Modern Buddy

Please state type of scooter, brand of tires, duration it lasted and the area you live in. I'm just curious but also want to know the maximum life I should expect out of mine.

You can post weight too as that plays a part but feel free not to

2008 Buddy 125. NorCal. I weigh 155 and ride WOT most of the time.

Stock Cheng Shin 3.5-10 rear tire - 6,000 miles. Changed both tires even though the front still looked new so I could go Heidenau front and back.

Heidenau 100/90-10 rear tire - 5,100 miles. Heidenau front still looks new. Only changed the rear to try a 130/70-10 Metzler.

Metzler 130/70-10 rear tire - TBD. Just installed it yesterday.

The stock tires on the buddy 150 lasted me up to 5,000 miles. The rear went out at 5k and the front still had good tread and life on it but decided to change it to match tires. I changed the front at 6500, but it could easily do more. I wish there was an easy way to "rotate the tires" as it would improve the life of the tires due to the strain on the back wheel.

2k miles on stock Dunlop maxi life..and still going.

DrScoot wrote: I wish there was an easy way to "rotate the tires" as it would improve the life of the tires due to the strain on the back wheel.

We tried this with no so great results or we waited too long to rotate them. Ended up wearing them both out before their time.

On my first 150, the front tire still looked good at 11,000 miles when we changed it and that was when we were switching from the factory Maxxis tires. The rear was changed at 4,200, 8,500 and then 11,000 miles.

We tried a set of Prima tires that the rear was shot at about 2,500 miles.

We have rode on a few Schwalbe Weatherman and the only thing about these tires that we did not like is they get choppy (like the wheel or tire is out of round?), anyway they did not wear smooth on the aggressive tread - maybe too dry. I actually have this on the rear wheel of the 2014 Buddy now and with the rain we had this spring was glad for it - never broke loose in any rain or even slush from this past winter.

Simple answer - we expect to get 4,500 miles for the rear wheel and over 10,000 miles on the front. Would like to see 5,000 miles on the rear yet riding style and ~200 pounds just don't see this happening.

Weight and riding style play a big part in how long they last. My wife rides straight up more than anyone I know and she gets a 'flatspot' before the tread wears out and they need replaced or it becomes dangerous to ride. Our daughter leans (or rolls) corners well, yet so much rides 'like a lady' her last scooter had 5,400 miles and the rear tire still looked new with plenty of tread and the front didn't show any signs of wear. Factory tires on her 125. They are both lightweights.

Replaced the original Maxxis whitewall on the back of my wife's 150 at around 4500 miles. Probably should have replaced it a little sooner because it was at the wear bars. Put a Prima on it and after 2000-ish miles it still looks like we can get another 2000 out of it. 6500 miles and the Maxxis on the front is still going strong. My wife rides it the most though, and she's about 120 lbs, with me around 200. We've only occasionally loaded up with a lot of cargo.

Cheng Shin on my Aprilia lasted a little longer but it does have much larger wheels. Rear was replaced at 7500 miles and the front at just over 10,000. Front would have lasted longer but it was wearing very unevenly, so I went ahead and got rid of it.

This was my '08 Buddy 150.

Originals were Maxxis ww's.
swapped out:

• Mileage / Tire
  3802 Maxxis rear
  8369 Pirreli front and rear
  12565 Michelin S1 rear
  17433 Michelin S1 rear
  21560 Michelin S1 front and rear. Front still had tread left.
  25785 Michelin S1 rear
  29517 Michelin S1 rear
  33344 Michelin S1 front and rear. Switched rear to 130/70. Love it.
  38084 Michelin S1 rear, 130/70.

Once I discovered the Michelin S1's were my fav's I stuck with 'em.
I averaged about 4230 on the rear tire. The front would get about 12K miles.

This is in Denver/surrounding area with most of my travels at high speed and quick take-offs from lights/stops. My scooter had aftermarket CDI, coil, pipe and most of the stuff in the CVT (variator, clutch, springs etc.).
I weighed anywhere from 170 to 180 over that time. Always rode single. No top box and rarely carried cargo. Always kept air pressure up. Front at 28-30 and rear anywhere from 30-35.
Switching to the 130/70 rear tire was one of the best things I ever did on that bike. Totally changed the handling and cornering.

Tocsik wrote:This was my '08 Buddy 150.
Originals were Maxxis ww's swapped out:

Mileage / Tire
3827 Michelin S1 front and rear. Switched rear to 130/70. Love it.
4740 Michelin S1 rear, 130/70.

This is in Denver/surrounding area with most of my travels at high speed and quick take-offs from lights/stops. My scooter had aftermarket CDI, coil, pipe and most of the stuff in the CVT (variator, clutch, springs etc.). Always kept air pressure up. Front at 28-30 and rear anywhere from 30-35.

Switching to the 130/70 rear tire was one of the best things I ever did on that bike. Totally changed the handling and cornering.

Glad to hear that as we felt the same way with our 130/70 and now have a Michelin S-1 130/70 hanging on a wall just waiting for me to wear out my rear tire this summer.

Okay, I'll bite; What's the advantage of the 130/70 over the 3.50/10 that's original size?
Thanks!

Best tire for wet/dry plus longevity is Heidenau.

GregsBuddy wrote:Okay, I'll bite; What's the advantage of the 130/70 over the 3.50/10 that's original size?
Thanks!

It's got a wider but rounder profile and your scooter will just roll into the corners.
The ride is a little better.
Slightly larger tire makes the speedometer more accurate.
You can get it for ~$38. (the much-touted Heidenau's are pricey)
Slightly larger tire also gets you a little higher top speed.
It's a direct replacement for the stock size (fits with no clearance issues).
It looks flippin' cool

I wrote about it here.

Nice looking tire there Tocsik. Nice shock too. Who makes that (the shock) and did you feel any difference in the handling?

Thanks, Tocsik.
I'm preparing to install a pair of Conti Zippy 1's. They have this size tire but I've not been able to verify its OD. The width is the same, of course.
The thought of tipping in being even easier is attractive indeed. I'll be removing the stock Cheng Shin for the Zippy and hope to feel an improvement.
My scoot has the aftermarket YSS shock and it really helped the ride. Not certain of cornering performance as I don't push that hard.

I'll stick with the Heidenau K61 130/70-10.


They are about $80, but I love my Heidenaus. I look forward to the new handling characteristics.

I actually bought that NCY shock used from the marketplace here on MB for 50 bucks. Put it on my scooter at about 23K miles.
It's not the gas piggyback shock; that one's waaay to expensive for me.
It's the one toward the bottom of this page.
Not a huge change in overall ride but it does help the rear tire stay in contact with the road better. The rebound is much better after a bump or a dip so there's better confidence when cornering when you hit an uneven patch. Keep your eyes open for a used one from a scooter getting parted out. Another good option is to occasionally check in with your local shop. They get ruined scooters in for parts and a Blackjack will have this shock. I pulled some CVT parts from a totaled Blackjack at my local shop. Parts are usually half the price of new that way.

The continental zippy is a good tire. I have them on my buddy and you'll feel the difference. Much better than stock. Mine have lasted a little over 5000 MI...

Tocsik.
you sound like you might know the answer to this question;
Are aftermarket forks for the 170i worth installing? The standard forks are choppy and have quite a bit of stiction.

Thank you for your endorsement, Mr. Drumpro!

GregsBuddy wrote:Tocsik.
you sound like you might know the answer to this question;
Are aftermarket forks for the 170i worth installing? The standard forks are choppy and have quite a bit of stiction.

Assuming you're talking about the front struts/shocks?
The 170i is basically the same chassis as the 125 and 150 so I think I can answer pretty honestly since I put about 40k on my 150 International.
I rode a Blackjack with the upgraded forks and it makes a pretty damn big improvement. I never put 'em on my scooter simply because of the cost. While I still had both the scooter and my S40, I would forget how the Buddy beat me up when I skipped riding it for a while. That front end really bounces around on the rough roads here in Denver.
If you've got the disposable income (or Father's Day or B-day gift idea ) then go for it!
Hope that helps.

The scooters are great fun but, in the end, I just needed something more appropriate to my needs.

GregsBuddy wrote:Tocsik.
you sound like you might know the answer to this question;
Are aftermarket forks for the 170i worth installing? The standard forks are choppy and have quite a bit of stiction.

I'm not Tocsik, but I might be able to help. The front forks on the Hooligan is almost the same as the Blur's and I feel that they are a bit too soft and underdampened - for my riding style anyway. I'm not very heavy at about 165lb, but I'm used to sport bike suspension dynamics. The stock shock oil is specified to be SAE 10W20. I'm replacing the oil in mine with straight 20W shock oil which seems to be thicker than the old oil that came out of my shock. The shock oil also has anti-stiction additives in it too. In addition to the oil, I'm also installing 3/4" long, 1" diameter pre-load spacers to stiffen things up.

Now back to your normally scheduled program...

Hi Babblefish.
Please let us know how your modifications work out.
Your approach is attractive because I like working on the scoot'.
SF streets are pretty rough...

GregsBuddy wrote:Hi Babblefish.
Please let us know how your modifications work out.
Your approach is attractive because I like working on the scoot'.
SF streets are pretty rough...

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, so if you'd like more info, go to my thread here: topic16629.html
My front fork adventure starts at the bottom of page 3 and continues on page 4.

07 Buddy 125. 5300 miles on the original tires. At least what I gather are original, as I am owner #2. Rear tire is about at the wear bars. With all my junk I add about 160 lbs to the bike, but I tend to be a WFO kinda rider.

Will probably ride these tires out this summer then switch to something with better wet/slick performance. I keep scaring myself around New Years when it's not yet snowy, but there are ice patches in the morning.

The Duro tires on my '06 SYM lasted almost 10000 miles, but they were hard as rocks. I changed out to City Grips and almost cried taking my first corner. I couldn't believe how much better they were.

The new Conti Zippy tires on me 170i have slightly better ride and cornering grip. The cornering grip makes cornering at the same speed as the stock tires feel sedate. The rubber compound and construction are very good for this scoot.
Looking forward to changing the rear 3.50/10 for a 130/70-10 in a few thousand mile to check out that size Conti as well.
These scoots rock.