Buddy sighting

[ChicagoMatt]

I saw a Buddy 125cc in black cruising Ashland Avenue in Chicago yesterday. Was that any poster here?

Impressed with the pick-up on it. I may end up getting the 125 instead of the 50 afterall.

[lets_not_listen]

if it was a red helmet, it might have been me.

pickup is quite good. i outran a harley coming home from work the other day. for about a half block...

[BuddyRaton]

Down in rainy Boca Raton today at about 3:16. Pinkk Buddy with matching topcase, black helmet. Glades Road just west of I-95!

[ericalm]

I saw a Buddy 125cc in black cruising Ashland Avenue in Chicago yesterday. Was that any poster here?

Impressed with the pick-up on it. I may end up getting the 125 instead of the 50 afterall.

You won't regret getting a 125 instead of a 50.

[Corsair]

I originally thought getting a 50cc and modding it was what I wanted to do too. After spending time here and getting some great advice from other members I realized that the 125 was the way to go.

We bought a 125 and have been 9 kinds of pleased with it. Having that extra oomph off the line and the ability to cruise on 45-50 mph roads with no problem is well worth the extra expense I think.

It's all down to what sort of area you live in and what sort of riding you'll do. You may think you'd just want it for errands and around the neighborhood, but after a short while you'll be yearning to ride it everywhere and anywhere.

Would anyone happen to know how much of an improvement adding a 70cc kit or performance exhaust/intake would make? Are there any cons to making such modifications? (Do they have those sort of parts for the Buddy 50?)

The cost of adding these kits isn't necessarily worth what you'd get in return as far as top speed. Most upgrades will add to your off-the-line speed, but not add more than 5mph or so to your top end. Once you've added a 70cc kit, then exhaust, then variator and rollers, then upgrade your belts and so on, you've probably spent the difference between a a 50 and 125 and still not achieved the same performance. Add to that the fact that the more upgrades you pile on the more you sacrifice reliability and that your warranty will no longer cover your engine/transmission/exhaust as you add them and it's not really such a great deal.

You'd get more bang for your buck overall upkitting a 125, where the little extra you get in acceleration and power is more significant.

I thought about the 50 as well, to save money (you still need a motorcycle license for it in Ohio).

Think about the roads you'll be on, monitor them for real speed in a car, and then factor in how big you are. If you only need to go max 40mph on flat roads and you weigh 110lbs, maybe the 50 would be perfect for you.

I thought about that one really big hill on my commute, and wondered if the 50 could drag my 190lbs up it anywhere close to normal traffic speed of 35mph.

I bought the 125 and I am glad I did. I zoom up that hill no problem, but I doubt the 50 would do it. Also, although most roads on my commute are 35mph zones, traffic does more like 45mph. I also found myself on a patch of 50mph zone right before downtown I hadn't realized was there when driving a car. All the cars there were doing about 55-60 and I kept up on my Buddy 125. I have also found myself wanting to go for high speed cruises on twisty country roads (though I haven't yet).

1) More power, stock
2) The ability to travel (legally) on higher speed roads and highways.
3) Not having to ride full throttle to keep up with traffic = longer lasting engine
4) Keeping an incredible two year warranty
5) Later on if you still want to do some performance mods you'll get even more speed with a 125