"Long" ride on the Buddy 50
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2016 6:24 pm
When we bought our Buddy 50 a year ago, we got her for the usual reasons: as a convenient "errand runner", as a bike for my wife and daughter to learn on, and as a fun bike to play on. She has exceeded our expectations in every way, and we are very happy with her. But in the back of my my mind, I always wondered, "Could I actually take this thing for a real ride; could she manage a weekend camping tour?"
Well, this morning I found myself on my own. The kids were are all busy, my wife was at a wedding shower, and no one had called about going riding or canoeing, so I decided to run down to Gettysburg, and to ride the Buddy, just to see how she would do. I took Rt. 34 most of the way. It is a two lane highway, an ancient road dating back well before colonial times. The speed limit varies between 35 and 55; the road passes through medium size cities (like Carlisle) and small towns (like Shermansdale). It passes over several "mountains" (in PA, 2600 feet makes for a mountain. We aren't talking Mt. Everest here) and is twisty enough to be fun. It is a fairly busy road, but it has a lot of relatively quiet sections as well. In other words, it represents what is typical of a secondary hi way here in PA.
How did the Buddy do? Just fine, of course. The total trip was 167 miles long, and It took me s total of 2 hours and 45 minutes of travel time. I could keep up with traffic most (75%) of the time, but I did pull over about 8 times while going up steep hills to let people by. The bike ran smoothly and quietly, and was fairly comfortable, and I liked being able to move my feet around to different positions, something I can't really do on the motorcycle. The seat became uncomfortable after an hour, but that's normal for me on any bike. And when I got caught in traffic (there is a car show going on in Carlisle. I missed that somehow.) I really appreciated the automatic transmission. All in all, a very successful trial.
So yes, the Buddy 50 CAN be a touring bike. If one isn't in a hurry, and if no divided highways are involved. I am already planning a ride up to Smethport this Fall, if my daughter and wife will let me have the Buddy long enough, that is!
Well, this morning I found myself on my own. The kids were are all busy, my wife was at a wedding shower, and no one had called about going riding or canoeing, so I decided to run down to Gettysburg, and to ride the Buddy, just to see how she would do. I took Rt. 34 most of the way. It is a two lane highway, an ancient road dating back well before colonial times. The speed limit varies between 35 and 55; the road passes through medium size cities (like Carlisle) and small towns (like Shermansdale). It passes over several "mountains" (in PA, 2600 feet makes for a mountain. We aren't talking Mt. Everest here) and is twisty enough to be fun. It is a fairly busy road, but it has a lot of relatively quiet sections as well. In other words, it represents what is typical of a secondary hi way here in PA.
How did the Buddy do? Just fine, of course. The total trip was 167 miles long, and It took me s total of 2 hours and 45 minutes of travel time. I could keep up with traffic most (75%) of the time, but I did pull over about 8 times while going up steep hills to let people by. The bike ran smoothly and quietly, and was fairly comfortable, and I liked being able to move my feet around to different positions, something I can't really do on the motorcycle. The seat became uncomfortable after an hour, but that's normal for me on any bike. And when I got caught in traffic (there is a car show going on in Carlisle. I missed that somehow.) I really appreciated the automatic transmission. All in all, a very successful trial.
So yes, the Buddy 50 CAN be a touring bike. If one isn't in a hurry, and if no divided highways are involved. I am already planning a ride up to Smethport this Fall, if my daughter and wife will let me have the Buddy long enough, that is!