From WCCO in Minneapolis:
Bob Hedstrom’s Minneapolis store Scooterville is struggling to keep up with demand as customers brag to their friends about their gas mileage. The scooters, whose prices start at $1,800, get 100 miles to the gallon.
Bob Hedstrom is probably our second- or third-favorite scooter shop owner in the United States, and, to be fair, he’s not directly quoted as saying the Buddy gets 100mpg, but this is the fifth story this month that implies that the Buddy gets 100mpg. I like and trust Bob a lot, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that the Buddy can get 100mpg, but it certainly doesn’t get that in real-world conditions, and 80mpg is surely worth bragging about. Despite Vespa’s claims of 60mph on most of their bikes, I saw a story this morning (Link to come later) where a Vespa owner claimed to get 80mpg. Again, I just think it’s the small gas tanks, the inaccuracy of scooter odometers, and lack of careful record-keeping that convinces people they’re getting better mileage than they are. 100 miles per tank? sure, but not per gallon.
UPDATE: Here, sandwiched between two Hedstrom quotes, KARE says scooters “get anywhere from 50 to 115 miles per gallon.” WTF?
Dave and I saw a guy riding a Buddy on I-5 (the part with a 55mph speed limit) and it was going faster than our Dodge truck, so we know it can go fast (no word on the guy’s fuel use though!)
Yeah, they’re fast as hell for a 125, (though probably not legal on I-5). They’re REALLY REALLY REALLY great scooters, and they possibly get better mileage than any other scooter made today. Everything about them is great. But to imply they might get 115 mpg is ridiculous.
Yamaha is claiming 115mpg for the C3. Maybe that’s where that comes from. I don’t think the motorsport industry is subject to the same Govt. regulations on reporting fuel economy. So when given a chance to lie a little….. :)
Thanks for the high ranking. POC Phil has got to be # 1. He’s my favorite, even when I include myself… Gas prices always seem to bring the news stations out. The 100 MPG quote came from a customer with a Kymco Agility 125. A 50cc Agility (4 stroke) probably can do about 115 mpg if you don’t hammer it too hard.
I’ve had customers claim 100mpg on a Buddy 125. Personally, I like to modify the throttle so it “goes to eleven”. I’ve never bothered to check fuel economy. I did commute on a Buddy most of last summer on I-94. I passed a few cars.
The best I’ve achieved was a speedo indicated 74mph on a flat following a short downhill. Haven’t had a chance to do a comparison on the Buddy 150.
Bob @ Scooterville
Thanks for chiming in, Bob. Glad to see you didn’t take it the wrong way. And glad to see you’ve embraced your new nickname. : )