Modern Buddy

I have to give credit to the cheap Chinese scoots out there because some of them have some really cool aluminum wheels. Before my Blackjack I had a Lance Vintage 150cc with 5 spoke aluminum rims. I'm just not a fan of the 2 piece wheel with the Buddys. Does anyone know of a custom wheel or rim shop that has some unique 10" scooter rims?

There's been a thread on this before, and I believe the answer is no. Of course a fabricator could make them, but that would be cost-prohibitive for me. I like those red BJ rims BTW! But....some other rim options would be nice.

I'm sure if you were ambitious enough you could paint them another color.. but that's about it.
There is a different 3-spoke type wheel design for the new 170 internationals, and I think certain colors of the 125s and 50s... not sure if the picture online reflects the actual wheels on the actual bikes, as I don't have one, but it may be worth looking into if you are really set on different wheels. I did notice that the front brake is smaller as well, so it's possible you would have to replace the stock brake with a new smaller version for the other wheels to fit properly.

Pic from Genuine's site with the original 170i's wheels.



Pic from Genuine's site with the 3-spoke wheels of the 170i Italia.

I like the 3 spoke design!

I'd love to be able to chain my back wheel to the fence instead of running it through the fork.

But, neither way is really all that secure I guess.

that's what the rat's wheels look like, so prolly in the pgo stable. I don't think they are the samr size though.

Wheelz wrote:that's what the rat's wheels look like, so prolly in the pgo stable. I don't think they are the samr size though.

They look slightly bigger and narrower, but the specs on the website aren't any different now that they added the internationals, they don't even have the international "colors" listed yet, just the pictures.

Also, the only other Buddy that I see on there with those three-spokes is the red 125, the other 125s and the other internationals have the same wheels as the 170i above, just painted to their respective colors.








In other news, they recently added the new two-tone Stellas to the site as well! <3 <3 <3

skully93 wrote:I like the 3 spoke design!

I'd love to be able to chain my back wheel to the fence instead of running it through the fork.

But, neither way is really all that secure I guess.

Running a chain through the back wheel would be pretty secure. Although someone with the necessary tools and uninterrupted time could theoretically remove the rear wheel and take the rest of the bike, it would be so difficult to pull off that only the most determined thief would be likely to try it.

The three spoke wheels only come on the 50cc Buddys despite what the Photoshopped pictures show. Also, the 50's come with smaller tires than the 125 / 150 / 170i's. I'm not sure if the wheels are the same size though. I'm thinking they might be a little narrower.

I wonder if one of the ruckus sites would be any help...
Seems like the custom wheel manufacturers on there should be able to whip something up, since most are custom machined anyway... Probably pretty steep, but who knows?

Lagerhead wrote: the 50's come with smaller tires than the 125 / 150 / 170i's. I'm not sure if the wheels are the same size though. I'm thinking they might be a little narrower.

As far as I figure, the buddys, no matter what size the engine is, the frame and body are all the same. Tires 3x10 are 90/90-10 3.50x10 are 100/90-10 (just about) Wheels therefore, should be the same or at least so very close it shouldn't be an issue.

Lagerhead wrote:The three spoke wheels only come on the 50cc Buddys despite what the Photoshopped pictures show.

That does make some sense, as the brake is much smaller on the three spoke wheels, fit better for a lighter bike with a smaller engine displacement and lower power production.

The only thing that doesn't make sense is that they used those pictures for the 170i internationals. Why not use the pictures from the original internationals rather than the lil' internationals to photoshop in for the 170i versions? I guess the angles of the scooters in the pictures are different, but it would make more sense to give a more accurate representation of what the scooter will actually look like in person. Oh well.

Lagerhead wrote:The three spoke wheels only come on the 50cc Buddys despite what the Photoshopped pictures show. Also, the 50's come with smaller tires than the 125 / 150 / 170i's. I'm not sure if the wheels are the same size though. I'm thinking they might be a little narrower.

They are narrower. I was gonna get a new set of NCY forks but that would've required a whole new front wheel and a new front fender.