Hi there,
we're new to the scooter board and hope to learn more about you and your Buddy's.
My wife actually got the scooter but for the past month or two I have been the one riding it and enjoy it very much. Filled the tank for $4.20; this was good for about 95 miles! I love it. Cut the comute time to work in half, too!
Our local dealer just received the '08 Buddy 150. I took a look and was very impressed. new colors, loud horn, strong motor.
Does any of you have feedback on the 150?
I took a quick test ride on a St. Tropez while my bike was being serviced. Unfortunately, the tank was almost empty but I still got a pretty good feel for the bike. It's not dramatically quicker as far as acceleration goes but my guess is it will be quicker off the line after break in. My 125 is quick but I can definitely feel it getting short of breath after it hits 50. The 150 seems to pull better above 50 so I have to assume top speed is a fair amount higher. The horn is impressive, so impressive that I had one installed. People can now hear me over just about anything.
I think the the 3 special editions are good values. You get more grunt, the horn and the trick color schemes. My only issue, surprisingly, is the color schemes. I thought I would love the Pamplona but I don't. It's nice, but it's not me. Neither are the St. Tropez or Italia. In fact, I think I saw all of the new colors including the monotone blues, greens and yellow orange. This is probably just me, but none of these colors do anything for me compared to the tried and true sunset orange, cream and black. If I had to own a new one I'd probably spring for the yellow orange or Pamplona. The strange thing is that all of the colors are really nice colors, I just don't much care for them on "my" Buddy.
FWIW, the pink is still pink so if you're into pink you're covered.
Andy
2006 Buddy 125 (orange), going to a good MB home
2009 Vespa 250 GTS (black)
2012 Triumph Tiger 800 (black)
2008 Ducati Hypermotard S, traded for Tiger 800
gt1000 wrote:The horn is impressive, so impressive that I had one installed.
I don't wanna change the subject or anything, but I have a question about the horn.... I guess since you "had it installed" that means you "got someone else to do it for you"? Is it really difficult to put in, cuz I have one on back-order. I'm worried I'm not skilled enough to do it myself and I don't know if the motorcycle shop in my town can do it or if I'll have to take it all the way to NEW ORLEANS!!!
Also, if you don't mind me asking how much it cost you for the install? I'm about due for a service, so maybe I can kill two birds with one stone as they say... I guess I shoulda just PMed you, SORRY! Didn't mean to jack this thread.
About the 150s, I haven't seen one in real life as we don't have a Buddy dealer here. I heard the Stebel on a Burgman & now I MUST HAVE ONE!!!
gt1000 wrote:My only issue, surprisingly, is the color schemes. I thought I would love the Pamplona but I don't. It's nice, but it's not me. Neither are the St. Tropez or Italia. In fact, I think I saw all of the new colors including the monotone blues, greens and yellow orange. This is probably just me, but none of these colors do anything for me compared to the tried and true sunset orange, cream and black. If I had to own a new one I'd probably spring for the yellow orange or Pamplona. The strange thing is that all of the colors are really nice colors, I just don't much care for them on "my" Buddy.
FWIW, the pink is still pink so if you're into pink you're covered.
Colors are a personal thing, of course. For 2008 though, the black is now all black, the red is still red, and the pink is gone.
Yes, I had my dealer install it during the routine service. There is a thread on MB that shows how to do it yourself, it's not terribly complex. You need to run wires directly from the battery to the relay to the horn and you need to mount the horn, which is a tight fit. Since I don't have a really private area to work on my bikes (one slot in an underground garage) I only do very routine stuff on my own.
Typically, your dealer is going to charge a minimum for an accessory installation. If the labor takes longer, you'll pay more than the minimum. My guys thought it would take a half hour but it was the first one they've done, so it took the full hour. I'm guessing if others get it done at my dealership it'll take less time, but I'd expect to be charged for an hour's labor if I were you.
Oh, and I thought pink was still available, just in limited numbers.
Andy
2006 Buddy 125 (orange), going to a good MB home
2009 Vespa 250 GTS (black)
2012 Triumph Tiger 800 (black)
2008 Ducati Hypermotard S, traded for Tiger 800
