Another one in the ranks!

ddepr1217 · Post by **ddepr1217** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:30 pm

So I did it! 170i-mocha...so excited. But of course with new ownership comes questions. And this may be a strange one. I'm looking to bring it along when we go camping in our travel trailer. I was looking to put the scooter in the back of the truck but since I have a cap, clearance is a problem. The buddy is 44" and the inside height is 41". Do you all see a problem with deflating the tires a bit in order to gain those extra few inches? Of couse I would secure it with tie downs.
At any rate, this seems like a great place with a wealth of info and I look forward to hanging out a bit and making some friends.

Thanks!

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:37 pm

Welcome!

I can't help with info about transporting in a truck, but I wanted to at least say hello!

170i's are awesome, enjoy!

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:59 pm

Sorry, not much help either, but welcome!

What led you to the Buddy?

Howardr · Post by **Howardr** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:03 pm

Welcome! Shouldn't be a problem with deflating the tires, although I don't know if that will get you 4 inches, or not. Just bring a bicycle pump to re inflate.

Howard

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:29 pm

Are you measuring to the top of the headset/handlebars, or to the top of the mirrors? Because the mirrors are a piece of cake to remove.

ddepr1217 · Post by **ddepr1217** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:01 pm

Hello all!
After an exhaustive search of reading every word on every website, forum and print article about almost every scooter and making pros/cons list like a crazy person, the buddy just kept rising to the top. There is a dealer very close to me here on the jersey shore (the real jersey shore not the awful and inaccurate portrayal we have recently been subject to). I went to take a look thinking they could not be as good in person as in print. Boy, was I wrong! He had one left and I snagged it. Funny enough, as we were doing the deal, a guy came in and said it was the only one he locate. When he realized he missed it by moments, he asked I would sell it to him right after I left the dealership!

Needless to say, I did not.

So thanks for the warm welcome...

And yes, I left the mirrors out of my measurement. But good thinkin'!

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:23 pm

Yes, I would lower the pressure in the tires. Keep in mind when you strap it down, you'll be compressing the suspension some as well. That should give you more space. But 4" is alot. Good luck and welcome.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:00 pm

Definitely look into removing the mirrors. It is dead simple to do and would give you the clearance you need. And congrats on the new scooter!

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:26 pm

Skootz Kabootz wrote:Definitely look into removing the mirrors. It is dead simple to do and would give you the clearance you need. And congrats on the new scooter!

This. I, personally, would rather remove the mirrors than deflate the tires- I'd be worried about hurting the rims somehow.

Plus, acquiring the tools you need to fiddle with the mirrors and adjust them is something you may as well do anyway, they'll come in handy.

Remember that the right side (as you sit on the seat) is reverse-threaded (loosens the opposite direction, so that if you were to lay it down on that side the mirror loosens and turns in, rather than snapping or bending... cause somebody at Genuine is smart)

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:47 pm

LunaP wrote: cause somebody at Genuine is smart)

But not smart enough to point this out in the manual, leaving a certain boyfriend to fiddle with a mirror for half an hour before calling the dealership to learn of the trick

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:53 pm

How will you secure the scooter in the bed while the cap is on? With tires deflated and the scooter ratcheted in place with straps, you could be risking damaging the rims. Also, with tires deflated the scooter is more likely to move around when tied down. I wouldn't be surprised if it tipped over.

Even if tempted to, do not transport the scooter on its side! You'll wind up back at the dealer in a week.

The best thing for transporting for campers and such is probably a tilt-a-rack style carrier that attaches to the trailer hitch. There are less expensive versions on eBay that I've heard are actually good quality.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:37 pm

Tilt-a-Rack's out - OP said he was pulling a travel trailer. Unless, of course, it could go on the back of the travel trailer, which I've seen on the road.

jmazza · Post by **jmazza** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:37 pm

LunaP wrote:
Skootz Kabootz wrote:Definitely look into removing the mirrors. It is dead simple to do and would give you the clearance you need. And congrats on the new scooter!
This. I, personally, would rather remove the mirrors than deflate the tires- I'd be worried about hurting the rims somehow.

The OP said a few posts up that the mirrors were not part of the measurement!

I agree that getting 4" out of deflating the tires and compressing the suspension sounds like a lot but you never know!

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:52 pm

You'd get a couple inches from the tires, but you still have to fit it into the truck under the cap before compressing the shocks. You'd have to jack up the back of the cap.

Keys · Post by **Keys** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:36 pm

Just strap it across the hood. People will just think you were out hunting and bagged a trophy.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:04 pm

PeteH wrote:Tilt-a-Rack's out - OP said he was pulling a travel trailer. Unless, of course, it could go on the back of the travel trailer, which I've seen on the road.

I think some of the Tilt-a-Racks might be able to also accommodate a trailer.

Looks like it has its own hitch. They don't show this being done, though, so contacting them might be the way to go. I Googled it and didn't immediately find an answer.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:04 pm

PeteH wrote:You'd get a couple inches from the tires, but you still have to fit it into the truck under the cap before compressing the shocks. You'd have to jack up the back of the cap.

Ooops! I didn't think of that. Glad you had your thinking cap on. I didn't.

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:24 pm

Welcome to MB and to Buddy ownership. I'd concur with those above who say trying to put this under the cap is not a good idea for several reasons. One practical reason not mentioned above is that, if you break the bead on the tires, you won't be able to get air into them with anything less than a compressor. Given the way you intend to strap them down and the movement they'd probably undergo as you travel, breaking the bead is a real possibility.

ddepr1217 wrote:... He had one left and I snagged it. Funny enough, as we were doing the deal, a guy came in and said it was the only one he locate. When he realized he missed it by moments, he asked I would sell it to him right after I left the dealership!

Okay, so does anyone else think that this sort of scenario along with the slew of other "I just bought a Buddy" posts in the past few weeks might, in fact, be the beginning of another '08-like scooter boom?

ravenlore · Post by **ravenlore** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:51 pm

pdxrita wrote:Welcome to MB and to Buddy ownership. I'd concur with those above who say trying to put this under the cap is not a good idea for several reasons. One practical reason not mentioned above is that, if you break the bead on the tires, you won't be able to get air into them with anything less than a compressor. Given the way you intend to strap them down and the movement they'd probably undergo as you travel, breaking the bead is a real possibility.

ddepr1217 wrote:... He had one left and I snagged it. Funny enough, as we were doing the deal, a guy came in and said it was the only one he locate. When he realized he missed it by moments, he asked I would sell it to him right after I left the dealership!
Okay, so does anyone else think that this sort of scenario along with the slew of other "I just bought a Buddy" posts in the past few weeks might, in fact, be the beginning of another '08-like scooter boom?

It's possible. One of the local dealerships posted a "get 'em before they're gone" sort of note on their FB page.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:26 pm

pdxrita wrote:Okay, so does anyone else think that this sort of scenario along with the slew of other "I just bought a Buddy" posts in the past few weeks might, in fact, be the beginning of another '08-like scooter boom?

Nope. At least, not one like '08. I think sales will be "much improved" this year for most companies. But the economic conditions for an '08-like boom just aren't there.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:33 pm

ericalm wrote:
pdxrita wrote:Okay, so does anyone else think that this sort of scenario along with the slew of other "I just bought a Buddy" posts in the past few weeks might, in fact, be the beginning of another '08-like scooter boom?
Nope. At least, not one like '08. I think sales will be "much improved" this year for most companies. But the economic conditions for an '08-like boom just aren't there.

I was thinking along those lines... I know that my shop has been crazy busy for several weeks now. The owner said that scooter season came way early this year...

ddepr1217 · Post by **ddepr1217** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:04 pm

I appreciate everyone's prompt replies! The idea for the scooter in the bed of the truck was a long shot and probably will never come to pass. I was really just thinking out loud. You can use a scooter rack on the back of a motorhome (as pictured above) but not so good on a travel trailer. Major weight distribution issues. Oh well. There is always the strap it to the hood option. I have a really big truck. Might pass as a hood ornament.

As far as a scooter boom, if the way my dealer's delivery trailer has been zooming through town everyday is any indication, then I say maybe!

Again, thanks for the warm welcome!

-Denise

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:43 am

ericalm wrote:
pdxrita wrote:Okay, so does anyone else think that this sort of scenario along with the slew of other "I just bought a Buddy" posts in the past few weeks might, in fact, be the beginning of another '08-like scooter boom?
Nope. At least, not one like '08. I think sales will be "much improved" this year for most companies. But the economic conditions for an '08-like boom just aren't there.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict that we will, in fact, see empty showroom floors just like '08. The conditions might not be identical (easy credit being a huge missing factor), but they're similar enough. Because dealers got burned with overstocking the '09 models, and they're just now finishing clearing those out, they haven't ordered a lot of new stock. This, in combination with rising gas prices and a somewhat better economy, will clear the dealer floors by mid-summer. Now proceed to throw this back at me in mid-July when I prove to be dead wrong.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:50 am

ddepr1217 wrote:I appreciate everyone's prompt replies! The idea for the scooter in the bed of the truck was a long shot and probably will never come to pass. I was really just thinking out loud. You can use a scooter rack on the back of a motorhome (as pictured above) but not so good on a travel trailer. Major weight distribution issues. Oh well. There is always the strap it to the hood option. I have a really big truck. Might pass as a hood ornament.

As far as a scooter boom, if the way my dealer's delivery trailer has been zooming through town everyday is any indication, then I say maybe!

Again, thanks for the warm welcome!

-Denise

I don't know how many cars you have going camping, but if there's a second car with an open hitch, you could call Uhaul and see if they have a motorcycle trailer to rent. Word on the street (which was a singular post in a thread a week or two ago) is that they rent for pretty cheap...

Modern Buddy

Another one in the ranks!

Another one in the ranks!

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