Modern Buddy

Hello all, so I've searched and searched and see NO options for any other type of seat for the Buddy 125. Sure, I've seen the Blackjack seat and the one for the Psycho. But all the ones I have seen have the same basic seat structure. I am hoping that there is a seat structure out there that acutally has springs in the seat to help with the bumps some! I put a vespa springy p seat on my Stella and it made a world of difference in how much my back hurt the day after a long ride. The buddy seat appears to have NO springs. Even the best cushion in there isn't going to give the help that springs provide. . . anyone know of any other seats that fit the buddy?

basically there's only 2 seat pans plain and the low profile. Do a search to find a company that has redone members seats. Pirate is one of them.
There no saddlemen ect. premade seats.

This is one of the fundamental differences between a modern scooter and an old-school scoot like your Stella. You can have your seat recovered or rebuild it with different foam, but the seats on modern scooters are all made with that same hard-plastic base plus cushioning foam. There's a world of different things you can stick between yourself and there- air seats, beaded seats, gel seats, whatever soothes your seat surface, but that old-school steel spring option is gone.

No seats with springs. I don't know of many modern scooters that have springs in the seats.

You can have the seat reshaped by an upholsterer and add gel padding in there, which is better than the foam most use. You can also get one of those strap-on butt pad things that many long distance riders use. (Er, they strap on to the seat, not your butt.)

Here I am getting an image of Wile-y Coyote with a pair of springs strapped onto his heinie and wearing a football helmet . As Eric says, I don't believe there is any modern scooter or motorcycle that has a seat supported by springs (with the possible exception of some retro mods). Lots of custom alternatives with memory foam or gel pads, of course. Would not be hard to take your seat to a custom shop and have the foam support modified.

Thanks for the info . . . and it is as I feared
I'm telling you, those old style seats which allowed for springs and such were WONDERFUL! I cannot imagine foam padding ever coming close . . . but if that is all there is ; then . . . .OK.

Okay, long rides the last few days and the butt is sore. So is the back. Hitting those bumps HURTS. I miss the springy P seat on my stella. . .
Another issue. As I ride, my butt slides forward. Each time I stop, I'm pushing myself back toward the rear rack to get more comfortable. Why is the seat sloped so? Seems like it should not have a slope at all. Anyone done a work around for this ? Anyone else struggle with this? Maybe it's just my sitting stance or something . . . or a lopsidded butt or something?

smarkum wrote:Okay, long rides the last few days and the butt is sore. So is the back. Hitting those bumps HURTS. I miss the springy P seat on my stella. . .
Another issue. As I ride, my butt slides forward. Each time I stop, I'm pushing myself back toward the rear rack to get more comfortable. Why is the seat sloped so? Seems like it should not have a slope at all. Anyone done a work around for this ? Anyone else struggle with this? Maybe it's just my sitting stance or something . . . or a lopsidded butt or something?

As a short person, I appreciate the slope of the seat. I need to slide forward at stops to get a foot on the ground! I know there are a lot of other people like me. So in my opinion, the seat is designed as well as it possibly could be to accommodate the largest range of riders. I'm finally going to get the low profile seat (due to be delivered tomorrow - yay!), but even with that, I suspect my reach will be limited.

smarkum wrote:Okay, long rides the last few days and the butt is sore. So is the back. Hitting those bumps HURTS. I miss the springy P seat on my stella. . .
Another issue. As I ride, my butt slides forward. Each time I stop, I'm pushing myself back toward the rear rack to get more comfortable. Why is the seat sloped so? Seems like it should not have a slope at all. Anyone done a work around for this ? Anyone else struggle with this? Maybe it's just my sitting stance or something . . . or a lopsidded butt or something?

There are actually few flat modern scooter seats for some reason. Most are sloped at some have funny little humps in them.

You can flatten it out by shaving the back down or having an upholstery shop do it. Pretty easy.

Try Corbin, they don't have an off the shelf seat for your model but they will do a custom one for you.

do others suffer the same slippage as I? Maybe I'm just weird . . .

Thanks for those suggestions! I will explore them further.

smarkum wrote:do others suffer the same slippage as I? Maybe I'm just weird . . .

Thanks for those suggestions! I will explore them further.

I've heard the complaint frequently about other seats (Vespa GTS). Not so much with the Buddys, but I think much depends on your proportions.

I prefer a flatter seat in general. I really like the one on my LX and I LOVE the springy seat on my PX. I may even try to mod it to fit the Stella.

the Springy P seat I had did not need modification for my Stella - I think I may have a pic someplace. . . I'll try and find it. It is AMAZING the difference on back and neck crunch with a springy seat! I wonder if I could mod it to fit my Buddy??? There's an idea!

smarkum wrote:the Springy P seat I had did not need modification for my Stella - I think I may have a pic someplace. . . I'll try and find it. It is AMAZING the difference on back and neck crunch with a springy seat! I wonder if I could mod it to fit my Buddy??? There's an idea!

Was your Stella a 4T? The seat pan's different because the tank sits a bit higher and there's the evap system in the back. It may work with the longer seat post, though.

pdxrita wrote:

smarkum wrote:Okay, long rides the last few days and the butt is sore. So is the back. Hitting those bumps HURTS. I miss the springy P seat on my stella. . .
Another issue. As I ride, my butt slides forward. Each time I stop, I'm pushing myself back toward the rear rack to get more comfortable. Why is the seat sloped so? Seems like it should not have a slope at all. Anyone done a work around for this ? Anyone else struggle with this? Maybe it's just my sitting stance or something . . . or a lopsidded butt or something?

As a short person, I appreciate the slope of the seat. I need to slide forward at stops to get a foot on the ground! I know there are a lot of other people like me. So in my opinion, the seat is designed as well as it possibly could be to accommodate the largest range of riders. I'm finally going to get the low profile seat (due to be delivered tomorrow - yay!), but even with that, I suspect my reach will be limited.

Are they back in stock?

The relatively flat saddle is one of the things I like about the Rattler. Granted the padding is a bit thin But, it does make for easy rider position change

neotrotsky wrote:The relatively flat saddle is one of the things I like about the Rattler. Granted the padding is a bit thin But, it does make for easy rider position change

It really is a what you're used to/what you can adapt to kind of thing. I find the seating position on the Rattler weird, as if I'm pitched too far forward.

Stormswift wrote:

pdxrita wrote:As a short person, I appreciate the slope of the seat. I need to slide forward at stops to get a foot on the ground! I know there are a lot of other people like me. So in my opinion, the seat is designed as well as it possibly could be to accommodate the largest range of riders. I'm finally going to get the low profile seat (due to be delivered tomorrow - yay!), but even with that, I suspect my reach will be limited.

Are they back in stock?

Yes! I just got mine today. It looks really nice. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or energy to swap it out tonight, but I probably will do it tomorrow. It's a quick and easy job, but I'll have to adjust my windshield after I install it and that's trickier.

pdxrita wrote:

Stormswift wrote:

pdxrita wrote:As a short person, I appreciate the slope of the seat. I need to slide forward at stops to get a foot on the ground! I know there are a lot of other people like me. So in my opinion, the seat is designed as well as it possibly could be to accommodate the largest range of riders. I'm finally going to get the low profile seat (due to be delivered tomorrow - yay!), but even with that, I suspect my reach will be limited.

Are they back in stock?

Yes! I just got mine today. It looks really nice. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or energy to swap it out tonight, but I probably will do it tomorrow. It's a quick and easy job, but I'll have to adjust my windshield after I install it and that's trickier.

Thanks!They are out of stock again but have shipment due. I ordered mine just now. It was time. I like my summer riding shoes but they do not have the "lift" like Harleys and I am tiptoeing more which is never good. Windshields can be a bit tricky. I had to take mine off to put on a GPS mount, then had to re-install the whole thing again...

Stormswift wrote:

pdxrita wrote:

Stormswift wrote: Are they back in stock?

Yes! I just got mine today. It looks really nice. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or energy to swap it out tonight, but I probably will do it tomorrow. It's a quick and easy job, but I'll have to adjust my windshield after I install it and that's trickier.

Thanks!They are out of stock again but have shipment due. I ordered mine just now. It was time. I like my summer riding shoes but they do not have the "lift" like Harleys and I am tiptoeing more which is never good. Windshields can be a bit tricky. I had to take mine off to put on a GPS mount, then had to re-install the whole thing again...

Bummer about the seat being out of stock again. Maybe they do have some but they're holding off until they fulfill all of the backorders. They called me to verify that I still wanted one, so I suspect it takes them some time to work through their list. I went ahead and installed my seat tonight. My first impression is that it's really going to help. I sat on it in my tennis shoes and I was able to get the balls of my feet on the ground. I might be able to ditch my frankenstein platform boots in favor of my trusty old Doc Martins! I fiddled with my windshield some, but I don't think it made any difference. I'm going to have to take off the mirrors to get to the part I really need to adjust. I hope your seat comes quickly! I think you'll like it.

My Stella was a two stroke. That must have been the difference in how it attached. I am hoping that I get used to the slope of the Buddy...so far though every time I stop I scoot myself back in place... Oh my long legs... And my boney bum... But I love my Buddy. Brings a smile every time!

You know, I may be in the market for a spare seat to send off for a little magic... So juat a heads up for the folks getting the shorter profile seats...

smarkum wrote: You know, I may be in the market for a spare seat to send off for a little magic... So juat a heads up for the folks getting the shorter profile seats...

PM me if you want to make a deal. I've actually got two seats that are good for reupholstering, but not for regular use. I am planning to post them up for sale soon.

I contacted Pirate and they said they don't do modifications of the seat pan . . . but they can all kinds of gel and stuff.

Does anyone have experience with a pirate or corbin job on a Buddy? I'd love to see some pics.

And, I cannot find a link for shaving down the seat pan. . . can anyone point me to that thread?

I appreciate all the info. I can sure see how the seat as it is designed would be great for folks with shorter legs. . . It is really nice that Genuine considered that when making the Buddy.

smarkum wrote:I contacted Pirate and they said they don't do modifications of the seat pan . . . but they can all kinds of gel and stuff.

Does anyone have experience with a pirate or corbin job on a Buddy? I'd love to see some pics.

And, I cannot find a link for shaving down the seat pan. . . can anyone point me to that thread?

I appreciate all the info. I can sure see how the seat as it is designed would be great for folks with shorter legs. . . It is really nice that Genuine considered that when making the Buddy.

As far as I know, no one has ever shaved down the seat pan. The seat modifications that people have done (including my own failed attempt) were only in the way of shaving down the foam. The pan is plastic, so it can't really be shaved. I pondered whether I might be able to cut out the domed part and replace it with a piece of metal, riveted on, when I was looking for ways to make mine lower. With the right tools and knowledge, I'm sure it could be done. If you had a professional completely rebuild on a standard Buddy seat pan, I'm sure they could accomplish what you're looking for. Especially since it sounds like height isn't an issue for you. The only other possibility for getting a flatter pan is, ironically, buying a low profile seat. The low profile seat doesn't have the dome. As it comes from the factory, it also doesn't have the slant that the stock Buddy seat has. It has more of a pocket that you slide back into. Rode mine to work for the first time today - comfy!

Wow. . . that lower seat does sound comfy. I'm going to go look it up!

For any of you guys with the low profile seat. Scooterworks says there is a "slightly" lower storage capacity in the pet carrier due to the change in the seat pan. How much less? Can you still get a full-face helmet under the seat?

HowHH wrote:For any of you guys with the low profile seat. Scooterworks says there is a "slightly" lower storage capacity in the pet carrier due to the change in the seat pan. How much less? Can you still get a full-face helmet under the seat?

I would say no, you cannot get a full faced helmet under the low profile seat. Here's a picture of the underside of the low profile (on the left) vs. the standard (on the right). You can see that the standard is domed overall and also has an extra little bump in the middle, designed just for a helmet. The low profile is flat, so basically anything that might stick up above the lip of the pet carrier will not fit.

Thanks. I see what you mean. Those pics clearly show the difference.

Since I value being able to stow my FF helmet under the seat, I guess I'll just have to continue sort of reaching the ground.

can you post a pic of those from the top? I'd like the see the difference in the slope. I cannot find pics online that demonstrate the diff. . .

Here you go. I snapped a few pictures when I was doing the swap, for just such an occasion as this. This might not be quite as clear as the underside picture. The low profile is in the foreground, stock in the back. It would probably be easier to tell how they ride if they were mounted. I could snap a pic of the low profile seat on my scooter tomorrow, if that would help.

In the pic, it looks like a nicer seat than the original.

HowHH wrote:In the pic, it looks like a nicer seat than the original.

I agree. It does seem like a nicer seat. When my partner saw it, she said it looked like a Corbin seat to her.

Our Pirate Upholstery Buddy Saddle.
Improved foam, gel pad, lowered, leather cover and orange stitching to boot.
They have so many colors and types of material to make the cover.

Now ther Pirate is what I'm taking about! Looks totally flat eh?
Thank you so much pdxrita! Those pics really help me get an idea of what that other seat adds. It does look like the perfect seat! I wonder if my knees will be in my face with a seat as low? Thanks a lot for the pics! Keep em coming.

Here's another example of a really nice custom seat:
viewtopic.php?p=207450

Okay, so I found a guy locally who was selling a spare seat. I picked it up yesterday. And, to my surprise, it is more solid than the black stock one I have . I rode with it on today and YIKES. . . it is slickery. . . very slickery. My black seat has some texture to it that is a bit grippy. Is there any easy way to make the blue one not as slippery? I plan to send one of them in for some shaping . . . but have not decided which as of yet.