Modern Buddy

Hi Everyone, new user here! I bought a lightly used 2007 Buddy about a month ago and have been really enjoying the experience! And this forum has been an amazing resource thus far.

I live in NYC and the roads are bumpy to say the least. Ive been finding that the stock suspension leaves a lot to be desired. Going over even small pot holes or manhole covers is pretty jarring. Things get worse when I have a passenger on board.

I've read a lot of older threads on this topic, and see that YSS shocks were often recommended as a less expensive option than the NCY upgrade. Unfortunately, I don't think the Buddy-specific YSS shocks are available any more.

Does anyone here have experience upgrading their suspension with something other than the NCY shock? I've seen other companies like Yassau, Fastace, etc that *might* fit, have good user reviews, and are about half the price.

Thank you for any advice in advance!

It seems to be a common theme with the "upgraded" shocks, that they tend to stiffen the ride. Are you getting jarred because the stock setup is bottoming out? If so, then def look into the NCY front forks for starters. But if it's not bottoming out, and it's already stiff enough to rattle your teeth, then stiffer springs may only make things worse.

I'm mostly interested in being able to adjust the preload so that when I have a passenger, the ride is smoother. The rear shock is very compressed if I have a passenger and doesn't have much travel for bumps/terrain. And when I'm riding by myself, it seems like the ride is too soft or spongey with the stock shock. The bike seems to overreact when I hit even a small bump, if that makes sense. I don't necessarily want the ride to be stiff, just "better," haha.

mnika wrote:I'm mostly interested in being able to adjust the preload so that when I have a passenger, the ride is smoother. The rear shock is very compressed if I have a passenger and doesn't have much travel for bumps/terrain. And when I'm riding by myself, it seems like the ride is too soft or spongey with the stock shock. The bike seems to overreact when I hit even a small bump, if that makes sense. I don't necessarily want the ride to be stiff, just "better," haha.

I had the exact same issue with my Buddy 150. I'm not a large guy but whenever I sat on the scooter the rear shock would just about be completely compressed. I felt every bump, pothole, pebble, and bug on the road. Along with the overly soft spring, there was no dampening to speak of so my scooter handled like a pogostick. To fix it I replaced the rear shock with a YSS meant for a Kymco People 50. The fit is tight but it works great. If you're interested, you can read about it here: http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/topic30354.html.
The ride is definitely firmer but the handling is far, far better. I'm used to riding sport bikes so the firm ride is no problem.

Here is an adjustable 280mm Forsa. Great shock, made in Taiwan. https://www.ebay.com/itm/GY6-FORSA-Perf ... SwopRYhWkf

DeeDee wrote:Here is an adjustable 280mm Forsa. Great shock, made in Taiwan. https://www.ebay.com/itm/GY6-FORSA-Perf ... SwopRYhWkf

Is that the one you had on your 170i?

I might eventually spring for it, pun intended. I think my front forks can be rebuilt, but the shock has been ridden hard for 14k miles with a lot of load.

DeeDee wrote:Here is an adjustable 280mm Forsa. Great shock, made in Taiwan. https://www.ebay.com/itm/GY6-FORSA-Perf ... SwopRYhWkf

Thank you for the link! How easy is it to adjust the preload on this shock? Is it something I could easily change before riding with a passenger? I assume I would need the right size spanner wrench?

Genuine uses a Forsa on the 170i, but it is not this one. The stock 170i shock has no adjustment. This is a much better shock. It comes with a wrench to change the load settings. It is fairly easy to do once it is on the scooter. 280mm is 11" long. That's a lot of travel. This shock would be a good upgrade for a stock 125 or 150. I doubt you would need to change the setting on this once you get it set for two-up. My last two big bikes were adjusted for two riders. I didn't have a problem when I was on my own.

DeeDee wrote:Genuine uses a Forsa on the 170i, but it is not this one. The stock 170i shock has no adjustment. This is a much better shock. It comes with a wrench to change the load settings. It is fairly easy to do once it is on the scooter. 280mm is 11" long. That's a lot of travel. This shock would be a good upgrade for a stock 125 or 150. I doubt you would need to change the setting on this once you get it set for two-up. My last two big bikes were adjusted for two riders. I didn't have a problem when I was on my own.

DeeDee, I ended up purchasing the shock and have installed it on my bike. Fits perfectly, performance seems improved! However, it didn't come with the spanner wrench needed to adjust preload. Any idea on what size spanner I need? Thanks!

That sucks about the wrench. You can use a big pair of chanel locks. They usually come preset to the softest setting. If you're having trouble changing the adjustment on the bike, pull it off to do it.

Flathead screwdriver, rubber mallet, gentle taps to rotate. Put a piece of cloth over the screwdriver if paintwork is important to you.

I have channel locks so I'll give those a go! But the screw driver and mallet idea seems solid too.

It looks like there's two rings at the bottom of the shock. I assume one is essentially a locking ring?

mnika wrote:I have channel locks so I'll give those a go! But the screw driver and mallet idea seems solid too.

It looks like there's two rings at the bottom of the shock. I assume one is essentially a locking ring?

Exactly. So you tighten the top ring to where you'd like the preload set, and then you tap the lower ring till it locks in and secures the top ring.

DeeDee is this the same shock. Wasn't successful with the ebay link.

http://www.scootertronics.com/forsa-racing-shock.html

Here are two rear shock options I just came across. I'd snap up the YSS before the seller realizes $3.74 won't ship from Italy to the US.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/YSS-Rear-Shock ... Sw7mNcgPz7

I'm not a fan of YSS. The one time I tried YSS on the rear of my C3, it blew out in less than 3 months.

These look interesting. Two for one money. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Shorty-M ... OSwNvxa0nu~

Both of these are 3/8" longer than your stock shock. This will not effect anything.

I'm sorry to hear about the failure of your YSS shock.
I have had a YSS on my 170i for about 10K miles. It can be adjusted to provide 10mm of static sag that really helps the ride and performance overall. I've had YSS shocks on other bikes and find them to be a quality piece at a bargain price.

The YSS shock on my Buddy has been doing fine for the last two years and the little guy still handles great. I ride a lot, not sure how many miles so far because I don't pay very much attention.

Any ideas if this guy will fit my Buddy 170i?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-280mm-Rear- ... 2106!US!-1

It will fit, but it's crap. Look for the Forsa or the YSS.

I like this one, have it on all 3 of my buddy 125s:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-Forsa-Perfo ... 2693127048

I just found this. $46.00 for an adjustable forsa: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Zuma-20 ... SwRxFaI3JM

I went with the red Forsa posted by buzzvert. I'll post a review after it eventually gets the boat over from the UK. Hopefully soon because I'm bottoming out the current one on like every ride

I have the YSS, is OK, but then again, there's only so much you can do with 10" wheels.