Modern Buddy

Last five-tank average was 97 and this one is 101.8 MPG.
This was on premium unleaded FWIW. Same average routes were ridden. Tires were changed to Zippy 1's, again FWIW.
Much of my riding is at a fairly steady 45-55 MPH.
Happy Buddy owner.

That sounds great, but are these GPS miles or Buddy miles? As you probably already know, most scooter speedodometers are 10-15% optimistic. Even accounting for that, your mileage is really good for a 170cc engine. My 180cc Blur only gets a little more than half of that.

I've not tested the odometer.
Does anyone know the offset?

Babblefish-- I've heard that the Buddy speedometer is optimistic, but you're saying that the miles on the odometer are also "optimistic", and not "real" miles? Is that true? I thought odometers had to be accurate.

The odometer and speedometer are both driven off the same drive mechanism so as far as I know, they are both optimistic.

GregsBuddy wrote:Last five-tank average was 97 and this one is 101.8 MPG.
This was on premium unleaded FWIW. Same average routes were ridden. Tires were changed to Zippy 1's, again FWIW.
Much of my riding is at a fairly steady 45-55 MPH.
Happy Buddy owner.

Those are very nice numbers. Just out of curiousity, what's your height and weight? And, is your riding strictly on flat ground or are any hills involved?

Bill in Seattle

babblefish wrote:The odometer and speedometer are both driven off the same drive mechanism so as far as I know, they are both optimistic.

Both are driven off the same cable, but--The odometer is driven by gears driven mechanically by the cable. The speedo needle is driven by a spinning magnet arrangement in the speedo head. The cable spins a magnet which impels another magnet attached to the needle, there is no direct physical connection between the cable and the needle. This is done to smooth the movement of the needle and minimize any oscillation.

For this reason it is possible for the odometer and speedometer to differ in accuracy.

You might try checking some of the reviews at Just Gotta Scoot to see instances of odometers and speedometers not agreeing. Iirc in their test of the 170i the speedo was about 5% optimistic but the odometer was correct.

Dedcat: Thank you for explaining that. I wondered if the odometer was accurate.

Thanks for the info on the odometer. Now I'll have to check the one in my Blur via GPS to see how accurate it really is. I've checked the speedometer already and it reads 5 mph fast.

I'm still blown away with how many mpg's you're getting on the 170i engine though. I'm still only getting around 60 mpg on my 180, but we do have a lot of steep hills around here and I do ride my scoot a little hard. It's too much fun messing with the minds of sportbikers and Hardly riders at the stoplights!

Update: compared my odometer reading with my phones GPS and they are a virtual match. I don't know whether to be happy or depressed because since my speedometer/odometer is purely electronic (it has no moving parts other than the tach needle), it means there is no way to correct for the optimistic speedometer reading without affecting the odometer reading short of hacking it's software. Guess I'll just have to live with the error.

My riding is mostly flat and between 45-60MPH.

GregsBuddy wrote:My riding is mostly flat and between 45-60MPH.

That makes your mpg even more amazing since I ride mostly in the 30-45 mph (GPS) range. Guess your FI and my hills make a big difference in mpg.

I tend to accelerate lightly and enjoy going through corners leaned over a little. Smooth is probably the best description of my riding style.
Love this scoot'. If it had 12" or 13" wheels it would be ideal. That's because it's a little "wiggly" at higher speeds on undulating corners.

Get a Hooligan. It has 13" wheels and more floor bloard area. It has basically the same engine, though I don't know if it has the same gas mileage. Been oogling one for myself.

The Blur seems a good compromise. From the spec's it is attractive.
I have a Vespa GTS as well. It's nice to ride but doesn't handle as well as the Buddy from my perspective. It also needs to gain my confidence that it will be reliable. So far it's been a lot of work for general maintenance and repairs from the former owner.

My 1st post. 170i. Owned 3 weeks, 550 miles. All "fuelly" reports are over 100mpg. Even 115! I'm a lightweight and 66. Owned four 250-500cc motorcycles, but 400# is too heavy. This Buddy is my dream. (I live in Colorado, go up hills, a mile high.) Fuel injection! Maybe a pix tomorrow😄

Philpi,
I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying your new scoot' and getting about the same MPG.
Get out and ride while you can!

Philpi wrote:My 1st post. 170i. Owned 3 weeks, 550 miles. All "fuelly" reports are over 100mpg. Even 115! I'm a lightweight and 66. Owned four 250-500cc motorcycles, but 400# is too heavy. This Buddy is my dream. (I live in Colorado, go up hills, a mile high.) Fuel injection! Maybe a pix tomorrow😄

near Denver at all? There's only a billion of us here