Modern Buddy

I'm the happy owner of a 2017 Buddy Kick 125 purchased at Scooterworks in Chicago. My Orange 2009 Buddy 125 has been trouble free and a pleasure to ride, other than the rear-rack bolts stripping out because of heavy loads in my top case and the bumpy Chicago streets.

I was considering a Vespa Sprint 150, because of the styling, the metal body, and the 12" wheels. The Kick grew on me and ended up winning out on style - I love how it looks, especially in white. My old Buddy has been so reliable - I ride throughout the year, when weather permits and it has always started up and run well. For the price, I decided Genuine was a better buy for me.

Here are my early impressions, after an eight mile ride home from the dealer and a week or so of 5 mile (RT) commutes.

I love it. It feels smooth and solid, and handles the bumps and swerves of city riding better than my old Buddy, maybe because of the dual rear shocks. The front and rear disc brakes are fantastic. It feels a bit quicker than my old Buddy, probably because of the EFI. Haven't tested out the top end during the break in period.

Other new features I like: Passenger foot pegs!! They fold in. Digital Dash with clock and a trip odemeter.. A second kill switch under the seat. Also a battery charging port which comes up and out under the seat - I believe this was dealer installed, however.

What I don't like: No kick starter. I've had to use the kick starter a few times on my Buddy over the years, mostly due to my own negligence. I will have to be more attentive to battery health and life. The floorboard appears high from the pictures, but honestly haven't noticed it while riding.

Looking forward to warmer weather, riding on in the mean time...

Old And New 2 by dbs, on Flickr

Old And New 1 by dbs, on Flickr

New by dbs, on Flickr

Nice! Congrats!

My local dealer let me ride one for a few, and I also liked it. It would be a tough choice if I were buying new. I like the classice 125/150 more than I liked the i70i, but I also really do love fuel injection. I don't know if they're the same engine.

oh! I looked it up, and it's a different engine. 11.5 hp, nice!

Since we've both broken right through our rear racks, I like the idea of the flat seat and only the grab rail in the rear.

Yep. I've just been strapping my backpack to the rack, and carrying it in with me. Seems to be working so far.

How's the top speed and take off compared to the B125?

Congrats on your new ride, looks very nice.

Those Buddy Kicks are a lot of fun. The braking is so smooth too, and take-off extremely peppy.

The charging port comes standard, btw

The takeoff seems about the same, but my 125 was fast off the line. Seems like I have a bit more power in the mid range. I won't see the top side until I've broken it in.

Very nice looking scoot. I miss having a clock and trip-odometer on the Buddy. I've gotten used to having those on my Blur. Can you take a picture of the instrument panel and post it?

Here are the different modes of panel...

Buddy Kick by dbs, on Flickr

Buddy Kick by dbs, on Flickr

Buddy Kick by dbs, on Flickr

Buddy Kick by dbs, on Flickr

Buddy Kick by dbs, on Flickr

Glad to see another kick on the forum! There's a white one I see here in Philly all the time. As far as the battery charging port, do you mean something that hooks to the battery to trickle charge it? Or did you mean the cigarette /12v outlet? Unless it's under the carpet in the underseat storage and I simply haven't found it yet, mine doesn't have the former, only the latter.

I know people say you can't effectively kick start an EFI scoot, but you'd be hard pressed to kill the battery SO dead that it can't run the fuel pump and EFI/computer/whatever we're calling it. All the kick start would need to to is spin the engine instead of the starter (think bump starting a manual transmission car) which draws FAR more power than the other electronics combined. Hopefully I never need to call for a tow, but if someone released an add-on kick start I'd get one in a heartbeat.