I feel like I'm cheating....

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:15 am

Paraphrased from my FB page:

I swore I wouldn't buy new, and yet I did. because it was a model year old (the ONLY model year) it was dropped down quite a bit. Combined with some clearance nonsense and the power of fantastic credit, we got a good deal. It's comfy for both, fairly low stress, and blurs the lines between scooter/motorcycle nicely. I rode the tar out of it for the test drive, in manual and both auto modes.

The good: It's pretty easy to ride, and even in manual mode it's very forgiving. the downside to that is that you really can't leave it in the wrong gear, so I won't develop proper shifting. It will drop down to 1st for you. I got the farkle version much cheaper than the manual mode due to the 'old stock'. You can shift however you want, though purists will miss the friction, and my left foot twitches with each shift.

In auto D mode it's fairly subdued and great for stopngo traffic. In other words, it shifts like an old person, which is pretty much how I shift, so....

In auto 'Sport' mode it is much more aggressive. I could anticipate shifts but Angela bounced off of me a few times. Even in either auto mode you can downshift to pass, or squeeze a trigger to return to manual.

We sat on a ton of other stuff, as Jeremiah Thunderdome Stanley had suggested the Kawasaki Concours. Unfortunately without aftermarket mods it's way too tall for me. There were some other bikes that we liked but would need too much aftermarket help to be comfortable for the 2 of us. I also really liked the Triumph America/Speedmaster series for ergos, there's just no way I wanted one of those in town. The other Triumphs that I like weren't feasible in town without lowering the seat for my short inseam.

Purists from Motorcycle and Scooter schools will either love it or hate it, but I enjoy it.

If you want models, look up Honda CTX700D. I really enjoy it.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:29 am

Congratulations on the new wheels! I really like that powertrain, I think it's one of the most versatile ones to come out in a long time. If we got the Integra here in the US, it'd definitely make a dent in the maxiscooter market.

Hopin' to get an NC700 someday. Looking forward to a ride report; help tip my hand!

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:58 am

I bet it will serve you well in town and on the open road. I came soooo close to buying one of those. The moment just wasn't right for me to purchase just then, but I like that bike a LOT.

jrstone · Post by **jrstone** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:59 pm

az_slynch wrote:If we got the Integra here in the US, it'd definitely make a dent in the maxiscooter market.

+∞

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:00 am

thought the temps haven't been bad for January, the blustery wind (which I am obviously now wary of after having to replace a bike...) has been crap.

I took it out today for a short ride. I was supposed to go with some friends in the scoot group to Lyons, but between feeling mediocre and the wind, I wasn't up for it.

I did a lot of manual shifting. I say that it is manual in only a scarcest sense. There is not clutch friction, you cannot stall, and you cannot wheelie it. So in that sense it isn't a 'proper' bike.

Auto modes are nice. the Drive mode is easygoing and offers no surprises. The Sport mode is more aggressive and is for passing or spirited riding.

It shifts really appropriately, and I still turn like I'm 95 because I'm not used to it. But it's low center of gravity very much reminds me of the Helix, which I love.

Oil changes are "every 8k miles or once a year" after break in. Because it's newish tech, I did get some extra warranty coverage for parts and labor. If it's anything like the Helix, I don't see why I couldn't be riding this well into my 60's. The sales manager asked how much we ride, I told him I have nearly 11k miles on the Buddy in less than 2 years, and ran off the list of other bikes we've owned in the past couple of years. He was like "well, normally people don't get that much out of service plans, but...you're gonna screw us."

However, we just got back from the store on our Buddy's. Nothing will replace that joy, ever

. Scootering will remain my primary passion!

RoaringTodd · Post by **RoaringTodd** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:38 am

I've been looking at those as well. Congratulations, my friend.

Pics or it didn't happen

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:49 pm

skully93 wrote:...you cannot wheelie it.

Somebody once told me that it was easy to spot folks who'd been doing wheelies on their scooter because they'd be wearing a cast on their leg. So maybe the no-wheelie feature is not such a bad thing...

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:54 pm

RoaringTodd wrote:I've been looking at those as well. Congratulations, my friend.

Pics or it didn't happen

I will get some this week I promise! It's kinda gloomy and such, as soon as it warms up I'll get a proper one. My wife had some test ride pics but really all it did was take pictures of my butt. As fine as it is, I'll spare you all that vision.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:31 pm

Til skully posts his photos, here is the CTX model I dream about.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:56 pm

That's the one!

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 2:38 am

you did a good thing, skully. this bike should give you years of worry free riding ahead. and an auto, too? fantastic

let us know how it handles at low speeds, ok? like parking lot speeds and potential lane splitting situations

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:35 am

JHScoot wrote:you did a good thing, skully. this bike should give you years of worry free riding ahead. and an auto, too? fantastic

let us know how it handles at low speeds, ok? like parking lot speeds and potential lane splitting situations

One of the things I enjoyed most when testing was the low-speed handling. If anything I could do a lot better than I have been just by being more aggressive with it, I'm just not used to it yet.

Been reading up on it, and it appears that even when in Auto modes and driven at a pace that won't put your grandmother to sleep, it still gets fantastic mpg. A lot of folks with quiet, 60mph commutes are reporting 75+mpg. That's a lot better than my 'beo was getting.

Sadly I turn over the title tomorrow, but they are giving me a nice fat check.