Buddy or Yamaha/Honda?

McBoingBoing · Post by **McBoingBoing** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:49 pm

I am looking to buy my first scooter. I am conflicted on the Buddy. I really want a pink one and the dealer by my home has one. But, I really do not want to put out over $2k only to have it turn into some expensive trash I got to throw away.

Is the Buddy quality really on par with Honda or Yamaha?

And is there really that much difference between the 50cc and the 150cc? I had thought that I would by the 150cc just for resale (just in case).

Any advice appreciated.

golfinguy · Post by **golfinguy** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:47 pm

I have had only a few sccoters so far - a Buddy 50, a Buddy 125, and a Vino 50. I think the Yamaha fit and finish was better, but I have no regrets for the Buddy. As you will see checking around, there really are no complaints of the Buddy scooters. People will say that Kymco is the Toyota of scooters (reliable but soulless), think of Buddy as the Mazda - zoom zoom. Fun and good quality.

Don't hesitate to get a Buddy based on quality - PGO, who is the manufacturer, has been making scooters for decades.

If you plan on riding a lot, I would say that the 125 or 150 is worth the effort of getting your motorcycle license to get the extra oomph to be able to ride with traffic - the 125 is no problemo, the 50 is please be patient with me while I go up the hill.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

JNV · Post by **JNV** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:50 pm

I think the Buddy engine is very solid. Several people on this board have already posted high mileage on their buddys with no or minimal work done to it. As far as the overall fit and finish; Honda and Yamaha have slightly better finish as far as paint, the way the panels fit together and little things like that. We chose a Buddy over a Yamaha Vino 125 and we are very happy with our Buddy. I can tell you it will out perform the Yamaha Vino and probably be on par with most 150cc scooters. So the Buddy is a good buy.
As far as 125 vs 50cc that will depend pn your commute. Even if you do not need the extra speed the 125 is nice to have for extra power, plus it might be easier to sell later on.

shark · Post by **shark** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:02 pm

The 125 Buddy just flat smokes the Vino's butt!!

The Ninja · Post by **The Ninja** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:08 pm

I will take this from the 50cc camp. I first looked at the Metro. If it was based on looks alone I would have gone with the Metro. Here is why I went with the Buddy.
1. Quicker off the line
2. I like the color or the Buddy better.
3. It was a tad cheaper

Reliability is equal from everything I have seen.

Where is the Metro made. Buddy is Taiwan right?

Dibber · Post by **Dibber** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:53 pm

Of course you will here alot of positive advice being the web site you are on. My wife and I bought 2 Buddy 125's mine is red and hers is Pink. The Pink really catches peoples eyes and in a good way, and it is good to be seen. We have not owned any other scooter, but we have ridden with others. The Yamaha Vino 125 is truly a great scooter, but is slower and the person we ride with only gets mid to upper 70's mph, we get mid to upper 90's. That doesn't happen with a poor motor. Also I believe the Buddy carries more fuel too. PGO for about 10yrs or more also manufactured parts for Vespa's (the cadilac of scooter) so quality is great. I would not buy anything smaller than 125cc as I feel the 50cc is more dangerous because the extra horsepower may get you out of trouble. Welcome to the forum and I know you will enjoy a scooter not matter what you buy. Pink is a cool scooter color.

FLMINI1048 · Post by **FLMINI1048** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:31 am

Dibber wrote:...the person we ride with only gets mid to upper 70's mph, we get mid to upper 90's....

You're getting up 90's mph????? How????

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:38 am

Dibber wrote: I would not buy anything smaller than 125cc

Except maybe forthe Rattler buck 10!

Dibber · Post by **Dibber** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:53 pm

Ya, if I run it on straight Jack Daniels...just kidding. That was a typo I meant MPG (miles per gallon) not mph.

poop colored buddy · Post by **poop colored buddy** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:15 pm

BuddyRaton wrote:
Dibber wrote: I would not buy anything smaller than 125cc
Except maybe forthe Rattler buck 10!

If the streets you will be on don't exceed 45 mph, a 50 is fine. The buddy 50 can ride at that speed with no problem ( unless there's big hills, and or a passenger). I used to ride an r6 ( crotch rocket) and I can tell you, extra horsepower does not help you get out of danger. Brakes and manuvering does that. Take the MSF course.

mattgordon · Post by **mattgordon** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:30 pm

McBoingBoing wrote:I am looking to buy my first scooter. I am conflicted on the Buddy. I really want a pink one and the dealer by my home has one. But, I really do not want to put out over $2k only to have it turn into some expensive trash I got to throw away.

Is the Buddy quality really on par with Honda or Yamaha?

And is there really that much difference between the 50cc and the 150cc? I had thought that I would by the 150cc just for resale (just in case).

Any advice appreciated.

The Buddy's standard 2 year warranty should tell the rest of the story. Twice the warranty of most, more expensive scooters! It's a fine machine for the money, and Genuine is a first-rate company.

Bethers · Post by **Bethers** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:31 pm

I just bought a Buddy after test driving the Buddy, the Vino 125, a Honda 80 and a Honda 250. I couldn't go with the 250 for various reasons - so that was just for comparison - and the Buddy 125 will work wonderful for me.

The 80 or a 50 was not considered after testing the 80 - cost would have been pretty equal, but the Buddy was hands down better.

Personally, I wasn't sold on the Vino. And even though I have a Yamaha dealer near me (and no Buddy dealer close) - I wouldn't have trusted this dealer, either.

You need to really test them for yourself. Me, the Buddy sold itself on the first run.

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:54 pm

Bethers wrote: I have a Yamaha dealer near me (and no Buddy dealer close) -.

"Bout the only reasion I'm thinking about a Vino, and I can get a gently used one for $1600......

I have a 50cc Honda, like it, love the looks, etc, etc, but it has no pulling power on the hills here in centeral Pa. which really aren't anything to speak of, and I only weigh about 150 lbs!

Bethers · Post by **Bethers** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:58 pm

I don't know how far you are from Philly - but the Buddy dealer there is supposed to be outstanding.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:54 am

Hey, McBoingBoing: Welcome to the forum!
Of course you're going to get a lot of votes for the Buddy here.

My wife had just gotten curious about the scooters when I took her to see the Buddy. She sat on a pink one and immediately fell in scooter love.

There are a lot of bad scooters out there these days, mostly no-name cheap imports manufactured on mainland China. The Buddy is made by PGO in Taiwan, and though that may sound like a minor distinction, it's an important one. The quality is much better than most of its other, non-Japanese Asian competitors.

As has been said, the "fit and finish" of the Japanese scoots is somewhat better than a Buddys. In terms of performance, the Buddy really excels. Aside from speed, it handles very well. Mechanically, the Buddys are very sound and have few problems when well-maintained.

The Hondas and Yamahas are good scoots, though. I highly recommend going to the dealers and sitting on each one to see how they feel. If yo9u have your permit and can test ride them, even better. I'd also recommend looking at the Kymco People 125 if there's a dealer near you.

Yeah, we love the Buddy here, but I don't think that one scoot fits all. If those are your options, you won't get a bad scooter. It's just a matter of finding the right one.

davev · Post by **davev** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:03 am

I started looking at scooters after I saw a Stella. I thought it was a great looking scooter.
Then I found out it had a shift. I just didn't want to run through gears anymore. (I had motorcycles at the time)
So I saw the Buddy, took it for a test drive, but it just felt to small for me. (I'm 6'3)
I looked at a few others scoots, but they were either more than what I wanted to pay, to small, or to small of a motor.
So I started looking on Craig's list for scooters and found a 20 year old Honda Elite 250 for $1500.
I test drove it, then I drove it home.

I have had Honda motorcycles, and now a scooter. Both have been reliable, and when I needed a part, they were easy to get.

That's my story, but I still like coming here to read what's going on in the scooter world.

HipCat · Post by **HipCat** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 12:09 am

I am by no means a scooter expert. However, only the Buddy gave me enough room for my legs. When I sat on the Yamaha, my knees hit the front. I knew that would drive me crazy.

Post by **polianarchy** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:39 pm

Bethers wrote:I don't know how far you are from Philly - but the Buddy dealer there is supposed to be outstanding.

It's true! Philadelphia Scooters rules.

Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:22 pm

McBoingBoing wrote:But, I really do not want to put out over $2k only to have it turn into some expensive trash I got to throw away.

I totally understand where you are coming from. You don't want to end up like those folks who paid $1795 for the Chinese-made scooter of their dreams only to end up with a scooter with 132 miles on it and which is a dead and worthless piece of junk hidden under a tarp in their back yard, right?

So, okay, first, the Buddy is made in Taiwan (not China) by a real scooter company called PGO which has been making scooters for a long time. Second, the Buddy scooter is not perfect, but it's very very good. A lot of Buddy owners have come through here and we have yet to hear of a systemic problem with the Buddy. Third, the Buddy is not perfect, so a few have had problems, which is why you will appreciate having a real dealer (the one you have is supposed to be great) who will take care of you so that your Buddy will never, ever end up being a dead and worthless piece of junk hidden under a tarp in your back yard.

As a bonus, from what we've seen, the market for used Buddys is fairly brisk, so even if you decide to sell it, you will be able to recoup a significant portion of your investment.

thepezident · Post by **thepezident** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:05 pm

Speaking of Philly dealers...I'd like to also include MPG Motors just north of Philly as being kick @ss...

Just_Jess · Post by **Just_Jess** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:26 am

I was looking at scooters for months. I loved the look of the Metropolitan. I even had a good deal lined up, but I wanted something with more power. I choose the Italia series of the Buddy. It's so cute I always get compliments on it. It makes it up the hills with out an effort and the white walled tires are way cute. The Vino is nice too. My coworker has one of those. I rode it around the other day and my Buddy was definitely faster. But choose what you like. I went to the dealership and absolutely fell in love with my scooter. I knew that's the one I wanted. I rode it off the lot the day I bought it. To me the 2 year warranty and 1 year road side assistance are worth the extra money.

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:36 pm

polianarchy wrote:
Bethers wrote:I don't know how far you are from Philly - but the Buddy dealer there is supposed to be outstanding.
It's true! Philadelphia Scooters rules.

I'm near Harrisburg, about 2-2 1/2 hours away....... a dealer in Maryland, not sure exactly where, is about 90 mins away........ Guess I might be picking up that used Vino soon.

ysofisonly50? · Post by **ysofisonly50?** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:58 am

[quote="McBoingBoing"]
Any advice appreciated.

buy the buddy, MBBoing.. just because this group not only is HOT, ... it also ROCKS..

voodoosix · Post by **voodoosix** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:52 pm

another thing to consider is the dealerships-

i always hear people defending Honda and Yamaha saying how great the dealer network and parts availability is...blah,blah, blah.

i ride a Malaguti that is powered by a Minarelli engine, since Yamaha has used this engine in some of their bikes i should be able to whip into any Yamaha scooter dealer to get parts- not!

every time ive gone in (tried many different dealers) for a simple part it's never in stock and have almost zero knowledge of scooters at all (besides what the sales brochure says). i just end up leaving empty handed due to lack of faith in the service/parts dept. if i walk into a scooter shop and say i need a part for an AM6 engine- they know exactly what im talking about, say the same thing at a Yamaha dealer- they look at me like i have lobsters crawling out of my ears.

a major plus of buying a Buddy would be that you're buying from a scooter dealer who should know the product. i can't say that all Genuine dealers are great, but over the years ive had a far better experience dealing with scooter shops as opposed to motorcycle/atv dealers.

golfinguy · Post by **golfinguy** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:16 pm

One more thing if you are comparing a vino 50 to a buddy 50 - the vino is a little easier to get on and ride, and it turns more easily. The buddy 50 however has MUCH better brakes (front disk vs. front drum on the vino 50), and a better suspension, and a more comfy seat. If you are really short, you might find the vino 50 a little closer to the ground, but the buddy for me (5'10" and 160lbs) is the more comfy and smoother ride and overall better handling.

I cannot comment on the vino 125 for handling and brakes, but I can also say that the buddy 125 is like the 50 for handling ride and brakes, only better overall in each category.

toddrw2251 · Post by **toddrw2251** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:30 pm

I agree with Golfinguy. My mom has a vino 50 and I have a buddy 125. The suspension on the vino is pretty soft and the front end dips when breaking hard. I am also not a fan of the seat on the Vino, but that’s personal preference I guess. Derestriceted I can only get the Vino up to 35ish on the speedometer, probably closer to 30mph in real life due to speedometer error.

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