Modern Buddy

I'm less than impressed with the brake feel of our Buddy 125 with 2300 miles on it. I wouldn't mind spending $60 or so on a new set of brake pads & shoes.

Is there a brand of pad that people are using that seems to have more stopping power and better feel than stock?

You can get prima brand from scooterworks.com or OEM from dealers. Nothing really aftermarket for performance.

jfrost2 wrote:You can get prima brand from scooterworks.com or OEM from dealers. Nothing really aftermarket for performance.

There are actually a TON of aftermarket brakes, as well as rear disk kits. Unfortunately none of it is available in the US,. with the exception of the Blackjack front disk setup which will fit all the Buddy's but the 50.

Thats not to say you can't get your hands on performance brakes, but you'll be ordering them outa Taiwan

I'll be doing this soon on my bike, as I've got 23.5k miles on my stock brakes and they're starting to show some wear....

Kaos wrote:

jfrost2 wrote:You can get prima brand from scooterworks.com or OEM from dealers. Nothing really aftermarket for performance.

There are actually a TON of aftermarket brakes, as well as rear disk kits. Unfortunately none of it is available in the US,. with the exception of the Blackjack front disk setup which will fit all the Buddy's but the 50.

Thats not to say you can't get your hands on performance brakes, but you'll be ordering them outa Taiwan

I'll be doing this soon on my bike, as I've got 23.5k miles on my stock brakes and they're starting to show some wear....

Yea, there's always something that'll fit everywhere on the buddy from engine, transmission, etc. But anything not easily purchasable and order-able in the USA I just ignore mentioning.

jfrost2 wrote:

Kaos wrote:

jfrost2 wrote:You can get prima brand from scooterworks.com or OEM from dealers. Nothing really aftermarket for performance.

There are actually a TON of aftermarket brakes, as well as rear disk kits. Unfortunately none of it is available in the US,. with the exception of the Blackjack front disk setup which will fit all the Buddy's but the 50.

Thats not to say you can't get your hands on performance brakes, but you'll be ordering them outa Taiwan

I'll be doing this soon on my bike, as I've got 23.5k miles on my stock brakes and they're starting to show some wear....

Yea, there's always something that'll fit everywhere on the buddy from engine, transmission, etc. But anything not easily purchasable and order-able in the USA I just ignore mentioning.

That's 1/2 the fun though My bike wouldn't be where it is without hunting parts from Taiwan. I agree though, they're often not easy to get and you have to understand what will fit and what won't.

I wish there were Brembos for our scooters!

Ms_Kady wrote:I wish there were Brembos for our scooters!

<a href="http://www.brembo.com/ENG/Motorcycle-Br ... htm">There ARE!! </a>

Again, not available in the states, but I'm trying hard to source them from outside, as I want to install a set on my Buddy. You'll see it here first when I find them

EDIT: Whoo, I found them but they're spendy!
$91 for a single piston caliper, and $114 for the dual. I want Brembo's but I don't know if I'm willing to pay that much, when I can get a whole NCY front disc setup for that price!

I'm sure there are high performance brakes out there, but what problem are you trying to fix? The stock brakes are capable of putting me flat on my ass in the blink of an eye. Not clear why being capable of locking the brakes up more quickly is a plus. Stronger acceleration, improved suspension, and better tire traction would all be higher on my list than upgrades to the brakes. (course, if you've dealt with all those other things already)

Dooglas wrote:I'm sure there are high performance brakes out there, but what problem are you trying to fix? The stock brakes are capable of putting me flat on my ass in the blink of an eye. Not clear why being capable of locking the brakes up more quickly is a plus. Stronger acceleration, improved suspension, and better tire traction would all be higher on my list than upgrades to the brakes. (course, if you've dealt with all those other things already)

+1, I agree completely. The only reason *I* want to upgrade my brakes, is that the stock brakes were never meant to slow you down from 85+ MPH. Your average stock Buddy can do stoppies with the stock brakes.

Kaos wrote: +1, I agree completely. The only reason *I* want to upgrade my brakes, is that the stock brakes were never meant to slow you down from 85+ MPH. Your average stock Buddy can do stoppies with the stock brakes.

That's a very good point! Unless you've gone to great lengths to increase the top speed and travel at those speeds regularly, a brake upgrade might be a tad overkill. Not that I'm against brakes or anything, but too much breaking ability on such a light bike could be more detrimental than beneficial. Locking up at 55 mph sucks no matter how heavy the bike is.

Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy with a Blur. The single biggest selling point of the Blur is the brakes. That being said, the Buddy's brakes are quite alright for the weight of it and it's intended speed/use. Just throwing that out there.

[/quote] the Buddy's brakes are quite alright for the weight of it and it's intended speed/use. [/quote]

True, but EVERYTHING on the stock Buddy is "quite alright for the weight of it and it's intended speed/use". Over the course of 11 bikes I've owned, I think only 2 were stock. There's always room for improvement, IMO. But then, I ride a new Ducati Monster with upgraded seat, bars, pegs, and brake pads. (which might explain why I'm less that impressed with the brake feel on the Buddy). I just thought maybe the stock pads sucked and there was an easy upgrade available. Thanks for everyone's input!

ksbuddy wrote:

the Buddy's brakes are quite alright for the weight of it and it's intended speed/use. [/quote]

True, but EVERYTHING on the stock Buddy is "quite alright for the weight of it and it's intended speed/use". Over the course of 11 bikes I've owned, I think only 2 were stock. There's always room for improvement, IMO. But then, I ride a new Ducati Monster with upgraded seat, bars, pegs, and brake pads. (which might explain why I'm less that impressed with the brake feel on the Buddy). I just thought maybe the stock pads sucked and there was an easy upgrade available. Thanks for everyone's input![/quote]

Cool, as long as you've got that in mind, go for it I purchased my Buddy KNOWING I was going to mod the living crap outa it, but I also knew that it was a great bike stock too.

Ms_Kady wrote:I wish there were Brembos for our scooters!

I've seen a PGO bubu modded with brembo brakes and a custom disk once. It had a adapter so ridiculously huge just for the calipers to fit and function properly.

Long story short:

If the Buddy 125 has the same brakes as its brother the PGO G-max 125

We can get some EBC HH pads, I use EBC HH's on my race bikes great improvement on OEM pads especially for the money.

http://cyclebrakes.com/html/ebc_brake_pads.html

Can anybody confirm the G max has the same brake pads as the Buddy 125?

My info:
G Max 125 Front = FA095HH
G Mas 125 "Wave rotor" = FA095HH

more info on this pad

FA095HH

69.2 x 51 x 8.2mm

Anybody want to measure your pads for us?

Wait...rear disc kit? I wonder how invasive that would require....

Cheshire wrote:Wait...rear disc kit? I wonder how invasive that would require....

Its pretty invasive. The one I've seen requires some case modification to make it fit, and it includes a replacement rear wheel.

ksbuddy wrote:I'm less than impressed with the brake feel of our Buddy 125 with 2300 miles on it. I wouldn't mind spending $60 or so on a new set of brake pads & shoes.

Is there a brand of pad that people are using that seems to have more stopping power and better feel than stock?

http://www.ebcbrakes.com/motorcycle_brake/sfa_series_organic_scooter_brake_pads/index.shtm
Check out this link. This might help you choose brake pads that has more power in stopping.