Oops, I did it again
You didn’t really think I would be able to resist for long, did you?
Hubby’s upgrade was such a success, I started researching chick scooters right away. I think I looked up every model that wasn’t made in China, and I found that they just don’t make many models that work well for women.
For one thing, a lot of them are so heavy you have to be pretty big and strong just to make sure you don’t tip over. For another, a lot of the seats are high off the ground — and you need to be able to put your feet down when you stop.
I was convinced the Buddy 125 or 150 — in the same neat girlie size as the 50 — was going to be the winner, if only because its seat is only 29 inches off the ground. But after hearing advice from the local scooter group and test driving several models (man, that guy is good — he knew just which ones to suggest!) I found the Buddy lacking.
Yes, it made it up the hill that had my little Buddy 50 down from 45 to 37 every time, but when I got on a straight stretch and picked up a decent speed, I felt like I was whipped cream. I had to keep leaning back and forth because I felt so unstable. It was a little windy that day, but only about 5 or 6 mph. I decided I just wouldn’t feel safe riding around the hills on the little cutie.
So after trying out another chick scooter (the Kymco People 125) and feeling blah about it, the scooter guy suggested I try the “baby brother” of Hubby’s. The People S 200.
I was skeptical, since it had the same seat height as Hubby’s, but I noticed it had a smaller more girl-friendly overall size. And it weighed 100 pounds less than Hubby’s. After I rode it (only about 1/3 of the time I had tried the Buddy) I was faced with a dilemma.
Yes, the Buddy’s seat height was a great advantage, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable on the People. My only concern really was that it had less storage.
I had test ridden all three over lunch, so all afternoon I mulled over my options. Finally, I realized I would only be happy with the People. Then I had to face another kind of dilemma: which color? I almost went with the blue — my favorite color — but the scooter shop had a red demo that was several hundred dollars cheaper.
In the end it was not the price that won out, but the fact that I already had a red jacket to match. Being that the jacket cost (gulp) $150 plus tax, I really did not want to start thinking down the road “Man, I wish my jacket matched my scoot.”
I imagine the next impending purchase will be a trunk since I feel a little cheated out of storage. The Buddy sure had lots of it. The People still has the pop-up seat and even a little cubby up front, but I do miss the cupholder.
I’m sure the girls at McDonald’s will too… they sure got a kick out of it when I took the drive-thru and neatly set my orange juice and bag in the front pocket without missing a beat!
But faced with the option of drive-thru ease vs. the ability to ride those lovely winding hills I’ve been dreaming of, there’s just no comparison.
And Hubby can’t leave me in the dust anymore!
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