Modern Buddy

Let me start by saying this scooter may not exist but I figured I give it a shot. My wife and I both have 50cc scoots that we love. In an effort to use the car less we have discussed getting another scooter that we could both ride when we needed something a bit bigger or when we had the kid (your not allowed to ride 2-up on mopeds in michigan). Here is the problem, I'm 6' 1" and my wife is 5' 1" so theres a bit of a size difference here. I have looked at the Zuma 125 but I'm not sure I could ride 2-up with the kid on this scoot. any suggestions on a scoot thats 250cc or under that would meet my needs, I'm especially looking for a scoot where 2-up riding would not be horribly uncomfortable.

SYM rv250 is a nice bike, it's a maxi scoot and big looking though, I'd imagine it would be perfect for your height, but not your wife. But it would be best for 2 up riding.

Sym has a 300cc bike also, it's smaller but still a large frame bike.

get a stella with a side car and then you can stuff the kid in the footwell.

Prairiedale wrote:get a stella with a side car and then you can stuff the kid in the footwell.

That's the best idea I've seen all year

Look at the SYM Citycom 300i. It's only slightly larger than your 250cc guideline at 262cc. It's fuel injected and liquid cooled. It rides like it's a much smaller bike and the seats are nice and comfy.

Will the wife be riding, or riding pillion? If she'll be riding on the back, how about the HD200? It's smaller than the Citycom, less maxi than most everything else out there that's 250cc+, and fast! But I don't think it would be so fun for someone 5'1" riding alone.

Or, there's all the Vespa models (GT*, etc)

I agree, the HD200 is a pretty sweet scoot. I'm partial to the Citycom because it reminds me of a bigger version of the Blur.

lol, I don't think my wife would ever ride as a passanger. I also have a weird phuesdo-religious belief in not having adult passengers. Not saying theres anything wrong with others having passengers, just not my thing. Don't mind having the kid on the back though since he's ten and so can't get his cycle endorsment quite yet. I'll check out who sells SYMs in my area. I know my dealers doesn't but I have to assume there must be a SYM dealer around here somewhere. The sysm HD200 looks somewhat promising but not sure if the wife could ride it with a 31 in seat height although I may be able to get that lowered a bit and still be able to fit on it myself. The citycom 300 looks awesome but I think it might be a bit out of our price range (have to talk to the wife about this one. As for the stella, that would be awesome but I don't think my wife would want to deal with the manual shifting. Thanks for your suggestions, if you think of any other let me know

well, unfortunately we do not have a SYM dealer within 100 miles of us

piaggio bv

If you don't mind used, find an old Elite. They're wonderfully ugly, and incredibly reliable. And you'd both be able to ride it comfortably, even with a kid on back. I had an Elite 80 when I was in my twenties, and my daughter has a 125 now. We're both short. No pet carrier, but you can bungy a lot of stuff on the ridiculously long seat.

I just CAN NOT get past that front end of the Elite....

Kymco Grand Vista is cool

Buddy_wannabe wrote:I just CAN NOT get past that front end of the Elite....

Looks like a 2-wheeled Zamboni.

Skootz Kabootz wrote:

Buddy_wannabe wrote:I just CAN NOT get past that front end of the Elite....

Looks like a 2-wheeled Zamboni.

Perfect description Skootz

What kind of price range are you considering? Any other preferences in terms of style, etc?

A lot of good suggestions here so far. I also like the Aprilia Scarabeo 200.

Your wife may have seat height issues with a lot of the bigger scoots. I do know several riders around her height who ride Vespa GTSs, but of course those are on the highest end of the price scale.

Buddy_wannabe wrote:Kymco Grand Vista is cool

The GV IS a sweet ride and perfect for the vertically challanged! I test rode one when I was looking to upgrade from my 50 to something the wife could ride pillion. I gave it serious consideration but it seemed to compact for me @ 5'10". It is totally flickable, has touring styling and it's a rock solid Kymco.

Find a used Honda Helix

ericalm wrote:What kind of price range are you considering? Any other preferences in terms of style, etc?

A lot of good suggestions here so far. I also like the Aprilia Scarabeo 200.

Your wife may have seat height issues with a lot of the bigger scoots. I do know several riders around her height who ride Vespa GTSs, but of course those are on the highest end of the price scale.

I was hoping to find something that was around $5,000 out the door. I would LOVE the GTS 250, but those are a bit pricey:) I like the Kymco grand vista and am trying to get my wife to test ride one, but she says that it looks too big for her (I think she just thinks its ugly and won't admit it:) A used Honda elite or helix or maybe big ruckus (my wife would love that one) may not be a bad idea, there seem to be a few in this area and lord knows no one would be itch'n to steal something that ugly We plan on buying the scoot either in winter or spring so we have plenty of time to test ride and find the right one. I think my wife will actually end up riding this scoot more than myself since she is the one who generally has the kid while I'm at work (we home-school). So if its a bit cramped for me thats alright, heck I ride a buddy 50 and thats not exactly roomy:)

If you're thinking next spring, maybe wait to pull the trigger until you see what the new bigger Genuine is like. 270cc's, 14-inch wheels, cruiser size. Hopefully it'll have the size of a Vespa GTS250 with a price tag that's more in the range you're mentioning.

I'm sure relatively soon one of the Modern Buddy ninjas will be able to sneak a picture of the new bike to us. Genuine, you might not want to offer tours for a while in the Research and Development side of the complex.

The Grand Vista would be great for your wife because of the low seat. You'll hate it for the same reason.

A good compromise maybe a new or used Vespa GT. Should be low enough for her and tall enough for you.

I second the Vespa GT, its a 200. they aren't made any more so you'd have to find one used and I don't know if you are wanting new or used. I have a friend who is a little taller than 6 foot who owns one and is comfortable on it often riding 2 up with his wife. I'm 5'3" with a 27" inseam, I've ridden it and it fits well. I can't flat foot both feet when stopped, but I can't do that on my buddy either. I felt comfortable enough on it with just one foot down at stops, or both feet partly down. Getting it up and off the center stand took a little more effort than the buddy, but wasn't as hard as I was expecting.

After riding his, made me wish I'd waited to find one rather than get the buddy last fall. The ride is smoothe and it has great oomph, he rides it on the hiway frequently.

Can't forget the Kymco's, 200cc and a couple of 250cc too.

GrittyTacoman wrote:If you're thinking next spring, maybe wait to pull the trigger until you see what the new bigger Genuine is like. 270cc's, 14-inch wheels, cruiser size. Hopefully it'll have the size of a Vespa GTS250 with a price tag that's more in the range you're mentioning.

I'm sure relatively soon one of the Modern Buddy ninjas will be able to sneak a picture of the new bike to us. Genuine, you might not want to offer tours for a while in the Research and Development side of the complex.

Thats funny, my wife said the same thing about the up coming genuines. I'm really interested in what they might offer, but I'm a bit scared of the price being that the 150cc blackjack is running about $4,000 out the door. Hopefuly it will be just what we're looking for. I'll also have to ask my dealer about the 200cc kymco, I didn't realize they made a 200cc scoot.

the kymco 200 is not a 200, actually 168 or something. Comfy as heck 2 up but super tall-also not very fast top end IMO-I took it on the interstate and was not too happy. Ride is smooth and very reliable. The Sym HD 200 (also not a 200) is tall as well.

I agree the Grandvista can fit a lot of people. I am just not into the looks. I cannot wait to see the Genuine 250+. I hope it is not too bulky. If it is I will finally probably break down and get the GTS.

If you're trying to accommodate drivers with a 1' height difference I suggest you look at various maxi scoots. They tend to handle both tall and short riders better than most upright scooters.

In the SYM line I find the RV 250 to be a better general fit that the Citycom 300i or the HD 125/200. The RV has a lower seat height than either of the others, and while the taller rider won't be able to extend your legs much, your knees won't be up in your face or hitting the handle bars, either.

The HD is a surprisingly tall bike. Riders shorter than 5'4"usually find themselves tippy-toeing at traffic lights. The Citycom is a little lower, but not that much.

I haven't had a chance to ride a Helix, but the other Honda maxis (Reflex and Elites) do pretty well. Too bad they're no longer available. And the Big Ruckus you'll either love or hate, regardless of how it fits you.

As for the Piaggios, I've never ridden one, so I can't say how any of them fit. They look to fit taller riders better, but I have a short woman friend who loves her BV250.

Dare I say a used Blur might do the trick. It's great for two-up riding and there's more room for a larger person's knees than on a Buddy. It's a 150 but will handle the weight just fine. Great 150cc mileage. Great seat, too. One problem might be your wife's height. The seat is a bit high. I'm 6 feet, but I've got a short inseem - 30 inches - and I get both feet down fine, even more so now that the suspension is broken in.

I want to thank everyone again for all of the information. I had my buddy 50 re-registered as a motorcycle yesterday, in part so that I could do a little bit of 2-up riding with the kid on lower speed roads. This should not only be fun, but give me a little bit of a feel for how large a scoot I may need in order to comfortably carry him. It will also give us a better idea of wether the kid likes the idea of riding on the back of a scooter all over michigans half acre or if he'll really enjoy it. I have ridden with him on the back before but it was just around the block within our complex since when it was registered as a moped it was illegal for him to be on there. I don't think that a buddy will be large enough for the both of us but if it is I'll probably just buy a 125 and upgrade the rear shock and front forks. I am very interested in the grandvista I like the fact that it has scooter sized wheels (even if the front end is well... kinda ugly) and there seat height definitly seems low enough for my wife (may, however, be too low for me). I've heard mixed views about the reliability of the BV and my dealer says they are a pain in the arse to work on. I have resigned myself to not buy this summer (which is horribly difficult) so that I can see what Genuine puts out next spring. I'm was also looking at the vespa lx 150, but as pretty as vesas are I don't think I want to deal with a metal bodied scooter right now. 1 I live in michigan which is the king of salted roads so I wouldn't be able to ride it until at least may when the roads had enough rain on them to wash all of the salt off, and 2, I hate the idea that if it does get scraped or dinged then you have a very expensive repair (although I suppose this is very much like owning a car in that you just need to get a very low deductable).