Modern Buddy

Got a new Buddy Kick 125 yesterday. Finally back on two wheels as my daily driver. Have a windshield, rear rack, top case, and some highway pegs ordered. These things are a shorties dream as I can flat foot at a stop with my 28" inseam.

Congrats! Very nice color choice as well! Have yet to see a Kick in person. I briefly looked at those highway pegs (Siegfried?) but I'd need the pegs to fold, either up or back.

Yeah, I ordered the Siegfried pegs. I was OK with them not folding. Super fast and easy to install as well. I hadn't seen a Kick either and had 100% intention of buying a Buddy 170i. They were sitting side by side and while the Buddy 170i felt OK sitting on, the Kick fits me like a glove.

sc00ter wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:09 am Congrats! Very nice color choice as well! Have yet to see a Kick in person. I briefly looked at those highway pegs (Siegfried?) but I'd need the pegs to fold, either up or back.

I looked at them too. My problem with them is they mess up the floor board. I don't always want to have my feet on the highway pegs so you are stuck with your feet up on the metal parts with a couple of large bolts sticky up that could grab the soles of your shoes when you need to get your feet down quickly. I would rather see it be one piece of metal and use counter suck allen screws to hold it in place.

Does anyone here own both of these, Buddy 125 and a Kick? I'm interested in how the build quality compares to the Buddy 125. Great looking scooter you have there!

Are they both manufactured by PGO? Both made in Taiwan? I assume when my dealer told me they didn't carry the Kick because "The quality wasn't as good..." translates into "We make more money on Buddy 125's and 170's, and the 50cc models.".

I assume the Chicago Scooter Company scooters are China made, but I've never seen one in person. Only odd Genuine I've ever seen was a Venture 50cc. Good story about a Venture. I almost purchased a used Venture but the guy thought he had gold and jumped the price from $250 to $700, and it didn't run! So I passed. Then the guy asked me how much would I charge to look at it and get it running and I said $450! He passed on my offer.

I keep trying to get a coworker to get a Kick scooter. I don't ever see it happening though.

I can see how a dealer with an installed base of Buddy 50/125/150/170i owners, an inventory of parts (many interchangeable), and mechanical familiarity with their quirks, has little incentive to graft the Kick into their business.

Genuine has introduced a lot of redundant models into their lineup. Orphan risk is real.

DeeDee wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 11:16 pm Does anyone here own both of these, Buddy 125 and a Kick? I'm interested in how the build quality compares to the Buddy 125. Great looking scooter you have there!

We own both a Buddy 125 and a Kick. I would say the build quality is very comparable. Two other things to say about the Kick. The first is that the riding position is a little lower on the Kick. At the same time, the seat is fairly flat so a person with longer legs can adjust by scooting back on the seat. And second, the Kick is a somewhat more spirited performer than the original 125. I believe this is mostly due to the fuel injected engine.

I stopped by a Genuine dealer last weekend and they had just gotten in their first two 2023 Buddy Kicks. I was surprised how comfortable I was sitting on it since its physically a little smaller and I'm fairly tall (6'1".) Being able to slide back on the flat seat really helped. The build quality of the Kick looked very good. According the salesman the Kick is made by PGO and it is quicker that the standard Buddy 125 because it has both fuel injection and a 4 valve head - versa a 2 valve head on both Buddy 125 and 170. I also noticed the Kick has an oxygen sensor which my current F.I. Buddy 170 doesn't have, so the computer getting real time feed back.

I was originally at the dealer to see if they had any '23 Buddy 170s in yet (they didn't) but I think I will take a closer look at Kick too before picking a new scoot. Unfortunately, neither of the Kicks were prepped yet so I wasn't able to take a test ride. Dealer is an hour and some form home it will be a couple weeks before I can get back down there.

Great answers! Thank you for the feedback. As for me, I'll stick with the tried and true. Kind of like a Stratocaster if you think about it. Perfect out of the gate, so why change it?

I hadn’t realized the 170i doesn’t have an O2 sensor to go along with its fuel injection.

One other thing I noticed but forgot to mention in my last post is that the Kick that has an oil cooler. It kind of hard to see since its hidden behind a grill built into the plastic under body cover. I was looking at oil change accessibility I noticed 2 lines coming off the bottom of the engine and followed them to the cooler.

Yeah, no O2 sensor on the 170s. In the 42k+ miles I have put on my 170 haven't really noticed this to be a problem unless there has been a big swing in temperature or humidity in a short period of time. If the engine seems to be running unevenly I shut it off and do an ECU reset and it has always smoothed right back out.

DeeDee wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 11:16 pm Does anyone here own both of these, Buddy 125 and a Kick? I'm interested in how the build quality compares to the Buddy 125. Great looking scooter you have there!

I thought the Buddy 170i looked and felt "slightly" "cheaper" than the Kick which is one of the reasons I went for the Kick. Not saying there is anything wrong with the Buddy 170i, but the Kick just oozed a more quality vibe than the Buddy 170i. I have been quite impressed with its power to tote my 250-pound lard ass around.

I don't have good local Genuine support and I'm no longer hauling a scooter 100 miles one way for service or computer help. But the Kick should be a reliable scooter either way. I might have been tempted to consider a Kick myself but like I mentioned, I've never seen one.

Here's a funny thing that happened to me. Right after I got my Buddy I found my dream Honda Helix. Yellow 04 not that far from me. Price seems on the higher end to me, $2800 @ 24,000 miles, but it's clean in the pictures. I love the Helix but the Buddy serves my needs better. Oh well. I bought what I liked AND it's brand new.

sc00ter wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 3:19 am Are they both manufactured by PGO? Both made in Taiwan? I assume when my dealer told me they didn't carry the Kick because "The quality wasn't as good..." translates into "We make more money on Buddy 125's and 170's, and the 50cc models.".

I assume the Chicago Scooter Company scooters are China made, but I've never seen one in person. Only odd Genuine I've ever seen was a Venture 50cc. Good story about a Venture. I almost purchased a used Venture but the guy thought he had gold and jumped the price from $250 to $700, and it didn't run! So I passed. Then the guy asked me how much would I charge to look at it and get it running and I said $450! He passed on my offer.

I keep trying to get a coworker to get a Kick scooter. I don't ever see it happening though.

Yes, the Buddy Kick is made by PGO and is made in Taiwan. It is known as the PGO J-Bubu there.

Congratulations on your Kick! Great looking scooter. Love that color. I test drove a Kick last year and really enjoyed how it rides. Lively throttle response and handles nicely.

I just got home from the scooter-ball rally. A couple of Kicks were competing (and finished).

You’ll love it! Best scooter I have ever owned…

I picked up a new Buddy Kick this weekend. My Aunt bought a gray one in late May and I really enjoyed riding it when she loaned it to me for a couple days. I kept my '12 Buddy 170, but as that has 43,500 miles on it I figure the Kick will be good to have waiting in the wings as my main commuter scooter. I really like the new darker blue color.