buddy 170i not as fast as it should be.

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mikew
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buddy 170i not as fast as it should be.

Post by mikew »

Not sure where to start but I purchased a pair of 170's one for me and one for the wife. Well I commute with mine so it has 900 miles on it and my wifes only has 300 on hers yet her scooter is faster then mine. When I ride hers, it will maintain as much as 10bmph more then mine on the same roads.

I'm confused as why identical bikes would be so different. Unless her speedo is not as accurate. I guess I should verify gps on both scooter but hers feels stronger during acceleration. Do you think I should do a valve adjustment and a spark plug since I'm near 1k miles anyway ?

Thanks for listening
mikew
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Post by mikew »

Forgot to mention I can reach 70-72 indicated at wot going downhill with the wind at my back lol but on her scooter on a level it will hit 75 indicated without much issue.
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heyitsomid
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Post by heyitsomid »

Definitely testing them in identical conditions (wind, grade, distance, times of day, tire pressures, weight, gas etc) to remove variables and measuring with a GPS at least two or three times in alternating fashion will be a good way to experiment.

If there is still issues, it could be due to improper breaking in of your scooter during the initial miles. It could be due to variations in the manufacturing of the engine. It could be due to mechanical issues as well.
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2wheelNsanity
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Post by 2wheelNsanity »

My 170 is a slow poke as well. Others on this site claim 75bmph all the time, yet in a tuck I can only get to 65bmph and 70 if i have a 20mph wind at my back. I figure it was it is, and she runs fine and gets me to work with a smile on my face :D .
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Capt_Don
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Post by Capt_Don »

I have mixed results, with under 600 on mine I have seen from 0 to 75 bmph, but if the conditions are not ideal then I am going to top out at 63 bmph, if they suck then I am lucky to get it to 55... That said, I do not take it WOT for very long at all, and, I vary the throttle a lot... I have heard that post break-in brings more consistency.
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Drum Pro
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Post by Drum Pro »

Strange... Mine is fast and I don't think I broke mine in hard or gently. I've gotten 81 bmph on the flats, not on a windy day. I don't really see the need to go that fast tbh. I did notice that Gizmo seemed to ride better after 1500 mi. (currently at 2250 atm...)
mikew
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Post by mikew »

Well during break in I didn't really start playing with any wot till around 400 miles, now I do it quite a bit as my comute is a 5 mile straight 55mph road. It's nearly 1k now. I wonder if my engine simply isn't breaking in enough because I switched to synthetic at 350 mikes. Then did another change at 800 miles. I think ill go back to dino oil at 1k along with a new plug and valve adjustment, and run that for 1k more miles.

I did plenty of throttle variation during the first few hundred miles. When I go back to dino oil for more break in, ill take a diff route so I can vary throttle up and down the rev range... Hopefully that helps.

If not I'm doing a variator and sliders lol
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2wheelNsanity
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Post by 2wheelNsanity »

Now im jealous Drum Pro :mrgreen: 81 nice. I would like a little more just so I can travel on some 65mph posted roads, thats why I'm going to a bigger scoot, probably next year (income tax return :shhh: , the wife doesn't know yet :D ) in the mean time I going to get the NCY transmission upgrade and see if that helps.
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mikew
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Post by mikew »

I don't want a freeway commuter or anything but I don't like when I do jump on for a few miles cars blasting past me at 80 when I'm doing 55. I wouldn't feel like such an inconvience for cars behind me if I could commute at a steady real 65mph
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Post by irishtim »

I'm stocky, broad-shouldered and outweigh my wife by 60 lbs. She'd definitely travel faster on a like bike. Could this be similar for you mikew?
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Capt_Don
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Post by Capt_Don »

mikew wrote:I don't want a freeway commuter or anything but I don't like when I do jump on for a few miles cars blasting past me at 80 when I'm doing 55. I wouldn't feel like such an inconvience for cars behind me if I could commute at a steady real 65mph
Here the speed limit is 60 on i-270, damn cars should slow down. I'd like to see the cops write more tickets on the interstate and less for going five over on some of the other roads. I say that as a car and bike guy.
mikew
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Post by mikew »

Yeah I'm about 190-200 pounds in gear. and my wife is about 135 pounds and I chalked up her being faster due to that. However I noticed her scooter was faster while I rode hers today. Same roads I'm used to riding, I was hitting same speeds I was used to with less throttle. But it might be in my head since there was a lot of wind today. Lol

No one wants to be beaten by there wife lol but when we ride together she is faster cuz of weight lol.
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Capt_Don
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Post by Capt_Don »

mikew wrote:Yeah I'm about 190-200 pounds in gear. and my wife is about 135 pounds and I chalked up her being faster due to that. However I noticed her scooter was faster while I rode hers today. Same roads I'm used to riding, I was hitting same speeds I was used to with less throttle. But it might be in my head since there was a lot of wind today. Lol

No one wants to be beaten by there wife lol but when we ride together she is faster cuz of weight lol.
I always get there first when the wife and I ride together, but she is really close...
mikew
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Post by mikew »

She can take me on the straights but I pull away in the turns and usually have no prob keeping out front lol. She's not as comfortable in the twisties as I am :)
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zuki
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Post by zuki »

Have your wife ride your bike and you ride hers and see if she is faster on yours.
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JHScoot
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Post by JHScoot »

With top speed almost anything can affect a small engine adversely. I picked up 5mph easy by wearing a new summer jacket as opposed to my usual hoodie.

Even a windshield can make a difference. So before you go trading scoots or tearing apart a new one to gain 5-10mph perhaps try a few different things, first?

Also yeah, frequent oil changes during break in in not necessary with these scoots, apparently. Modern day machining processes have eliminated this need in quality bikes. People still change the oil a lot in chinese scoots in the first 1000 miles, but the engines are somewhat cruder. The Buddy engine is good for oil changes at every 3,000 miles, and in the first thousand a single one at 500-600 miles.

Switching to synthetic at 350 miles is too soon for break in most likely. Don't know if it had an adverse effect on the break in of this particular scoot, but you never know.
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Post by Skootz Kabootz »

Neither of your scooters are broken in yet. Performance will vary greatly depending on how they are being ridden and thus how they are broken in this far. Your scooters will not be broken in until +/- 1500 miles. Until then all sorts of things can vary (never mind that comparing scooters just by riding them has all sorts or uncontrollable variables that will affect performance). Just keep riding appropriately for a good break as well as having all required maintenance performed as stated in the owners manual and the performance will take care of itself. Somewhere around 1500 miles you should see a notable difference.
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silverstreak
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speed

Post by silverstreak »

Also could be different speedometer readings!.
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SuperFlyBuddy
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Re: speed

Post by SuperFlyBuddy »

silverstreak wrote:Also could be different speedometer readings!.
I agree.

Also have you checked tire pressures? I'd imagine yours would have to be pretty low to make that much of a difference but it's worth checking if you haven't.
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mikew
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Post by mikew »

Thanks guys, I'm gonna pull the synth out for dino oil to actually promote more wear and break in, and then switch back after 2k miles I think.

And yes the speedos are prob a bit diff lol.

I am getting a windhshield though as most of my commute is 50-55mph roads and at higher speeds I think it would help mileage and be easier to maintain speed.
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Capt_Don
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Post by Capt_Don »

mikew wrote:Thanks guys, I'm gonna pull the synth out for dino oil to actually promote more wear and break in, and then switch back after 2k miles I think.

And yes the speedos are prob a bit diff lol.

I am getting a windhshield though as most of my commute is 50-55mph roads and at higher speeds I think it would help mileage and be easier to maintain speed.
I am contemplating a windshield too, but for me it is speed and to look more like Officer Poncherello on CHiP's!
mikew
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Post by mikew »

I really am loving the buddy though, its a blast to ride and now I don't have to daily drive my Gto anymore,

I have that for every other Sunday when I want some brute force 500 HP fun lol.

The Gto gets about 17mpg Avg, 25ish ifs all freeway in six gear lol my scooter allows me to get by on 15 bucks a month on gas now instead of 200 so I'm saving more then my payment is on both buddies haha.
silverstreak
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windshield

Post by silverstreak »

I got a windshield on mine and i am glad i did!.I think it helps with gas mileage and also helps block the wind on chilly Days!.
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cfargo
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Post by cfargo »

Best speed mod you can do is to loose some weight.
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Capt_Don
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Post by Capt_Don »

cfargo wrote:Best speed mod you can do is to loose some weight.
Now that is some truth! I know first hand!
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