Modern Buddy

6000 Buddy miles and the rear tire is pretty worn. I'm going to take it in tomorrow to Motorsports. What are your suggestions?

Environmental issue: It doesn't rain very often, no icy roads and the roads are littered with stupid politians...um sorry..stupid potholes.

I think I maybe getting a Zippy.

pcbikedude wrote:6000 Buddy miles and the rear tire is pretty worn. I'm going to take it in tomorrow to Motorsports. What are your suggestions?

Environmental issue: It doesn't rain very often, no icy roads and the roads are littered with stupid politians...um sorry..stupied potholes.

I think I maybe getting a Zippy.

i'm in the same situation . . . i've really been eyeing the whitewalls at Scooterworks . . .

anybody got suggestions?

Well if you go to Modern Vespa the top recommended scooter tire there for mostly dry riding is currently the Heidenau K61. There were a lot of positive almost raving reviews about it. Zippys were highly rated as well so I do not think you can go wrong there either. As far as whitewalls the ones to get would be the same brand that comes standard with the new internationals made by Maxxis. Most shops carry the brand Shinko(Sp?) and from what I have read Maxxis are great Shinko's not so much

If you are running a tube tire now, I'd seriously consider going tubeless.

Let us know what you get.

..rickko..

wow I have close to 9,000 buddy miles and still on original tires. Treads still look pretty darn good too! When I do replace them I will be going with Zippy 1's. Heard mostly good things about them, and they aren't too pricey.

I've got just over 3k on my Shinko ww's and my back tire tread is getting pretty low.

Only thing I can think to cause it to be almost ready to go at this mileage is that I ride pretty quickly pretty much all the time. That and the Shinko just isn't that great of a tire.

I am also just a bit over 3k on my original WW Maxis and my back tire is really beginning to look worn. There is still some tread pattern left to the middle part of the tire but it is rapidly turning into a slick. When I compare it to the front it becomes glaringly obvious how much wear the back tire has on it. The front looks almost new still with a connected and deep tread pattern even in the center of the tire. I ride 40 miles a day 5 days a week now on my scoot at least. One of the contributing factors to my rear tire may be the top case on the back. I have heard it can cause the rear tire to wear even faster than normal. I ride most of my route at 55 BMPH which translates to 45 real MPH give or take a couple MPH. I do not consider this as outside normal riding speeds and conditions for the tire. Judging from what I have read and heard the back tire can be expected to need replacing about once every 3000 to 4500 miles depending on the tire type and manufacturer. I am planning on replacing the back tire before it goes totally bald with a Heidenau K61 as every review I have read on them has been glowing with how well they grip the road and how long lasting they seem. Time will tell of course.

newslinky wrote:I am also just a bit over 3k on my original WW Maxis and my back tire is really beginning to look worn. There is still some tread pattern left to the middle part of the tire but it is rapidly turning into a slick. When I compare it to the front it becomes glaringly obvious how much wear the back tire has on it. The front looks almost new still with a connected and deep tread pattern even in the center of the tire. I ride 40 miles a day 5 days a week now on my scoot at least. One of the contributing factors to my rear tire may be the top case on the back. I have heard it can cause the rear tire to wear even faster than normal. I ride most of my route at 55 BMPH which translates to 45 real MPH give or take a couple MPH. I do not consider this as outside normal riding speeds and conditions for the tire. Judging from what I have read and heard the back tire can be expected to need replacing about once every 3000 to 4500 miles depending on the tire type and manufacturer. I am planning on replacing the back tire before it goes totally bald with a Heidenau K61 as every review I have read on them has been glowing with how well they grip the road and how long lasting they seem. Time will tell of course.

We have a very similar situation. My commute isn't as long as yours, but it's at 55 most of the way, and my back tire compared to my front is exactly as you say.

I really want to replace with WW's, but I also want a really great tire. Those Maxxis don't seem to be available anymore. Maybe Zippys for me (don't they have a ww? I can't remember...)

I'm in the same spot as you. I'm considering rotating the tires to get twice the life out of them. Anyone else done this? Harbor Freight tools has a neat tire changer.

I gave about half a look at whitewalls for my wife's Buddy. Why does it seem that all the whitewall tires out there are junk. Where is a nice sporty tire with white walls?

I got the Zippy for the rear. The front tire has plenty tread left.

The old tire did have minimal safe amount of tread left. However, my daughter is planning on using it in the MSF class. There was possibility that they wouldn't let her use the Buddy in class if the tread of her rear tire seemed overly worn.

I wanted to bump this thread for a quick question instead of making a whole new one.

Someone is selling some 3.5x 10 tires for really cheap because they won them in a raffle and will not fit their bike. I noticed that the 125 Buddy has this size tire, but my Italia comes with 100/90/10. These are pretty much interchangeable right?

jmazza wrote:I've got just over 3k on my Shinko ww's and my back tire tread is getting pretty low.

Only thing I can think to cause it to be almost ready to go at this mileage is that I ride pretty quickly pretty much all the time. That and the Shinko just isn't that great of a tire.

I've noticed that about the shinko's on my stella.

They look nice but I've noticed they seem unreasonably slick in wet/cold situations. Even in the dry though they're not terribly grippy.

But I do ride pretty fast and hard, so it may just be me out pacing the machine. Wouldn't be the first time, I have the scars to prove it. (well they're under tattoos, but they're there)

Michelin S1's

my $0.02

~Lee

armacham wrote:I wanted to bump this thread for a quick question instead of making a whole new one.

Someone is selling some 3.5x 10 tires for really cheap because they won them in a raffle and will not fit their bike. I noticed that the 125 Buddy has this size tire, but my Italia comes with 100/90/10. These are pretty much interchangeable right?

bueller, bueller, anyone?

Well at least I am not alone. 3300 miles and my rear tire is as bald as an egg. The front looks fine. But I have noticed that the sidewalls of the tires looked cracked.

Lee, why do you like the S1s?

TIA -

PasadenaSue

PasadenaSue wrote:Well at least I am not alone. 3300 miles and my rear tire is as bald as an egg. The front looks fine. But I have noticed that the sidewalls of the tires looked cracked.

Lee, why do you like the S1s?

TIA -

PasadenaSue

definitely a trend here with those Shinko ww's that came on the '07 Italias!

so far it has been a great mix of quick turning/long lasting/wet grip/price.

the big thing for me is:

They corner better than stock and are wearing almost the same.

I rotated my tires and plan to get another 4000 miles out of my maxxis. Changing tires is really hard but doable. I hope to get better at it as I go along. If you want to save cash, are pretty handy, and don't mind purchasing a few tools, then rotating is the way to go.

yes, armacham, those should fit just fine.

thecarver61 wrote:I rotated my tires and plan to get another 4000 miles out of my maxxis. Changing tires is really hard but doable. I hope to get better at it as I go along. If you want to save cash, are pretty handy, and don't mind purchasing a few tools, then rotating is the way to go.

Don't you have to take the exhaust off? I'd rather just have my dealer do everything so they can also balance them.

Yes, you do have to take off the exhaust to get to the rear tire. If money isn't really an issue, then yes have the shop do it. I like saving the cash for parts etc. Rarely are scooter tires balanced. Mine certainly weren't. Thinking about getting a balancer soon to address that issue.

what sort of tools do you need? I'm guessing at the least you need tire levers and a decent air compressor to seat the bead.

I rotated my tires and plan to get another 4000 miles out of my maxxis. Changing tires is really hard but doable. I hope to get better at it as I go along. If you want to save cash, are pretty handy, and don't mind purchasing a few tools, then rotating is the way to go.

We need a "how to" guide!

My .02 on tires: Michelin S83. I swapped the originals for these for my trip to IL/IN and back to OK. They are fantastic! Totally different ride.

Does anyone know where I can find a pair of S1's for the Buddy at a reasonable cost? Seems like everyone is out of stock

docutech -

I just order an S1 from Motorcycle Superstore on Sunday It arrived today. Great price and fast service!!

Regards -

PasadenaSue

Lucky you! They show out of stock on that tire at this time

docutech wrote:Lucky you! They show out of stock on that tire at this time

they have the 100/90s in stock, aren't the rims the same size between the 125 and 150?

I am not sure. My tires say 3.50X10

pugbuddy wrote: We need a "how to" guide!

i second that motion!!!

The next tire change will be in 4000 miles. I'll see about putting together a guide then. Cheerio!

MAXXIS GP90 sticky to the icky and well priced

The Heidenau tires are getting good reviews by the Vespa & Mp3 crowd. They carry buddy size tires.

http://moto-amore.com/heidenau/index.html

Tim

armacham wrote:

docutech wrote:Lucky you! They show out of stock on that tire at this time

they have the 100/90s in stock, aren't the rims the same size between the 125 and 150?

Hey armacham- when you put that tire on post a pic... I really want a whitewall for my Italia, but it looks like there just aren't any great ones available so I might go with the S1 as well...

jmazza wrote:

armacham wrote:

docutech wrote:Lucky you! They show out of stock on that tire at this time

they have the 100/90s in stock, aren't the rims the same size between the 125 and 150?

Hey armacham- when you put that tire on post a pic... I really want a whitewall for my Italia, but it looks like there just aren't any great ones available so I might go with the S1 as well...

i actually have some heidenau k61s that I got cheap from someone who couldn't use them. Like I was saying earlier, they are 3.5 instead of 100/90s. I too wish they still made the maxxis whitewalls or something as good. because I really like the whitewall look.

I probably won't be throwing them on until late spring. My stock tires seem to have a lot of tread left and the k61s are NOT all weather tires.

armacham wrote: My stock tires seem to have a lot of tread left and the k61s are NOT all weather tires.

I have heard that they call it "monsoon" on both days it rains in Arizona

olhogrider wrote:

armacham wrote: My stock tires seem to have a lot of tread left and the k61s are NOT all weather tires.

I have heard that they call it "monsoon" on both days it rains in Arizona

hey sometimes it drizzles for a couple of hours in February too

I know this thread is old, but I'm about do for some new tires and I was wondering has anyone with
the Shinko tubed wws switched to the Maxxis ones? How would you rate the performance difference?
How durable are they compared to say Michelins or Pirellis? I think they are Cheg Shin, which in my
experience is not the most quality product... I LOVE the style a nice pair of white walls add to my bud,
I just don't want to get some and have the rubber crack and wear down quickly, etc.

So far my main options are:

....... Pirelli SL/26 .......... (or) ........... Michelin S1.............



Anyone heard anything about the Shinko Tubeless Whitewalls?

I have had both Pirelli and Michelin (Pilot City, very similar to the S1) as rear tires on my Vespa. I prefer the Michelin. I now have a Zippy 1 and I think it may be my fave so far.

My factory Shinko ww tube [rear] blew after a few hundred miles! My dealer got me a replacement tube type Continental ww and it has been great so far;haven't heard any one mention them ,any coments pro or con?

I ended up with the S1s about 500 miles ago and I couldn't be happier. These tires are night and day compared to the original Shinko.

I miss the aesthetic of the whitewalls but the ride difference is so amazing I don't even care about that.

Obviously the traction in corners is a huge difference- I think I can finally ride the Buddy to more of its limits without feeling like it's going to slide out from under me. It's truly amazing to be able to get through a turn at a quicker speed without losing my line one bit. I never could do that on the Shinkos.

What surprised me is how much more stable the straight line ride is as well. I've never thought the Buddy was unstable really at any speed but I also never could take my hands off the bars with the original tires because they would wobble so much. I was always fighting that a little bit, even if I didn't notice it much. Now, I can ride quite a ways with no hands (purely as a test, haha) and it just goes straight. Not having to fight the bars even a little bit most certainly reduces fatigue over longer rides. And at higher speeds it's a smoother ride as well (in no small part due to the difference between the tread styles, I'm sure).

At any rate, I'm still no tire expert only having ridden on the Shinkos and the S1s, but for the price, I couldn't be happier with the S1s right now.

Thanks guys! I knew I can count on you... Yes, I'm getting a little tired of the squirlyness of the Shinkos. I talked to some guy at the MC shop and they didn't think changing the tires would do anything as far as allowing me to lean farther... ... yeah, what do THEY know? They've never ridden 65mph on a raggedy pair of tubed Shinkos. Anyways, so I guess now it's between the Michelins and Zippys. What's your opinion on the best place to order from? Maybe I will look around online a bit, then see if my dealer can get them and how much that will cost.

KRUSTYburger wrote:Thanks guys! I knew I can count on you... Yes, I'm getting a little tired of the squirlyness of the Shinkos. I talked to some guy at the MC shop and they didn't think changing the tires would do anything as far as allowing me to lean farther... ... yeah, what do THEY know? They've never ridden 65mph on a raggedy pair of tubed Shinkos. Anyways, so I guess now it's between the Michelins and Zippys. What's your opinion on the best place to order from? Maybe I will look around online a bit, then see if my dealer can get them and how much that will cost.

I got mine from Motorcycle Superstore. And the biggest benefit is not necessarily being able to lean farther, but being able to hold the line through the turn with more confidence. The "squirlyness" is all gone.

I *JUST* put a Zippy1 on my bike, after the Shinchen stock tire had 11k on it. The Zippy1 seems to ride a whole lot better.

thecarver61 wrote:I'm in the same spot as you. I'm considering rotating the tires to get twice the life out of them. Anyone else done this? Harbor Freight tools has a neat tire changer.

Rotating tires...
Why bother? That's make work, because then you change the front tire more often than you have to. And you are putting a used tire on the back... so instead of 5000 miles out of that change you might get only 2000 more. And then you have to change both tires again! And... do you really want to put that bald back tire up in front????

You would do that only if you don't have the money this week for a new rear tire that you need today.

olhogrider wrote:

armacham wrote: My stock tires seem to have a lot of tread left and the k61s are NOT all weather tires.

I have heard that they call it "monsoon" on both days it rains in Arizona

I'm picking up my 125 with Heidenau k58's tomorrow. I've read good things about them and Scootershop in Orange (Vespa repair shop) highly recommended them. The k58 is an all-weather tire that's supposed to last about twice as long as the k61, however it's supposed to ride a little stiffer and noisier than the k61. And the local news has "Storm Watch" alerts "both days it rains" in LA so I chose the k58's over the k61's simply for more treadware. They were practically the same price, about $50 each.

I'll post a review after I put some miles on them.

A friend of mine has a Vespa P125X and he has used Zippy1s before and said he got "flat spots" he showed them to me and they definitely had some unusual wear. He recommended the Pirelli I was talking about above. Anyone else had experience with flat spots on their Zippys?

So it's getting down to the wire and I'm about to order my tires, so before I do I'd like a little more input on the Maxxis whitewalls, who's got a decent amount of miles on them and wants to review? I can't really imagine my buddy without whitewalls, I might have a nervous breakdown or something. I'm bad about going with style over performance and in this case performance is definitely more important. ...and price too.

Are the Maxxis ww's available again? I thought they were no longer being made.

DOH!
...did you already say that, I forgot.

Maybe I could still find some or does anyone know of any other "performance" white walls???