Modern Buddy

I find myself more likely on getting a leftover 2009 Buddy 125 and have developed a curiosity of the brand/weight of oil ya'll use in the engine of your Buddy 125, 150, 170; thanks

For Luna's 170 we use the following as recommended by our dealer:
Engine oil: Motul 300V (5W40 synthetic)
Gear oil: Valvoline high performance 85W-140 Limited slip

125 -Shell Rotella 15W40

It's been asked many, many times here.
Once, by me!

Just thought I would give one more bit of data.

I have had to replace the rear bearings in my transmission twice and even after the last time, I thought there was a bit of whining coming from the gears. So, I have switched to Royal Purple gear oil.
Regardless of the argument that any proper-weight gear oil is OK, I have had much less noise coming from my gears since making the switch.
A jug of gear oil lasts a very long time and I change mine at each oil change (which is every 2K miles).
I also switched to Royal Purple engine oil, just to give my scooter the Royal Treatment .

Just sayin'. Not trying to re-start any old arguments but just reporting my personal experience.

kmrcstintn wrote:I find myself more likely on getting a leftover 2009 Buddy 125

Were are you buying? BMA in Bainbridge still has a few in the showroom as well as a Mocha 170 which I am in love with.......
(I was in just the other day looking for a new battery for my Bud.)

+1 on BMA...

my Rattler is awaiting a front wheel after a mishap last month; I'm REALLY, REALLY torn between keeping it and trading it on the black 125 in the showroom...

the Ratt's a screamer for a 2-stroke and fun as all h*ll to ride; these youtube vids do it justice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQXqsN9cg-U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqHuMhlHrw

the ONLY dislike I have is the multiple openings in the front cover that let WAY TOO MUCH rain in; I've had 2 relays go bad due to water intrusion (horn relay and turn signal relay); both were fixed/replaced under warranty, but how often is it going to happen?!?

the black Buddy has a sophistocated look and this youtube vid sells it well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pNddc6PKIg

one drawback is the narrow floor since I find it uncomfortable to ride with my legs that close together; the black color would match my Jeep and the black panels on my Buell Blast

I use Motul. It's what my dealer carries, what my mechanic recommends, and what I've been using for tens of thousands of miles. It works for me!

well...I'm gonna get the Buddy in a few days

I asked what BMA will use for the @ 200 mile oil change and I was told it will be Castrol 10W-40 since using synthetic for the remainder of engine break-in is a waste of money...I can see the logic, but they want nearly $6.00 per qt of Castrol conventional

I think I'm gonna snag some Rotella 15w-40 or Valvoline 4-stroke conventional motorcycle oil for the first engine oil change; I have Amsoil 75w-140 gear oil leftover from the Rattler and I will do that service myself...whatever is factory fill is gonna flow like and look like molasses when I change the gear lube

I think most will agree that you should use 'natural or dino' oil for at least the first 1000 miles or so, to seat the rings, after which you can switch to synthetics.

Then as long as the oil meets or exceeds the specs on the scoot or in the manual, it's up to you what you use. Just change it regularly.

I'm NOT impressed with the 'specifics' listed in Genuine owners' manuals; my Rattler book states to use '2-stroke oil' without anything specific; the Buddy 50/125 book states to use 15w-40 without anything more; leaves too much room for interpretation, especially with the 2-stroke engines (injector vs pre-mix, marine vs powersports, crap vs good, et al)

kmrcstintn wrote:I'm NOT impressed with the 'specifics' listed in Genuine owners' manuals; my Rattler book states to use '2-stroke oil' without anything specific; the Buddy 50/125 book states to use 15w-40 without anything more; leaves too much room for interpretation, especially with the 2-stroke engines (injector vs pre-mix, marine vs powersports, crap vs good, et al)

I'll agree that listing just the suggested weight (15-40) without any API classification leaves a bit to be desired, but the oil my HD recommended (API SH 10W-30) was exceeded by every manufacturer of 10w 30 I found, so in reality not much is missing in the Buddy manual. Any good 15W-40 (or lighter if it's cold where you are) should be more than sufficient.

using 10w40 for last few hundred miles no issues in a 150. scooter isn't rode that much, dealer said its fine