The new scooter

Okay, it's been awhile since I've posted here, so here goes... I kept pestering Shelby at Scoot Over in Tucson about getting me a Kymco Agility 125. Finally, after many phone calls, she is told by KymcoUSA that it would be perhaps mid to late September before dealers would get any. Some issue with the kill switch. Like, maybe there wasn't one or something. Anyway, the DOT shut down all shipments until they are fixed. Well, I didn't want to wait until possibly the end of September with the warranty expired on the Bajaj in August, so I just sucked it up and asked Shelby if she still had a black Genuine Buddy. She said yes and I said to hold it for me. This was on or about the 17th of August. Being all anxious, I told her that I'd meet her Friday afternoon down in Phoenix to pick it up. Everything was cool. Except...I couldn't find a pickup to borrow. Finally, I called her back and said I couldn't find any wheels and all I had was my '96 Chrysler Sebring convertible. I had taken measurements from the internet on the Buddy and administered them to the Sebring. DANG! The think would fit in the back seat!! However, the Bajaj to be traded in wouldn't fit. Shelby said she'd trust me for the Bajaj and just bring down the notorized title and bring her the Bajaj in a week or so. I took her up on her offer and, with the top down (no air conditioning), I headed out. Forgot a hat for my poor bald head. MAJOR sunburn!

Shelby was about an hour late...it seems as soon as she was getting ready to leave, people started pouring in. She sold 5 scooters before she was able to get away! And I had lunch at Whataburger.

She showed up and the Buddy went into the back seat easily. Of course, the front end was sticking in the air rather conspicuously. No top-up driving for me. More sunburn. As I was making the 100+ mile trip home, I got more grins from passersby than I think I've ever received before! In fact, one of those little Scion boxes went by, the lady driving giving me the ol' "thumbs up" and the guy in the passenger seat taking pictures with his camera phone. I thought I was being completely reasonable getting my new scooter home that way. Guess I was a little out of the ordinary. Who would have guessed?

Got it home and put about 5 miles on it before going to bed. Had to work Saturday morning. After work, I decided to visit my wife at work in the Village of Oak Creek (a bedroom community for Sedona). I hit the 25 mile mark and the scooter up and quit. Just like that! I looked and discovered gas pouring out the overflow tube from the carburetor. I stuck a stick in the tube and headed for home. Got there just as I ran out of gas. I spent the next 2-3 hours trying to find a fix. Apparently, the assembler at the Mikuni Carburetor factory forgot to tighten the bowl drain screw and it backed out on me and went away. This particular carb requires (of course) a SPECIAL screw that seats into another apperature to prevent the running out of fuel through the overflow tube. Hence my problem. No screw...much drainage.

I have a friend who runs a little dirt bike shop in Cottonwood who had a used screw that would just plug the drain hole. It wouldn't seal the other apperature, though, so I had to seal off the overflow tube. I did so and ran it for a week like that until the correct screw arrived in the mail from Scoot Over.

I picked up my Buddy on August 19th. Today is September 1st and I have just about 650 miles on it and two oil changes under it's belt. I have taken it over Mingus Mountain to Prescott once and was favorably impressed with it's handling. It doesn't feel as "planted" as the Bajaj and tends to slide a little easier on gravel or dirt, but I think that's a function of being some 30 pounds lighter and over 4 inches shorter in the wheelbase. Overall, though, I was quite smitten with the handling. I took the corners at least as fast as I could on the Bajaj. The ride is smoother and the grip of the stock Cheng Shin tires seems to be good. I averaged higher speeds overall than I did on the Bajaj...uphill as well as on the flats. I even saw an indicated 72 mph. Factor in the approximately 10% optimism built into the speedo and it still was about 64 mph. Averaged just under 100 mpg. Not bad for a 125 scooter.

Fit and finish on the Buddy is excellent for a plastic scooter. The quality is rivaling the best of the Japanese products, in my opinion. The seat is comfortable and the under-seat storage is large enough to hold my 1/2 helmet, my jean jacket, my goggles, gloves and the garage door opener. Bungees are in the front compartment which is big enough to hold a bottle of water, a calculator (so I can give you accurate mile-per-gallon figures), sunglasses and a big mac. A take out container of Kung Pao chicken and another of steamed rice are easily carried in a plastic bag hung from the hook mounted just above the front compartment and held in with one's feet on the floorboards. In other words, I don't need no stinkin' car!

Except for the aforementioned carburetor snafu, I have NO mechanical complaints! It goes well and powerfully and is easily accessible for maintenance. I had the carburetor out and apart three times that Saturday and it took maybe 2 minutes to get it out. I have changed the crankcase oil and the gearbox oil both and they were both simple, mere minutes jobs. The spark plug is easily accessible and the valve lash doesn't need adjusted. What could be simpler? I have considered mounting my little SuperTrapp muffler on the end of the stock pipe, but haven't really decided it would be worth it. It runs so well now I'd hate to screw it up!

I did, however, remove the ugly, headset mounted DOT turn indicators and plugged in the European lights mounted on the body. Looks much better. The lower wattage bulbs in the European lights make it blink faster, but I like anything that stands out and gets attention. SEE ME!! I'M ON A SCOOTER!! DON'T RUN OVER ME!!! I think the faster sequencing accomplishes the "SEE ME" thing. It's different enough to get attention. I also cut the "extra" rear fender that hangs down (WAY down) beneath the license plate. The tire has a little fender over it, so I could see no reason for the tail to remain. Zip! In the trash! Other than those two little things, the scooter is as Shelby delivered it and I really can't see any reason to change it. Maybe add stickers or some paint or something, but as a fun, functional scooter, it can't be beat out of the showroom.

The engine has won many awards in Taiwan and features an anodized piston, a pressurized oil system and a spin-on automotive-style oil filter. All of these should be significant in terms of reliability. Again, I'll let you know.

I have a major ride planned for tomorrow over to Prescott, down Hwy 69 through Congress and Yarnell to Wickenburg and on into Phoenix for a Scarabs Scooter Club meeting at 6:30 p.m. I'm leaving about 8 a.m. to enjoy the trip and play in Phoenix all day. Then the ride home at night. Should put on about 300 miles tomorrow. I'll be taking pictures and writing up a report. By the way, I'm putting up a couple of pics of the Buddy here.

C-ya later. Ride on.

--Keys

P.S. In the picture of the rear of the scooter, you will see the letters; "2 COOL". Those have been replaced with, of all things, "skutergruven".