New Buddy from sunny Florida.

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danielinthelionsden
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Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:29 pm

New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by danielinthelionsden »

Hello all, just purchased a brand new Sea Foam Green Buddy 125 from Tropical Scooters here in Clearwater. What is the general consensus on break-in?
Do you follow the conservative factory suggested break-in or ride it normally from the start? And do you change the shipping oil and do a valve check right away or wait till the first suggested service interval at 500 miles? I've put 5 miles on my new scoot and it' a blast. I want to give it the best chance at a long life. Don't know why I waited so long to get a scooter. Having owned multiple bikes over the years I dont recall having this much ear to ear fun. It doe's feel strange to put your feet down on the floor-board without having to straddle the machine.
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DeeDee
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Re: New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by DeeDee »

Vary your throttle during the first 500 miles. Don't stay wide open for too long. Change engine oil and gear oil at 600. I'd probably replace the oil filter than as well. Get the HF197 it lets you install with a 17mm socket. Great scooter you have there. Welcome to MB. Are you working on this yourself? If so, check the valves at the first service. I wouldn't pay to have them checked at 600. I've seen Buddys at 10,000 miles + where the valves were still in spec. Not the same on the fuel injected 170i. The exhaust valve tends to tighten up.
danielinthelionsden
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Re: New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by danielinthelionsden »

Thanks for the reply. Will have the first service done by dealer for the sake of the warranty. They just mentioned the oil change and nothing about the valve adjust. Will do the valve check myself. Thanks for the advice on the oil filter.

I was looking at used Vespa 150's on Facebook. They have a ton of them on the South-East Coast of Florida, but very few to none here on the Central West Coast Tampa area. So ended up purchasing the Buddy. So far very happy with the scoot.
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wheelbender6
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Re: New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by wheelbender6 »

Welcome. I lived in the Pensacola area for a few years.
2013 Buddy 125, Prima Pipe, #95 main jet, Orange CDI
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DeeDee
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Re: New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by DeeDee »

You can't go wrong with a Buddy. I call it the Stratocaster of scooters. Every part off a 2007 will bolt directly onto a 2022 and vice versa. I love the large frame water cooled Vespas, but the Buddy is a hell of a scooter for the price.
Less chit chat, more riding, Buddy 50, 125, 170i, RH50, Yamaha C3
danielinthelionsden
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Re: New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by danielinthelionsden »

wheelbender6 wrote: Thu Apr 14, 2022 12:57 am Welcome. I lived in the Pensacola area for a few years.
I still love Florida, but man the traffic here has exploded in the last few years. I would love to commute on the new scoot, but it still needs breaking in. There is a two mile stretch on the way to work where the little scoot would have to be WO! just to keep up.
danielinthelionsden
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Re: New Buddy from sunny Florida.

Post by danielinthelionsden »

DeeDee wrote: Thu Apr 14, 2022 1:02 am You can't go wrong with a Buddy. I call it the Stratocaster of scooters. Every part off a 2007 will bolt directly onto a 2022 and vice versa. I love the large frame water cooled Vespas, but the Buddy is a hell of a scooter for the price.
I had a Strat stolen from my car. I swore I would never own another expensive guitar after that. I now play a Squier Strat Clone and it sounds almost as good for 1/5 the price.

My girlfriends best friend commuted to work for two years on a buddy while saving up for a car. She put on over 11,000 miles on it. Rock solid scooter. She now uses it strictly to cruise the beach on the weekend.
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