Modern Buddy

I've been wanting to get one because I heard the stock speed is one of the fastest modern scooters out there. Like there are some dealerships saying this will get up to 40 to 50 mph, and can be derestricted to go a little faster.

Is that true?

My worry is that I've seen a lot of Genuine Buddy's on craigslist that are not working. Haven't seen any roughhouses that were dead. I plan on getting the Roughhouse 50 from 2009 with less than 500 miles on it. The guy is asking for 1700. It comes with a stuff like a cover, helmet, storage trunk. I can get a new 2012 - 14 or so for about 1800 and comes with a two year warranty. Idk if those are good prices. Should I worry and get the new one or used one? I haven't seen any Honda or Yamahas that are dead. I've seen a couple dead Vespas.

How does Genuine compare to the other brands? It worries me that people online have said Genuine scooters are crap because they're made in India.

How much does it cost to fix fatal errors on these?

I'm new to all this and the last thing I want to happen is to break down on some back country road stranded in the middle of no where. And of course the loss of money.

$1700 for the used 2009 is way to much. For the extra hundred bucks for the new one, you are also getting a 2 year warranty, as well as two years of roadside assistance, that's well worth that extra hundred bucks. The Roughhouse is made in Taiwan, not in India. Sounds trivial, but there is a difference. I think for the money the Roughhouse is a very good scooter, capable of tens of thousands of miles. I did have trouble with mine, and had to have a new top end put on my motor, and that was covered under warranty, so I don't know how expensive that would have been, but in its defense, I did plenty of wide open throttle riding, and I am probably about 275 pounds naked (Not that I ever rode it naked though!). as for what you see on CL partly is skewed by the numbers of how many of each brand and model are out there. There's probably a 20 to 1 ratio of Buddy's to Roughies out there, so keep that in mind too, as well as Buddy's being offered in a number of different cc's, where the Roughie is only a 50cc machine.
Id say get the Roughie, a new one, so you have the roadside assistance, and warranty, just for piece of mind. If after a year or two you find you want a larger scooter, you should get a pretty decent amount on it if you trade it in, or sell it outright.

Real speed you'll reliably hit is around 40, derestricted. The speedo will say you're going faster which for some people is good enough. lol. At the end of the day it has similar displacement to your weed wacker!

I agree. Get a new one. Or spend a whole lot less!
I have been commuting on my Buddy 50 lately, just for the fun of it; Top end on a flat surface is about 43 GPS mph. If you are skinnier and lighter than me, 50 mph might be attainable, but just maybe. I have to confess that I am surprised at just how usable these tiny bikes are. My commuting times on the scoot are about the same as they are on my much faster Suzuki.

Okay thanks for the advise. If do want to try used, what would be a good price?

Clydeo wrote:I agree. Get a new one. Or spend a whole lot less!
I have been commuting on my Buddy 50 lately, just for the fun of it; Top end on a flat surface is about 43 GPS mph. If you are skinnier and lighter than me, 50 mph might be attainable, but just maybe. I have to confess that I am surprised at just how usable these tiny bikes are. My commuting times on the scoot are about the same as they are on my much faster Suzuki.

Is yours derestricted? How do you go about doing that? I can't find any videos online specifically for the roughhouse. or are they like any other scooter?

Love my roughhouse! Did 290 miles on a big trip recently and had no problems.

Yes the Buddy and RH have the same Minarelli engine.

If you're looking for higher top speed, the RH or Buddy 50 isn't it. Go for a bigger scooter.

If you're looking for simplicity, two stroke torque, and miles of smiles, the RH50 and Buddy 50 is.

I got my 2015 at two grand. That's $300 more than a used 7 year old model.

I had my Buddy 50 de-restricted when I bought it, but there are several you tube videos on how to perform what appears to be a very simple task. But top speed on any 50cc bike is going to be VERY dependent on a multitude of variables: the density of the air, the slightest wind, whether or not you have a windshield to tuck behind, how much you weigh and how skinny you are. When my kids were little, I had a 50cc Vespa. My daughter used to like to extend her arms and flap them like a birds wings. Cool, but it slowed us down by almost 5 mph! Riding 50cc bikes is fun, but it's kind of like flying a glider or sailing a boat: you gotta go with the flow!

Riding a 50cc scooter, the Buddy and Roughhouse included, is all about expectation management. They are never going to be "fast" unless you put more money into them than it would have cost to buy a bigger displacement scooter. However, they are generally inexpensive and fun bikes and easy rides that have a lot of utility for short errands and they get pretty decent fuel economy (way more than a car but less than a comparably sized 4-stroke). They are a great way to get into scooting. For some some folks finding out that you will only top out around the mid-forty miles per hour depending on a lot of factors can be aggravating if their expectations are set too high. However, accepting this limitation, taking back roads and seeing the sites rather than just zooming on by, will result in a fun bike to ride.

Both are reliable, easy to work on bikes and the choice of one versus the other should really boil down to your personal preference. Getting a 50cc scooter versus a bigger one really means you need to look closely at what you are going to do with it on a daily basis.

If you like the dual sport type look of the Roughhouse, you might take a look for a used 2012 and newer Yamaha Zuma 50. They are fuel injected, 3 valve, water cooled and can be fairly easy tuned to give you an honest 40mph + depending on your weight. 4 stroke means crank bearing live in oil. 40,000 miles and above are quite doable on one of these engines. I've seen go for as low as a $1,000 for a 2012.

DeeDee wrote:If you like the dual sport type look of the Roughhouse, you might take a look for a used 2012 and newer Yamaha Zuma 50. They are fuel injected, 3 valve, water cooled and can be fairly easy tuned to give you an honest 40mph + depending on your weight. 4 stroke means crank bearing live in oil. 40,000 miles and above are quite doable on one of these engines. I've seen go for as low as a $1,000 for a 2012.

I have my eye on this one as my next possible scoot. Sure would like to find one for 1000! Can't imagine finding one for that around here. And it uses the C3 engine which is a pretty peppy ride!

45223 wrote:Okay thanks for the advise. If do want to try used, what would be a good price?

Kelly Bluebook lists average retail on a 2009 RH50 as $1,300.

Thanks for the replies. I thought about the Zuma and others but the rough house seems to be the fastest one. All I need it to go is at least in the 40s and I'm good. My only issue is going too slow on back roads where the speed limit is 5mph and cars flying at me at higher speeds thinking I'm riding a motorcycle and then hitting the breaks too late or something. Or they're on their phones or whatever. idk.

Btw, has anyone ever had any issues with police and them pulling you over for not having tags? In my state, I don't need a motorcycle license to travel with it or insurance. Which is one of the big pluses to me looking for a 49cc. The law says if it's less than 40cc and can't go past 30mph then it's exempt. 30mph is pretty slow, like my bicycle can go faster than that down a good hill.

That's one small thing that worries me. Apparently I've googled it and no one seems to have any solid answers, and really no documented case I can find where someone got in trouble for it. What type of ticket would they even write you? Moped traveling at 40 in a 45 mph zone?

When I first started riding, I got a 50 for the same reasons you listed: I didn't need a m/c license, nor did I need insurance. But those really aren't good reasons. I was VERY lucky that I didn't get myself killed or in serious financial trouble. If you cause an accident on your scoot, you are financially liable, insurance or no insurance. If you DON'T have insurance, that money is coming out of your pocket. My full coverage + medical is only $50 a year. It is well worth it. And getting a m/c license is easy through the free MSF courses offered here in PA, and the MSF course might just save your life! I had been riding for decades when I took it, and I still found it very worthwhile. You will see a lot of different opinions on this board, but I think this is one subject we all agree on: get some insurance, get you m/c training, and ride with confidence!
Having said that, I rode a 50cc moped for years, and while I got pulled over a couple of times, I never got cited. That could just have been dumb luck! But I was going 30 at most. If you are riding a bike as a moped, doing 40, yeah I suspect that sooner or later a cop is going to notice! my Buddy 50 is tagged as a 50cc motorcycle, but that doesn't require a special m/c drivers license to ride. I got it for a practice bike for my wife and daughter to learn on as they get ready to take their MSF course. My daughter lives down town, and the 50 might well be all she needs, as it is great in urban traffic. For those of us out in the 'burbs, for serious stuff like commuting, a 125 or larger would be better. But I really do love riding the 50, even with bigger and faster bikes to choose from. You might want to check your state laws to see what your licensing options are.

Yeah I've looked over the DMV motorcycle manual just to get an idea what the laws are and all that. My biggest issue with that stuff is I hate recurring fees. Like if I could just pay it all out at once, one time, that would be great.

How are you lucky that you didn't get killed/accident? What were your close calls?

Boston traffic is kind of "interesting". Drivers tend to be very aggressive, the roads were laid out in the 17th century, and road maintenance can be sketchy at times. Everything happens at warp speed, and there is little room for error. I was hit by truck rear view mirrors twice, got pushed off the road multiple times, and got the bike totally stuck in a snow drift. I had so many close calls that they seemed to be the every day norm.

And I loved every minute of it.

I became a very skilled, aggressive rider. I could cut they traffic like s hot knife thru butter. I could get to work in less than half the time I could have gotten there in a car. I knew every short cut, every street in town. It was great! But learning those skills on the street was dangerous. And painful. It would have been much better to learn them in a parking lot with a skilled instructor.

Clydeo wrote:Boston traffic is kind of "interesting". Drivers tend to be very aggressive, the roads were laid out in the 17th century, and road maintenance can be sketchy at times. Everything happens at warp speed, and there is little room for error. I was hit by truck rear view mirrors twice, got pushed off the road multiple times, and got the bike totally stuck in a snow drift. I had so many close calls that they seemed to be the every day norm.

And I loved every minute of it.

I became a very skilled, aggressive rider. I could cut they traffic like s hot knife thru butter. I could get to work in less than half the time I could have gotten there in a car. I knew every short cut, every street in town. It was great! But learning those skills on the street was dangerous. And painful. It would have been much better to learn them in a parking lot with a skilled instructor.

What's the speed limit in Boston? I'm in NYC and it used to be 30 and now was lowered to 25mph through Deblasio's Vision Zero program designed to limit fatalities.

I am sure that Boston has posted speed limits. I am equally sure that no one pays any attention to those limits. The rules of Boston traffic are not written in any law book, but they are rigidly maintained by those who live there:
-never yield right of way
-never show any indication of weakness or lack of resolve. Bostonian driving is Darwinism in action: only the strong survive.
- a red light means that five more cars will still try to make it through the intersection
- yellow lights mean step firmly on the gas
- pedestrians are a pest that need to be destroyed. They have no right to be on the roads (or the sidewalks, for that matter)
- might/size make right.
- mercy is a sign of weakness (see above).