Help me decide….

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Scootergoddess
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Help me decide….

Post by Scootergoddess »

Ready to add a bigger scooter to our stable. Not interested in giving up my Buddy 50; she is great for my commute to and from work, and in about 18 months I’ll be teaching my teenager to ride on it, and he will likely take it over (or eventually use it to trade up to a bigger bike if he wants to). But I want a 125cc again for longer, adventurous rides with my hubby (he has 300cc motorcycle). The only 125cc scooter I have ever owned was a Yamaha Vino 125, which was perfect for a short girl like me (5,3” and 115 lbs). I really want to stick with Genuine. Buddy 125 or Kick 125? Is the price difference worth it? I have zero experience with either. Thanks for any advice in advance.
sc00ter
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by sc00ter »

Buddy 125 or 170 with the aftermarket low down seat. No other "lower" scooters are popping in my head. Honda Monkey bike, or Grom, if learning gears is of interest. Both Hondas can easily be lowered and still be safe to ride. Or go older. Honda Helix (LOVE them myself) or the rare Yamaha Morphous (think that's how it's spelled). Both long, low and plenty quick!
Scootergoddess
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Scootergoddess »

So why the Buddy 125 over the Buddy Kick 125? Looking for opinions from those who know both. I have never ridden either. Thanks
Neil82
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Neil82 »

170i might have a bit more power to keep up with 300cc motorcycle. It's same price as Kick ($100 less at dealer website I'm referencing) and has oil cooler for longer rides. Seat height is only quarter inch lower on the Kick. I'm guessing you'll be comfortable on any of the Buddy models. Kick has front and rear disc brakes with dual rear shocks. 170i is available with two tone paint. Buddy 125 has backup kick start.

I haven't rode any of them. I sat on 170i at dealer and it felt same as my Buddy 50 for seat height.

Time to go take some rides, if you can find dealer with inventory. Keep us posted!
2022 Buddy 170i
sc00ter
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by sc00ter »

I owned a black Buddy 125 and my wife owned a baby blue Buddy 125. We both miss the Buddy's but, she quit riding and I replaced my Buddy with a Piaggio Liberty. The Buddy 125 is a flat out proven scooter. Simple and tough as well. Never seen a Kick in person and never seen a 170i Buddy in the wild come to think about it. But I've never heard anything bad about a 170i from owners online.

You can get crazy and easily hop up a Buddy 125 with a bbk kit. My friend did a bbk (forgot what displacement) and up-geared to Psycho gears and his Buddy HAULED! The 170i is probably just as fast stock but we never found a chance to ride or race one so we'll never know.
Scootergoddess
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Scootergoddess »

Great info. Thanks. The Buddy 125 will probable feel right to me, as it is do similar to my Buddy 50. But do many people rave about how awesome the Kick is, it makes me curious. I may have to ride both before i decide. Kick is more expensive, so i wanted to hear if you all thought it was worth the extra cost. Thanks.
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seamus26
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by seamus26 »

I have nothing but good things to say about my wife's 170i. Fast, fuel injected and nearly 100mpg. And at 6" it feels a bit too small for me, so for your size perhaps just right.
Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K
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Dooglas
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Dooglas »

We have a 125 and a Kick. I have ridden a 170i a few times. I really like the 125 and would recommend it to almost anyone as a reliable scooter and an excellent buy. I have, however, become a fan of the Kick in the couple of years I have owned one. It is even lower to the ground than the standard Buddy's making it especially suitable for the smaller rider. Its fuel injected engine is a spirited performer and the suspension/brakes are quite sophisticated. Is it worth the additional money? I'd say I would buy it again, but others should do their own comparison.
Buddy Kick, Vespa GTS/ABS, Buddy 125 (my SO's ride)
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Kaos
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Kaos »

If you want to get even lower than the low profile seat gets you, there are shorter shock kits for the Buddy that will drop it an extra bit lower.
Therealslimshaggy
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Therealslimshaggy »

If you want to add abs brakes the only option is the kick. Also the kick has really high hp for its size. In Taiwan the kick has an oil cooler. Abs brakes. 12hp. So if you want to add abs brakes down the line it’s pretty easy to do. You go online to pchome or ruten and contact a seller. You can get the ecu front rim with abs disk and all parts needed for 500 bucks mailed to your door. As a past taiwan resident of 15 years I can say in Taiwan the buddy kick is truly the Toyota Camry. 1000s of them for sale. You can get a complete one with bent forks for 1000 usd. You could get abs ecu and bunch of other parts for half that. You’ll never be able to go abs brakes on the buddy. Only the buddy kick Abs is a nice 500 dollar bolt on plug and play option
Yamaha Aerox 155, Genuine Roughhouse 50, Genuine buddy 170i, Yamaha Cygnus 125, Honda grom 125, Suzuki address 110 (uk110), Yamaha cuxi 115, Yamaha BWS 100 2t, Yamaha R6, Honda CR125, Kawasaki KX 500
Therealslimshaggy
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Therealslimshaggy »

If you want abs search pchome or ruten for jbubus125. You’ll need rim with abs ring and ecu and the brake parts. Notice the abs ring on the rim in photo
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Yamaha Aerox 155, Genuine Roughhouse 50, Genuine buddy 170i, Yamaha Cygnus 125, Honda grom 125, Suzuki address 110 (uk110), Yamaha cuxi 115, Yamaha BWS 100 2t, Yamaha R6, Honda CR125, Kawasaki KX 500
Neil82
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Neil82 »

Dooglas wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:56 pm We have a 125 and a Kick. I have ridden a 170i a few times. I really like the 125 and would recommend it to almost anyone as a reliable scooter and an excellent buy. I have, however, become a fan of the Kick in the couple of years I have owned one. It is even lower to the ground than the standard Buddy's making it especially suitable for the smaller rider. Its fuel injected engine is a spirited performer and the suspension/brakes are quite sophisticated. Is it worth the additional money? I'd say I would buy it again, but others should do their own comparison.
Not my thread, but I'd like to ask if kick seems faster or has more acceleration than 125? Does the kick have noticeably smoother ride?
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Dooglas
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Dooglas »

Neil82 wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 1:37 am Not my thread, but I'd like to ask if kick seems faster or has more acceleration than 125? Does the kick have noticeably smoother ride?
Actually I would say yes, but the differences are modest. Mostly it is a nice package that does everything right IMO. The seat is also quite different than the other Buddys. It is flatter and easier to slide forwarda and back. More like the seat on a P/PX Vespa, Stella, or similar scooter.
Buddy Kick, Vespa GTS/ABS, Buddy 125 (my SO's ride)
Scootergoddess
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Scootergoddess »

Finally today I made the 3+ Hour journey up to Columbus Ohio to visit Capital City Scooters and my friend Caitlyn. I got to ride the buddy 170i and the buddy kick 125. There is no comparison in my book. I am totally buying a buddy kick 125 from her! It was the smoothest, most comfy and quiet ride, and plenty of power. Caitlyn didn’t have any of the colors I wanted so I’m waiting until she gets a new shipment in 2023.
Neil82
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Neil82 »

Scootergoddess wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:40 pm Finally today I made the 3+ Hour journey up to Columbus Ohio to visit Capital City Scooters and my friend Caitlyn. I got to ride the buddy 170i and the buddy kick 125. There is no comparison in my book. I am totally buying a buddy kick 125 from her! It was the smoothest, most comfy and quiet ride, and plenty of power. Caitlyn didn’t have any of the colors I wanted so I’m waiting until she gets a new shipment in 2023.
Sounds like you really liked the Kick! That's great to hear. What color do you have in mind? What was your take away from riding the 170i?
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Scootergoddess
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Scootergoddess »

170i is noisier and rattly compared to Kick. But plenty of power and great color choices. I just really preferred the feel and everything else about the Kick more. Hoping to get a turquoise.
Therealslimshaggy
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Therealslimshaggy »

Scootergoddess wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 1:00 am 170i is noisier and rattly compared to Kick. But plenty of power and great color choices. I just really preferred the feel and everything else about the Kick more. Hoping to get a turquoise.
Just wanted to add to that. I recently acquired a buddy 170i and have been driving it a bit. Before I used to drive my wife’s buddy kick (called pgo jbubu s 125 in Taiwan) off and on over a 3 year period while in Taiwan. What I can say is they are both actually very quiet machines. When I ride around the 170i in Dallas so many people seem to pull right out in front of me, because they don’t hear me, and yet that just never happens on my roughhouse 50 2t because it’s louder. The only reason a 170i would be loud is if it’s modified. Running motorcycle oil in it and not mb oil will also make it run rattly or not smooth and most people seem to run motorcycle oil in the 170i. Due to lack of mb oil in the USA at dealers. If the dealer prepped the kick with mb oil or if for example the kick came oil filled with mb and then the 170i came unfilled and dealer prepped with motorcycle oil that alone with skew the comparison and give the 170i a rattly feel. Honestly both are quiet and smooth.

The ergonomics on the buddy kick win hands down. The floorboard is a lot bigger. The seat better. The handlebars are better positioned. The brakes can be upgraded to abs the ultimate upgrade. The 125 can put down 12hp in Taiwan with oil cooler and a different ecu tune. That’s .5hp more than the USA version which is slightly detuned without oil cooler. The engine at 12hp beats out a 170i at 11.7hp. But the 125 is more a high reving high rpm powerband. The 170i is more low down tourque. The 170i is a much faster machine. Getting on the freeway on flat roads there’s not too much difference but what really sets apart the 170i and the kick is uphill twisties. The low down torque eats alive the kick when going uphill twisties. On a 30 mile route you might end up putting a 5-10 mile lead with the 170i uphill. Something to consider in places like Colorado or Taiwan where my wife’s kick (jbubu 125s) began to struggle.
Yamaha Aerox 155, Genuine Roughhouse 50, Genuine buddy 170i, Yamaha Cygnus 125, Honda grom 125, Suzuki address 110 (uk110), Yamaha cuxi 115, Yamaha BWS 100 2t, Yamaha R6, Honda CR125, Kawasaki KX 500
Scootergoddess
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Re: Help me decide….

Post by Scootergoddess »

I hear you. My commute is flat (only tiny hills at best) and 30-45 is most common speed i ride at. Thats why I think I will enjoy Kick more overall - its smoother and smaller and I love the way it handles.
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