Sometimes ya just gotta change...

I believe I told you all about Jenn riding her Vespa GT200 to Denver a couple of weeks ago for Amerivespa. Well, as it turns out, she broke down about 50 miles south of Denver on I-25. The centrifugal clutch part of her variator transmission stopped sliding on it's shaft, seizing in the "high gear" position. Well, the bottom line is that it totally fragged the belt and cooked the clutch to a toasty well-done. She sat alongside the road for about an hour and a half before her friend reached her with his pick-up. I just happened to call while she was waiting and we had a few laughs just to while away the time. She left the scooter with her friend and rented a car to get home. Her friend has since fixed it and someday she'll make it back to pick it up.

I also believe I mention my possibly getting a Genuine Scooters "Buddy" in the near future. Well, the evil gods of finance have stepped in and put a kabosh on that idea. It would have required my Bajaj and $1400.00 to consumate said deal. I have exactly $1000.00 available for a new scooter (otherwise it goes to bills) so, after talking with Shelby down there at Scoot Over, we discovered I could get a Kymco Agility 125 http://www.kymco.co.uk/scooters/agility125.html for the money I have available. I realize that this is a UK site, but these are the best pictures I've found of the Agility 125. They are available for the first time this month, so I'll end up with one of the first ones in Arizona. It is a small (about the size of the Buddy...220 pounds, give or take) European styled scooter riding on 12" diameter wheels instead of 10".

I test rode a 50 cc version of the Agility today at Encore Performance, where I bought my Bajaj. http://www.epfguzzi.com . They won't get a 125 until probably sometime in September whereas Scoot Over is getting two in on Tuesday, August 15th. I already have dibs on one. I don't care what color...I'll probably change it anyway!

As for the test, now. The 50 cc is a dog. Just flat SLOW!! I was able to reach 40 mph, but it took forever to get there. However, that being said, I wasn't testing it for the engine, I just wanted to see if it handled well enough for me to be happy and to check the comfort level. It seemed to take corners well, the rubber is significantly wider than that on my Bajaj (which is the standard by which all scooters will be judged in terms of handling) and gripped well. The ride was choppy and stiff, but I attribute that to the fact that the scooter only had 4 miles on it when I took it out (came back with 9) and the shock and forks have not had a chance to break in. If you are the sort to perch on the front of the seat, you won't like this scooter. Kymco has determined that a full-face helmet should fit under the seat in the little compartment there. That's well and good, but to make that amount of room available, the put a severe hump in the seat pan right at the front which allows for, oh, maybe 3/4 of an inch of padding there. If you ride a little further back, it should be fine. Kymco DOES however use very hard foam! Be warned...it may LOOK fluffy, but it ain't! The Agility is not quite as bad as Kymco's People 150 for locating your feet in one place. Only. Therefore, I give the comfort level a slight edge on the People. The People 150 is one of the most popular scooters in America, so the comfort level must be offset by the (surprising) power and reliability. The People will be offered in 2006 as a 50 cc, a 125 cc (same engine as the Agility), a 200 cc and a 250 cc with more modern and in my opinion more attractive styling. I tested a People 150 about a month or so ago and found it to be uncomfortable, but MUCH more powerful and faster than my Bajaj. It pulled a hill in Prescott at about 55 - 60 that I climbed today at only 45 on the Bajaj. I'm hoping that the Agility will also be impressive...although it's 25 cc's smaller, the scooter is about 20 - 25 pounds lighter. I'm also hoping that the engine is the same one that used to be the 150. There are some SERIOUS performance upgrades available for the 150. I've even heard of a 190 cc kit. Ooooo! 190 cc's and only 220 pounds!?!?! Someone could lose an eye!

I brought it back and was discussing some of the attributes of the Agility with the salesman, Matt and the mechanic, Will. We poked and prodded and marvelled at the little "buddy seat" behind the main seat that flips up into a backrest. Cool! However, nobody really knows if that will show up on the 125 or if it is just a 50 cc item. Guess I'll find out next week. Then we discussed the fact that the suspension will need to be beefed up to handle the (massive) power and speed developed by the 125. I did a little hunting on the 'net when I got home and lo and behold, somebody at Kymco agreed! The 125 will be sporting 2 shocks instead of just one. Both on the same side...single sided swingarm, you know...

Some of the specs:

52 inch wheelbase (just about right, in my opinion), 1.3 gallons of fuel (not enough...Kymcos don't get the best mileage), 12 inch wheels with what seems to be competant rubber and (thank God) analog guages. I just don't trust digital guages in the element-suseptible dash of a motorscooter. One drop of water in the wrong place and BOOM...instant darkness...or maybe instant stop. Maybe I'm not being realistic, but I'm old enough I can be a curmudgeon. More good; Kymco has an almost legendary reputation for reliability in the scooter world and their scooters also come with a 2 year, unlimited mile warranty. It does NOT, however, have available the free 1 year roadside assistance plan that Genuine has in place for the Buddy. Bum'r.

I'll let you know when I get it and give you my impressions. I'm hoping for the best, since I'll have it for at least 2 years.

Now then, let's see, I have a small supertrapp muffler in my garage, and the Kawasaki dealer in town carries K&N air filters, Encore carries a full assortment of carburetor jets...WalMart carries Krylon...MAN! The possibilities are endless!!!

C-ya...ride on!

Keys

Long Ride and a little catching up.

Took a long ride today. Since most of it was on the freeway, the Helix got tapped for duty. I rode from Cottonwood to Tucson. 450 miles round trip. I left at about 5:30 this morning and made it the 100 miles to Phoenix before hunger pangs drove me to the nearest Waffle House. A waffle, some bacon and coffee and a fill up for the Helix got me back on the road. I motored on into the parking lot at Scoot Over (www.goscootover.com) at about 9:30. Big hug from Mike Stirrat, the owner and on to some serious scooter talk. And testing. He told the salesman, Chris, to just hand me the keys to anything I wanted to ride. What a guy! First, I rode a little pink (ick) Buddy by Genuine scooters (www.genuinescooters.com). What a fabulous little scooter! It is a 125 cc, four-stroke, automatic scooter. Now, the initial impression one would have is; "So, it has a top speed of what, 45 maybe?" Well, one's initial impression would be WRONG!!! I had the tiny thing up to 65 in the space of about a block or so on a side street. PGO out of Taiwan manufactures the Buddy and they have done their homework! My helmet fit under the seat with room for a jacket, gloves and my goggles left. Maybe even a leftover burrito, too! I tested the kickstarter since no one had and one kick was all it took. Putt-putt. It weighs about 40 pounds less than my Bajaj and is several inches both shorter and narrower. Small, it is. Intrigues me a lot!

Next up was the 150 cc GTR by CPI. C'mon, SOMEbody buy a vowel! This scooter, um, I mean motorcyc...well, not really. Hmm. Kinda hard to catagorize. Anyway, I don't have a link to this one. The description (to the best of my abilities) is as follows. The GTR is available with either a 50 cc and 150 cc 4-stroke engine. It has large diameter wheels and tires and a trellis-type frame ala Ducati, replete with low handlebars and rear-set pegs. Yep. Pegs...not floorboards. Sound like a small sportbike, huh? Well, now, the engine is a horizontal cylinder layout, just like the scooters, and is an automatic with a CVT transmission, just like the scooters. The ride is very "motorcyclish", if you will. Turning radius is similar to that of a small motorcycle. On the road, the rearsets put one's feet up high and far back, which in turns slides one's family jewels forward onto the tank. I can visualize "uneven pavement" signs being replaced with "nutcracker ahead". Some moron came hauling butt through a parking lot I pulled into and I can attest to fine brakes on the GTR. It is a fantastic looking machine that handles well and would be a gas for short, fun rides. I would have hitchiked to Tucson before I would have ridden the GTR that far though. I spend a LOT of time in the saddle and the GTR would not be my choice.

Got a little information on the Rattler that Genuine is coming out with. It is based on the Black Cat 50 cc scooter, but is somewhat stripped down and will have a 110 cc 2-stroke engine. Could prove to be a very tasty product. Won't be available until 2007. I have a pic here somewhere of it. It is the black one with motorcycle-style handlebars and wide knobby-type tires.

Now on to the "catching up" section of this blog. Some of the previously forgotten websites I have used.

TGB - www.cobrasales.com

A comparison review between a Buddy and a Yamaha Vino 125 - www.justgottascoot.com/buddy.htm

Buddy and Rattler pics - www.motostrada.com

...and finally, a pic of me, and one of the Mad Hornet which may, indeed, be traded off.

As you can tell, I'm still learning to put photos on my blog. NOW I just have to learn how to place them where I want them....

C-ya, ride on...Keys