Just picked up my Buddy today, and managed to ride it home from the dealership without dying. I guess the only reason "without dying" is an interesting detail is because I've never actually ridden a scooter or driven a car before today in my life due to extreme nearsightedness and other vision handicaps. Normally I take the bus or ride a bicycle, but due to failing health and failing bus service I felt forced to make a quick lifestyle change to keep functioning in society.
The dealer did not let me test drive one of these things before buying one, so needless to say I found myself in the difficult position of having to drive my new Buddy home as a complete newbie. Although I have read quite a bit, I really had no practical feel for it whatsoever. So I played around with it a little in the dealer's parking lot before taking it out on the road. Having ridden bicycles all my life, it was actually pretty easy to get the hang of it, and I felt comfortable enough to leave after a few good laps around the lot.
The ride home (about 7-8 miles) took me past the mall down a state road, through downtown, through the local university's summer construction maze, and up a river valley. Had to start and stop a few times to get my bearings, because I am so accustomed to thinking about the city in terms of bus routes that I started second-guessing where I was going. During that ride what I find I have the most trouble with is actually nothing to do with the scooter itself, but more with interpreting and processing complex traffic situations, making sure I am in the correct lane at intersections, etc. But I digress.
As soon as I got home, I started going over the owner's manual. On page 32, I found the "***VERY IMPORTANT***" engine break-in schedule. Somehow in all my prior reading, and also because I am hopelessly stupid concerning engine-having things, I'd managed to remain in the dark about such a thing as "engine break-in."
The first line, 0-95 miles: Avoid applying more than 1/2 throttle. Avoid cruising at constant speed.
Oops.
Yeah, I totally cruised down that state road at full throttle, pushing nearly 40mph for a good few green lights at least. And, come to think of it, I was actually pretty hard on the throttle after stops, too, because I was afraid of holding up traffic.
So how worried should I be? Did I get off on the wrong foot with my Buddy? Did I... did I destroy my Buddy????
If it matters, my odometer now reads 20.6. And yes, I do intend to take it in for the recommended 1st maintenance at 200mi, and every scheduled maintenance thereafter.
The remaining 75 miles of phase 1 would be a familiar 1.2 miles to work, in which I cross one highway and cruise through 2 roundabouts through the research park, and then to church on Sunday about 1-2 miles through sleepy neighborhood streets, avoiding main roads.
