Windmeadow Labs

With my '93 Mazda 626 getting a little long in the tooth, I decided to get a new vehicle. Rather than buying a new car, I opted for a scooter, keeping my old car as a backup for rainy days. After doing some research and test riding a couple of scooters, I decided on a Blur 150 from Genuine Scooter Company.

Genuine Scooter is based in Chicago Illinois. They don't manufacture scooters, but import scooters from PGO in Taiwan and LML in India. Genuine has the scooters customized and re-badged for sale in the US. The same Blur 150 sold in the US is sold as the PGO G-Max in the rest of the world.

The Blur has a 150cc four stroke engine. It has 13 inch wheels which is a little larger than many other scooters in the same range. In comparison both the Buddy 125 and Vespa LX 150, have 10 inch wheels. The Blur has both front and rear disc brakes. Rear disc brakes are a rarity on scooters. The Buddy and most Vespa have drum rear brakes. The Blur comes with a non-transferable 2 year unlimited mile warranty, plus roadside assistance. That seems to be pretty standard for scooters sold by Genuine.

One of the things I disliked about scooters is the step through design. With my feet sitting loose on the foot boards , I felt like I could fly off the seat at any time. The Blur doesn't have the traditional scooter step through design. It's gas tank sits about where your lower legs are, making it a low step over instead of a step through. Around curves you can grip the tank with your feet, so you don't feel like your about to fly of the bike.

Acceleration is pretty good. It is about the same as the Buddy 125. It won't keep up with a sports bike, but it is more than able to leave most cars behind at stop lights. The handling is great. I think the bike is able to handle more than I am. The Blur is considered a "sport" scooter. In Asia it is on many racing teams ( Race video, Article). The Blur stops quicker than any of the scooters I test rode. It's front and rear disc brakes do a great job. During my motorcycle training course I rode a 250cc Yamaha. I had a bad habit of locking the back wheel during quick stops. On the Blur I haven't had that problem.

Storage is good on the Blur. The seat lifts up for a handy lockable storage area. It is just barely big enough to hold a large full face helmet. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a rear rack. Genuine sells one for $75 and I plan to install one. Genuine also offers a small windscreen.

The mileage is around 75 MPG, but that is hard to calculate because the speedometer is so far off. My 8 mile commute to work registers as 13 miles on the Blur's odometer. The 2007 models are supposed to have a more accurate speedometer.

Retro scooters, in the style of the old Vespas, are the current rage. The Blur is definitely not a retro styled scooter. It looks more like a Ninja than a Vespa. Some of my friends said it looked the most "manly" of all the scooters I test rode. The 2006 Blur comes in "safety" orange and black, while the 2007 comes in black and grey.

Overall it is a great scooter. It seems to a fit a niche between the classic scooter and low end sport bikes, which for my urban commute works great. Many people that look at a Blur may rather bump up to a 250cc motorcycle. If you don't need the extra power, but still want the handling, storage and excellent gas mileage, the Blur is great. Unfortunately Genuine has discontinued importing the Blur for 2008. Genuine still has a large stock of 2006 and 2007 Blur's that it is selling through it's dealer network. The 2007 Blur retails for $3,499, but dealers have been offering big discounts for the 2007 and even bigger discounts for unsold 2006 models. You might be able to get a new 2006 for $2,500, which is a great deal on a 150cc scooter with a two year warranty.