Are you a new Buddy owner?

Tikka Masala · Post by **Tikka Masala** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:56 pm

Well I see our latest joining member has a Buddy listed as their scooter type.

Let's hear some first hand owner reviews.

Come on blacke1521, speak up and don't be shy.

blacke1521 · Post by **blacke1521** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:29 am

Yes, I do in fact own the Buddy. I actually just bought it yesterday, and so far I have been really impressed.

I grew up riding my grandparent's scooter around their small town, so while this is my first scooter I do have some experience with scooters in general, but not a lot.

So far, the Buddy has handled really well. Its very smooth and I think it handles a lot better than my Grandparents Vino. It accelerates really well and I haven't had any problems getting around my town on it. I bought it to take to Salt Lake City to use at college and I think it will work fine despite the steep inclines that Salt Lake has to offers.

I haven't had any problem seating two people comfortably on it and there are also accessories coming out in the next couple of months including: a front basket and locking trunk.

If anyone has any specific questions I am more than happy to try and answer them as I am not quite sure what else everyone wants to know.

Natalie

Post by **jrsjr** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:10 am

blacke1521 wrote:If anyone has any specific questions I am more than happy to try and answer them as I am not quite sure what else everyone wants to know.

Hi Natalie,

Welcome to the MB! Right this minute, you are our resident expert on the Buddy 125. If you would, there definitely are some very specific things I would like to know. First, on this forum there is a thread titled, "Riding Impression of the Buddy 125." That riding impression is my post, based on a short, happy test ride. If you would be so kind as to read that post and comment on anything at all that you don't agree with (and let me know where you think I have it right, too), I would greatly appreciate it. Feel free to completely disagree with me anywhere you think I have it wrong. As I mentioned, you are our expert and I totally value your criticism.

Second, I would like to know the following things about the Buddy.

1) Gas mileage?

2) What color did you get?

3) Any problems that show up. Anything at all, no matter how small we'd be interested to hear, because lots of us are thinking about going out and buying one of these and we'd like to know what to look out for.

4) How does it handle those hills where you are? Does it have enough get up and go to charge up a steep hill?

5) When you get around to taking a short trip on the Buddy, say an hour or more, how did that go? The Buddy seems so comfy on short trips. Does it still feel that way on an extended ride?

6) Do you ever ride it on a freeway or a highway or anything like that? How does it handle that?

7) As soon as it rains, we'd be very interested to know how the stock tires handle that.

8) We' like to hear from you when you wear your tires out. How long did the rear tire last?

9) We'd love to know who your dealer is and how they treated you.

11) If you ride it two up, how is that?

12) After you've ridden the Buddy for a while, put a few hundred miles on it, we'd love it if you'd check back in and let us know how it's going. Are you still a happy camper? Why or Why Not? In return, by then I expect that other owners will have signed up and begun to share information that you may find useful to have.

Thank you very much and, again, Welcome to Modern Buddy!

paige · Post by **paige** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:24 am

Yeah! What he said. We would love some real world experiences.

jess · Post by **jess** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:33 am

Welcome, Natalie. As this forum has only been in existence since last Friday, we're still trying to gather up some general knowledge about the Buddy with the hope of spreading that information around to all the curious potential owners out there. Glad you found us, and we hope that you'll share what you think of the Buddy as you get to know it better.

blacke1521 · Post by **blacke1521** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:34 am

I bought the orange Buddy. I'm a sucker for bright colors.

It has handled the hills around here really well. This weekend I plan on taking it up the mountain a little ways to see how it handles, as well as taking it onto the highway.

I've gotten up to 50 MPH with no problem, but haven't tried going any faster. That will be another test for this weekend. I am not sure on gas mileage yet. I'll post when I actually know something.

The only problem I have noticed is that it starts making a clicking noise when it decelerates and there are two people on it (about 300 lbs). I haven't had the chance to really investigate it and see if it is actually an issue or not.

Riding with two people has not been an issue. It still picks up well and is comfortable to ride. I'm 5'10" and have rather long legs, but it hasn't bothered me to ride with another person on the back.

My dealer was Simmons Motorsports in Vernal, Utah. They were great and even threw in a free helmet to top it off. My only complaint is that they did not have any of the paperwork there so I don't have a license plate or warranty information.

And talking about the warranty, it's two years, unlimited mileage, and free roadside assistance.

So far I'm really happy with the Buddy. I'll keep things updated as time goes on.

Natalie

Post by **jrsjr** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:44 am

blacke1521 wrote:I bought the orange Buddy. I'm a sucker for bright colors.

It has handled the hills around here really well. This weekend I plan on taking it up the mountain a little ways to see how it handles, as well as taking it onto the highway.

I've gotten up to 50 MPH with no problem, but haven't tried going any faster. That will be another test for this weekend. I am not sure on gas mileage yet. I'll post when I actually know something.

The only problem I have noticed is that it starts making a clicking noise when it decelerates and there are two people on it (about 300 lbs). I haven't had the chance to really investigate it and see if it is actually an issue or not.

Riding with two people has not been an issue. It still picks up well and is comfortable to ride. I'm 5'10" and have rather long legs, but it hasn't bothered me to ride with another person on the back.

My dealer was Simmons Motorsports in Vernal, Utah. They were great and even threw in a free helmet to top it off. My only complaint is that they did not have any of the paperwork there so I don't have a license plate or warranty information.

And talking about the warranty, it's two years, unlimited mileage, and free roadside assistance.

So far I'm really happy with the Buddy. I'll keep things updated as time goes on.

Natalie

Excellent post, thank you! I'll see if I can find out anything about the "clicking." I have a couple questions pertaining to that as follows: Does it only do that when you ride two up? Does the sound correlate with using the brakes? Especially the front brake? If so, that's totally normal and you probably just notice it because you're having to use the brakes harder when you're riding two-up.

Thanks again for the post and I'm really looking forward to hearing about your trip into the mountains.

BTW, everybody knows that the Orange Buddy is fastest.

mlstephens · Post by **mlstephens** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:42 pm

Picked up my Buddy 125 Black/Silver yesterday. Already have 82 miles, just from riding around last night and today!

Mike
Plano, TX

Tikka Masala · Post by **Tikka Masala** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:32 am

Congratulations Mike.

Take some pics of you with your scoot and post um up.

Be sure to chime in a review in your own thread also.

Shellee · Post by **Shellee** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:39 am

Yep, I'm a new Buddy owner. This weekend I picked up a black and silver Buddy, and I have to say, this scooter is so much fun to ride! I've been pushing it (maybe more than I should for a new scoot) just to see how it handles hills, corners, etc. It really eats up hills with no lagging at all. The biggest "plus" for me is the low seat height... it's been a long time since I've been able to put my feet down at a stop!

Now I'm having fun trying to decide how to deck this little scooter out! And hey, Genuine... if you're listening... I REALLY need that rack and windshield!!

~ Shellee

ebc3 · Post by **ebc3** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:42 am

Congrats Shelle and Mike!! Glad you both got your scoots. Sounds like you like them, post pics as you can, ebc3.

Post by **jrsjr** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 2:08 am

Shellee wrote:Yep, I'm a new Buddy owner.

Hey Shellee, good deal! I'm really pleased for you. We're all looking forward to reading about your experiences. My big worry is that these scooters are so much fun to ride that we'll never hear from everybody again because they'll have better things to do than hang out with us on the MB.

Ride Safe!

mlstephens · Post by **mlstephens** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:03 am

jrsjr wrote: 9) We'd love to know who your dealer is and how they treated you.

Garners Classic Scooters in Cleburne, TX. Randolph is fantastic!

xkennx · Post by **xkennx** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:56 pm

Garners Classic Scooters in Cleburne, TX. Randolph is fantastic!

In the yrs I have been into scooters and the scooter biz I have never heard anything but high remarks for Randolph.

dahuffy · Post by **dahuffy** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:58 am

Kitty from Atomic Brown Scooters; Oklahoma City.

Mines Pink

Got it for my 27th Anniversary last Friday.

Sailn · Post by **Sailn** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:22 am

Just placed an order for a 49cc 2 stroke today...

mlstephens · Post by **mlstephens** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:09 am

Here are photos of mine. I didn't like the Buddy logo on the front cowl, so removed it...

jess · Post by **jess** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:54 am

I peeled off all the "Buddy 125" badges in preparation for tiger stripification. I don't have any pictures yet, though, I'll post when I get some.

Chasen · Post by **Chasen** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 12:23 am

Okay, two days into it and I've removed all stickers on the scooter. I'm going to deck it out for my company and also highlight the advertising space on my helmet.

I'm so stoked about this scooter. Looking forward to this summer.

Brand new, Orange (sunset) with black seat and grips FOR OSU COWBOYS!!

mlstephens · Post by **mlstephens** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:46 am

Chasen wrote: Brand new, Orange (sunset) with black seat and grips FOR OSU COWBOYS!!

I opted for black rather than orange, because I thought that it looked too much like UT colors...

ruthjenkins · Post by **ruthjenkins** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:52 am

took another long ride tonight...out to dinner and then to the movies...and here are all the things I love about my buddy "Audrey":

The light is very bright and gives you wonderful visibility at night.
The seat is lower so I feel more confident at stops.
The underseat compartment holds my helmet with a wind visor.
The pink scooter has a WHITE seat and WHITE handles...very classy.
The turning is easy and tight.
The "get up and go" of this scooter is amazing.

These are things I'd change:

The latch which holds the seat does not seem to disconnect very easily when I pop it with the key.
I'd like both the flashers on the front to blink when you turn (as stated in a post about the DOT flashers I understand this can be changed, but I'd like it to be standard).
I also took off the Buddy 125 stickers, thought they looked cheap. I wish they were metal like the Stella.

Lots MORE reasons to buy than not to, that's for sure!

I've heard they are the hottest thing out there. I feel fortunate to have purchased one the week they hit KC.

Happy Scootin'

Modern Buddy

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