Modern Buddy

Hey all, I was informed by the wife the other day that the scooter "rides funny". I haven't ridden the buddy in months, and boy she wasn't kidding! The thing always sorta rode odd, I could never put my finger on it. I never liked taking it past 40, just felt a bit wobbly. I decided to check the tires seeing that the scooter is 7 years old, and the tread was oddly worn plus the sidewalls were starting to crack from dry rot. Should have replaced them sooner, thankfully she didn't crash from the sheer wobbly ride from the oddly worn stock Cheng Shin tires.

I purchased 2 Shinko SR425 tires because my wife rides less than a mile back and forth to work and then to the store in our town, all 25-30 zones. I honestly am impressed, it's like a different machine. I don't cringe going into somewhat sharp turns now. I searched and didn't see anyone give these a review, so I will ride it a ton and report back. I thought these tires would be cheaply made, but the sidewalls are thick, the tread is deep and appears as if it will channel water out decently and overall this tire looks damn good for $25.

I almost wish that PGO would go with another tire maker as those stock tires are garbage!

Anyhow, here is a link to what I got.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Y4 ... _ttl_sol_0

I am sure there are better tires, but for $25 I thought what the hell! I'll report back in a few weeks to a month and give my thoughts on these.

Considering what comes stock on other bikes, the Buddy tires aren't that bad. The 170i comes with Maxxis tires which are decent for factory fitted shoes. The Shinkos are suprisingly nice but you have to go for the S1's to get that really nice ride. S1's don't last too long, though.

avescoots1134 wrote:You have to go for the S1's to get that really nice ride. S1's don't last too long, though.

How long is not long? I am about to get a pair of them...

I, too, have a 2008 Buddy 125 with 4800 miles. The stock tires on mine are in good shape and ride well, unless I don't know any better. I notice your new tires are advertised for front position. Did you buy two--- one for front and back?

A general rule about tires: the stickier they are, the better they'll handle in agressive turning, the shorter they'll live. This applies to motorcycles or cars.

Definitely... I already have my pair of S1 tires getting shipped... just wondering if I'll get 2k or 8k out of them...

The stock Buddy tires seemed to last forever

I replaced with 3.5-10 Pirelli SL26 tires on front and rear and felt a huge improvement in grip and in wet conditions compared to stock

Just replaced both tires with the Michelin S1, but went up in size (110/80 front 130/70 rear)

The larger tire size has made for a very smooth ride. Increasing the size from 3.5-10 was something I should have done a long long time ago.

I've ridden Buddy 50 with the 90/90-10, Buddy 125 with the 3.5-10, Buddy 150 and 170 with the 100/90-10 and I would have to argue the bigger tires on the bigger Buddys offer a smoother ride.

Overall, I'd recommend up-sizing with your next tire replacement.

If you're not interested in experimenting with two different sizes the 110/80 will fit front and rear and offers an increase in size when compared to stock.

I just replaced my original buddy tires at 4000 miles. I do a lot of stop and go riding in heavy traffic. Some dirt roads. No flats. I have a new set of Kenda tires now and can't wait to try them out.

ucandoit wrote:I, too, have a 2008 Buddy 125 with 4800 miles. The stock tires on mine are in good shape and ride well, unless I don't know any better. I notice your new tires are advertised for front position. Did you buy two--- one for front and back?

I searched and they are for both the front or rear, no idea why it only says front.

mhardgrove wrote:......I decided to check the tires seeing that the scooter is 7 years old, and the tread was oddly worn plus the sidewalls were starting to crack from dry rot. Should have replaced them sooner.......

I'm not a tire expert, but I'm not going to be to critical of their stock tire either. A quick search on the interweb and one will find that safety experts and some manufactures recommend 6 years from date of manufacture. Cracking sidewalks and dry rot should be part of a pre-ride inspection

The stock tire on the Buddy is nothing special, and the Shinko is not much of an improvement IMO. Certainly Pirellis have a reputation for using sticky compounds that have good traction. I personally prefer Michelin or Continental scooter tires - a good combination of performance and wear. I run City Grips or Power Pures on all our Vespa/Piaggio bikes and Continental Zippys on our Buddy. And I never leave a set of tires on a scooter longer than 5 years regardless of mileage. It is our fannies that are at risk, after all.