Modern Buddy

I have been researching scooting and am confused and need guidence.....I am really sold on the Buddy 125 and LOVE the warranty...but I do appreciate the Vespa 150's looks...can someone provide me with an unbiased opinion of both scooters? Plus...I'm in Idaho......only 1 store of each here....

Exactly wrote:...can someone provide me with an unbiased opinion of both scooters?

probably not.

the easy way out would be to say i could afford a buddy...
and i fit a buddy much better, i'm 5-2.

most importantly, happy shopping.

I can only say (and rather ambiguously, I might say), that they BOTH have their qualities and both have their drawbacks. Now I CAN say, however, that if you are an absolute newbie, ie; never owned a motorized two-wheeled conveyance before, I would recommend the Buddy. Following are my reasons why...

Qualities, Vespa; Classic looks, frame fits larger human frames, great handling, 2-stroke smoke, resale value, parts availability, LOTS of accessories...if you feel you need 'em.

Qualities, Buddy; Retro-modern good looks, light weight, small, 4-stroke engine (MUCH better mileage and longevity), lower price, very quick...probably quicker than any stock Vespa PX, easy to fix if you drop it, GREAT warranty...I've had to use it and have had no issues...roadside assistance (again, I had to use it and there were no issues...the problem turned out to be very minor), it's an automatic.

Drawbacks, Vespa; Expensive...you're buying the name...parts availability can be a problem, lower mileage, two-stroke smoke means more frequent rebuilds (just the nature of the beast), heavy, gotta shift it (personally, I love to shift...), expensive to fix body if you drop it, requires more input from the rider in terms of maintenance and general "paying attention to it".

Drawbacks, Buddy; Plastic just ain't as pretty, parts availability is proving to be a problem, not as many accessories (if ya need 'em), too small for some human frames (so I've heard...although I have a friend who's probably 6'3" or so and he's put around 14,000 mostly happy miles on his Buddy).

Bottom line for a complete newbie? The 4-stroke of the Buddy will be more forgiving of forgetfulness and ignorance. It WON'T, however, tolerate absolute negligence! It is lighter and smaller, thereby making it easier to handle. It gets better mileage. It is cheap and easy to replace plastic body parts if you fall down. The engine is proving to be reliable and durable (12,000 miles on mine) and easy to work on.

True, the PX is a thing of Italian beauty and I would love to be able to afford one, but the complete newbie would be well advised to put that on their shopping list for tomorrow since it requires more from the rider and a new rider should be concentrating on their riding abilities, NOT worrying about how to fix it or maintain it. Get some time under your belt on a rider-friendly scooter that is competent and still fun, then trade up as your abilities increase.

My two-cents worth.

Then again, if you're talking the LX150, then I take it all back. The only real drawback is it is WAY more expensive and more expensive to fix body panels if you fall down. It's also heavier.


--Keys

louie wrote:

Exactly wrote:...can someone provide me with an unbiased opinion of both scooters?

probably not.

Best Modern Buddy post, ever!

I apologize, Exactly, you've asked a good question and I'm not being helpful. Both are good scooters. The Vespa is quite a bit more expensive, $1600, to be exact. Those extra dollars for the Vespa buy you a lot of stylish steel and panache and two known weaknesses, the fuel tap and (until this year) a battery that was too small for the job. Once in a great while, we hear of a Buddy having a problem, but we haven't found anything systematically wrong with them.

For a newbie rider, I pick the Buddy over the Vespa for the following reason: the Vespa is incredibly easy to total. A little minor incident of the kind that newbie riders tend to get into, and the LX is totalled. I've heard it again and again where a Buddy got banged up and all that happened was some plastic parts had to be replaced at a cost of maybe a couple hundred dollars. If you bang up a Vespa (any of them), especially if you run into something, it's not at all uncommon for it to be totalled.

The reason why is that the Vespa's body is the frame. It's called "monocoque" construction and it's a radically cool idea, except that, as I say, it's way too easy to put a serious bend or crease in the monocoque and then it's goodbye to your expensive scooter. By comparison, the Buddy has a frame made of steel tubing just like a motorcycle. The "body" of the Buddy is just plastic parts that attach to the frame. If you bump into something on a Buddy, you'll probably break some of those plastic parts which are cheap and easy to replace.

That's why I wholeheartedly recommend the Buddy over the Vespa for newbie riders.

louie wrote:

Exactly wrote:...can someone provide me with an unbiased opinion of both scooters?

probably not.

the easy way out would be to say i could afford a buddy...

My two sentiments exactly!
Cost was the major deciding factor for me...along with a great dealer who sells Genuine scooters close to where I live.

Just by chance, an example of what I'm talking about with the Vespas happened this week over on ModernVespa.com. This is a brand spanking new Vespa GTS250ie, MSRP $5999. The inexperienced rider parked it in such a way that it fell over on a curb. See the crease in the body down at the bottom of the picture where it hit the curb just wrong? If that were a Buddy, you could just replace a piece of plastic. The Vespa, I fear, is totalled because when the monocoque body is creased like that, it can't be safely repaired.

...if you'd like to check out the capabilities of the Buddy, you're welcome to check the archives back through a year ago at my blog; www.skutergruven.blogspot.com . I have thrashed this little scooter somethin' fierce and it's still running strong! I say to archive it through a year ago because that's when I got my Buddy.

--Keys

From earlier threads on this topic:

ericalm wrote:I own both and can tell you there are some pretty significant differences. Some are subtle, the kinds of things you'd get adjust to in time. Others are more fundamental: beyond the specs, the scoots have there own characters.

Here's what I had to say in other threads:

ericalm wrote:

Mr. Met wrote:How do you like your Buddy compared to your Vespa?

Here's what I initially wrote about the two in this thread:

ericalm wrote:The weight is more evenly distributed on the LX because, I guess, of the steel body. Most of the Buddy's weight is low and in the center/engine area. This makes the LX feel heavier, though it isn't. It also means that it leans quite differently; it takes more effort to turn and you really feel it lean a lot more. At the same time, it seems to me like the LX has wider lean angles. This means that in some ways it's harder to control the LX, but the rider may have more control at times because it's tilting under force you're exerting over it.

In comparison, the Buddy feels "loose." It tilts easily; I hit kickstand my first time out on it, which has never happened on the LX. When combined with its zip, this makes the Buddy a fun ride that corners and handles with ease at fairly high speed. But as has been noted elsewhere, this contributes to the "overconfidence factor." For me, this means just having to be a lot more conscious of how much control I really have when maneuvering because it's quite tempting to drive it at its limits.

Jess described the Buddy as "twitchier" than an LX, which I think is a pretty good characterization. The two offer very different riding experiences, but I think that's in their intent and design. A Vespa is a very idiosynchratic machine, but it's definitely a few steps up in terms of build and finish; to me, it's a more mature, sophisticated ride. The Buddy is sort of like a teenager, eager, fearless, capable of doing all the "adult" things, perhaps even faster, but not as smoothly.

A lot of people have made analogies to cars, but basically it's like saying not all 4-cylinder coupes are the same. You should definitely look at each one, sit on them, try to see how comfortable each is for you. At 6' 2", the Buddy may feel a little small. I'm sure lots of people will chime in to say they're 7' tall and can ride comfortably for hours. I'm 5' 11" and have size 12 boots—that's good for less than an hour of comfortable uninterrupted Buddy riding.

As I've said before, I think the Kymco People is a much closer competitor to the Buddy: similar price and quality, good specs, larger wheels. A good ride, but maybe not quite as fun.

More on the scooter/car analogy: I have to wonder if people whose main complaint about Vespas is the price all drive Hundais or Toyota Yarises or any of a few dozen other cars that probably perform as well as most others on the road while costing much less. Or if those who say that Vespas are for people who care about style (as if that's something bad) only wear generic brand clothes and shoes from Wal*Mart.

BTW, Keys, the LX150 and Buddy weigh almost exactly the same—dry weight difference is less than 10lbs. The reason the Buddy feels lighter is that he Vespa's weight is more distributed while the Buddy's is all in the engine area, low and to the rear.

(I keep adding to this comparison every time I post it )

Ok, so I took the leap....and BTW thank you thank you to all that gave me your two cents worth and then some.......

I BOUGHT A BUDDY today!!!!!! I decided that the warranty, ease for "newbie" and all of the excellent info I researched on the net and got through this web site...just made more sense for a first timer as myself. (I had rode minibikes a LONG time ago)....I felt that being used to the finer things...may mandate my taste selection of the Vespa but the common sense Virgo in me made the executive decision to purchase the Buddy.

I got the 125 Italia..... I had to ride it home @ 15 miles from where I bought it......(Haven't rode in @ 20 years) tried to take back rodes and HOLY cow it is peppy, easy to manuver and quite frankly suprised the heck out of me....

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU again to all of you.....hopefully I'll become a member and keep posting as I become more acquainted with "my" Buddy...and take you all for a ride with me!!!

Congrats and welcome!

Yeah, I was surprised too when I first rode the Buddy. Watch out for that ease of riding. It's both a positive and a negative point, sometimes with unfortunate results. We discussed it a while ago in this thread.

If you have any questions, try the search function. We're always glad to help and to share experiences of riders of all ages, backgrounds & experience levels!

Congrat's!

If you haven't ridden in a very long time, it would probably be worthwhile to get some training- like the MSF course.

Congrats!
-K

WHOoooooo HOOoooooooo.....for all those concerned...signed up for the STARS course here......getting my permit on Monday...(STARS) is our safety program for new and rusty riders......hopefully will do fine and pass. Also, bought a helmet and plan on getting additonal safety equipment with the funds saved from not buying the Vespa. I figure when I am really versed in scooting, and have several years under my belt (helmet)....I might branch out on the Vespa.

Thanks again everyone!!! OH..and I'm a member now...

Get a buddy and you can roll with me, where in Idaho are you located? I'm in Idaho Falls

Exactly wrote:I figure when I am really versed in scooting, and have several years under my belt (helmet)....I might branch out on the Vespa.

One thing to consider. Do you prefer classic style or modern performance? When you DO "upgrade" or "branch out" don't forget the modern Japanese maxi-scooters. I'm thinking about buying a Burgman 400 some time next summer. If SWMBO will let me, I'm going to hang onto Bud, as I have grown accustomed to the 90+ mpg and excellent maneuverability that Bud offers.

But at > 45 mph, nothing short of a motorcycle will be a maxi scooter. Better lighting, better brakes, more storage, deeper lean angles, and ability to bring the wife along so I don't always have to wonder how late I can stay out without coming home to her, all upset.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/Pr ... n=OVERVIEW



The bigger Vespas cost about the same as this beautiful Suzuki, which is why I mention it.

Note: SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed

Well, there have been rumors of a 400 or 500cc Vespa GTSie. We know a bigger MP3 is headed for the US. The issue will be whether the bigger engine will add too much weight.

A Piaggio branded version of the Gilera GP800 would rock, but that's kind of a motorcycle in scooter clothing, so to speak.

I wouldn't be surprised if Genuine added a larger displacement scoot to its lineup next year.

ericalm wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if Genuine added a larger displacement scoot to its lineup next year.

Well, that'll cause some size envy on our step-sister site.

louie wrote:

Exactly wrote:...can someone provide me with an unbiased opinion of both scooters?

probably not.

I love that answer! Nothing like going to Modern Buddy for an "unbiased" opinion! WE LOVE OUR BUDDYS!!!!! That said they are both great scoots each with their advantages and dissadvantages!

NotDavid

DOH, got here too late to answer!

Congrats on the buddy!!!

I WAS going to say, test ride both. You'll know which one feels better to you.

Oh well, Buddy 1 Vespa 0