Modern Buddy

I possibly have the only Buddy with flip out foot pegs in the world. I started this project 2 weeks ago. After 2 1/2 hours of pattern building, 7 hours of design and fabrication and 2 1/2 hours of tweeking and shimming, the foot pegs came out fairly well for 100% hand built. There was no mods or cutting on the Buddy. The pegs pivot on teflon and have a retension adjustment so they stay retracted when not in use. They flip out and retract as smooth as glass. I used cadmium plated hardware on this prototype and will probably upgrade to stainless steel button head screws with a recessed hex drive. Please feel free to comment.

Andrew

Mega Cool! that's all I gotta say

Those are interesting. Has anyone ridden with you and used them yet for feedback about the usefulness and comfort level?

One thing I wonder is what do you think about slippage on the foot pegs since they are flat metal?

Very very creative, and l love how they fold into the side. Looks like it was made that way. I am curious, you said no cutting or mods to the Buddy so without going out to the garage to look is there already a slot that those pegs slide into?

P.S. Just saw your location. I think we may have played you guys in high school football. My parents are between Afton and Vinita.

The entire foot rest is removed with the 2 mounting screws, and replaced with this footrest. This unit is constructed from aircraft aluminum and Bright aluminum treadplate. One of the most difficult thingswas to get the shims and spacers correct so the footrest is tight but not binding. I have put my feet on them while riding an it is a change from the standard floorboard. It will allow more leg positions for longer rides. I will get to try them out with my grandson in the next day or so. Most shoe soles are rubber and grip the pegs very well. If your shoe sole is slipping on a hard floor, then they might also slip on the pegs - most soles work well though.

Simply Ingenious. Start the fabrication process and get these things out there. I guarantee you will sell more than enough to make it worth the time and effort.

Andgosun -

Very nice!! They look stylish as well as functional. I like.

PasadenaSue

Now that is a sweet MOD! Great Job! I would like a set if you are selling them, this will allow me to lighten the buddy up a bit by removing my bulky foot rests.

I do have a question though, will these retractable foot rests work with the buddy cowl guard in place?

Those are sooo cool and you are so talented to have developed those. Congrats.

So, keep us posted as every should have those.

Wow! That is a nice piece of kit. I feel pretty sure you could sell some kits to recoup your expenses.

SCOOTERSOLDIER wrote:Now that is a sweet MOD! Great Job! I would like a set if you are selling them, this will allow me to lighten the buddy up a bit by removing my bulky foot rests.

I do have a question though, will these retractable foot rests work with the buddy cowl guard in place?

I have not checked as to how they attach. If they just bolt to the surface of the existing foot rests, they should. I have not altered the bolt pattern of the footrest in any way. Does the cowl bar come around the side ordoes it stay toward the top edge? Maybe a spacer could tke care of that if it is in the way. The bolts used are aout 1/2" longer than what is needed. If I go to SS Button Hex Recessed bolts, I was thinking of getting a shorter bolt. I will investigate the compatability though.
Thanks,
Andrew

Very cool. I love to see what people are capable of fabbing up.
Great job.
-K

andgosun wrote:I possibly have the only Buddy with flip out foot pegs in the world. I started this project 2 weeks ago. After 2 1/2 hours of pattern building, 7 hours of design and fabrication and 2 1/2 hours of tweeking and shimming, the foot pegs came out fairly well for 100% hand built. There was no mods or cutting on the Buddy. The pegs pivot on teflon and have a retension adjustment so they stay retracted when not in use. They flip out and retract as smooth as glass. I used cadmium plated hardware on this prototype and will probably upgrade to stainless steel button head screws with a recessed hex drive. Please feel free to comment.

Andrew

Really neat! I could be in the market for a set of these..!
-Only question I have is, they look like they fold backwards under the footplates, yes? Wouldn't this cause them to gradually slide backwards under the pressures of a rider's forward leaning feet? I mean, it doesn't look as if the rider would usually sit with their feet straight down on them...?
Might shims under the plates then help them from being pushed back under pressure, or have you figured out another solution already??

andgosun wrote:

SCOOTERSOLDIER wrote:Now that is a sweet MOD! Great Job! I would like a set if you are selling them, this will allow me to lighten the buddy up a bit by removing my bulky foot rests.

I do have a question though, will these retractable foot rests work with the buddy cowl guard in place?

I have not checked as to how they attach. If they just bolt to the surface of the existing foot rests, they should. I have not altered the bolt pattern of the footrest in any way. Does the cowl bar come around the side ordoes it stay toward the top edge? Maybe a spacer could tke care of that if it is in the way. The bolts used are aout 1/2" longer than what is needed. If I go to SS Button Hex Recessed bolts, I was thinking of getting a shorter bolt. I will investigate the compatability though.
Thanks,
Andrew

I went out and looked and your pegs are not compatible with the buddy cowling guard, the cowling guard goes right down the side where your pegs flip out, guess I am stuck with my foot pads for now, still a way cool mod you have, I imagine that will be popular mod should you decide to market them. Good luck and good job!

Awesome mod!! This is just what I've been looking for. Who do I send the check to??

Look forward to hearing a ride review using these. And def let me know if you would like to start selling these. Very nice work.

Very nice work! When will they be available for purchase?

Too bad you cant make them pop out by remote control.. could be a cool way of defending yourself on the road

Really neat! I could be in the market for a set of these..!
-Only question I have is, they look like they fold backwards under the footplates, yes? Wouldn't this cause them to gradually slide backwards under the pressures of a rider's forward leaning feet? I mean, it doesn't look as if the rider would usually sit with their feet straight down on them...?
Might shims under the plates then help them from being pushed back under pressure, or have you figured out another solution already??[/quote]

The pivot is on a teflon bearing. By tightning the adjustment screw the folding resistance can be increased. If increased, the probability of leg injury will increase just as solid pegs do now. I used teflon because aluminum against aluminum makes for a very poor bearing surface with very unreliable smoothness when pivoting. Teflon however is smooth!!!! I went for a 12 mile ride this AM. I used the pegs as you suggested and they did not fold back as you are thinking. When sitting in the center of the seat, arms outstretched to the handlebars, the feet actually position about purpendicular to the pegs, thus a downward force and not backward. The heels of my shoes cradled the peg and it felt secure. The peg stop is adjusted so it does favor a passenger foot angle, but that could be adjusted in the MFG process if needed. About half the trip I just used the foot pads, and seem to work better than the 3-rib stock pads, which felt uncomfortable andI never used as a sole rider. When the pegs are extended, a persons leg spread at a stop sign is a little wider, just as it would be to extend over a passengers foot, or past solid foot pegs. If accidently starting from a stop sign and the foot is still on the street, the calf of the leg pushes the step back with no problem. I am seriously thinking of putting these on the market, but I have already found several things I would improve on.
Andrew

andgosun wrote:I am seriously thinking of putting these on the market, but I have already found several things I would improve on.
Andrew

It's not a one-or-the other thing, is it? You can improve... and then put them on the market!

My only request is before you sign a multi-million dollar contract with Prima or whoever (and they proceed to charge an arm and a leg for these), canya hook up some fellow MB-ites at a "friendly" discount?

Also, I was thinking about the metal surface, and you're right, most shoes are rubber and would hold fine, but when it's wet, rubber + metal = no traction. Would it be possible to texture the surface of the fold-out pegs so it's gritty-like (even if it's just gritty-textured metal surface... I'm not necessarily imagining adding another surface material) and maybe round out the rear edge so there's more surface area for a passenger's rubber sole to flex around?

Congrats again!
Jay

andgosun

first off, to reiterate what everyone else has said... i LOVE these !!!


and then...

when can i buy a set?


my daughter is a frequent passenger on my budy. and we are noticing that the passenger footrests are not exactly user friendly.

not only does it put her feet and legs in an awkward positiion, but they are slippery. we are finding that any bump in the road tends to cause her feet to slide off. NOT safe by any stretch of the imagination.

so.. when and where can i send money to ?

naptime wrote:andgosun

my daughter is a frequent passenger on my budy. and we are noticing that the passenger footrests are not exactly user friendly.

so.. when and where can i send money to ?

Yes, count me in, too! Please let us know.

BTW: Some skateboard grip tape should do the traction thing even when wet. (It's basically sand paper of the belt-sander grade that "sticks".

add me to the list. that is the ONE feature of the People (and a few other scoots) that I am jealous of.

Add me in for a set too! Those are exactly what I have been looking for since I got my buddy! Nice work

Might as well add me to the list. I really dig the design and engineering.
I too frequently have a passenger and these would make a world of difference for them. Any idea on how much would be willing to sell them for?

Hi Andrew - please remember, no work of art is ever "truly" finished.

Package it up, and let us donate to your R&D fund!

Being in the software business for over 20 years, I can't tell you how many really great programs I've seen from entreprenaurs that never made it to market because they felt it would not be good enough until they add "just one more feature"...but that's what "upgrades" are for...you'll have a V1, V2, V3, etc. But you gotta start selling them while you have an active and willing audience.

Just my $0.02...

I'll take the first set, BTW!
Do you have an idea on price?

Nice andgosun;

That diamond plate would look good as a rear rack and maybe a small area on the floor board too. ...Just a thought ... might be a theme going on there...

Kaz

You must have access to some pretty neat hardware, I bet

Sign me up for a set. For traction, rather than grip tape (which looks like it would interfere with the folding in) couldn't you cut in some "saw teeth" on the back side like motorcross bike pegs?

Very cool. How do you get them out of their nicely recessed home?

And BTW, I am very impressed with your skills as a craftsman!

So....where do I send the money?????

These look very nice. You did a great job!

As a business owner I'm going to recommend that you talk to an attorney before selling these to make sure you won't be liable for any injuries these could possibly cause in an accident or any other way.

Attorneys and "Moms"....always there to point out danger!
(Kidding)

Buddy Pegs - Well I am now on revision #5 and like it pretty well. I have eliminated the pretty Design holes and left the peg solid. By using a slightly thinner peg it has allowed clearance for the surface grit bonding for more shoe / foot traction on the peg, and allow for smooth folding of the peg. I have tested these for about 2 weeks now and I believe these will work well. I am using Stainless Steel Hex Recess Screws and still attach to the original mounting holes after the removal of the original foot rests. My Attorney meeting is on hold for now and my mom is in a nursing home and knows her advice will be listed to but not necessarily heeded, depending upon if it will benifit me. The advantage of a folding peg is that if your leg gets in the way, the peg just folds back out of the way.
I do have more serious comitments as making a living and this hobby is worked in my spare time. At this stage I will need some lead time as they are 100% hand built. Looks like cost will be $65 a pair with $7.50 shipping. PM me for further details and interest. I am in line for a promotion at work and I will see what I can possibly do in my spare time. It has been a little cooler and the shop temperature is now below 90 or 95. It has been warm here. Thanks for the interest and I'll see if I can post some updated photos soon.
Andrew

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

PM me if you want to sell a set. I'll buy 'em.

You take Paypal?

sweet. pm will be sent.

thanks andrew !

andgosun,

Can you post a photo of Rev #5, just so we can have a look at the final product.

Thanks

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I was wondering if anyone besides me ended up getting the folding footpegs? Above seems to be andgosun's last post on MB.

I like the folding pegs a lot, but they have slightly sharp edges, and I worry about clothing getting snagged, especially dress pants of some kind.

I would love a set of these! I also ride with my daughter on the back and as someone else mentioned, her feet slip off constantly! I am trying to use the stick on grip tape stuff that you use for slippery floors but it is seriously fugly and does not work all that great anyway.

Please let me know if you are goign to sell these anytime soon!

-v

I still want these up front just outside of the triangular pieces of the floor mat. It would be wicked comfortable for a one-up rider!

2 f--ing sweet. I so want some. Next I would like some highway pegs. Let me know when they go up for sell.

very nice work! i think you could sell a lot of those, the buddy can definetly use them, I would say I would buy a set, but I have a rough house....now if you made a pair for the rear pegs on a rough house.....

These are truly awesome. What great work. If I had one wish it would be that somehow they could be compatible with the cowl guards (Love my cowl guards), then I would buy some in a heartbeat.

Congrats and brilliantly done.

Does anyone have any idea if these would fit on a Roughhouse or a Rattler? My girlfriends one complaint about the scoot is the uncomfortable passenger riding. I'd like to be able to double up more often.

Just want to say that the foot pegs work great! Just what my wife needed to feel comfortable riding two up.

I am dedicated to keeping my regular job, and this is my priority in these trying times. I have built quite a few sets this fall. Please PM me or send an email to andgosun@sbcglobal.net . I will try to get these worked in. I am also working on another invention to keep the body cool in the summer for all those who work in paint booths or hot enviroments that have access to a source of compressed air. I have already been spoken for to build a 5 foot high barbie house for Christmas for a special grandaughter. PM me or email me with any questions.
Thanks Andrew

How come I can't see the picture?? I wanna see!!

andgosun wrote:I am dedicated to keeping my regular job, and this is my priority in these trying times. I have built quite a few sets this fall. Please PM me or send an email to andgosun@sbcglobal.net . I will try to get these worked in. I am also working on another invention to keep the body cool in the summer for all those who work in paint booths or hot enviroments that have access to a source of compressed air. I have already been spoken for to build a 5 foot high barbie house for Christmas for a special grandaughter. PM me or email me with any questions.
Thanks Andrew

thanks for the update Andrew - I sent you a PM. Please post again when production starts on the dollhouse, I have a special granddaughter too, she might be ready for next years Christmas run

fobbish wrote:How come I can't see the picture?? I wanna see!!

Try making sure you are logged in, if you aren't logged in you can't see the pics.

-v

Nice work Could your design be adapted to the front foot rests on the RoughHouse and Rattler? Would definitely help out the taller Rattler owners out there. Just a thought.

Very professional work!!!!