170i - sufficiently shaken down?

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:28 am

Hmmmm.
Now this is getting interesting...

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:05 pm

Not so much. The 170 is excellent in almost every way--I'm still riding it around town and I love it--but I bought it with the intention of riding long distances on it on a fairly regular basis. If I cannot trust the gas gage, odds are I'll be sitting on the side of the road without gas at some point and I'm not interested in that (yes I have an extra gas canister).

In a nutshell, it won't fit my needs if this remains a concern so I will be better served going back to my 125.

My 125 has been extremely reliable, gas gage and all, when I ride long distances so I can use that instead. I'll miss the extra power, speed and ability to get on the interstate if I so desire (and the horn, which is excellent) but I will enjoy the ride a lot more when I comfortably know how much gas is in the tank at any given time!

BuddyLicious · Post by **BuddyLicious** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:32 pm

pugbuddy wrote:Not so much. The 170 is excellent in almost every way--I'm still riding it around town and I love it--but I bought it with the intention of riding long distances on it on a fairly regular basis. If I cannot trust the gas gage, odds are I'll be sitting on the side of the road without gas at some point and I'm not interested in that (yes I have an extra gas canister).

My 125 has been extremely reliable, gas gage and all, when I ride long distances so I can use that instead. I'll miss the extra power, speed and ability to get on the interstate if I so desire (and the horn, which is excellent) but I will enjoy the ride a lot more when I comfortably know how much gas is in the tank at any given time!

Hey Pug have you by chance had your Dealer take a look at the gas guage,maybe something that can be remedied.Also I wouldn't let that stop me from taking trips since you can use mileage as your gauge.Look at the bright side you don't actually have a problem that keeps you from doing what you want rather it's more an inconvenience problem.

lmyers · Post by **lmyers** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:58 pm

pugbuddy wrote:Honestly, if I cannot trust the gas gage I'll end up selling the bike. It's really great in so many ways but I'm not interested in false readings on one of the most important things associated with riding (especially long distances)!

Gas gauges are a luxury, not a necessity. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

Shellee · Post by **Shellee** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:25 pm

jrsjr wrote:Hey Shellee, welcome back! I hope you'll post more now that you've got a new Buddy.

Hi there John! Good to be back

This is actually my third Buddy. I just love these scooters. I got the 170 in hopes of a little more top speed and power. And other than the gas gauge issue, I really love it. I had to get the seat lowered since it's a little taller than the 125, but thank goodness it's still comfy for riding.

I got the first 170 sold in my area... will be interested to see what other owners think about it.

~ Shellee

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:44 pm

BuddyLicious wrote: Hey Pug have you by chance had your Dealer take a look at the gas guage,maybe something that can be remedied.Also I wouldn't let that stop me from taking trips since you can use mileage as your gauge.Look at the bright side you don't actually have a problem that keeps you from doing what you want rather it's more an inconvenience problem.

The dealer had it for about a week or so and was looking into the gas mileage at high speeds issue with Genuine. I don't know if they looked at the gage or not.

I would be interested to know if anyone can confirm the early statement that "...the .6 gallons is considered reserve fuel". That doesn't make a lot of sense to me (1/3+ of the tank is "reserve"?) but, together with the "floater" fuel sensor, it may explain the gage issues.

mr_salty · Post by **mr_salty** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 1:04 am

Trusting a gas gauge on any vehicle is a recipe for ending up stranded as far as I'm concerned... so far mine seems predictable if a little conservative, when it gets to the bottom of the green it takes 0.75 gal. BTW, I thought I saw 1.3 as the capacity not 1.6?

So far very happy with the 170i, closing in on 200mi. I guess I should do the 300km oil change real soon now.

RobbieD · Post by **RobbieD** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 3:14 am

pugbuddy wrote:
I would be interested to know if anyone can confirm the early statement that "...the .6 gallons is considered reserve fuel". That doesn't make a lot of sense to me (1/3+ of the tank is "reserve"?) but, together with the "floater" fuel sensor, it may explain the gage issues.

Arghh! I've been searching and searching for where I read that the .6 gallons.(.5 more accurately) is considered the reserve but I"m empty handed. Trust me not. But I have hit the pin on empty a dozen times and the tank will only take 1 gallon almost exactly. With FI I don't want to push it and risk damaging the system so I always stop at the next decent gas station when it hit that mark. In LA it's not a problem but as for longer trips I get your issue. I tend to rely on my odometer readings.

Shellee · Post by **Shellee** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:48 pm

Pugbuddy...

I took my 170 in to my dealer today to check out the fuel gauge. He said it could be a bent float needle which is sticking. He's going to order a new one and hopefully that should do the trick. Maybe your dealer can do the same... it's a warranty issue so shouldn't cost you anything.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:42 pm

Shellee wrote:Pugbuddy...

I took my 170 in to my dealer today to check out the fuel gauge. He said it could be a bent float needle which is sticking. He's going to order a new one and hopefully that should do the trick. Maybe your dealer can do the same... it's a warranty issue so shouldn't cost you anything.

I will check! I'm taking it in for an oil change soon anyway! Thanks Shellee!

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:00 am

Shellee wrote:I took my 170 in to my dealer today to check out the fuel gauge. He said it could be a bent float needle which is sticking. He's going to order a new one and hopefully that should do the trick.

Makes sense to me. My guess is that all the Buddys use the same fuel sensor and the same gage. If true, that would mean that problems with a particular scooter would be a malfunctioning component, not a design flaw. Good luck with it.

Capt_Don · Post by **Capt_Don** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:08 am

So far I am loving the hell out of my 170i, but there are over heating issues at or near WOT for as little as 15-20 minutes. If it were an hour or two at WOT I would never notice it.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:34 am

Capt_Don wrote:So far I am loving the hell out of my 170i, but there are over heating issues at or near WOT for as little as 15-20 minutes. If it were an hour or two at WOT I would never notice it.

Genuine released a fix for that. It has to do with the programming of fuel injection. There were some bikes that were setup incorrectly from the factory. Take your scooter to your local dealer for a quick warrantee repair.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:51 am

RedHand:

I loved my 170i. I mean, loved. Now, I can't truly compare it to other scooters because I haven't owned others- the only other I've ridden is Lokky's 2T Stella as a cupcake. I like both for different reasons as a cupcake.

Once I had decided I was getting a scoot and not another car, there was basically only one choice for me. I knew I wanted light, I knew I wanted bulletproof, I knew I wanted Genuine, I knew I wanted twisty instead of shifty. For me personally, I knew there was a good chance I wouldn't be happy with less than 150, and I liked the sound of the FI, so the 170 it was.

I was extremely happy with its performance- it has pull, get up 'n go, wonderful mileage, I've hit 70ish bmph on a straightaway on I-64, against the wind.

What the 170i is not: it is not a small moto. Just because is CAN go 70, does not mean I necessarily recommend it. Not really a highway machine. It's a beautifully crafted, nimble, lightweight bike- and at 50+mph on the highway with winds coming at you with small tires... not for the squeamish. If that is the kind of stuff you want to be doing, get something heavier, with bigger wheels and maybe a few more cc's. Other than that, if you ask me it's the ideal do-anything scoot.

The issue with the check engine light (a problem where the computer tricked itself into thinking the engine was overheating when it wasn't... usually triggered by several minutes of high speed or WOT riding, and reset by turning it off and on again) was a simple computer bug in one of the first batches made- I do believe if you do your homework there is a way to tell by the VIN if a scoot is in the batch of affected 170's. New batches (such as the int'l colored 170s) aren't affected, and even if you do get one that is, there's a warranty fix for it.

All in all, I say DO EET.

Lostmycage · Post by **Lostmycage** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:06 am

Necropost alert.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:01 pm

I still love my Italia, and having played with one of the 170's I liked it just as much. It seemed just a tad smoother, and of course they get even better MPG.

the green 170i is what I had really wanted at first, and the only reason I stuck with the 150 is that they gave me a very good deal.

Capt_Don · Post by **Capt_Don** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:24 pm

LunaP wrote:RedHand:

I loved my 170i. I mean, loved. Now, I can't truly compare it to other scooters because I haven't owned others- the only other I've ridden is Lokky's 2T Stella as a cupcake. I like both for different reasons as a cupcake.

Once I had decided I was getting a scoot and not another car, there was basically only one choice for me. I knew I wanted light, I knew I wanted bulletproof, I knew I wanted Genuine, I knew I wanted twisty instead of shifty. For me personally, I knew there was a good chance I wouldn't be happy with less than 150, and I liked the sound of the FI, so the 170 it was.

I was extremely happy with its performance- it has pull, get up 'n go, wonderful mileage, I've hit 70ish bmph on a straightaway on I-64, against the wind.

What the 170i is not: it is not a small moto. Just because is CAN go 70, does not mean I necessarily recommend it. Not really a highway machine. It's a beautifully crafted, nimble, lightweight bike- and at 50+mph on the highway with winds coming at you with small tires... not for the squeamish. If that is the kind of stuff you want to be doing, get something heavier, with bigger wheels and maybe a few more cc's. Other than that, if you ask me it's the ideal do-anything scoot.

The issue with the check engine light (a problem where the computer tricked itself into thinking the engine was overheating when it wasn't... usually triggered by several minutes of high speed or WOT riding, and reset by turning it off and on again) was a simple computer bug in one of the first batches made- I do believe if you do your homework there is a way to tell by the VIN if a scoot is in the batch of affected 170's. New batches (such as the int'l colored 170s) aren't affected, and even if you do get one that is, there's a warranty fix for it.

All in all, I say DO EET.

I see what you're saying. I am not planning any cross country WOT interstate trips. What I do like to do, and it is great fun, is take it out for an exit or two, maybe three, and have a thrill. My ride to work is 18 miles and doing about half of that at 60-70 bmph should be doable; in damn near perfect conditions.

I am making an appointment for some early matinance and they can look at it then, but until then? So much damn fun! Rides to work have never been so good.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:00 pm

Lostmycage wrote:Necropost alert.

'Necropost', indeed!

@ Miss LunaP - Hey, Glad to see you alive & postin'!:

A long-discussion life was my hope when starting the original thread: that it would, over time, providing reporting and discussion of any problems that might emerge with the then-new 170i. Glitches in new models, missed or unencountered in factory testing, are often uncovered by early users out in the Real World. So it proved to be.

That was not to question PGO, their products or practices. I've owned PGO products, dealt with Genuine dealers, and already knew that they were not the sort of company that would make and sell a machine with any sort of defect or shortcoming and then stonewall it. When I was thinking about my first 'Italia' 150, the dealer handled my concerns and questions by calling Genuine in Chicago and getting Phil on the phone to talk about it (specifically, the use of the 150 platform for long-distance touring). Getting a company president on the horn to talk about his products is gonna impress any potential buyer with his corporate bona fides.

When first announced, The price point and capabilities of the 170i seemed almost too good to be true. That's what it was about the 170i: the perfect mix - a bit of real speed with no sweat when wanted, and still the 'classic' styling, smallishness, and whippy maneuverability to buzz around in city traffic.

Given my laundry-list & desiderata, well-meaning persons have often urged me to look at Vespas and Piaggio. Well, we had a Vespa, a big one, and for reasons of support and price, that I will not otherwise get into, have ruled them out.

We are not new to scoots. We've had eleven of different marques, and kinda know which sorts of platforms are appropriate for which sorts of roads. While light and small-wheeled PTWs are mostly not a good idea for the Interstate, I've done it, both for short on-and-off hops and longer rides, and will probably do it again. Your riding environment - Richmond - is a lot like ours - DC: it's sometimes inconvenient to get all the places you need to go without a little slab time.

So. The early experiences of Batgirl and others - the revelation of a small problem, and how PGO/Genuine, with all good faith, jumped on and resolved it handily, were just what I'd hoped to see. Kudos to them: they're a serious player in an unforgiving market. This public demonstration of their willingness to acknowledge and solve a problem with no dissembling, denying, or stonewall is a rare thing. That had to be a real tense time for Genuine, coming, as it did, right on the heels of their recapitalization.

And while I'm on the soapbox...we, the market, now have MB and only a few other places to get any substantive intell about what's happening among manufacturers and dealers. The scoot press, following the brief explosion of '08/'09, has just about fully contracted to Eric, Jess at MB, & illnoise. As one of those three observed not long ago: there's nothing to write about. So it remains with you - the user base - and your postings and blogs to sort of do the journalism job here, & keep the whole scooting world alive and viable.

Wel, anyhow, the 170 is back on the table. The 220 would be, but I am a style-Luddite & not a fan of swoopy-looking scooters, large or small.

Meanwhile, about 90% of all our transport needs are handled with a dead-stock 49-point-something cc fuel-injected Yamaha C3; there's a Honda car and a little motorcylce for other fun/utility purposes.

The point of that is to say that Phil is aware that the 170i and the other bikes in the Genuine lineup must appeal to the discretionary "wanna-have" market, and not to just the "gotta-haves" - in our culture, people use cars and trucks for basic transport. Genuine is not distant, far across the Pacific or Atlantic at several removes from end-users; Genuine is right here, in our immediate proximity, and Phil must personally get out there and engage the market, users, potential customers, talking about the scoots, handling hassles and wrestling the Bear himself. Which he does. Long may he wave.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:59 pm

i'm happy to report all of my issues have been successfully worked out and i'm happy as a clam. Genuine is a very responsive company, and goes the extra mile to ensure their customers are satisfied with the product. I am able to WOT to an indicated 68 and have super fast acceleration in the city and up hills--the best of both worlds.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:42 pm

batgirl101 wrote:i'm happy to report all of my issues have been successfully worked out and i'm happy as a clam. Genuine is a very responsive company, and goes the extra mile to ensure their customers are satisfied with the product. I am able to WOT to an indicated 68 and have super fast acceleration in the city and up hills--the best of both worlds.

Hah! Batgirl101, as an "early adapter", I appreciate your lead in wringing-out the 170i.

And kudos, to you, BTW, for your regular navigation of SF streets and traffic. We made the mistake, on a recent trip, of not avoiding the Presidio area and park on a Sunday... goddamighty, i though the traffic around our town was bad! A doff of the helmet to all ye who scoot the Bay area!

jonlink · Post by **jonlink** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:21 pm

I've never had a problem with my 170i. I have driven on the highway WOT for more than 20 minutes. I don't like the highway though. 50mph doesn't seem too bad for me, but a little more and winds make me angry. Light scooters don't play well with wind.

New rear shocks.
New tires.
Rear rack.

These are the things need to make my 170i complete

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:23 pm

jonlink wrote:I've never had a problem with my 170i. I have driven on the highway WOT for more than 20 minutes. I don't like the highway though. 50mph doesn't seem too bad for me, but a little more and winds make me angry. Light scooters don't play well with wind.

New rear shocks.
New tires.
Rear rack.

These are the things need to make my 170i complete

I agree about the shocks- that was something we were aiming to replace... we were going to put some performance shocks on mine, since I'm not a skinny gal and we somewhat frequently rode 2-up on her, the stock shock wasn't cutting it as well as I would've liked.

batgirl101 · Post by **batgirl101** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:59 pm

redhandmoto wrote:
batgirl101 wrote:i'm happy to report all of my issues have been successfully worked out and i'm happy as a clam. Genuine is a very responsive company, and goes the extra mile to ensure their customers are satisfied with the product. I am able to WOT to an indicated 68 and have super fast acceleration in the city and up hills--the best of both worlds.
Hah! Batgirl101, as an "early adapter", I appreciate your lead in wringing-out the 170i.

And kudos, to you, BTW, for your regular navigation of SF streets and traffic. We made the mistake, on a recent trip, of not avoiding the Presidio area and park on a Sunday... goddamighty, i though the traffic around our town was bad! A doff of the helmet to all ye who scoot the Bay area!

had i known you were here i'd have given you the royal tour--and just outside the city on the fun twisties

did you rent scooters?

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:19 am

batgirl101 wrote: had i known you were here i'd have given you the royal tour--and just outside the city on the fun twisties did you rent scooters?

no, Ma'am, we had our little cage, heading back out to the coast highway & up to Oregon. They got some some nice twisties in Marin, I must say - and plenty of Sunday traffic on those, too