Modern Buddy

Hi, I'm a farmer in central PA and I want a scooter that I can run around with doing chores. I'm 6'2" and weigh 230lbs. The hills are moderate rolling hills. I don't plan to do much highway driving except maybe a short trip into town very occasionally. My question is: which Buddy do I need to run around my farm and climb those moderate hills?

I know nothing about scooters but my research took me to Buddy so here I am. There's a Honda dealer near me but I think the bigger Honda scooters look awful. Buddy seems to have a solid reputation so here I am.

The 170i is a great all-rounder for me. YMMV

Based on your size you might be more comfortable on a Hooligan instead of a Buddy.

http://www.genuinescooters.com/hooligan.html

Welcome aboard! What part of Central PA, if I may ask? And will you be riding offroad (fields and such?)

Make sure you stop out at carlisle cycle and scooter. Bill and Carol have a great selection of scooters to see. Plenty of Genuine product in stock including the new Eclipse and 10th anniversary edition.

I would recommend a Buddy 125, personally.

PhillyKick wrote:Welcome aboard! What part of Central PA, if I may ask? And will you be riding offroad (fields and such?)

I'm near Bloomsburg. 90% of my riding will be over my farm fields. I like the Venture because of the big tires but at 240 pounds I'm concerned that I'm too big for a 50cc engine. Do you think that it would haul me up a modest hill, even slowly?

Having never ridden a Venture I can't comment.
But I do own a Buddy 50 and a Buddy 125 Psycho amongst other scooters. Your question of considering a 50cc I would answer like this...

A 50cc TWO STROKE Buddy could be a MAYBE.
A 50cc FOUR STROKE Venture with your weight and with hills, I would absolutely pass on.

If Motorcycle licensing and Plates are the same definitely pick the Buddy 125 at least. Hooligan also was a great suggestion.

The 50's are more popular usually in states like mine that don't need a Motorcycle License or Plates.

May look into the Aprilia SR50 (again the 2-Stroke version not the new MOTARD Which is 4-stroke) also if you need to stay 50cc.
A little Finicky at times but very roomy for bigger people, 13" wheels, disc brakes stock, and lots of hop-up parts/ big bore kits, etc. available. Have 2 of these and love them.

Have fun riding whatever you get!!

The Count

50cc? Rough House, or RH50. by Genuine. The one with the fat knobby tires, not the sport model.

sc00ter wrote:50cc? Rough House, or RH50. by Genuine. The one with the fat knobby tires, not the sport model.

Second that - we have seen these in action in numbers off-road - Rough House all the way. You can even go with a camo look to blend right in. Maybe do a few mods and you will have the best running farm machine you could ask for. Understandably you won't be doing fifty - but hey your off-road!

Check them out.

OK, so this is not a Buddy, but considering your size and intended usage, it might be worth a trip to a local Honda motorcycle dealer to inquire whether or not the Cross Cub 110 will come to our shores, at least put a bug in their ear. It started out as a concept bike that Honda displayed at shows, but the response was so overwhelming that Honda is now producing these for the Asian market and considering other markets as well. I think I read that it's already in Mexico. I checked the Honda USA website and it doesn't show it.

Apparently, leg shields are optional as can be sorta seen in the lower right picture. Uses a modern, fuel injected, 109cc, electric start engine that makes about 8 HP. There are already aftermarket upgrades for this thing. Lots of information on the WEB and on YouTube about this newest Cub.

More info: http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/honda_ ... b_2015.php though I'm not sure why they're saying it has a mono shock in the rear.

I love my scooter, but wouldn't mind adding one these to the stable.

Barring the Honda Cross Club mentioned above since it is currently not a product readily available in the US, I would throw in my recommendation for the Roughhouse 50cc as a viable alternative. Quality used ones can be found for around $1000 or cheaper. See if you can find one on Craigslist near where you live or a local dealer. Another nice thing about the Roughhouse besides the knobby tires and good ground clearance is the simplicity of maintenance and ease of having a 70cc big bore kit (BBK) installed if you need more power. The 50cc two-story engine should work for you (you won't be screaming up hills but it will climb them faster than walking) but the 70cc BBK is always there if you need it.

The Hooligan might be a great option if you could find some knobby tires that would fit it. It definitely has more power and the ergonomics might work better for your height. The fuel injection would also make it easier to start in colder weather than a carbureted bike. Unfortunately, the price is also going to be higher (new or used) than the Roughhouse or any of the Buddy models.

I don't know how well they would fit, but this is a potential option by size for the rear tire: https://www.denniskirk.com/maxxis/front ... 544584.sku . The same website also carries the 120/70-12 Front for slightly cheaper cost than the rear.

If you're set on a 50cc, take a look at all years Yamaha C3 and 2012 and newer Zuma 50. Water cooled, 3 valve and fuel injected. Can be easily modded to pull a 260 lb rider to 45mph and to pull hills at 35. Great scooters that will last 45,000 miles with routine maintenance. Stock tires are dual sport style that work for street or trail. It is easy to upgrade the suspension as well.

If the Rough House is out of the equation for some strange reason then second option would be a Lance Cabo. Come in 50, 125, 150 and 200cc, the 200 has EFI and iall models are very well built for a very fair price.

I will second Carlisle Cycle and Scooter. The owner, Bill, has a Roughhouse and goes on several long rides with several friends on Roughhouses.

Oh by the way, Bill is 6'5 and 265 lbs.

His friend is 5'11 and 260 lbs.

I am 6' and 230 lbs.

The Roughhouse will do well on the farm. There are performance enhancements you can do to booster the torque for hills.

IN ADDITION: If you go up a few hundrend dollars, Carlisle Cycle and Scooter also carries the Lance Cabo, you can get the 200i for not much more than a Roughhouse. I rode one for 3 days, 900 miles, and it nary hiccuped.