Modern Buddy

I'm getting my first scooter this spring. I've been looking at scooters for some time and the Buddy 150 is one of the bikes I am considering. I met the local dealer yesterday and he told me something that is contradictory to what I've heard all along about the Buddy. He said he sold a Buddy to a lady who weighs about 120 and the fastest she could get the bike up to is about 54 mph. I told him the bike had something wrong with it. He said ,"Nope". He was speaking from experience. The internet info I've read as well as the Scooter magazine article sometime ago about the 125 contradicts what this guy is telling me. I've heard the 150 can hit close to 70. This dealer carries other brands but I don't really think he was pushing one brand over another. What do you think? And how fast will your Buddy run? I weight about 250. But I would still expect the bike to hit close to 60 on the flats with my big 'ol butt on it. Give me your responses and I'll show them to the dealer. As I said, I think something was wrong with the bike. Thanks in advance for your comments. Hillbillybear

Which model Buddy was it? Sounds like a de-restricted 50cc, which is a totally different machine.

A 125 or 150 Buddy not hitting above 54 with a 120lb rider is nowhere close to reality. Either there was something wrong with the scoot or the rider was too afraid to finish pulling the throttle all the way back. Since your dealer made mention of the rider's weight when talking about the top speed, that kinda makes it seem like they didn't test ride it themselves. That's a red flag as well.

I'll let others chime in with their experiences, but I had my stock Buddy 150 doing 65 on the speedo. I'm closer to your weight than 120lbs.

That being said, you might want to look at larger displacement bikes if you're going to need it to operate at those speeds. There's also the ergonomics. Are you comfy sitting on a Buddy for long periods of time?

Cage,
Yeah, I am looking. I just think the Buddys are so darn cute. I am also looking at the Kymcos. The thing that discourages me about the People S models is the damn rise and width of the seat. Man, I'm 6' 0" and I barely get both feet on the ground on the 250 S. I think this may be the bike for me. But I have got to talk to someone to see if there is anything that can be done about that terrible seat. Maybe the leather could be pulled off and take a razor to the foam or something. I thiink for the money this bike is the bomb. The Buddy, I'd love to get my wife on one. She's 5'2". Just right. Only thing about riding a big Kymco with a little Buddy is I'll always be waiting. The Vespa 250 may be a better bet. I know it has the better seat.

Back when my 125 was stock, it could just nudge 70MPH. I'm 6'3" and weigh in at 180lbs. With LOTS of modifications, my 125 is now a 161 and can hit 88MPH. ANYONE on a 125 should be able to do at LEAST 60mph after its broken in(and likely before too).

i weigh 150 lbs and have a buddy 125 with a prima pipe and i can hit 70 mph easily

I'm trying to get it to 85 so my fluxcapacitor can take me back in time!

Coffeejunkie wrote:I'm trying to get it to 85 so my fluxcapacitor can take me back in time!

You've got the second gen model, eh?

I have a Med Prima windshield on my 125 and it still can do 60+. Check out www.justgottascoot.com. They have reviews on several scooters and they also check the speed with GPS to show the difference.

I've had my bone stock St. Tropez up to a gps and radar (and MB admin) verified 74mph. At that speed the speedometer is buried.

My new Black Jack with only 99 miles on it, can hit 60 in 40degree temps. I'd quess it could go faster but I am yet to be on a stretch of rode long enough to keep the throttle open for any length of time.

My old Buddy 50 topped out at 52 on a good day.

When you talk about the speed of your scooters are talking about what your speedometer is reading or the actual speed that is on a GPS. Their is about a 12-15% faster reading on the Buddy scooters.

antares wrote:When you talk about the speed of your scooters are talking about what your speedometer is reading or the actual speed that is on a GPS. Their is about a 12-15% faster reading on the Buddy scooters.

All motorcycles and scooters are this way. Factory standard to produce speedos to over read for saftey, rather than under read.

52 mph is slow no matter how the speed is gauged. So it doesn't matter. My guess would be the speedo was reading 52 which would mean the bike was probably hitting close to 60. Throw in the idea maybe she doesn't have the nerve to hold the throttle open for very long or the day is chilly and I'm sure the speeds will drop a bit. As well, I think the salesman told me it was a new bike. Maybe the bike was tuned properly. One of the earlier posts on here told me I might want to look at other bikes that may be a bit more comfortable for the long haul. I agree with the author of this post. But from what you folks have told me about your Buddys and from the type of riding I will do most of the time the Buddy looks like a winner again. I have another question concerning the Buddy but since it is on a different topic, I'll start a new thread. Thank you so much, all of you.

hillbillybear wrote:My guess would be the speedo was reading 52 which would mean the bike was probably hitting close to 60...

That's backwards, if the speedo is reading 60mph, the actual speed is approx 52mph. If the speedo is reading 52 then the actual speed is approx 45mph.

About 190 lbs & can hit about 60 mph indicated in full tuck w/ not much headwind on a flat surface.

5K miles on the scoot.

\e

I'm tipping the scales at about 235 lbs., have a slightly modded buddy (Prima pipe, heaver slider weights) and can hit 65 MPH and typically do 90% of my riding at about 60 MPH, with no problems.

antares wrote:When you talk about the speed of your scooters are talking about what your speedometer is reading or the actual speed that is on a GPS. Their is about a 12-15% faster reading on the Buddy scooters.

Xactly! -You get a lot of unrealistic boasting here on MB as to what the stock 125-150cc scooters can do! My 200cc Vespa can graaadually top out at (a speedo indicated) 80 MPH, which is really about 73, and I've yet to see the stock 150cc scooter that can run with it!

I've had my Buddy 125 up to about 65 MPH (on the speedo) w/o any problem, but realistically speaking I believe that's about 59...

Talking stock scooter speeds here (and just about anywhere?) is akin to talking about how big that fish was you caught at the lake last summer....

Buddy 125cc. Mine hits 60mph pretty easy, it can hit 65 but it has to be pushed pretty hard, tested with a gps the speedo reads close to 70mph.

Coffeejunkie wrote:I'm trying to get it to 85 so my fluxcapacitor can take me back in time!

hahaha you're neat

I have a stock 09 Italia 150; it's error at 65 indicated is +6 mph. I cruise routinely at 68-70 indicated...enough for me! Wind screen and topper are only acc; I am 195# + clothes. 2000 mi. on the bike. Next Spring want to get others and do the Mt. Washington road to the summit. Planning ahead....

I can hit and hold 60 - 65 indicated on relatively level ground with my 125 (I'm 165lb. and have the usual mods - variator / clutch / pipe). On occasion, I have ventured into the 70's, perhaps with the help of the grade or wind, but that really is too much for me. I have crossed the Big Mac (here in Cincy) a handful of times with no problems (except the expansion joints and potholes look like the Grand Canyon from the perspective of a scooter).