Orin O’Neill photos
I didn’t get to meet Alix Bryan last year when her P.E.A.C.E. Scooter ride arrived in Seattle, due to scheduling difficulties on both our parts. Luckily, this year scheduling for both of us worked considerably better.
A year has made a considerable difference. Where last year P.E.A.C.E. Scooter went from concept to departure in 40 days, there was almost a whole year’s worth of planning for this year’s ride, which follows a route designed to draw the circle in the peace sign.
Experience counts for a lot, as well. Knowing how far you can ride in a day, and what your scooter will need in the way of maintenance at various intervals can help keep the trip uneventful.
Alix and Audre (that’s the name she’s given her Genuine Buddy 125) arrived in Seattle pretty much when the schedule said they would. Our friend Chuck called Saturday and said she would be joining Safety Ed and him on a pre-run for one of the Scooter Insanity rides to be held next weekend. Would I like to tag along?
You bet!
We rode from our friend Chuck’s place to Randy’s on East Marginal Way. From there it was down Des Moines Memorial Drive to Three Tree Point, and on to beautiful downtown Burien. About half an hour. After a short break, it was on to The Butterfly of Panama’s house for a cookout and ride to watch the sun set.
As we arrived, Alix asked if I’d like to ride Audre. I had to ask her to repeat herself. Would I like to ride Audre?
Heck yeah.
Alix’s Buddy 125 had over 18,000 miles on the clock when she got to Seattle. It’s had an engine transplant, only because someone forgot to tighten something and all the oil leaked out. It recently got new Continental Zippy 1 tires, a new front fork and new rear suspension. Audre gets rode hard an put away wet.
I was pleasantly surprised to find my knees were not up against my chin, as is the case with most Asian scooters (the Buddy is made in Taiwan by PGO). The riding position is quite comfortable for someone 5′ 11″ and 240 lbs. though being used to the wide floorboard of a PX, it seemed narrow at first.
Audre has the performance pipe Scooterworks tells you right up front will void your warranty. It makes the Buddy sound like a DR chipper/shredder; I’ll have to ride one with a stock pipe to determine just what the difference in performance is, but it was responsive.
Alix said, “ride it like you stole it,” but I wouldn’t be able to live down causing her ride to end prematurely, so I just noodled around West Seattle. The Buddy feels lighter than a PX or modern Vespa, not surprising given its small size and tubular frame construction. It’s nippy and maneuverable, and given more time in the saddle I’d probably be carving up 5th Avenue just like I do every morning on the PX.
A Buddy 125 is the scooter you buy for gas mileage and low operating costs. It is a popular seller, dealers having short supplies even before gas was over four bucks a gallon. More significantly, in October Yamaha will introduce the Zuma 125, a bike similar to the Buddy in size and weight, but with electronic fuel injection. The game is being raised.
And if you have any doubts about the Buddy’s longevity, remember, Alix’s has got a couple thousand more miles on it than does the PX…
UPDATE: Read what Alix had to say about her visit to Seattle.
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