uh oh oh nooo...

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:30 am

riding back from Napa today on the freeway, Max started coughing, losing power. i pulled over just short of the exit, my friend on a Super 300 yelling *turn it off!!!* i didn't know gas was pouring out of the bottom somewhere, so i turned it off, walked it down the exit, called roadside assistance. that's all i can tell you, except Max is sitting in the parking lot of the Scooter Center until Tuesday when they open. and it's waaaaay past my bedtime..

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:47 am

I am soooo sorry to hear that! I hope that it ends up being something simple, like maybe something just wasn't tightened down correctly from when the bike was prepped.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:56 pm

Glad youre ok. Hope it gets an easy fix. That is one sweet scoot.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:13 pm

michelle_7728 wrote:I am soooo sorry to hear that! I hope that it ends up being something simple, like maybe something just wasn't tightened down correctly from when the bike was prepped.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

pretty sure you're right--something popped off, could've been a bad scene on the freeway and all--my friend rode behind me and stopped cars from running me down

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:19 pm

Raiderfn31 wrote:Glad youre ok. Hope it gets an easy fix. That is one sweet scoot.

it's a sweet scoot alright, however i think it's unsuited for the way i like to ride--hard and fast, and a fair amount of freeway. i had been wot for at least an hour, and was uncomfortable on inclines where my speed dropped to an indicated 50. not only is it annoying, but dangerous when you've not enough power to maintain the speed limit, and there's no throttle left for emergency maneuvers.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:20 pm

and my Vespa, felt like a tank this morning

beastmaster · Post by **beastmaster** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:23 pm

is max your 170i?

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 6:19 pm

batgirl101 wrote:
Raiderfn31 wrote:Glad youre ok. Hope it gets an easy fix. That is one sweet scoot.
it's a sweet scoot alright, however i think it's unsuited for the way i like to ride--hard and fast, and a fair amount of freeway. i had been wot for at least an hour, and was uncomfortable on inclines where my speed dropped to an indicated 50. not only is it annoying, but dangerous when you've not enough power to maintain the speed limit, and there's no throttle left for emergency maneuvers.

Honestly, scooters under 200cc are pretty poorly suited for that kind of freeway riding. Aside from the power, most are light, narrow and have 10" wheels—perfect for in the city.

It's possible that you make have backed up gas into the evap system or overfilled and got gas in the airbox. Neither is a big deal. Both easily addressed.

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:21 am

I've ridden my 125 WOT for 7 hours straight so it's probably not that...

BootScootin'FireFighter · Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:44 am

oh no! You've been inspiring me with all your stories about riding the heck out of the 101! I hope you get it fixed up and back out in no time.

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:16 am

batgirl101 wrote:
Raiderfn31 wrote:Glad youre ok. Hope it gets an easy fix. That is one sweet scoot.
it's a sweet scoot alright, however i think it's unsuited for the way i like to ride--hard and fast, and a fair amount of freeway. i had been wot for at least an hour, and was uncomfortable on inclines where my speed dropped to an indicated 50. not only is it annoying, but dangerous when you've not enough power to maintain the speed limit, and there's no throttle left for emergency maneuvers.

I hear you. I used to have 2 Buddy's and I traded one and some $$ for a Yamaha Majesty 400 late last year. I loved that bike--lots of power, lots of storage and you sit upright. I traded it recently (and more $$

) for a MP3 500, but I still miss the Majesty. I could be going 70 and it still had plenty of get up and go, immediately, when I gave it throttle. Well, the MP3 500 will do that too, but has a different feel...both are just fun bikes.

Anyhow, I know that there are lots of motorcycles out there that go faster than that, but for a scooter, that's pretty good.

But I can't discount Buddys either. They are just flat out fun to ride. My husband (on his Fly 150) and me on my Buddy 125 did our 3rd annual ride to Ilwaco earlier this month--about 180 miles one way, much of it on 55 mph semi-winding roads. What a blast!

Did you find out what was wrong with your scooter yet?

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:09 am

ericalm wrote:
It's possible that you make have backed up gas into the evap system or overfilled and got gas in the airbox. Neither is a big deal. Both easily addressed.

Doesn't sound like it. She mentioned she had been riding for an hour and suddenly the scoot lost power.
Power loss + gas pouring out of the bike = fuel line failure.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:13 am

Yeah, if it was really pouring, not dribbling out, then likely something else.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:56 pm

michelle_7728 wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:
Raiderfn31 wrote:Glad youre ok. Hope it gets an easy fix. That is one sweet scoot.
it's a sweet scoot alright, however i think it's unsuited for the way i like to ride--hard and fast, and a fair amount of freeway. i had been wot for at least an hour, and was uncomfortable on inclines where my speed dropped to an indicated 50. not only is it annoying, but dangerous when you've not enough power to maintain the speed limit, and there's no throttle left for emergency maneuvers.
I hear you. I used to have 2 Buddy's and I traded one and some $$ for a Yamaha Majesty 400 late last year. I loved that bike--lots of power, lots of storage and you sit upright. I traded it recently (and more $$ ) for a MP3 500, but I still miss the Majesty. I could be going 70 and it still had plenty of get up and go, immediately, when I gave it throttle. Well, the MP3 500 will do that too, but has a different feel...both are just fun bikes.

Anyhow, I know that there are lots of motorcycles out there that go faster than that, but for a scooter, that's pretty good.

But I can't discount Buddys either. They are just flat out fun to ride. My husband (on his Fly 150) and me on my Buddy 125 did our 3rd annual ride to Ilwaco earlier this month--about 180 miles one way, much of it on 55 mph semi-winding roads. What a blast!

Did you find out what was wrong with your scooter yet?

i won't know until later today when the shop opens--i'll let you know what they find.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:59 pm

KRUSTYburger wrote:I've ridden my 125 WOT for 7 hours straight so it's probably not that...

hey KrustyB---i'm thinking the 170i is fully capable of riding over an hour at wot-----i wouldn't have bought the scooter otherwise. i'd love to hear from others who have ridden the heck outta their scoots--esp. freeway riders.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:42 pm

batgirl101 wrote:
KRUSTYburger wrote:I've ridden my 125 WOT for 7 hours straight so it's probably not that...
hey KrustyB---i'm thinking the 170i is fully capable of riding over an hour at wot-----i wouldn't have bought the scooter otherwise. i'd love to hear from others who have ridden the heck outta their scoots--esp. freeway riders.

It's fully capable of that!

On the carbed models—and probably the 170i—if you're riding at WOT for a long time, it's best to stop every 100 miles or so to let it cool. You'll probably need to fuel up at similar intervals anyways. Also, if you're doing that kind of riding frequently, best to shorten the maintenance intervals. You will go through rollers, tires, etc. a lot faster.

I'd also upgrade the tires before you need to (ASAP!). The stock tires are great for commuting on surface streets and occasional blasts of high speed. For freeway riding, I HIGHLY recommend the Heidenau K61s. They handle much better at higher speeds than other tires their size and greatly improved the high speed stability and handling on my LX.

No matter what you do, you're still riding what will be the smallest, least visible vehicle on the freeway on 10" wheels. It may be capable, but they're not designed for this kind of riding. As posted elsewhere, it's akin to driving your car with the pedal floored all the time. Except in this case, your car is a 270lb. scooter. I'm not telling anyone what to do, just letting them know that your risks go up exponentially and the stresses and wear on your scooter are also maximized.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:54 pm

ericalm wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:
KRUSTYburger wrote:I've ridden my 125 WOT for 7 hours straight so it's probably not that...
hey KrustyB---i'm thinking the 170i is fully capable of riding over an hour at wot-----i wouldn't have bought the scooter otherwise. i'd love to hear from others who have ridden the heck outta their scoots--esp. freeway riders.
It's fully capable of that!

On the carbed models—and probably the 170i—if you're riding at WOT for a long time, it's best to stop every 100 miles or so to let it cool. You'll probably need to fuel up at similar intervals anyways. Also, if you're doing that kind of riding frequently, best to shorten the maintenance intervals. You will go through rollers, tires, etc. a lot faster.

I'd also upgrade the tires before you need to (ASAP!). The stock tires are great for commuting on surface streets and occasional blasts of high speed. For freeway riding, I HIGHLY recommend the Heidenau K61s. They handle much better at higher speeds than other tires their size and greatly improved the high speed stability and handling on my LX.

No matter what you do, you're still riding what will be the smallest, least visible vehicle on the freeway on 10" wheels. It may be capable, but they're not designed for this kind of riding. As posted elsewhere, it's akin to driving your car with the pedal floored all the time. Except in this case, your car is a 270lb. scooter. I'm not telling anyone what to do, just letting them know that your risks go up exponentially and the stresses and wear on your scooter are also maximized.

Eric, i appreciate the info, really i do. i've never had a scooter under 250cc, so i know little about what to expect. i just like it so much more than my GTV i'm willing it to be exactly what i want and need. we'll see how well that works for me

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:31 pm

Max is ready to roll again--apparently the fuel line connector came loose. easy fix, Max is coming home!

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:31 pm

batgirl101 wrote: i had been wot for at least an hour,

Your scoot is new, and needs to be broken in according to instructions in the owner's manual. Having it WOT for at least an hour is not a good idea for engine longevity.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:33 pm

batgirl101 wrote:i just like it so much more than my GTV

This warms my heart.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:38 pm

desmolicious wrote:
batgirl101 wrote: i had been wot for at least an hour,
Your scoot is new, and needs to be broken in according to instructions in the owner's manual. Having it WOT for at least an hour is not a good idea for engine longevity.

yep, guess i got carried away

he's got 940 miles on him, break in seems to go on forever, i'll take it easy from here on..

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:31 pm

BootScootin'FireFighter wrote:oh no! You've been inspiring me with all your stories about riding the heck out of the 101! I hope you get it fixed up and back out in no time.

hey BSFF--stay inspired, it was just a small glitch--i fully intend to continue my adventures, perhaps at a slightly slower pace for a while.

Post by **jrsjr** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:26 pm

batgirl101 wrote:Max is ready to roll again--apparently the fuel line connector came loose. easy fix, Max is coming home!

Happy. Happy.

Have fun. Ride safe.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:48 pm

ericalm wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:i just like it so much more than my GTV
This warms my heart.

Will you post this on ModernVespa? (kidding. mostly. kind of. unless you really want to. but you'll catch some serious heck. heh.)

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:15 pm

ericalm wrote:
ericalm wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:i just like it so much more than my GTV
This warms my heart.
Will you post this on ModernVespa? (kidding. mostly. kind of. unless you really want to. but you'll catch some serious heck. heh.)

hah! i rarely even look there anymore, but my MV friends who are my FB friends have heard so much about Max, there's no doubt as to who my fav is

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:39 am

batgirl101 wrote:
KRUSTYburger wrote:I've ridden my 125 WOT for 7 hours straight so it's probably not that...
hey KrustyB---i'm thinking the 170i is fully capable of riding over an hour at wot-----i wouldn't have bought the scooter otherwise. i'd love to hear from others who have ridden the heck outta their scoots--esp. freeway riders.

Ditto. I've ridden my 125 the same way and never had an issue. My 170 had an issue on the way to NOLA but I think it's just because my Gremlin Bell failed.

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:51 am

I'm glad you got your scooter back and it was an easy fix.

Now if only that could happen with my MP3 500 that's in the shop....

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:57 pm

michelle_7728 wrote:I'm glad you got your scooter back and it was an easy fix.

Now if only that could happen with my MP3 500 that's in the shop....

what issues are you having with your scoot?

CWO4GUNNER · Post by **CWO4GUNNER** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:18 pm

A FI system which has a pressurized side usually down stream from the gas tank doesn't take much of a bad seal or loosen connection to cause a fuel leak. A full proof pressure circuit is crucial in a FI system, one area manufacturers usually don't skimp on for obvious reasons. If gas was pouring out then subsided after shutting off the ignition, that is an indication that the leak is on the pressure side, probubly just a loose fitting or bad pressure line/hose/O-ring.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:33 pm

CWO4GUNNER wrote:A FI system which has a pressurized side usually down stream from the gas tank doesn't take much of a bad seal or loosen connection to cause a fuel leak. A full proof pressure circuit is crucial in a FI system, one area manufacturers usually don't skimp on for obvious reasons. If gas was pouring out then subsided after shutting off the ignition, that is an indication that the leak is on the pressure side, probubly just a loose fitting or bad pressure line/hose/O-ring.

if I'm understanding it correctly, there is a screw that connects the fuel hose to the injector. when it failed, the tech tightened the screw and used locktight on it. yesterday it failed again--the first ride after the fix i smelled gas but thought is was residual odor. when i got to work there was no leak, but upon leaving when i turned it on, gas came spilling out. the Scooter Center came right away and carted Max off. I'm curious as to what they find--and maybe I'm going to be super cautious for a while, sticking closer to home. but that would suck..

BuddyLicious · Post by **BuddyLicious** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:17 pm

BatGirl,

I believe if your riding long periods all out a high quality synthetic oil is a good idea.Your engine will love you for it.

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:57 pm

Wow what luck. You seem to be keeping a cool head Batgirl, which is more than I could say for myself!!

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:14 pm

Raiderfn31 wrote:Wow what luck. You seem to be keeping a cool head Batgirl, which is more than I could say for myself!!

well yes, i believe in the brand, and it's not my only scooter so i am cool about working the bugs out.

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:08 am

BuddyLicious wrote:BatGirl,

I believe if your riding long periods all out a high quality synthetic oil is a good idea.Your engine will love you for it.

^^^ I"ll agree with that...Riding anything flat out for long periods of time is hard on it...So do all you can to keep it in top shop and synthetic will help a lot.

You can't drive your car WFO for an hour, so think about how hard that is on a scoots motor.

Glad to hear your shop is taking care of you

, let us know

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:03 am

viney266 wrote:
BuddyLicious wrote:BatGirl,

I believe if your riding long periods all out a high quality synthetic oil is a good idea.Your engine will love you for it.

^^^ I"ll agree with that...Riding anything flat out for long periods of time is hard on it...So do all you can to keep it in top shop and synthetic will help a lot.

You can't drive your car WFO for an hour, so think about how hard that is on a scoots motor.

Glad to hear your shop is taking care of you , let us know

thanks for the tip--i'll have the shop put synthetic in on the next service. regarding the leak, the shop doesn't know why it failed a second time-they put in a new fuel injection unit and i'll pick it up tomorrow. jeezus gawd i hope i don't kill this one too

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:37 pm

batgirl101 wrote:
Raiderfn31 wrote:Wow what luck. You seem to be keeping a cool head Batgirl, which is more than I could say for myself!!
well yes, i believe in the brand, and it's not my only scooter so i am cool about working the bugs

St Tropex is kickin 70 and im lovn it

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 3:59 am

BuddyLicious wrote:BatGirl,

I believe if your riding long periods all out a high quality synthetic oil is a good idea.Your engine will love you for it.

i was happy to learn my scooter shop only uses good quality synthetic.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:38 am

pugbuddy wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:
KRUSTYburger wrote:I've ridden my 125 WOT for 7 hours straight so it's probably not that...
hey KrustyB---i'm thinking the 170i is fully capable of riding over an hour at wot-----i wouldn't have bought the scooter otherwise. i'd love to hear from others who have ridden the heck outta their scoots--esp. freeway riders.
Ditto. I've ridden my 125 the same way and never had an issue. My 170 had an issue on the way to NOLA but I think it's just because my Gremlin Bell failed.

what happened to your scoot on the way to Amerivespa?

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:47 pm

batgirl101 wrote: regarding the leak, the shop doesn't know why it failed a second time-they put in a new fuel injection unit and i'll pick it up tomorrow. jeezus gawd i hope i don't kill this one too

I for one really appreciate your service as the unofficial PGO FI Unit Field Tester, batgirl101, and hope that you are out stress-testing the replacement unit right now. Your real-world experiences can only help PGO & Genuine dealers sort these things out. Would-be and hopeful 170i-ers everywhere thank you - hammer that throttle!

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:00 pm

redhandmoto wrote:
batgirl101 wrote: regarding the leak, the shop doesn't know why it failed a second time-they put in a new fuel injection unit and i'll pick it up tomorrow. jeezus gawd i hope i don't kill this one too
I for one really appreciate your service as the unofficial PGO FI Unit Field Tester, batgirl101, and hope that you are out stress-testing the replacement unit right now. Your real-world experiences can only help PGO & Genuine dealers sort these things out. Would-be and hopeful 170i-ers everywhere thank you - hammer that throttle!

my scooter shop told me the same thing! they said ride the hell out of it because it's the only way they're going to know where the issues (if any) will be. and for those of you who think i'm thrashing Max by going WOT and all--well i'm just following the advice of my dealer

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 6:33 pm

batgirl101 wrote:my scooter shop told me the same thing! they said ride the hell out of it because it's the only way they're going to know where the issues (if any) will be. and for those of you who think i'm thrashing Max by going WOT and all--well i'm just following the advice of my dealer

That's a really bad idea.

Stop and think about this for a moment. The mfg recommends a break in period. Why is that?
Every moto/car/truck mfg recommends a break in period. Every single one.
Why is that?

You already have had two mechanical failures ignoring the break in period.
Yet you still are thrashing the crap out of your bike.
Your shop recommends this behaviour. What happens if you have a major mechanical failure out of warranty? Are you going to feel happy paying for that?

This is your bike. Why are you treating it like a rental vehicle? Ya think a local scooter shop -who wasn't able to fix your bike correctly the first time - has better engineers/mechanics than the mfg?

Show respect to your ride and it will treat you well. Don't, and well, look what's already happened. Twice.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:24 pm

desmolicious wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:my scooter shop told me the same thing! they said ride the hell out of it because it's the only way they're going to know where the issues (if any) will be. and for those of you who think i'm thrashing Max by going WOT and all--well i'm just following the advice of my dealer
That's a really bad idea.

Stop and think about this for a moment. The mfg recommends a break in period. Why is that?
Every moto/car/truck mfg recommends a break in period. Every single one.
Why is that?

You already have had two mechanical failures ignoring the break in period.
Yet you still are thrashing the crap out of your bike.
Your shop recommends this behaviour. What happens if you have a major mechanical failure out of warranty? Are you going to feel happy paying for that?

This is your bike. Why are you treating it like a rental vehicle? Ya think a local scooter shop -who wasn't able to fix your bike correctly the first time - has better engineers/mechanics than the mfg?

Show respect to your ride and it will treat you well. Don't, and well, look what's already happened. Twice.

Des--first of all we don't know if the failures had anything at all to do with riding WOT the 2 times that i did it. secondly, i ride my scooters hard--i take freeways to get to beautiful places where i can slow down and enjoy the roses, that doesn't mean i am disrespecting the machine, because i love my scoots. thirdly--my shop did not say specifically to ride WOT, that is my interpretation of * ride it hard* . during the first 500 miles i varied the rpm's after that i rode twice at WOT, did it damage the engine?--it doesn't appear so at this point. my first 2 scooters i followed the slow break in, with Max i asked several of the Bay Area's top mechanics, as well as several of the well known Cannonballers about how to break him in---without hesitation they all said the same thing which was* ride it like you stole it---ride it hard then harder etc..* so i did my homework and chose this path. lastly i'd like to add, several of my good friends have Buddy's--we've been riding together for years and they ride hard , just like me and have not damaged their scooters--and they did the break in the very same way. one more thing--we needn't agree about break in practices--there is and always has been 2 distinctly different trains of thought on the matter. and yes, clearly your post upset me--sorry if i went over board with my response.

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:52 pm

batgirl101 wrote:
Des--first of all we don't know if the failures had anything at all to do with riding WOT the 2 times that i did it. secondly, i ride my scooters hard--i take freeways to get to beautiful places where i can slow down and enjoy the roses, that doesn't mean i am disrespecting the machine, because i love my scoots. thirdly--my shop did not say specifically to ride WOT, that is my interpretation of * ride it hard* . during the first 500 miles i varied the rpm's after that i rode twice at WOT, did it damage the engine?--it doesn't appear so at this point. my first 2 scooters i followed the slow break in, with Max i asked several of the Bay Area's top mechanics, as well as several of the well known Cannonballers about how to break him in---without hesitation they all said the same thing which was* ride it like you stole it---ride it hard then harder etc..* so i did my homework and chose this path. lastly i'd like to add, several of my good friends have Buddy's--we've been riding together for years and they ride hard , just like me and have not damaged their scooters--and they did the break in the very same way. one more thing--we needn't agree about break in practices--there is and always has been 2 distinctly different trains of thought on the matter. and yes, clearly your post upset me--sorry if i went over board with my response.

it's your scooter, ride like you want but also understand you're going against what the engineers and manufacture say is the best way to break it in. No one knows this scooter better than them.

I'm not sure about all your scooters but the 2 you've mentioned were designed to ride they way you do: big ruckus and gtv. 250cc can handle freeways and cruising at 70mph for long periods of time. that's NOT what a buddy was designed for. You've seen the limitations- slower up a hill and no extra throttle for evasive maneuvers. The buddy is the wrong scooter if you want to be riding freeways regularly.

That said, I've put 21,000 miles on my Buddy in 2 years. Over mountains, across deserts. All using the old highways or back roads. It takes some mapping and a whole lot longer to get to where you're going but i call it "scenic" It took 8hrs to scoot to LA because we had to AROUND Camp Pendleton. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Again, it's your scooter to do with what you want but if you ride it like a 250cc scooter it's will disappoint you often and seems like it breakdown a lot, too.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:01 pm

FWIW, if I don't take my Buddy for a good, long, aggressive (80+ miles) WOT run on a regular basis the performance suffers greatly. After a good long run like that (like the 200+ mile ride I did to Santa Barbara and back this past weekend) my scooter just comes alive and is responsive as heck. I think babying a scooter too much and never giving it a good workout is like turning your scooter into a couch potato. It will begin to lumber around. That said, I've done all my most ambitious riding after my scooter was broken in, starting at about 1500+ miles. That said too, when I broke it in I didn't baby it, I just constantly varied the throttle. But I was a new rider so the most aggressive speed I could muster back then was likely pretty tame compared to what I do now-a-days.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:29 pm

Mmmmm, other reports have popped-up here-and-there about the possibility of heat/stress-related issues with PGO FI units, that PGO is aware of and has duplicated the problem, and is working on it.

batgirl01 is not having engine problems per se - she's having FI unit problems. We're seeing some talk about apparent heat-related issues with the Blur 220i which may also be EFI-related. FWIW, staff at my local dealer told me personally that PGO is "working on it."

Still, all this is anecdotal. The EFI problem - if there is one - is likely unrelated to break-in practices on the engine and one's feelings about her preferred method of riding and breaking-in are irrelevant to the matter.

Stories about the bulletproof reliability and longevity of carefully broken-in carbed Buddys are great to hear, but also irrelevant here. These are new bikes not yet subjected to wide use. Nothing shakes a new product down like actual use; use is where the theoretical becomes real, where many problems with components first appear, and where solutions are developed. Honda, the King of Reliability, has been through the same drill countless times (and yes, even with the Big Ruckus. Full details available on inquiry).

There doesn't seem to be anything fatal here. I have every confidence that PGO will solve the thing in good order, and all will be revealed. Meanwhile, criticism of batgirl's break-in has pretty much got nothing to do with it.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:20 pm

redhandmoto wrote:Meanwhile, criticism of batgirl's break-in has pretty much got nothing to do with it.

It may not, but extended periods of WOT riding on a brand new scoot is exactly what new owners are not supposed to do. There are a lot of disagreements about break in procedure, but the one constant is that owners should vary the RPMs and not ride at full throttle/max RPMs for long periods.

It's nothing personal or "blaming the owner"; others should know that the manufacturer and most dealers advise against doing this.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:57 pm

jijifer wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:
Des--first of all we don't know if the failures had anything at all to do with riding WOT the 2 times that i did it. secondly, i ride my scooters hard--i take freeways to get to beautiful places where i can slow down and enjoy the roses, that doesn't mean i am disrespecting the machine, because i love my scoots. thirdly--my shop did not say specifically to ride WOT, that is my interpretation of * ride it hard* . during the first 500 miles i varied the rpm's after that i rode twice at WOT, did it damage the engine?--it doesn't appear so at this point. my first 2 scooters i followed the slow break in, with Max i asked several of the Bay Area's top mechanics, as well as several of the well known Cannonballers about how to break him in---without hesitation they all said the same thing which was* ride it like you stole it---ride it hard then harder etc..* so i did my homework and chose this path. lastly i'd like to add, several of my good friends have Buddy's--we've been riding together for years and they ride hard , just like me and have not damaged their scooters--and they did the break in the very same way. one more thing--we needn't agree about break in practices--there is and always has been 2 distinctly different trains of thought on the matter. and yes, clearly your post upset me--sorry if i went over board with my response.
it's your scooter, ride like you want but also understand you're going against what the engineers and manufacture say is the best way to break it in. No one knows this scooter better than them.

I'm not sure about all your scooters but the 2 you've mentioned were designed to ride they way you do: big ruckus and gtv. 250cc can handle freeways and cruising at 70mph for long periods of time. that's NOT what a buddy was designed for. You've seen the limitations- slower up a hill and no extra throttle for evasive maneuvers. The buddy is the wrong scooter if you want to be riding freeways regularly.

That said, I've put 21,000 miles on my Buddy in 2 years. Over mountains, across deserts. All using the old highways or back roads. It takes some mapping and a whole lot longer to get to where you're going but i call it "scenic" It took 8hrs to scoot to LA because we had to AROUND Camp Pendleton. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Again, it's your scooter to do with what you want but if you ride it like a 250cc scooter it's will disappoint you often and seems like it breakdown a lot, too.

yep jij---i know the limits of Max, having tried the uphill freeway situations was not fun. No doubt i will continue to hop on the freeway, but perhaps for shorter distances. i've got nearly 50,000 beautiful miles under my belt, and i'm grateful to have discovered such a lovely way to spend my time. Despite taking some heavy handed flak for my choices, i will continue to post about my experiences on Max, both in order that others may learn from it and ..well, just because i'm having SO much fun

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:23 pm

Any updates?