I was curious what kinds of scooters PGO sells overseas and I was shocked to discover they have a 251.3cc scooter that makes over 25 horsepower. https://pgo.com.tw/tigra250/ The scooter looks pretty good but after watching the video I think the seating position will be uncomfortable for people who like to have their knees below their hips when riding*. But that engine would be the perfect starting point to make a "Buddy 250."
PGO also has a liquid cooled 169.5cc 4 valve engine that puts out ~17.5 horsepower. The scooter it comes in weights about 300 pounds and can go 0-60 in under 6.9 seconds(I believe that is quicker than a Vespa GTS) and can lean over to 45 degrees. https://pgo.com.tw/tig-aggressive/ It sort of looks like a futuristic Buddy. If Genuine started importing it I would be first in line, gloss black please(with no stickers.) Even if Genuine doesn't import the scooter they should try to stick that engine in something. It would amazing in a Buddy frame but I could see it in the Hooligan frame, or stick the 251.3cc engine in the Hooligan...
I'd be interested in a large frame Buddy that sported the 250 drivetrain. The confused crotch rocket looking version of most modern day scooters does very little for me.
Less chit chat, more riding, Buddy 50, 125, 170i, RH50, Yamaha C3
Flat floors and probably easy to self service. That 250 is pretty nice looking. PGO also does/did a trike scooter called the T-Rex or Tri-Rex. I have to find the issue of What Bike? that has it listed. I was seriously considering the 220cc? version of the Blur before it got discontinued.
Genuine’s product strategy is pretty clearly to stick to the less-experienced/smaller machine market. They have a LOT of 50cc machines in their Buddy and Chicago lineups - maybe too many, in a space where they also seem to expect electric machines to take over. They seem to have stopped competing anywhere above the 170-200cc space in scooters except with the Royal Alloy 300, and I quite doubt they’re moving many of that G400C motorcycle, which seemed like a long shot at the outset.
tenders wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 3:37 amThey seem to have stopped competing anywhere above the 170-200cc space in scooters except with the Royal Alloy 300,
I have assumed that a big part of why Genuine only imported smaller scooter was because PGO wasn't making bigger scooters. A few years ago the PGO site was all 50-150cc scooters. It looks like they only started making a 200cc in 2019, and maybe 2022 for the 250cc.
The other issue might be pricing. Based on some very rough research and math it looks like overseas the Tigra 250 sells for twice the price of a J-Bubu, so if it sold for twice the price of a Kick in the US that's around $7,000* and that's almost a Vespa GTS. Looks like the Tig 170 could come in at around $5,500*, which is also little expensive.
*These numbers could be completely wrong. I just compared the prices of the different scooters to the price of the J-Bubu and then compared that to the price of the Buddy Kick. The J-Bubu and Kick have different features so that can add some more error. Plus, I can't read the language.
Really the only over 200cc scooters in the USA are the Yamaha XMax and the Vespa GTS. Oh, and the Piaggio Beverly 400cc. I'm not counting SYM with the CityCom 300i or anything KYMCO as I consider them the "weird" but good brands. Suzuki has/had the Burgmans so I no longer consider them a over 200cc player anymore. That 200cc Burgman is a turd.
The Royal Alloy is obviously over 200cc but it's not PGO built nor does it have any under seat storage. A very niche product that's for the enthusiast as opposed to a commuter. So in a way I don't blame Genuine for sticking to sub-200cc scooters. My local dealer said that the 50cc 2-strokes bring in a different, more affluent type of customer then the Tao Tao's and other China brands bring in the store.
I remember when we in the USA had choices. My local Yamaha dealer has 2 Yamaha T-Max scooters on the sales floor FOREVER before eventually selling them. Perhaps it was price because the only Honda scooter that languished on the sales floor was the Big Ruckus. We had the Reflex AND Honda also brought back the Helix again. Yamaha had the Morphous and the Majesty. Suzuki had the 400 and later 650 Burgmans. Even earlier in the 80's we had the Elite series and than the Helix from Honda and Yamaha had the Riva. And you could buy a Vespa 200cc 2-stroke brand new!
sc00ter wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:24 pm
Really the only over 200cc scooters in the USA are the Yamaha XMax and the Vespa GTS. Oh, and the Piaggio Beverly 400cc. I'm not counting SYM with the CityCom 300i or anything KYMCO as I consider them the "weird" but good brands. Suzuki has/had the Burgmans so I no longer consider them a over 200cc player anymore. That 200cc Burgman is a turd.
The Royal Alloy is obviously over 200cc but it's not PGO built nor does it have any under seat storage. A very niche product that's for the enthusiast as opposed to a commuter. So in a way I don't blame Genuine for sticking to sub-200cc scooters. My local dealer said that the 50cc 2-strokes bring in a different, more affluent type of customer then the Tao Tao's and other China brands bring in the store.
I remember when we in the USA had choices. My local Yamaha dealer has 2 Yamaha T-Max scooters on the sales floor FOREVER before eventually selling them. Perhaps it was price because the only Honda scooter that languished on the sales floor was the Big Ruckus. We had the Reflex AND Honda also brought back the Helix again. Yamaha had the Morphous and the Majesty. Suzuki had the 400 and later 650 Burgmans. Even earlier in the 80's we had the Elite series and than the Helix from Honda and Yamaha had the Riva. And you could buy a Vespa 200cc 2-stroke brand new!
We need to make a time machine!
none of these are pgo but...
does genuine import the italjet offerings?...
they have 125, 200, 300 & 700 versions it seems now...not sure what is available in the US...
I thought I saw something saying Genuine was supposed to be the importers/distributors for the Italjet scooters for the current relaunch, though I might be wrong. Watch it be Alliance of SYM "fame", nice products with iffy support.
sc00ter wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2025 10:14 pm
I thought I saw something saying Genuine was supposed to be the importers/distributors for the Italjet scooters for the current relaunch, though I might be wrong. Watch it be Alliance of SYM "fame", nice products with iffy support.
sc00ter wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2025 10:14 pm
I thought I saw something saying Genuine was supposed to be the importers/distributors for the Italjet scooters for the current relaunch, though I might be wrong. Watch it be Alliance of SYM "fame", nice products with iffy support.
genuine in chicago is shown on their interactive map as an importer on the italjet website (3rd link i posted)...but go on the genuine website and search italjet and nothing comes up
