Just got my 150cc Pamplona today!!

[DALÉLOCO]

Just got back from a good hour ride on my new beast. This is my first scooter and I have to say its mildly addicting. Since im new to the scooter world i can't give any detailed info on specific things yet. But I have to say, for such a small machine it has a lot of power to it. Since its brand new I kept off the throttle(save that for later) but still found that it reached 30 to 40 mph effortlessly. I hear that these 150's can get up to about 70mph so im curious to see if that is true. Anyway its not all about the speed either. I found myself smiling for no reason and waving to complete strangers. Plus I think they were surprised by the horn(pretty damn loud). Any who, any suggestions for a new rider in a big city? Plus any tips on how to break in the scooter gently? thanks JP

[MikieTaps]

Welcome!!! I just got my Buddy 125 a couple weeks ago. I have been riding in downtown seattle alot with it. My suggestions so far are dont trust anybody elses driving, drive defensively, and dont be afraid to use that horn! As far as speed goes, I have a 125 and I have hit around 55-60 mph at 75%-80% throttle. There are some posts on here about breaking in your scooter. I started off slow, but have been riding it pretty hard lately, I am kind of riding both sides of the Hard vs. Soft Break In fence
Enjoy your new hog!

[ericalm]

Welcome, JP! The first bits of advice we usually give new riders are to make sure to get some decent gear (good helmet, jacket, gloves, boots) and to take the MSF Basic Rider Course. The Buddy is very easy to ride, but to ride safely in traffic you need to practice quite a bit and learn the proper defensive maneuvers. The MSF provides a good foundation in this kind of riding. Try to resist the urge to rush out and ride in traffic before your skills and confidence are up to it. We've had a lot of new riders have minor crashes over the past couple of months and most of them were due to inexperience or overconfidence. (Check out this thread.)

Meanwhile, there's a very healthy scooter community in Philly (including some members of this forum), so you're in good company.

W00t!

[jeq]

Hi, JP, and congratulations.

My wife picked up a Pamplona last Saturday, and insisted that I get
an Italia to go with it. We love them.

I had a 35 mile ride back from the dealer, and a 15-mile-each-way
commute to work, in traffic. I weigh 240#, and have had
my Buddy up to nearly 65mph indicated, at full throttle - though
of course I'm trying to avoid running that fast until it's broken in.
(To shorten the story, I was trying to keep up with prevailing traffic -
and I have chosen a different route for my commute.)

I have heard the speedos tend to be optimistic, but I also expect
it will run a bit quicker after a few hundred miles of run-in.

I should point out that I do have several years of motorcycling
experience, and I also strongly urge that you find a local
MSF course. When I first started riding, I had difficulty getting
above 45 without being terrified. With just me and almost no
cargo, the Buddy was stable at 65, but with 10-inch wheels,
you must be familiar with the road ahead and remain
very aware of road and traffic conditions.

Enjoy!

jeq

[jemjr4]

Hope you enjoy the Buddy. I picked up the same Buddy about 3 weeks ago. However, my wife has now taken this scoot over, and I had to go buy a Vespa GTS for myself.

I do love that horn, it is so loud. I think I need to put one like that on the Vespa.

Good Luck
Jack

[jfrost2]

Good job on the buddy buy!

Off topic, but I'm nearly 99% sure I made that avatar you are using, without my permission

[DALÉLOCO]

hey guys thanks for the advice. Im def. going to take it slow for a while until i get use to the power of a motorized scooter. Ive been riding a fixed gear bike for the past four years here in Philly so I know the center city roads inside and out. I figure ill practice on the roads i know before taking it out of the city. Although i would love to be able to ride up to the fairmount park area. I go on rides with my bicycle there and it would be great scoot ride. I plan on taking the MSF class here in Philly as soon as i can. The problem is how fast they fill up. Im currently waiting for my full face helmet to come in. the guys at Philadelphia Scooters ordered one for me but for the time being hooked me up with a half. haha today as i left the scooter dealership a guy on a thick sounding harley pulled up next to me at the stop sign. He looks at me and my scooter and revs his engine a bit while smiling. My response was the horn. even over his insanely loud straight pipes he blinked. all are silenced by my mighty buddy! thanks for all your advice guys jp

[jfrost2]

The stebel in those internationals remind me of a train horn, while the magnum sounds like a truck or semi horn.

[DALÉLOCO]

haha sorry man i havent had the time to take a good pic of my own yet. my apologies.

[charltons]

Congrats! The Pamplona is sweet. I rode mine for coss-town commutes for a couple of weeks, but now my wife has it, but I now have a Kymco that I love , so it all works out. I had the same experience with my horn and a friend's Harley. I've GOT to get one of those for my Agility!

[jeq]

haha today as i left the scooter dealership a guy on a thick sounding harley pulled up next to me at the stop sign. He looks at me and my scooter and revs his engine a bit while smiling. My response was the horn. even over his insanely loud straight pipes he blinked. all are silenced by my mighty buddy! thanks for all your advice guys jp

Now that I'd like to see...

See if the guys at the scooter shop know any of the MSF instructors.
Around here, we've been told to show up early on the first day of
class. If there is a no-show, and nobody shows from the waiting list,
you may get a slot. We were told this is particularly likely if
the weather is a bit dodgy on the first day.

Worth a try, and if it doesn't work - hey, you're up early and you
have the whole day ahead of you.

jeq

[Howardr]

Congratulations on your buddy. The only thing I would take issue with is saying that the are "mildy addicting." I found the addiction to be immediate and profound.

[Ken82]

way to go!

[southernscoot]

Just got back from a good hour ride on my new beast. This is my first scooter and I have to say its mildly addicting. Since im new to the scooter world i can't give any detailed info on specific things yet. But I have to say, for such a small machine it has a lot of power to it. Since its brand new I kept off the throttle(save that for later) but still found that it reached 30 to 40 mph effortlessly. I hear that these 150's can get up to about 70mph so im curious to see if that is true. Anyway its not all about the speed either. I found myself smiling for no reason and waving to complete strangers. Plus I think they were surprised by the horn(pretty damn loud). Any who, any suggestions for a new rider in a big city? Plus any tips on how to break in the scooter gently? thanks JP

Congrats your right it's easy to catch your self smiling when your scooting along,but look out for crazy drivers talking away on a cell at an intersection and you see their head looking side to side but they don't really see you because they are so engrossed in their conversation ie ( "like sally do you want to go to the Mall with me later ...like we can go get our nails done blah blah blah" and I just let them go ahead of me. its not worth it to pull in front of them.