50 or 125?

[Dennis Abrams]

OK. I"m THIS close to getting a Buddy. But, I'm getting conflicting answers from various friends as to whether to get the 50 or 125.

Factors: I live in Houston, very few hills.

I can't see myself taking it out anywhere where I'd need to go
over 40-45 MPH.

I'm short (5"4) and lightweight (135 lb) if that means anything.

It will be my very first scooter.

What does everyone think? I've been reading all the posts, and you seem like a very cool bunch of people. I can hardly wait to buy one and join the club!

[dru_]

While I can't speak for the Buddy 50, I've not ridden it, I've put down a deposit on a Buddy 125 as of last night. I'm quite a bit bigger than you are, at 200lbs, and I've been running around on another brand 50 for a couple of weeks. It's ok, but realistiaclly 35 is the limit on that thing (unless I'm going downhill with a tailwind ) I would imagine that the Buddy should be able to sustain a little better than that with me on it, it does have better gearing and engine than the ride I'm using, but I'd estimate that to be no more than 4-5 miles per hour. Then with your weight another 2-5 mph is a reasonable assumption.

Now, I'm in Atlanta, so I have to deal with more hills, but being in Houston, you have power robbing humidity and heat, so on balance, I'd say those two work out about even.

Now for the last thing to keep in mind. If you expect to be running 40-45 mph most of the time, you'll be giving up some gas mileage since your best gas mileage isn't when the throttle is wide open all the time, not to mention that you're sacrificing the longevity of the engine if you run it full throttle all the time.

There are downsides, like having to get a motorcycle license, but that's pretty trivial when it comes down to it.

[MrNatural]

Welcome,
I did test ride them both and knew I’d regret it if I got the 50. Personally I felt I’d like the knowledge that if I was tooling along at 30-35mph I could “punch it� and there’d be a little something left to get me out of a traffic situation. I figured there wouldn’t be many occasions of driving along at 50-55. That’s not why I got the 125.

[bullitt.buddy]

I try to stay out of heavy traffic here in houston, so generally I'm cruisin at (according to the speedometer) 35 to 45 mph. This is about half throttle. I can only imagine keeping open at full throttle constantly will wear down engine life and vary your speeds on small inclines. ex: memorial....those bridges over our bayous. When I cruise @ half speed , I get some cramps in my rist. Full throttle may be worse. You should test drive and see what you like.

Later,
J.T.

[rablack]

I'm in Houston. I just got the 50 on Wednesday and have ridden it to work (5.5 miles) the last two days. I'm about 190 lbs and have no complaints about acceleration or speed. I just don't see wanting to go faster than 40ish on a small-tire short wheelbase vehicle.

I got mine at Scootersmith in the Heights (good guy). I'm loving it.

[castleton]

I test rode the 125 and fell in love. But I'd already decided that I'd want that extra power to scoot out of trouble, if needed. It's extremely responsive and gives you more options on back roads (which vary between 30 to 50 mph here in CT). I haven't tried the 50cc, so I can't comment on that.

[NarMeowZippy]

I test drove both the 125 and the 50, and rather liked the speed of the 50. 125 was just a little too much for my needs... considering I'd never drive over 45 anyways. So, I chose the 50... which will be my baby as of tomorrow!

[Sailn]

Bought the 50 an love it. I use it in town, almost never go over 30, once in a while over 40. If I really wanted to go fast, I would REALLY want to be able to stop fast. I really would want disc brakes front and back, I would really want a stiffer suspension, and a larger tires. I REALLY would want an SR-50 Factory. But I know if I bought one, I would have to drop another grand in tuning parts, and going 70 plus on city streets with wee little tires seems like a good way to widow my wife...

And besides, I hate changing the oil in my cars, why would I want to do it to my scooter too...

[bullitt.buddy]

Hey rablack, got mine at scooter smiths too. He is a good guy . very helpful. I ride to see family, unfortunately they live on the west side of town.....way west side. pretty stable at 40 - 45ish........you can forget about going 70 mph. that's just nuts. Hope to catch you around,

late,
J.T.

[sotied]

Was on the 50 vs. 125 or bigger fence for a while.

Decided to go larger because I already had my MC license and the fact I wanted to sometimes dash into Boston on some heavily traveled 40MPH roads.

If I were staying in my hometown, or I lived IN the city, I probably would have gone with the 50.

The only major drawback to the 50 (other than speed) is that many insurance companies won't insure it.

I can't even get Liberty Mutual to allow me the 'second-vehicle discount' on my 125. Even though in the time I've owned it I have 1900 miles on the scoot and 140 miles on the car.

Stupid insurance companies.

Wonder if it would be different if I had a Harley or other MC that was my ONLY mode of transportation. Then if I added a CAR to the policy.

[7eregrine]

I never even considered a 50, simply for the acceleration. When I am at a light I like to pull away from the cars FAST to get in front of them so everyone behind me has a good solid view of me.

Not to mention cars like to speed. I've always known this but it is even more acute an observation now that I am two wheeling it. In a 35MPH zone, some cars are traveling 45-50. I like to be able to keep up with traffic.

Don't know the exact numbers but Merritt from PoC mentioned that they sell a TON more 125's then they do 50's.

Lastly, the gen pop thinks scooters are slow. The 125 has a way of changing people's perceptions on that point.

[sotied]

Lastly, the gen pop thinks scooters are slow. The 125 has a way of changing people's perceptions on that point.

+1

I can't count the number of times I've had a cage start to infringe upon my space and try to edge me to the side of the road because they think I'm just a putt-putt, and then when the light changes or the road opens up I put a gap of 300 yards between us in seconds.

After that they don't try to squeeze me any more.

Jeff

[toddrw2251]

Remember that the 40ish MPH top speed of a 50cc is not actually 40 mph. It's more like 33-35. I would go with the 125 and wouldn't feel safe on a 50cc on city streets in Cincinnati. Just my opinion.

[BadWolf]

Ive never had anyone tell me they bought to much bike . I however have goteen the old "i wish i bought something bigger". With that said It depends on the riding your planning on doing. I have no problem selling a 50 to people that are using it on private property or camp ground or on their camper. I say my biast aside its cheaper to go with the bigger bike now then trade it in next year and take the trade in hit. Just my opinion tho.

[Thadsgood]

As one of the few people that has ridden the 50 at least a year before getting the 125 I'd have to say this; if you are sure you don't want to go more than 45 mph or carry two people then the 50 is the way to go. It gets better gas mileage, you don't need a license, and in michigan anyway, you don't have to wear a helmet (but come on). I traded my 50 in for a 125 because I want to be able to go longer distances ( my brother lives 20+ miles away). If you weigh 150ish your scoot will go 45 (it will say 50 on the speedo), I weigh 200 and I could go 45 on the speedo comfortably). The 50 has great pickup, getting off the line at a light to justify your place in your lane is no problem. There's a problem with hills and against the wind but, as you said, you don't have many hills. I think 50 is a great option, I miss mine, but depending on your needs it's good to consider all the options of both. You really will love either one.

[Dooglas]

My advice is certainly to go with a 125cc. Topping out at 35-40 mph (actual) is just not very workable in traffic IMO and that is not to mention either hills or acceleration issues. The 50cc takes quite a hit on resale compared to the 125cc as well. There is nothing about the 50 that makes it easier to ride or more appropriate for a beginner.

Finally, a whole different perspective. Some folks advocate the 50 simply to avoid insurance and license certification. There is also nothing safer about a 50 than a 125. IMO you don't want to be riding any scoot without insurance or safety training.

[Dirvin]

I have a Buddy 50. I use it strictly locally on 25-35 mph roads that don't have a lot of traffic, and commute a total of 8 miles per day. It meets my needs perfectly without having to pay for license plates. Finding alternate routes that are on slower roads, on the rare occassion I have to do that, is kind of fun actually. I guess it all depends what your needs are. At some point, I may go for the performance upgrade (to 69cc), but for now, I'm a happy camper. To each his own.

[OScoot!]

Jumping in on this one because I DID have the 50cc first and within 4 months I had moved up to the 125cc. It took 4 months only because it was over the dead of winter and I wanted to sell the 50 before I bought the 125.

If you're going to travel on roads with cars and expect not to piss them off, you need to be able to go faster......even in town.

And trust me.....after you ride the 50 for a while and have so damn much fun you simply can't wait to get back out and ride again....you'll be wanting to go farther and farther and faster and faster and farther and farther...and well, you get the picture.

Get a 125!

[ericalm]

I have a Buddy 50. I use it strictly locally on 25-35 mph roads that don't have a lot of traffic, and commute a total of 8 miles per day. It meets my needs perfectly without having to pay for license plates. Finding alternate routes that are on slower roads, on the rare occassion I have to do that, is kind of fun actually. I guess it all depends what your needs are. At some point, I may go for the performance upgrade (to 69cc), but for now, I'm a happy camper. To each his own.

I think the 50 works well for some people. The problem is that a lot of people go to buy a scooter thinking they'll be riding it a certain way, only to discover they want to do more. Few—if any—people regret buying the bigger scooter, but my dealer echoes that a lot of people who buy the 50s end up trading up to a bigger scoot at some point.

Couple caveats about derestriction and upgrading: At a certain point, you can spend the price difference between a 50 & a 125 on mods and still not have something that performs like a 125. Almost all performance mods shorten the lifespan of your scooter. And if you're riding a scooter registered as a 50cc and supposed to be restricted, you can actually be ticketed if it goes over the restricted speed limit. (Some states restrict by max. MPH.) You'll then be forced to pay a fine, pay pay for plates/registration, and possibly insure the scooter if it's not already. This doesn't happen often, but it has happened.

[r0sa]

i grew up in houston, and i've been here pretty much all summer. i have a 125, i usually ride on the FM roads with 40 mph speed limits. i still get cagers riding up my ass, even when im going 50-55 mph buddy speed, to be honest, houston drivers are crazy and impatient, you will need a 125 to keep up with traffic. you dont want to risk being honked at, tailgated at, or bitched at

[greencountry]

Ah, here's the fourth resurrected thread.

[Nash50]

How much of an issue is noise? Isn't the 50 louder?

[7eregrine]

Didn't notice the date....

[r0sa]

oh wow, this thread is one year old! just realized that

[Dooglas]

Ah, here's the fourth resurrected thread.

So, did somebody change their defaults so the oldest threads open first?

[sotied]

Ah, here's the fourth resurrected thread.

So, did somebody change their defaults so the oldest threads open first?

I messed up. Meant to look at NEXT and I thought I clicked on it. I must have clicked on page 73 or 74.

Then the next thing I knew I saw all these posts I had never seen before. So I made some comments on about five or six of them. That brought them to the front.

Eric was the first one to call out that the OP was older than a year and it took me a little bit to figure out how that happened.

Funny that some of this stuff is still so relevant and unsolved.

And how some people appeared her for an instant, posted a question and have never been back.

All I can say is WHOOPS!

But it was fun to see some 'new' topics for a change.

Jeff

[skullmechanic]

Some friends of mine who own a Yamaha shop stated that 50cc engines often have shorter life spans because they spend lots of time at top speed. They recommended to me that I not buy a 50cc 4 stroke engine -- especially if the scoot was going to be used on a regular basis.

So, after I decided on Buddy, I went to a 150cc. More power, about the same economy as the 125cc (although more money).

[MarkTur]

Where I live, the sign says 45 and the people drive 65...125cc for me without any hesitation. I have already been happy to use the extra power to get out of the way!

If you can afford it, get the larger displacement, AND your license. If you get the 50cc and you're riding on the street, get the license, too. It's only good info that may save your life...

I was in Key West this week...it's all about 50cc there...hundreds of scoots with tourists on them, and honestly, 50cc was perfect - for the island. With a traffic light at every corner, you don't go more than 25 anyway. There, a 125 would be "too much", although I can't see stepping down from a 125 if you already have one.

[Moosy]

I haven't ridden the 50, but I would go for the 125 if the extra money isn't a speedbump, nor the licensing an issue. I worried that my 125 mileage wouldn't be as good, but I'm averaging 100mpg and I've got the extra engine power for the larger roads and hills and I couldn't be happier (until I get a motorcycle at least).

[Dooglas]

Some friends of mine who own a Yamaha shop stated that 50cc engines often have shorter life spans because they spend lots of time at top speed. They recommended to me that I not buy a 50cc 4 stroke engine -- especially if the scoot was going to be used on a regular basis.

The 50cc Buddy is a two stroke but the point is still valid. A 50cc 2T certainly has a shorter engine life than a 125cc 4T, given normal use and maintenance, etc. Kitting the 50cc 2T will shorten engine life even further. The 50cc 4T such as the the Honda Metro and the Yamaha Vino probably tend to be more reliable than the 50cc 2T, but they are so slow that they can hardly get out of their own way. WOT all the time hardly begins to describe it.

[Charles Kegel]

There is no Replacement for Displacement!

[Nash50]

It's no joke to ride a 2-stroke!