Modern Buddy

Between these three which would you pick?

I don't have any experience with any if these. I voted for the Stella b/c I have a 4T shifty but.....
As a first year model in the US there are prob a few little bugs that have yet to surface on the Auto.
If you are using this poll to truly figure out the best ride for you to haul across the country you may want to go with the FI 170, it has a higher top speed, it's a proven model and should perform well in any altitude.

But what do I know

Those motors were not designed to run wide open all day every day. In the past, the most common catastrophic failure due to running WFO all day every day has been the crankshaft. The 170i may complain about being run hot for extended periods by electronically cutting its power output. The 125 may express its ingratitude by throwing the crank (which may be why the 170i is programmed to ease up) and the Stella may also share the crank weakness. The 125 and 170i share a stator design, which has tripped up at at least one long-distance Buddy journey that I am aware of, two actually. I'm not as familiar with the Stella's weak spots.

If I were doing it, I'd add an oil cooler to a B125 and hope for the best, but that would be an awful lot of trouble. I know you don't want to hear this, and this is a Genuine enthusiast board, after all, but I'd hunt around for a deal on a water-cooled, fuel injected, big-wheel Kymco or a SYM HD 200, which is my scooter of choice for the upcoming Scooter Cannonball.

the 170i would probably tolerate it the most. Kemmy from UR awesome made it quite a bit on his before it was stolen, but 5 hours at a time can be a bear on a the Buddy depending.

I'm not saying it can't or shouldn't be done though! Lots of folks here do good sized trips on 50cc buddys.

I would throw in the 150 Buddy. Shorter stroke and less crank problems.

I was surprised that the Buddy riders in CBR 2012 left all the panels on. You can get a lot more air flow and cooling by just removing the panel down by your feet.

It depends on what you mean by "cross country": coast-to-coast, or city-to-city.

For city-to-city, a Buddy 50 is all you need. I've been to nearly every county in Michigan in five years on mine, usually 125-150 miles/day with plenty of stops for meals, sight-seeing, and exploring (the stuff that – for me – makes the trip worth taking).

BuddyRaton wrote:I was surprised that the Buddy riders in CBR 2012 left all the panels on. You can get a lot more air flow and cooling by just removing the panel down by your feet.

You can also get a whole lot more water flow through there if it rains!

BuddyRaton wrote:I would throw in the 150 Buddy. Shorter stroke and less crank problems.

I think they didn't put that in there because there aren't current models (I love mine). they're only selling the 125/170i, though a few 150's remain.

jrsjr wrote:

BuddyRaton wrote:I was surprised that the Buddy riders in CBR 2012 left all the panels on. You can get a lot more air flow and cooling by just removing the panel down by your feet.

You can also get a whole lot more water flow through there if it rains!

Dude its CBR!!! You gotta pull alll the tricks out of the bag! Nuttin in there a little water is gonna hurt...right away! I ran vintage with the motor cowl off the entire time to help cooling

I don't have experience with any of them (yet!). But I'd suggest the 170, and ride it like it's a 125. In other words, choose the larger engine, and treat it with care; don't ask for 100% very often.

I've ridden both the 125 and the 170 across country. (The 125 from Tulsa to Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and San Antonio; the 170 from Tulsa to New Orleans).

The 125 will make it; that's a tough little scoot. But you can expect to wear out the engine much faster than "normal" since it's not made for the big road. I'm on my third engine, going on 30k miles.

The 170 gave out on me on the way to New Orleans. Basically, it used a much higher gas flow to cool the engine (as I understand it) and I ran out of gas about 5 miles short of a town I should have made it to easily.

So you can pick your poison. If you go with the 125--and ride it hard--save up for some engine replacement money. If you go with the 170, don't ride it too hard or you'll be stuck on the side of the road. I find the latter more annoying.

BuddyRaton wrote:

jrsjr wrote:

BuddyRaton wrote:I was surprised that the Buddy riders in CBR 2012 left all the panels on. You can get a lot more air flow and cooling by just removing the panel down by your feet.

You can also get a whole lot more water flow through there if it rains!

Dude its CBR!!! You gotta pull alll the tricks out of the bag! Nuttin in there a little water is gonna hurt...right away! I ran vintage with the motor cowl off the entire time to help cooling

Plus, with a decent tailwind you could mount a cowl on the rear rack and use it for a sail.

I would stay well away from the Stellauto. It's brand new, dealers aren't familiar with them and parts are probably very difficult to find should you need any. It is for the parts availability issue that I would vote for the 125.

as mentioned earlier, it does have the potential crank problem, however, you could look at adding the oil cooler from the 150 or 170i and probably dodge the issue altogether.

Howard.

If you plan cross country via Interstate none of these would be a good choice. Something in the BV350 Piaggio range might be better. If you plan to travel back roads then my choice would be the Buddy 170i. Also how long a cross country trip would have a lot to do with the choices. Please provide more particulars.

BuddyRaton wrote:I was surprised that the Buddy riders in CBR 2012 left all the panels on. You can get a lot more air flow and cooling by just removing the panel down by your feet.

It was a consideration of mine, except for the Kevlar tool bag I had to carry on the floor. This time around, I'm thinking I will drill a couple of decent size holes in the plastic and allow more air to flow.

As for the original post, Either of those bikes are capable machines. The advantage you'll find with the 170i would be for elevation changes, which the 125 will do, but will bog down quite a bit and on an all day gradual climb can get frustrating. Allow a break at least every 100-150 miles. Time to take a leak, top off the fuel, grab a snack, or smoke a ciggy (if that's your thing).

So I am probably just taking my 2013 Buddy 50. I think I will eventually end up in North Carolina but who knows. I will essentially be living off of the bike and visiting several Buddhist centers on the west coast this summer.

I am thinking 200 miles would be the longest day I would do. I have done some 90 mile rides and it is not bad at all. I do not ride WOT, pretty much keep it around 30 MPH.

Thanks for helping me decided,

TVB wrote:It depends on what you mean by "cross country": coast-to-coast, or city-to-city.

For city-to-city, a Buddy 50 is all you need. I've been to nearly every county in Michigan in five years on mine, usually 125-150 miles/day with plenty of stops for meals, sight-seeing, and exploring (the stuff that – for me – makes the trip worth taking).

Thanks for this, it helped me decide to keep my 50.

Of the three, I suppose I'd pick the 170i, but none of them are a very good choice in my opinion. I'd select a bike with a liquid-cooled engine that will run all day at a constant temperature. A Sym 200 or a used Vespa GT200 are two scooters that would do the job in the same price range as the choices you laid out.

TaoBuddy wrote:

TVB wrote:It depends on what you mean by "cross country": coast-to-coast, or city-to-city.

For city-to-city, a Buddy 50 is all you need. I've been to nearly every county in Michigan in five years on mine, usually 125-150 miles/day with plenty of stops for meals, sight-seeing, and exploring (the stuff that – for me – makes the trip worth taking).

Thanks for this, it helped me decide to keep my 50.

Don't put that on me if it doesn't work out!

Seriously, taking a 50cc coast-to-coast can be done*, but it's substantially more difficult than my several-day rides around the state. Interstates and limited-access US highways aren't an option, even for short distances, which constrains your route options in sparsely-developed areas. Crossing the Rockies would be my biggest concern, since the 50cc engine doesn't do so well on hills, and the carburetor will probably need adjustment for running at high altitudes. I'm a little nervous about taking mine to the western UP of Michigan, even though the Porkies there would get overlooked if you put them next to the Rockies.

*I know of a couple who rode from Vancouver to Toronto** on a Yamaha C3, two-up.

**For these purposes, Lake Ontario counts as a "coast".

TaoBuddy wrote:So I am probably just taking my 2013 Buddy 50. I think I will eventually end up in North Carolina but who knows. I will essentially be living off of the bike and visiting several Buddhist centers on the west coast this summer.

Good luck, safe travels! Keep us updated on your progress. Look me up if you make it through the DC area.

BootScootin'FireFighter wrote:

TaoBuddy wrote:So I am probably just taking my 2013 Buddy 50. I think I will eventually end up in North Carolina but who knows. I will essentially be living off of the bike and visiting several Buddhist centers on the west coast this summer.

Good luck, safe travels! Keep us updated on your progress. Look me up if you make it through the DC area.

Will do, I will have a blog and I am on Google+

I haven't done much open road travel, even with my motorcycle, but I am planning a ride later this year that is about 150 miles from home using a series of off-highway road...the primary problem is there will be plenty of hills to climb;

to prep the scoot for the journey I'll be doing an oil/filter change (a synthetic blend 10w-40 motorcycle oil & HiFlo Filtro HF 138 filter), gear oil change (Valvoline 85w-140 synthetic blend gear oil), new air filter, and quality 89 octane gas (gonna be stuck with E10 since it's hard to get ethanol-free gas along my proposed route);

I will carry a tool kit, spare spark plug, top off oil, top off gear oil, bicycle tube sealant, a small air pump, fuel system treatment, rain gear, and first aid kit...

"...but 5 hours at a time can be a bear on a the Buddy depending."

Not for everyone:

I attempted to ride my Buddy 150 from Northern Colorado to Mississippi last year. I say attempted, not because of comfort or mechanical issues, but because the floods just prior to my departure had taken out so many roads and bridges that my schedule was off too far to continue. A very strong head wind slowed my speed so much after I finally navigated around the closures that I would not have made my first night's lodging stop in time for check in.

By the time I got back home, I had covered a bit over 600 miles in about 13 hours of saddle time. The little machine was just as eager to run as when I started and I was still quite comfortable, but a bit tired...

I think the 150's oil cooler is a big help on long rides

The photo shows one of the dirt road detours and flooding.

Nice Saddle bags.

When I was riding up to Wisconsin I used a couple of large Tactical Bailout Bags as saddle bags. They worked well although some random driver yelled "nice saddle bags" with obvious sarcasm at some point.

I'm bumping this thread because it's so got-damned inspiring.

Planning a ride, buzzvert?

Yeah, those look like very functional saddle bags.

I'm trying to find some to fit my Buddy 125.

Do you know what brand and model those are?

Does the strap that goes over the top of the seat work well with them?

fried okra

BuddyRaton wrote:I would throw in the 150 Buddy. Shorter stroke and less crank problems.

I was surprised that the Buddy riders in CBR 2012 left all the panels on. You can get a lot more air flow and cooling by just removing the panel down by your feet.

I do that. Removed the panel behind my feet on both my air-cooled scooters. It's 100 today where I live.

Syd wrote:Planning a ride, buzzvert?

I wish.

TaoBuddy wrote:Between these three which would you pick?

Hands down the 170i but only on back roads and at variable speeds. If you run one speed for an extended period of time, it will protest and stop running always at a most inconvenient place. But give her a few minutes rest and she should start right up again. Most importantly, the EFI will get you over the Rockies safely. With a carb, you'll bog down and have have frustrated motorists backed up behind you.

Bill in Seattle
'84 Honda Gyro Red
'86 Honda Gyro S Red

I love my 170i and have 14K on it at the moment. It has been bulletproof and has the power to stay with most traffic on non-highway roads. The longest I've ridden it in one sitting is several loops of my favorite roads about 100 miles on the day. No problems if one takes a few breaks to stretch a bit.

I would go with the Buddy 125. I would replace the stator with the NCY one. I would also change the oil every ~800 miles, or as often as possible.

I did 300 miles in one day last weekend with no problems.

I didn't think the 125 was so fragile...

Guys. this thread id 5 years old. I am guessing he doesnt need anymore advice on which one to buy.

Does that matter?

I love my scoot but I would rent a Harley to cross the country.

wheelbender6 wrote:I love my scoot but I would rent a Harley to cross the country.

Your balls would be vibrating for weeks, LOL.

What happened, TaoBuddy? I's been five years, have you made it to N Carolina yet?