gorilla 8007, which adds tilt and power sensors to the shock sensor like on the Xena.
Thanks for the link and the info. Very much appreciated!

I got the Kryptonite disc lock with my 170i. Looks very much like the Trimax! Easy and quick to use, so I use it every time.

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Products/ ... 3&pid=1153

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:38 pm

KABarash wrote: Yeah, I'm near Harrisburg.
I grew up on the ocean on Long Island, spent 2 years in the Adirondacks, on Cranberry Lake, where -20* in February was considered a warm day. I have spent the last 30 years working out doors as a Land Surveyor. I too suffer from Reynauds and have suffered severe frost bite too many times to mention. (I've even fought with the Docs to keep toes that should have been amputated due to frostbite) I know how uncomfortable it could be, even now sitting in my room where it is almost 80* my hands and toes are cold !
Because of this I have no feeling in my fingertips, but it sure makes cooking simpler, I don't need hot pads to get stuff out of the oven!

I've learned to dress for the cold, when it's hot out there's just so much to take off!

Wool is my secrete, wool socks, wool gloves, wool sweaters, wool hats, (wool skivvies.....) Man made fibers just DON'T CUT IT!

Dress well and ride happy, I ride just because sometimes....
I get a kick out of the looks people give me from their car windows when I'm riding in the cold, as long as there's NO snow and/or ice on the roads.
It's cheaper than medication!!!

Oh, BTW: I just finally looked at a map, Burnt Hills, My daughter lives in Bennington VT not too too far from you.
I remember the morning I went up to visit right after my grandson was born in November four years ago. I walked out of the motel at 0700 it was -20* out, I loved it!!!

I will definitely try the wool. I do have wool socks for skiing, but they still didn't seem to do much, but I could try putting a couple more socks on underneath lol.
Bennington is about an hour and a half or so away, depending on traffic. And yeah, -20 is a nice day lol, it's not so bad as long as there isn't too much wind!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:45 pm

groovy scooter wrote:I sold my Harley last week... and bought a Buddy 170. Granted, I'm already a scooter guy with my woodie paneled, white wall tire sporting Vino 50.... but the scooter got ridden nealy every day around the ocean here in Newport, and the Harley sat there in the garage. I guess I discovered that bohemian scooter-ism and Harleys don't mix!

Love the Buddy 170!

Well I'm glad you're loving your scooter! I'm glad to hear so much enthusiasm from people on here!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 3:14 pm

roblinx wrote: I got the Kryptonite disc lock with my 170i. Looks very much like the Trimax! Easy and quick to use, so I use it every time.

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Products/ ... 3&pid=1153

Unfortunately I have not heard good things of Kryptonite as far as motorcycle locks go. I was looking at that very same lock, and asked a few of my friends what they think of it, and none of them recommended me buying anything made by Kryptonite for use on my scooter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2vLtpVPqhI

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:10 pm

groovy scooter wrote:I sold my Harley last week... and bought a Buddy 170.

w00t! Congrats.

Another "switcher!"

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:22 pm

Awinn, try 100% silk liners under the wool if it bothers you. Thats MY secret. I have silk socks, glove liners, and skivvies too. Amazing stuff, add a layer of wool and you are toasty...remeeber first rule of cold weather survival...Cotton kills!!!...It traps water and makes you cold. I LOVE cotton, but NEVER wear it in the cold...

And I agree, natural fibers are were its at! Hope that helps.

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:23 pm

groovy scooter wrote:I sold my Harley last week... and bought a Buddy 170. Granted, I'm already a scooter guy with my woodie paneled, white wall tire sporting Vino 50.... but the scooter got ridden nealy every day around the ocean here in Newport, and the Harley sat there in the garage. I guess I discovered that bohemian scooter-ism and Harleys don't mix!

Love the Buddy 170!

^^^Very cool!...I have a garage full of motorcycles still, and only 2 scooters, but love riding them all! Glad you are enjoying the scoot. I really would like a green 170i!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:05 pm

viney266 wrote:Awinn, try 100% silk liners under the wool if it bothers you. Thats MY secret. I have silk socks, glove liners, and skivvies too. Amazing stuff, add a layer of wool and you are toasty...remeeber first rule of cold weather survival...Cotton kills!!!...It traps water and makes you cold. I LOVE cotton, but NEVER wear it in the cold...

And I agree, natural fibers are were its at! Hope that helps.

I do actually have a wide collection of 100% silk gloveliners, socks and undergarments of sorts, I've been using them for skiing and boarding for years... never thought to put wool over the top of them (doh!), but I have also never worn cotton over them either, I usually stick to various types of spandex and tight knit micro-fleece.
I will definitely be trying out all of these tips though, and I will be taking it one short trip at a time to see how well it works! Hopefully it will work very well and I will be able to take the scoot to work over the colder months!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:02 pm

Just ordered all of the locks and such that I need for the scooter! I ♥ Amazon btw, would rather spend $45 (shipped) on all three things I need to lock it up, than $45 on JUST the disc lock!

Trimax TDL815 Trimaflex 8' X 15mm Dual Loop Multi-Use Cable
Trimax MAX60 Red Short Shackle U-Lock with PVC Sleeve
Trimax T645S Hardened Metal Disc Lock - Yellow 5.5mm Pin with Pouch & Reminder Cable

Should be enough for the areas that I frequent and on longer trips to various small towns, lakes and parks. I can also use the cable and U-lock for my kayaks, skis/board and other nonsense that I carry on the roof of my wagon! Perfect!

Thanks again PeteH for sending me the link to the disc lock! Made getting these things much easier and less painful!

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:58 am

AWinn6889 wrote:
viney266 wrote:Awinn, try 100% silk liners under the wool if it bothers you. Thats MY secret. I have silk socks, glove liners, and skivvies too. Amazing stuff, add a layer of wool and you are toasty...remeeber first rule of cold weather survival...Cotton kills!!!...It traps water and makes you cold. I LOVE cotton, but NEVER wear it in the cold...

And I agree, natural fibers are were its at! Hope that helps.
I do actually have a wide collection of 100% silk gloveliners, socks and undergarments of sorts, I've been using them for skiing and boarding for years... never thought to put wool over the top of them (doh!), but I have also never worn cotton over them either, I usually stick to various types of spandex and tight knit micro-fleece.
I will definitely be trying out all of these tips though, and I will be taking it one short trip at a time to see how well it works! Hopefully it will work very well and I will be able to take the scoot to work over the colder months!

Ahh yes........ silk under wool, something I forgot, works great, wicks the moisture from perspiration away from the skin, that is what makes you feel the cold. (wool retains it's insulating properties even when wet)
Remember if you're going to double up on socks don't, repeat DON'T male your shoes too tight, that compresses the air space that is the secrete behind the insulation properties of the fiber AND restricts blood circulation so that all important (warming) blood can't do it's job.

xTomBx · Post by **xTomBx** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:36 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:his (ridiculously modified) VW GTI, my VW Gettagon

late to the party, but i like these 2 rides!!! pics?
(are you on vortex? i love getta wagons...)
not an owner, but keeping eyes out for the right deal...

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:43 pm

xTomBx wrote:
AWinn6889 wrote:his (ridiculously modified) VW GTI, my VW Gettagon
late to the party, but i like these 2 rides!!! pics?
(are you on vortex? i love getta wagons...)
not an owner, but keeping eyes out for the right deal...

Actually neither of these have been washed all summer, and are pretty filthy. After we give them a nice bath I will post some pictures for ya.
We're not on the Vortex really, we both have accounts on there, but we only lurk on the for sale threads really... we have a pretty large VW community in our area and my bf works on a lot of them, so he usually tries to find our friends the best deal he can when they need parts. Sometimes they get stuff off of the Vortex, and other forums. It helps that GermanAutoparts is less than a half hour away though.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 5:50 pm

SO, after three weeks of being jerked around, I sent a very stern e-mail this morning describing my concern and disappointment, etc. E-mails are sent back and forth, one forwarded to the 'regional rep' AND Genuine...

...a Zephyr Silver 170i is "found" for me within minutes. It will be delivered immediately.
Should have sent my very stern e-mail a week ago!

So I should have it either by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. Waiting on a vin number.

Rippinyarn · Post by **Rippinyarn** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:20 pm

Late to the party, but I'm glad that you can see the end of the beginning of your journey. You are a patient type!

With your sensitive hands, you may want to consider some heated grips for your 170. I just installed some on my Blur and even though it's not winter here yet, I've had them turned on for a few of these upper 40s mornings. It sounds like you could get a lot of use out of some heated grips most of the year. I got mine from eBay for ~$40.

Welcome to MB and it sounds like you and your BF are going to have a great fall riding season! Watch out for those leaves when they fall...

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:02 pm

Heated grips = not a good option on Buddy. The aux socket is fused at only 1A, and even if you wire them to the battery, I believe they pull several amps load, which will exhaust your battery quite quickly as the stator charging circuit doesn't have much 'free' amperage over the basic load.

Heated gloves wth their own battery pack probably are a better solution.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:18 pm

I was thinking about heated gloves. I've found that heated grips aren't the greatest idea on the Buddy as well.

Rippinyarn · Post by **Rippinyarn** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:23 pm

I've installed heated grips on my old Agility 125 and on the Blur, wiring them directly, and I've never had a problem. I used either the battery or the main power line coming from the battery and it's been great. I use a battery tender, but not if I'm riding everyday. My commute is about 12 miles and the coldest that I've ridden in is 15 degrees. It was too much!

I've not had good luck with battery powered gloves, but I buy the cheap ones! I'd go for some Gerbings ($200) or something in the over $100 range and get some extra batteries. I just don't like the bulk of most battery gloves, as they make it difficult to get your gloved hand in the grip covers that I use. I ride all winter here in Michigan (but never on snow or ice/ice melt), and I'm very particular about getting too cold. Check out my Examiner column for some winter riding tips:

http://www.examiner.com/scooter-in-detr ... gear-ready

http://www.examiner.com/scooter-in-detr ... ar-preview

I'd be interested in hearing about the Buddys troubles with heated grips. It seems to be a pretty simple charging circuit to me.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 2:17 pm

Thanks. I will have to meet up with a couple of the local Buddy riders here and see what they do for the cold too.

Stilts · Post by **Stilts** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:02 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:
KABarash wrote: Yeah, I'm near Harrisburg.
I grew up on the ocean on Long Island, spent 2 years in the Adirondacks, on Cranberry Lake, where -20* in February was considered a warm day. I have spent the last 30 years working out doors as a Land Surveyor. I too suffer from Reynauds and have suffered severe frost bite too many times to mention. (I've even fought with the Docs to keep toes that should have been amputated due to frostbite) I know how uncomfortable it could be, even now sitting in my room where it is almost 80* my hands and toes are cold !
Because of this I have no feeling in my fingertips, but it sure makes cooking simpler, I don't need hot pads to get stuff out of the oven!

I've learned to dress for the cold, when it's hot out there's just so much to take off!

Wool is my secrete, wool socks, wool gloves, wool sweaters, wool hats, (wool skivvies.....) Man made fibers just DON'T CUT IT!

Dress well and ride happy, I ride just because sometimes....
I get a kick out of the looks people give me from their car windows when I'm riding in the cold, as long as there's NO snow and/or ice on the roads.
It's cheaper than medication!!!

Oh, BTW: I just finally looked at a map, Burnt Hills, My daughter lives in Bennington VT not too too far from you.
I remember the morning I went up to visit right after my grandson was born in November four years ago. I walked out of the motel at 0700 it was -20* out, I loved it!!!
I will definitely try the wool. I do have wool socks for skiing, but they still didn't seem to do much, but I could try putting a couple more socks on underneath lol.
Bennington is about an hour and a half or so away, depending on traffic. And yeah, -20 is a nice day lol, it's not so bad as long as there isn't too much wind!

Yes, try wool. A pair of cotton socks underneath the wool can do WONDERS for warmth. I'm pretty tall (6'5") and have piss poor circulation in my extremities, especially my feet. The wool over cotton trick has done wonders for me in the wintertime, especially since I love being out in the cold (a bit ironic, no?).

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:07 pm

^^^ Do silk under the wool..EVEN better. The cotton can get wet with sweat and actually be detrimental.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:27 pm

Update:

Tuesday is the day!
...or Wednesday. But I was told not Monday and before Wednesday... so that means Tuesday, right?

idk how I am going to be able to wait another 5 days!

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:36 pm

^^^ VERY COOL, glad they found you one. Its coming, and then you gotta be good and break it in...

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:25 pm

So, this is for all of the people in my area that might think about taking their scooters to Anca's... Don't do it. This whole thing about getting my scooter has been nothing but an enormous hassle, filled with excuses from the dealer, and my scooter has been ready to go for the last two days, but I can't pick it up until tomorrow because it has yet to be registered with the DMV! Keep in mind, all of the paperwork has been filled out for weeks, he has the insurance card, and copies of my license.

Here's a picture of my scoot sitting in their shop. The paint is absolutely gorgeous. The seller's brother was there, and he started it up for me so I could hear it, sounds fantastic! Can't wait to get it home FINALLY.

Anyway, I will most certainly NOT be taking my scoot to Anca's for service AT ALL, I will be traveling down state to Hudson Valley Scooters in Peekskill for my first service, probably two or three weeks from now.

Stilts · Post by **Stilts** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:30 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:So, this is for all of the people in my area that might think about taking their scooters to Anca's... Don't do it. This whole thing about getting my scooter has been nothing but an enormous hassle, filled with excuses from the dealer, and my scooter has been ready to go for the last two days, but I can't pick it up until tomorrow because it has yet to be registered with the DMV!

Here's a picture of my scoot sitting in their shop. The paint is absolutely gorgeous.

I will most certainly NOT be taking my scoot to Anca's for service AT ALL, I will be traveling down state to Hudson Valley Scooters in Peekskill for my first service, probably two or three weeks from now.

Looks great!

A friend of mine had to take his vintage Vespa (can't remember the model off the top of my head) into his local shop for some major bodywork (tree fell on it!) and they had it for SIX months, constantly moaning about not being able to get this or that part or then finding some other "problem" to fix before handing it over.

Now that he finally got it back, he's just waiting for something else to fall on it!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:51 pm

Stilts wrote:Looks great!

A friend of mine had to take his vintage Vespa (can't remember the model off the top of my head) into his local shop for some major bodywork (tree fell on it!) and they had it for SIX months, constantly moaning about not being able to get this or that part or then finding some other "problem" to fix before handing it over.

Now that he finally got it back, he's just waiting for something else to fall on it!

Yeah, there is an Italia sitting in the back of the shop that has been there since BEFORE I even started looking at the Vespas at Anca's, about two months ago! Idk specifically what it's there for, but I do know it's there for some kind of service as Peter had mentioned it to me when he was showing me the BlackJack, more than a month ago. It hasn't moved since.
If they took my scooter back and held onto it for more than a month, for any reason, I would be there EVERY DAY making sure at least SOMETHING is being done.

Mtlgrlie · Post by **Mtlgrlie** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:59 pm

Wait.....is Anca's the vespa shop in Schenectady?

If so, damn.....I didn't want to go there, then thought I would, now if it's them, I'm on the fence again.....

Tell me it's not?

And where is the other shop? Exact address and name?

Thanks! Congratttttts!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:04 pm

Mtlgrlie wrote:Wait.....is Anca's the vespa shop in Schenectady?

If so, damn.....I didn't want to go there, then thought I would, now if it's them, I'm on the fence again.....

Tell me it's not?

And where is the other shop? Exact address and name?

Thanks! Congratttttts!

Coincidence, I just pm-ed you!
It is indeed the Vespa shop in Schenectady.
Hudson Valley Scooters is at 500 Highland Drive, Peekskill, NY 10566

http://www.hudsonvalleyscooters.com/

Google maps said, avoiding highways and tolls, taking Route 9 straight down should take about 3 hours from my address in Burnt Hills.

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:59 pm

What the hell is it with Scooter shops that most of them seem to be inept morons?!?! Such as in the Valley: Victory BMW & Vespa are pretty good guys (as long as you make the appointment weeks in advance) and have quick turn around, but they started as a BMW cycle dealer only. AZ Superbike is another great shop who takes in Italian scooters and gets the work done pretty quick, but again... Triumph and Ducati dealer first and foremost.

The local scooter-only shops? Good luck getting your bike in a couple of MONTHS! I've resorted to doing all of my own work because I can't trust a single one in the East Valley. If I had a "full size" motorcycle I probably would get service in one TENTH the time. Not kidding. It's like scooter shops locally just don't take the bikes or the riders seriously.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:33 pm

neotrotsky wrote:What the hell is it with Scooter shops that most of them seem to be inept morons?!?! Such as in the Valley: Victory BMW & Vespa are pretty good guys (as long as you make the appointment weeks in advance) and have quick turn around, but they started as a BMW cycle dealer only. AZ Superbike is another great shop who takes in Italian scooters and gets the work done pretty quick, but again... Triumph and Ducati dealer first and foremost.

The local scooter-only shops? Good luck getting your bike in a couple of MONTHS! I've resorted to doing all of my own work because I can't trust a single one in the East Valley. If I had a "full size" motorcycle I probably would get service in one TENTH the time. Not kidding. It's like scooter shops locally just don't take the bikes or the riders seriously.

Yeah, I've noticed lol. Unfortunately we don't have any motorcycle/scooter places in the area. I have heard good things of Hudson Valley Scooters, and really, I only plan on having the FIRST service done by a shop. I will be taking care of everything after that myself.
Funny thing is, the dealer/owner was super helpful and very friendly when I was first looking at scooters. He was very enthusiastic. After he 1. met my boyfriend, and 2. got my check, I barely heard from him. He took days to answer simple questions... and I had seen him on google+ several times, occasionally he even chatted with me on there, but the second I asked about my scooter he changed the subject, ignored me, or signed off. Every time I was given another excuse, or "oh give me a couple more days and keep your fingers crossed," "you can get it, not monday, but before wednesday"... tomorrow's friday. And it's been A LOT longer than "a week, or so."
This has just been the most HORRIBLE customer service I have ever experienced. EVER. (and I have owned A LOT of cars, and off road vehicles).

xTomBx · Post by **xTomBx** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:39 pm

congrats!
(glad your wait was less than mine!)

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 11:17 pm

neotrotsky wrote:What the hell is it with Scooter shops that most of them seem to be inept morons?!?!

There are hundreds of scooter shops in the US and while we hear complaints about some of them, we're much more likely to hear complaints than praise on a forum like this. (A lot of people find forums when they have a problem they're hoping to fix.)

There are many great shops across the country that I know of and it's not as if I know all of them. There are plenty of bad ones too, as with any type of business. Unfortunately, many of us don't have the benefit of living near good ones. The scooter market dive of the past couple years has meant the closure of many good, long-established dealers.

Many shops that have opened over the past few years suffer from a lack of expertise and mechanical know-how despite their best efforts and intentions.

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 12:09 am

neotrotsky wrote:...The local scooter-only shops? Good luck getting your bike in a couple of MONTHS! I've resorted to doing all of my own work because I can't trust a single one in the East Valley...

I've had good luck with our local Genuine dealer. Granted, I've never brought in a dead scoot, so I've always been able to ride until parts (SYM parts, mind you) came in. But the repairs have been quick and fairly priced.

They're not my cousins, either.

black sunshine · Post by **black sunshine** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 2:53 am

ericalm wrote:
neotrotsky wrote:What the hell is it with Scooter shops that most of them seem to be inept morons?!?!
There are hundreds of scooter shops in the US and while we hear complaints about some of them, we're much more likely to hear complaints than praise on a forum like this. (A lot of people find forums when they have a problem they're hoping to fix.)

There are many great shops across the country that I know of and it's not as if I know all of them. There are plenty of bad ones too, as with any type of business. Unfortunately, many of us don't have the benefit of living near good ones. The scooter market dive of the past couple years has meant the closure of many good, long-established dealers.

Many shops that have opened over the past few years suffer from a lack of expertise and mechanical know-how despite their best efforts and intentions.

i will say that the guys at Twist-n-Scoot in Atlanta have been AWESOME to me and my Buddy(s). We've also got the newly-opened Motoretta which is run by my friend Tyler, and a couple others that i know of. our scoot community is awesome!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:01 am

I'm glad some of you have had wonderful experiences with your local dealers/shops. Hopefully when I move to AZ I will have better luck. For now, Hudson Valley will do for me I suppose... I really only need the first service done anyway, then I'm set.
I just don't plan on ever purchasing or bringing my scooter back to Anca's under any circumstances. I would rather rent a truck and drive to NYC or Boston if I have to.