Modern Buddy

Just a couple quick questions......

I'm 165lbs and drive up and down hills in the northern burbs of Atlanta. I have 5000 miles on my Buddy 125 and I'm averaging in the mid to high 80's for mileage. All of my driving is between 25-45mph and never for a prolonged period of time.

I've never had a valve adjustment, but have done most of the other maintenance....oil, valve oil, filter, tire pressure.

My question is this....if the valve adjustment was off, would it throw off my mpg? Would there be any way to know it's off without peeling open the scooter and checking it? I'm guessing if it's real bad I would hear it clapping. Just wanted some input before tearing into the scooter. Thanks!

In my personal experience, the Buddy doesn't need the valves adjusted too often. That said, I think at 5K, checking the valve adjustment is a good idea since things may change during break-in.
Generally when valves are loose, you'll hear a ticking sound. You may not hear anything different if they're too tight but too tight can be bad for the motor.
If you're getting in the mid-to-high 80's mpg, that sounds about right.

Some good reading and a how-to on valve adjustment here and here.