coddswaddle wrote:Hello everyone,
I'm new to the forum so I thought I'd introduce myself and say hello before asking some (probably basic) questions. (Yes, I searched for them first)
I've been riding motorcycles for about 5 years and sold my Ducati Monster 620 when I started going to school full time (insurance and maintenance cost too much on an Italian sportbike) and got myself a brand new Genuine Psycho (which I understand is like a little brother to the BlackJack) with the BlackJack seat (love that little red trim).
I've had the Psycho for about a year now and I still think it's a blast and WAY less involved than my old Ducati and her oil leaks. This little trooper just starts up every time, does exactly what I ask of it, and says please and thank you while doing it! Also looks pretty sweet when I'm in my old full suit riding leathers.
However there are a few things I was wondering about:
- Does everyone's rubber floormat shift/shrink/flap around or am I just lucky? What do you think my floormat solutions might be? I suspect my Texas 100+ degree heat had something to do with it.
- Is there anything I should do/keep an eye on because temperatures are so high here? Different tire PSI or oil type than what the manual recommends? How can I tell if the little beast is overheating when there's no temp gauge?
- The Texas sun has faded that wonderful red trim on my seat: what do I use to revive it? What can I use on my leather seat that also won't encourage me to slide around on it?
- What the heck do I use to clean and protect the body from sun damage besides a cover? The body seems made of plastic? Fiberglass? Unicorn cuticle? Can I just use Armorall or something just as simple?
- Has anyone noticed any performance differences using various grades of gasoline?
- Are there any rear racks that don't have the grab bar?
- For any college students: If you use your scooter as a "locker" for books, what kind of trunk do you use to keep said books secure? I'm eying the EMGO travel trunk because the floor looks large enough to accommodate big college textbooks. Other trunks taper in at the bottom.
Thanks in advance for your answers,
Coddswaddle
Hello, Coddswaddle, and welcome to the wondrous world of Buddies!
Floor mat: Sorry to say, but I think that yes, you're lucky here. I am not actually sure what secures those buggers in place, but either your fasteners are faulty/missing/broken or maybe you're right and the mat itself is warped or something.
Heat: it's hot here, but not Texas hot. One helpful thing I know of is to fill the tires with nitrogen instead of plain old air. And if she overheats, she'll throw a fit and shut down... I know there are people who have drilled additional ventilation into one or two parts for more air flow around certain sizzly bits; I can't tell you exactly what, since that isn't my forte, so maybe somebody else will chime in about that.
Seat: My last Buddy had a white seat that needed cleaning fairly regularly; I used
Meguiar's Motorcycle Leather and Vinyl Cleaner to clean and protect it... it's motorcycle specific, so it's no-slide. I also enjoy that it is pretty inexpensive and you can make it last; as for the red trim, there are probably other cleaning products out there that can help restore at least a little of the former glory of your red trim. I also recommend keeping a white or light-colored towel to throw over your seat when it's parked; it will help protect the trim from more fading AND keep your bottom from feeling the burn when you get back on the bike.
Body: As with above, I would browse Amazon or your local auto parts store... Armor-all and Meguiar's are both fantastic brands, and likely make something made to restore gloss and darkness to black and rubber trim on cars (I also seem to remember seeing a mini-infomercial for a seen-on-tv product that also does this, endorsed by some racecar driver, maybe?). Since the Psycho is black (and yes, plastic... although if Buddies were made of unicorns it might explain a lot), I wouldn't hesitate to use a cleaner/protectant made for black trim on a car.
Gasoline: This is a question that instigates large debates among the scooter crowd. Many say there is no difference, so just use what is cheaper. Many say there's a huge difference and definitely to put in supreme.
Here's my personal opinion- it's a scooter and it takes one gallon to fill, and goes nearly 100 miles on that gallon. There's no reason I can't afford to put supreme in it, and on the off chance that it does make a difference, that's what I do. Furthermore, it is a small engine, and they are sensitive to things like bad gas. I know a lot of people feel strongly about the integrity of the company they are paying for their gasoline, and as such have a big problem with companies like BP and Exxon... but I refuse to fill my tank anywhere except for BP, Shell, or Exxon stations. Why? Because they have the engine-cleaning additive in their gasoline. The couple of times I have gone to Sam's, or Sheetz, or Wawa... I noticed a difference (both in car and scooter)... they have crappy gas, and that's one of the reasons it is cheap. My personal investment deserves more and I believe she'll run longer if I put better gas in her and keep the engine cleaner. While we're at it, PSA: don't ever fuel up a vehicle while the oil tanker is refueling a gas station... they dredge up all the sediment at the bottom of the station's tanks and it comes out of the pump.
That being said, please DO add Seafoam or StarTron or something else to combat the ethanol that is now in gas almost everywhere (unless you have ethanol-free gas stations near you, if so, then awesome!).
Rear Racks: I thought there was only the
Prima rack, but upon checking out Scooterworks, they also have
this one listed. I have never seen that one before, and they don't have a photo of it installed; if you're really interested, I'd call Scooterworks and ask about it to see if it's really what we think it is/what you want/if you can mount a top case on it (cause it sounds like you want or have a top case)
Top Case: Speaking of top cases... I am no longer in college, and this is the first scooter I have had with a top case (previously, I did the 'bungee a milk crate onto the back rack' thing). BUT I know that books are expensive as all get out these days, and that you may want to consider security and durability along with size. There was a top case thread within the last year, discussing brands and all that... I only know names, I don't know how they compare, so again, hopefully somebody else will chime in on the subject and enlighten us both.
Saddlebags are also an option as well... if you pad between the bags and your cowls and install them with a bit of TLC, you could probably easily put on a set of hard-shell, locking saddlebags.
Hope that was all helpful... congrats on your new Buddy regardless!
