Modern Buddy

Yeah....expanding my horizons as a Scooter Whisper. I am into vintage Vespas, Lambrettas, Modern TNG 06 Buddy 125 (kitted to 161) and a 2013 Blur. I also swim in the Maxi Scooter pool with a BMW 650GT as my commuter.

Yeah...I get crap from someone no matter what I ride. "You should get a Harley" "Your 2T blows too much blue smoke" "A 650 isn't a real scooter"

You know what...I also get to hang with all groups! I can hang vintage, talk wrench and ride modern small scooters and also ride with the BMW club...they are really into safety and good fast rides with experienced riders.

So I am dipping my toe into another scooter area...RETRO BABY! I don"t know what it;s really called but I picked up a 1990 Yamaha Riva 200Z! I have loved the looks of these since they were new and it was one of the first scooters I wanted but could not afford back then.

It is a blast! A one day early birthday present to me!

Welcome to the madness! Parts can be harder to find, but the big Rivas are hella cushy for cruising.

I picked a 1989 up at the end of summer. I think it is what a scooter would look like if Delorean Motor Motor Company tried to build a Lambretta knock off.
I need the right front linkage cover if you happen to have an extra.

I've always liked the look of those Riva 200's and keep a semi-eye out for a good one for a fair price. Semi-eye because the Buddy would have to go (space limitations) and I still like the Buddy more than a Riva. Based on the pics I would assume they are in nice condition overall. Great scores for both of you!

az_slynch wrote:Welcome to the madness! Parts can be harder to find, but the big Rivas are hella cushy for cruising.

It's a sweet ride! I have sourced a replacement exhaust and good seat cover. Suspension may need some replacements.

Yeah...I know that some parts can be scarce... but I have a 64 GS MKII, 68 Super Sport and a 65 TV175 S3 so I have been through the parts hunt game before. Sometimes it's part of the fun.

This may get turned into a cannonball bike if I don't go vintage again!

What are you using for a replacement belt? The OEM Yamaha belt no longer exists.

BuddyRaton wrote:

az_slynch wrote:Welcome to the madness! Parts can be harder to find, but the big Rivas are hella cushy for cruising.

It's a sweet ride! I have sourced a replacement exhaust and good seat cover. Suspension may need some replacements.

Yeah...I know that some parts can be scarce... but I have a 64 GS MKII, 68 Super Sport and a 65 TV175 S3 so I have been through the parts hunt game before. Sometimes it's part of the fun.

This may get turned into a cannonball bike if I don't go vintage again!

I think I still have your address around. I have an OE Riva 200 exhaust gasket here that I'll send over.

Turns out that the exhaust on the 180 has a much smaller port. Wound up using a 32mm GY6 50cc gasket as a replacement last time.

DeeDee wrote:What are you using for a replacement belt? The OEM Yamaha belt no longer exists.

I have an OE Riva 180 belt for my '83 180; hadn't installed it as the original only had about 8500 miles on it and the scoot could still hit 70mph.

I know someone on RivaRiders was working on getting dimensions to find a decent replacement; I should probably measure what I have and we'll see whats out there.

Mine's been parked up since late December 2013 for a CVT and final drive rebuild. Took a long time to find all the essential bits. Stil missing one OE oil seal, but I think I'll just tear it down and measure the old one. Stock rollers are not cheap. I think buying a 9-roller Polini Evolution set is a more reasonable alternative.

Cool scooter. I thought about getting one in hopes of finding a Julia Roberts type girl too...

Great find. I love the rare sound of a 2 stroke zooming down the road.

Congrats BR. I enjoyed every minute with my Honda Elite 150. There's nothing like smoking other scooterists on a 31 year old scooter. The faces they make when you just take off from stop lights, and tell them you rode 1,400 miles the last 3 days on this scooter is priceless!

babblefish wrote:I thought about getting one in hopes of finding a Julia Roberts type girl too...

The photo in the OPs post didn't look like Julia Roberts.

Love the duck...

Nice buy! I have always been fond of vintage bikes.

Dooglas wrote:

babblefish wrote:I thought about getting one in hopes of finding a Julia Roberts type girl too...

The photo in the OPs post didn't look like Julia Roberts.

Guess you didn't see the movie, "Larry Crowne"....

babblefish wrote:Guess you didn't see the movie, "Larry Crowne"....

Actually, I presumed the photo in the original post was a selfie.

Not a selfie but it's me! I figure I'm more like Larry...just better looking!

sc00ter wrote:I've always liked the look of those Riva 200's and keep a semi-eye out for a good one for a fair price. Semi-eye because the Buddy would have to go (space limitations) and I still like the Buddy more than a Riva. Based on the pics I would assume they are in nice condition overall. Great scores for both of you!

Love the color!

heres a steal of a deal, specially if you need a few hard to find parts https://racine.craigslist.org/mcy/5982518309.html