Modern Buddy

I am curious how the Cabo 125 compares to the Buddy 125. So if anyone on here owns a Cabo 125 or has had a chance to ride one can you post a review or comparison.

I have been searching the internet for Cabo 125 reviews and can't find any.

Thanks.

You will be very disappointed with the performance of a Cabo if you are used to a Buddy.

My SYM (Lance and SYM live together) was a great scooter with lousy support. No scooter is perfect, but Genuine has got much better support than SYM. Just my 2 cents. Just Gotta Scoot did a review on the Cabo 150.

I rode a Cabo last year for 3 days and about 1,000 miles. Definitely more room than a Buddy. I had the Cabo 150 model but the 125 model is the same size. The buddy is smaller, and the Cabo feels heftier. I can not speak for performance as I do not have a basis for comparison between those two.

The Cabo is now a Cabo 200 (168 really) with fuel injection. If I was in the market for that displacement, that model would be on the top of my list.

sc00ter wrote:..........scooter with lousy support.

^^^ Bingo ^^^

Hardly matters how the two scooters compare. Parts network and dealer support is on another planet - a bad one.

My dealer claims that Lance and SYM distribution is much better than when they were with Carter Brothers. You can see that those brands are trying to break into the US market.

My Dad has been drooling over the Lance Havana and I wouldn't mind the 200i Cabo.

Lance parts are twice the price and half the quality. If it's a garage kept Sunday coffee-fetcher that will never see 6000mi and never need parts then go ahead. If you need to rely on it, stick with something higher quality.

dasscooter wrote:Lance parts are twice the price and half the quality. If it's a garage kept Sunday coffee-fetcher that will never see 6000mi and never need parts then go ahead. If you need to rely on it, stick with something higher quality.

I would probably put 6,000 miles on it before December.


I guess the search for a used Buddy will continue.

Oh?

I guess my 3 day 1,000 mile adventure on dirt roads, back roads, and some highway, average speed 50mph was a fluke. Glad I didn't break down when I went to get my morning coffee at McDonald's.

I had a Lance 150 for a couple of years. True, I did not tour on it, but it never gave me a bit of trouble. The quality seemed quite good, even very good for the price I paid. And I sold it for only slightly less than I paid for it.

The only problems I had was when it was delivered to my home. The scooter was inside a cardboard box, surrounded by a bare metal frame. During shipping, the scoot had shifted inside this box and two plastic panels cane into contact with the metal frame and were scratched.

Also, the certificate of origin they sent me had the company's name on top, which my state did not recognize as a manufacturer and so I could not title it when I first tried.

A single phone call to the California distributor and both matters were quickly resolved. The girl who answered was quite professional and took charge of the matter without putting me on hold, or "checking with her boss" nor did she give me any runaround. She asked me if I would be comfortable changing the body panels myself, or they could arrange for someone to do it for me. I said could do it, and they quickly sent new panels and it was an easy change. She also seemed not to be surprised about the certificate of origin problem, made no excuse like "We never heard of anyone having a problem with that" and overnighted me another certificate with one word of the company's name slightly changed and that sailed thru the DMV. (She did not ask for the old one back first, just trusting me to destroy that one)

George54:
Would you be willing to share your thoughts on the Cabo 150 compared to the Buddy 125? I have heard plenty of opinions, but since you have owned and ridden both, your observations would be appreciated!

The problem with scooters like Lance, is you're taking your chances you'll get a good one. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence from happy owners that they're reliable. There's just as much anecdotal evidence they aren't that reliable.

There was a time when they were horrible. Then there was a time that they seemed to be making some inroads. Currently, they've lost all that momentum and have retreated from any goodwill they'd developed.

Combined with poor service and parts availability, it just doesn't seem worth it. The odds are even you might be throwing your money away.

I had high hopes for them because I love some of their designs. But I personally wouldn't buy one.

I think we are missing a little info here.

Since 2012 all Lance scooters are made by SYM in their China factory. They are outsourced to save on labor costs, the parts are manufactured in Taiwan.

This includes the original 50cc and 125cc models, which were upgraded to 150cc.

Now they have a fuel injected 200 which is actually 169cc.

They are at least as good as Kymco China models, better I think.
They are nothing like a generic China scooter. All Lance scooters come with a two year warranty.

Yes, dealers are far and few between, and parts availability sucks just like SYM.

But the design is a basic GY6b and all parts are universal and easy to find (except body panels of course).

If you know how to wrench on a scooter (because of poor dealer support, not mechanical issues), the made by SYM Lance scooters are a fantastic deal for reliable transportation/fun.

I own a 2014 Lance PCH 150 that I bought used for $1200 with 2800 miles on the clock.
It was a little neglected, but after some tuning it runs like a champ.

I will probably stay away from the 200i models because some of the important parts are proprietary.

Genuine/PGO is a better scooter, but not by much and the price is considerably higher.

I do have a big interest in the new Buddy Kick.

If this makes any difference, while I was living and working in Taiwan, SYM scooters were everywhere. Seems they are very popular over there. Scooters are seen as applances over there, so as such, many are lacking much maintenance, but still get their owners back and forth to work, shopping, restaurants, wherever. Sometimes in rain that most people here in the States would either avoid or take a boat. They have some serious monsoons on that little island. I saw people riding in water so deep that it looked like they were in little boats with a wake of water coming off the front fairing. The deepest I ever attempted was in water almost up to the axles. In serious downpours, even cars are not much better because the wipers are useless and visibility is only as far as the length of the hood, if that much. I loved it there...

Here's what Dave Harrington at Just Gotta Scoot (he is a big Buddy fan) has to say about Lance scooters.

http://www.justgottascoot.com/cabo150.htm
http://www.justgottascoot.com/lancepch.htm
http://www.justgottascoot.com/cali125.htm

I have spent close to 2 hours searching the internet and I can't find one post from anyone who has ridden a Cabo 125 any amount of miles. I'm not really interested in buying a scooter that has no reviews. Back in 2010 when I bought my Buddy I did a bunch of research and found many happy owners many of which had put lots of miles on their Buddies. The Cabo looks like a nice scooter and it might even be a really good scooter but with how much I ride and how hard I ride I don't want to be the one testing out how good it really is, at least not without a hefty price discount.

In my opinion if Lance wants to build a better name they need to get their scooters in the hands of people who ride a lot of miles and will post about it on the scooter forums.

The only thing I can suggest is researching the Cali Classic 125 which uses the same engine, transmission and suspension. It seems to have a bulletproof reputation. You can also read about the Cabo 150 review and combine the information.

There is a Lance scooter forum, you might find something there.

I would not recommend a made by SYM Lance scooter for someone who likes to use dealer support for everything.

Clydeo wrote:George54:
Would you be willing to share your thoughts on the Cabo 150 compared to the Buddy 125? I have heard plenty of opinions, but since you have owned and ridden both, your observations would be appreciated!

Clydeo, To be fair and accurate My Lance was the Milan 150 and my Buddy is my wife's that I haven't ridden regularly but I have ridden it and I service it.

I agree with gitsum's statements about the quality. I only put a few thousand miles on my Lance but I never had to do a thing to it after I changed the side panels like I mentioned. It always started right up and ran very well. The Buddy 125 is also completely trouble-free. We now have about 2K on it. Comparing the two is very tough since they both have been comfortable and trouble-free for me. I will say though, that the Buddy 125 has more power off the line, and accelerates quicker. The Buddy also has better brakes, but only by a teeny margin.

I'm comfortable doing maintenance myself, and really, how difficult is it to maintain any scooter? I'm now going to hurt everyone's feelings here and call these scooters glorified lawn mowers with brakes! Lack of dealers doesn't bother me, I can order any part from any number of online suppliers. Heck, you can order right from their U.S. distributor too. If something serious were to develop that I wasn't comfortable with, I'm a member of a couple of motorcycle clubs and there's always someone who I can ask to tackle a problem.

All in all, the Lance is a good value. What is a Buddy 125, like $2700?
I think I paid in the $1500-$1700 range ( a few years ago though ) for the Lance and sold it for $1100 a couple of years later.

I'm pretty sure the Lance Milan 150 predated the models made by SYM.

It's good to hear it was reliable though.

gitsum79 wrote:I'm pretty sure the Lance Milan 150 predated the models made by SYM.

It's good to hear it was reliable though.

Yes, I too think so.

Lol! "A lawn mower with brakes" is an excellent description of my old two stoke Vespas, although braking was pretty marginal, even for a lawn mower! I love 2 strokes simply because they ARE so simple, but I agree that single cylinder 2 valve air-cooled bikes are very easy to work on, as well. Thanks for your response!