Pass it on to parents who are interested in getting as new toy for their children.

While I am captivated with Vespas, the Buddy seems to be a better deal, and I also like the placement of lights on the handlebars. It seems that this would be very useful for visibility. Does anyone who is familiar with both have any input on this? It just seems reasonable. Any other strong feelings people have about the two? (I know, this is a Vespa site… but I had to ask!) I’m a medium sized woman, by the way.

Answer:

My wife was initally enamored with the Buddy (”It comes in pink!”), but after some research and side-by-side comparison she went with the LX. The Buddy is a very good scoot, despite its smaller displacement, it is actually a hair faster than the LX150 because it’s lighter. It’s lighter because it’s mostly plastic while the LX is more metal than plastic. The Buddy is definitely a bargain on the front end, but after, I dunno, five or six years I wonder what the resale on it will be. The Vespa is a pretty safe bet in resale value. If you take the long view on that, I would say the price less resale value is probably about even…depends on if you can afford it on the front or back end of ownership.

The Buddy is manufactured in Asia (this is a “so what” for me), but they are well-supported by Chicago-based Genuine Scooters who are part of an excellent scooter shop called Scooterworks, also in Chicago. Genuine/Scooterworks sources and sells lots of optional equipement for both the Buddy and all model Vespas.

You probably know the drill on Vespa, made in Italy and well-supporeted by their dealer network. The LX150 has more accessories and more third-party companies making accessories than Buddy. The “captivation” factor is legit…Vespas are very cool.

“Hi, It started out as a Huffy Beach Cruiser that I bought at a Thrift Store for $15 and it kind of got out of control from there. The fuel tanks are old pump style fire extinguishers from the early 1900’s and has kersone lanterns from the late 1800’s which have been bulbed and wired for light along with sirens from the 50’s that run off a 6 volt battery and Power Wheels motors. The sidecar started life at another Thrift Store as a pull behind cart that a small child would ride in behind a parents bike and it went from there. The sidecar frame is wooden covered with canvas and sealed. I don’t know why I built it except just to see if I could and with a lot of trial and error I got what you see. My Very First motorcycle show I went to I won “First Place” in the antique class and won “Best Fabrication” of the entire show! I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out, what do you think? Coming soon are pictures of my son’s OCC Stingray bike which is where all this really got started. By the way thats him riding in the sidecar in the Avatar while it was in the cardboard mockup stage”

Ante Djindjic is  29 and from  the Croatian city of Zagreb, was travelling back home after having a fight with his current girl friend. Reporters spoke to him from hospital and  he said the following:

 ”I don’t remember what happened. One minute I was taking a leak and the next thing I knew I was in hospital.Doctors said the lightning went through my body and because I was wearing rubber boots it earthed itself through my penis.”

Djindjic, suffered heavy burns to his upper body and lower arms but had recovered enough in the next 3 days to go for a pint to celebrate the birth of his son. He said to local reporters:

“Thankfully, the doctors said that there would be no lasting effects, and my penis will function normally eventually.”

So there might be another little Djindjic running around in the next 9 months!

“He has always been driven by a passion to do something out of the ordinary”

I got to say that sounds like the biggest understatement that I have ever heard.

Rahman decided to get 18 boys on his scooter whilst he rode in to town! When in Mombassa i saw up to 3 on a Bajaj but never anything even near 18. Luckily Dhubri superintendent of police was able to protect him whilst he broke the world record.

The article does not mention what Motorbike that he is riding but it does have an image:

If you can tell me what Motorbike it is, I will post a link to your blog/website (as long as it aint illegal