My Buddy Gets Accessorized

I am still quite happy with the purchase of my April '08 Genuine Scooter Company's Buddy. He is my little Buddy. Gilligan to my Skipper, without the fuck-ups.


If you are planning on getting a scooter, go ahead and get a trunk for it when you get the scooter, if you can. You'll like having the extra storage space. I waited to get mine, to see if I might actually need it after all, and was sorry I waited, because the onrush of scooter purchases this past summer, in response to $4/gallon gas, caused delivery of my trunk to be much delayed.

Thanks to my huge brain, I had to get an X-tra Large helmet. At the time, I bought a helmet with no face shield, so I went and bought some goggles to put over my glasses for when I ride. That worked just fine until I got new glasses last week: the new glasses are larger than the old ones and the goggles now crush these larger glasses into my face.

So, I bought a half-shield today, which works great. An MXL Hydron Fog Eater Anti-Fog Flip Shield. That's a mouthful, but it's better than having a face full. Of bugs. And it's cooler than having goggles over my eyes too.

At the same time, I purchased a YUASA SmartShot 900 Battery Charger-Maintainer. Some call them "trickle-chargers," because they provide a trickle of power to your scooter's battery for when you might put the scooter up for a couple of three weeks.

Automatic 12V 900 mA Battery Charger

• Fully automatic 3 level charge cycle for effective charging
• Reaches 14.4 volt peak, then automatically switches to float
• Reverse polarity protection
• 2 year limited warranty
• Download the 12V 900mA Charger Safety Instructions (a PDF file)

Yuasa SmartShot 900 12V Battery Maintainer. Fully charges battery automatically year round and maintains full charge indefinitely, includes quick connect plug for easy convenience and tucks away under bodywork. Designed to prevent overcharging and includes a 2 year warranty. Great price on a smart charger from one of the best names in the battery business, Yuasa.

Just this past Monday, I wanted to ride the scooter to work for the first time in a few weeks. It has been so cold and wet lately in Houston, I prefer not to ride when the streets are wet. So, trying to fire it up on Monday, and it didn't want to turn over. Fortunately I got it to start, and decided I needed the trickle-charger for those longer periods when I don't ride.

This is a good model, because after it delivers a full charge to the scooter battery, it shuts off and will not over-charge. It shuts itself off, so it doesn't even draw any power when the scooter battery is full. Well worth the $40.

Looking forward to the Scooter Battalion Sunday. Looks like another great weather day in store: 75 degrees and partly cloudy. Ah, winter in Houston. Usually.