170i

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:42 pm

'cause I'm jonesin'.

Hello, MB.

Former poster, former owner of an Italia 150 & GTS 250ie. Now riding a modded Zuma 125, which I cannot learn to love.

The mods & bling (custom pipe, aftermarket clutch, gears, springs, footpegs, oil cooler) make it a most excellent performer. Should note that it had been kitted to 164cc as well, but I blew that up. At 125 again, it is nonetheless fast.

But. Retro it's not, and I long for the vague vespalambretta Retroness, and have been staring fixedly at the 170i. I want the mocha. and the green. and the silver with the stripe. I'm done with Vespa USA, and done with carburetors. Need the FI.

It is, howsomever, early days for this scoot, and review/reliablity/user experiences are few. Reliability is paramount for me. Have seen the coupla reported mystery hassles in threads here, and am leery of jumping in before any built-in problems have a chance to surface.

Still, a local-ish dealer has 'em, and the tug is very strong. Talk to me, 170i-ers: is the bloom still on the rose? You all feeling good things about them?

Thank you, and a good morning to all.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:00 pm

You want your scooter to be Vespa-like, anf fuel injected, and mocha. Well.....

olhogrider · Post by **olhogrider** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:21 pm

I think you missed the "done with Vespa USA" part. Wouldn't it be great if the Italians could match the build quality of a Buddy? I sure miss mine.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm

Nope, I didn't miss the "done with Vespa USA" part. I just took that part with a grain of salt. Vespa USA doesn't build Vespas any more than Genuine builds Buddys. The workmanship on an Italian Vespa is beautiful. With luck you will never have to deal with Vespa USA (I never have and I own both a Vespa and a Piaggio scooter). I don't mean to dump on Genuine, but the only distributor-related scooter problems I have ever had were parts on backorder with Genuine. Frankly, every scooter importer that I know anything about are small time operations and have a rinky dink parts and warranty system.

(I don't mean to imply that there is anything wrong with the 170i - I'm sure it is going to be a great scooter. I just don't think any scooter rider should ever "cross Vespa off their list". It has been a great scooter for 50-plus years and still is.)

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:40 pm

Dooglas wrote:You want your scooter to be Vespa-like, anf fuel injected, and mocha. Well.....

What model is that? Nice seat!

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 5:42 pm

Vespa is off the list. Been there, done that, got the tattoo.

This hyar thread is not about Vespa. Had one, liked it ok, sold it.

It's about Buddy: Chi-Town hangin', Taiwan-pitchin'-Phi McCaleb-catchin', Genuine-distributin' Buddy. That would be telephone-call-answerin', customer-supportin' Phil, not boutiquein'-Pontadera-Hold-my-expresso-fino-while-I-take-the-month-of-August-off Filipo.

But I exaggerate and rant. Like Mussolini. Mille scuse, signore, se non vi dispiace. Anyhow, the topic....what the hell was the topic???...Oh, yeah, the 170i!

So you 170i guys likin' it? It pull strong off the line? Anybody spent any time WOT on it? Do the engine seem stressed at speed? Used to roll 50ish for hours on the Italia, & never had a worry...che te dice?

Ciao!

Glen G · Post by **Glen G** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:48 pm

Reedhandmoto may be too "hip" for us. Maybe we should not let him get a buddy... on the other hand... we don't want Phil missing any meals so yea, you should get one man!

You'll love it

G

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:04 pm

nah; no one of my advanced years - really up there - could possibly be hip.

Bought from Phil before - liked the Italia, liked Genuine's support and attitude, but finally needed more pull for two-up. Went to a GTS 250ie: that pulled, fer sher, but the passenger's leg positioning was ill-designed and tortuous.

Wife has her own scoot now. A fuel-injected Bud looks like just the thing. it seems almost inevitable though that new introductions in any line result in little needed tweeks emerging. Had wondered if the 170i had been marketed (and thus shaken-down) in Taiwan before it came to the US...

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:54 pm

redhandmoto wrote:Had wondered if the 170i had been marketed (and thus shaken-down) in Taiwan before it came to the US...

And the answer to that question is yes. PGO has been selling fuel injected versions of their GY6 engine in Asia for a while now.

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:03 pm

redhandmoto wrote:Vespa is off the list. Been there, done that, got the tattoo.

This hyar thread is not about Vespa. Had one, liked it ok, sold it.

It's about Buddy: Chi-Town hangin', Taiwan-pitchin'-Phi McCaleb-catchin', Genuine-distributin' Buddy. That would be telephone-call-answerin', customer-supportin' Phil, not boutiquein'-Pontadera-Hold-my-expresso-fino-while-I-take-the-month-of-August-off Filipo.

But I exaggerate and rant. Like Mussolini. Mille scuse, signore, se non vi dispiace. Anyhow, the topic....what the hell was the topic???...Oh, yeah, the 170i!

So you 170i guys likin' it? It pull strong off the line? Anybody spent any time WOT on it? Do the engine seem stressed at speed? Used to roll 50ish for hours on the Italia, & never had a worry...che te dice?

Ciao!

Youre alright with me.boutiquien......

scooterjon · Post by **scooterjon** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:21 am

There has not been many reviews and only a complaint on here about the FI system in another thread. I am surprised that Genuines poster boy Eric has not gotten one yet to give us his 2 cents. I am waiting before I replace broken buddy (which is not running right now). That bronze and brown Vespa looks tempting!!!

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:33 am

hmmm...pugbuddy posted on 6/29 that he ran into some kinda temp? fuel sensor? prob on the way to NOLA...standing by for an update to dat stuff...

beastmaster · Post by **beastmaster** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:21 am

i wanted to get the 170i so bad , are u kidding me???? its gona be a great scooter ,i couldn't get financed and have since moved on , but whats not to like looks great,its fi ,faster , it the next step in scooter evolution, with a 2 year warranty ?? sound pretty solid . Now granted a couple people my buy one with problems , but lets be honest that could happen to any vehicle . 4 grand out the door for something that u could potentially get you 20-30000 miles of satisfaction , id say do it

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:54 am

scoterjon

easy there hoss ya might hurt yourself.....

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:58 am

scooterjon wrote:There has not been many reviews and only a complaint on here about the FI system in another thread. I am surprised that Genuines poster boy Eric has not gotten one yet to give us his 2 cents. I am waiting before I replace broken buddy (which is not running right now). That bronze and brown Vespa looks tempting!!!

Aren't you on the wrong forum? Seems so. Or you just haven't read many of the reviews.

Post by **ericalm** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:20 am

scooterjon wrote:There has not been many reviews and only a complaint on here about the FI system in another thread. I am surprised that Genuines poster boy Eric has not gotten one yet to give us his 2 cents. I am waiting before I replace broken buddy (which is not running right now). That bronze and brown Vespa looks tempting!!!

"Genuine poster boy" Eric hasn't even ridden a 170i yet.

If your only purpose on MB is to troll and take potshots from behind the keyboard, move along. This isn't the forum for you.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:22 pm

M'Lords, my point was that anything produced in quantity may well have some little unforeseen quirks or failings that do not emerge or reveal themselves until there are sufficient numbers of them in use. It is the sheer stats that unmask them, engineering and factory testing notwithstanding. Like baseball.

Yamaha released the very fine Zuma 125 only to see fuel pump failures, right out of the box, around the time that I bought mine. The owner community identified and pushed that issue, not the maker or reviewers or press.

Vespa had some not-uncommon issues with melting wires and hoses, right out of the box, around the time that I bought mine. That didn't get a lot of play in the press, but loomed very large at the local dealership.

Well, etc., etc. No manufacturers or marques are immune from the small things that drive customers stuck out on the road and service managers crazy. You may have stress-tested the living crapp outta a design at your factory track, but until Giancarlo Q. Public pounds it out on the cobblestones and autostrada day-in and day-out, the mean-time-between-failure for a given component or subsystem will stay hidden in the weeds.

If I wanted a dead-reliable mid-size scoot, I'd just get a Honda SH150i and been done with it. It has the added advantage of liquid-cooling, an important factor when one is a notorious blower-upper of air-cooled mills like myself. But - to my subjective sight - it's not a scoot; it's a singletrack Batmobile, and I already have one of those.

And those skeptical about "being done with Vespa USA", who take my remark with a grain of salt, as though I couldn't really mean such a thing, would be well advised to go on a salt-free diet. There are solid reasons for that prejudice, business-model, distribution, supply reasons.

I say again: gimme a round legshield, small wheels, chubby butt, chrome rack, 55 mph, fuel injection, reasonable reliability, and the design aesthetic of 1958. A question for users of the 170i is not another occasion for the usual amusing parade of Internet axe-grinding or display of someone's simmering social hostility - it's a question for owners of the 170i. Peace up, Lads, Peace up.

Post by **ericalm** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:46 pm

redhandmoto wrote:M'Lords, my point was that anything produced in quantity may well have some little unforeseen quirks or failings that do not emerge or reveal themselves until there are sufficient numbers of them in use. It is the sheer stats that unmask them, engineering and factory testing notwithstanding. Like baseball.

PGO has been making and selling a 125cc version of this scoot overseas for a couple of years now and have several models with different sizes of essentially the same FI engine. The rest of it is the same as any other Buddy. That hopefully means some of the bugs have been worked out before it came to the US.

The US version is a bit different, with an oil cooler (necessitated by the larger bore engine, I guess) and the old Buddy analog gauges rather than the iBuBu's happy digital one.

One of the reasons there's not a ton of feedback on these is that we don't have a lot of members with them yet. Hopefully some of those who do own one will chime in soon.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:13 pm

Thank you, Sir. Backstory info was very helpful.

I suspect, however, that once I get my promised test ride next week, Phil will be separating me from some geetas, even if no one else chimes in with actual riding 'perience n' stuff...analog gauges...yaaaassss....

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:20 pm

It's a very good scooter; top notch IMHO. I had an issue with it on the road from Tulsa OK to New Orleans LA. The dealer has been working with Genuine on how to fix it.

In a nutshell, if you ride the scooter for long periods of time (over an hour) at WOT (roughly 70-80 bmph) then there is a heating/cooling issue that pops up (I'm not techy enough to give the official issue) and the engine uses a lot more gas, thus dropping the gas mileage significantly. You'll know when this is happening as your gas gage tends to go wonky and the "check engine" light comes on.

This is not an issue when riding in town in the 50-60 bmph ranges and only shows at 70+--and then only if you've been holding that speed for long periods of time (an hour or more).

My dealer told me today that Genuine is now aware of the issue and has been able to reproduce it; they are working on a fix for it. I expect, and this is my opinion only, that they will get things squared away pretty quickly as they are a very responsive company IMHO.

In the mean time, I am confident in riding my 170i around town and on short hops on the expressway at high speeds (WOT). I hope this helps.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:28 pm

Well, there ya go. Thanks; it does indeed help.

70-80 bmph!!? Geez, fast scoot...

BuddyLicious · Post by **BuddyLicious** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:28 pm

In this case where the 170 isnt a new from the ground up scooter I wouldnt hesitate to buy one and as already stated the FI isnt anything new to PGO.On top you have a great company with a 2 year warranty to boot.It's these specific reasons why I would dive in head first.Life is short LIVE IT!

daufcguy · Post by **daufcguy** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:32 pm

the new 170i is pretty nice, it has a diagnostic computer that keeps an eye on the fuel injection and engine temp, so that is a definite plus and it gives the 170i something that is standard on modern motorcycles and cars but is absent in most scooters: on board diagnostics. the 170i fuel injection is nice, i believe the fuel injector is a manifold injection type like you would see on cars from the 90's and i believe that there is no feedback controls like an O2 sensor which you would see on a car, i'm not 100% sure but I believe the amount of gas it receives is determined by some type of mass air flow sensor in the intake manifold just before the injector. as far as the bikes overheating: did you stop to consider the possibility that running any buddy (50 cc, 125 cc, 150 international or 170i) at wide open throttle for extended periods of time could cause them to overheat? i think that even though the 170i is capable of going 75mph, im not sure the buddy engine is the best for interstate travel. im pretty sure that if you took a buddy 125 and ran it at wide open throttle for an hour the engine would start to heat up, the difference is that the 170i has onboard diagnostic and will tell you when the engine is getting hot. that being said, the 150 international and the 170i are equipped with external air coolers standard, probably for this exact reason.
i will say this, the fuel injection will result in more measured fuel distribution and another huge advantage: no carb jets to get clogged like in any of the previous buddy models, this means that if you live in a cold climate like me (chicago) you can hook your battery up to a tender and leave your scooter in a cold garage all winter and when your ready to take it out in the spring all you have to do is add some fresh gas and it will start right up.
as far as the ride: the frame is exactly the same as the 150, 125, and 50, with the only differences being the engine size, the fuel injection, the oil cooler, and a gas cap that is a button type vs a twist off type. the only other major difference is the dash has an engine light. upon riding the 170i for the first time you will notice that it has more speed off the line and is able to reach that 30-45 mph city cruising speed very quickly, and if you should so desire, the 70 mph mark is easily attainable for the average sized rider, bigger riders will find that you can get up to 60 or 65 mph quickly and it will reach 70 mph if you lay on the throttle. that being said, genuine has done a nice job with the design of of the engine, it is quick off the line with out being overly torquey. you can accelerate fast but it doesn't snap you head back or lift the front wheel off the ground. in other words, you don't have to be a scooter pro to ride this, someone with limited scootering experience would be able to pilot the 170 with little difficulty.
all in all, i would have to say the 170i is a great all around scooter, it has all the great qualities and conveniences of past buddy models and the the added power and fuel injection is a big plus. and the price tag isnt all that much more than a new buddy 125 ($2,699 for the 125cc vs $3,299 for the 170i).
i hope this has been helpful for you and all potential 170i buyers, have fun and keep the shiny side up!

illnoise · Post by **illnoise** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:57 pm

If Eric's the Genuine Poster Boy, I'm not far below him on the list, ha.

I've been riding a Blur 150 for a few years, and I test rode the 220i that was sent to CA for approval a while back. I'm a big fan of the Blur, obviously and I can't think of any reason not to love it, unless you like retro styling or the seat height is too high for you. I've always been really surprised they're not popular. Braking/Suspension/Handling is really good.

Search 2strokebuzz for my original review of the 150 and my test ride of the 220i, and you might want to ask the Blur forum (a separate list here that might not read the mother list all the time) or I can move this thread there if you like.

Bb.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:38 pm

Gentlemen, thank you so much for the detailed info.

illnoise, I've been looking at 2sb for solid info since I returned to riding in '08 and have seen just about everybody's review of the 220i, with which I am duly impressed. The call of the classic esthetic however is very strong; I came of age in the heyday of the classics, and identify with the look and feel. I'm, you know, old.

The heat/fuel/extended WOT thing that pugbuddy may have experienced is not a showstopper for me. It's nice to know that 70 or so is there, but there are most appropriate bikes for all-day hyperspeed. If the air-cooled 170i is ok with six-seven hours at 50-60 on state and county highways, it's more than enough for me.

Frankly, I have a new dilemma: the same dealer I'll be seeing Tuesday re: the 170i not only has a specimen in every color, he also has a new Pamplona with free topcase and rack at a nice discount and no fees.

O, Madonn'! If anything could overcome my carburetor aversion, it's a cheap, new Pamplona...

illnoise · Post by **illnoise** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:33 pm

Here's what I'd do…

Get the Blur rather than the Pamplona. It's just a far better bike. The Buddy is fun and cute and relatively fast, and a great value, but it doesn't compare to a Blur. It's just not as well engineered or designed as a Blur.

Then you have a bulletproof, fuel-injected, modern, reliable, fast, and fun-to-ride bike that's good for commuting, longer trips, just about anything, but maybe not as flashy as you'd like.

THEN, to scratch the "Retro" itch, skip retro and go straight to vintage. Find a $1500 beater Vespa or Lambretta with a legitimate pedigree (ie from a shop or trusted scooterist). Get it running semi-reliably, ride it and see how terrifying and slow and wonderful it is, then decide if you wanna put a few grand into fixing it up nice. Then you have a hobby and a project and a beautiful bike when it's done, but you also have a daily rider while you're working on it.

Then, when it's done and reasonably reliable, if you love the vintage bike, sell the Blur. If you don't feel comfortable riding the vintage bike every day, ride it in parades and rallies and to impress girls once in a while, or just sit in your garage and stare lovingly at it, but ride the Blur day-to-day.

Bb.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:22 pm

gee, you really like the Blur, don'tcha?

Well, I got roughly that style now (in black) with the modded Z, and I just prefer the old 'look', feel, style; that's a function of 'my' cultural times. De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum, even if it don't make perfect andlogical sense.

The Z accelerates like a demon and does amply with top end for my current needs (tho I didn't join in on the "ticket" thread, guess who got popped at twice the limit two weeks ago by a decent and kindly officer who was appalled at the shenanegans of an AARP-class dotard?).

Everything you and others say about the Blur is true, I have no doubt. I hear you on engineering, reliability, performance. It's just that I prefer everything about the Fokker D-VII to everything about the F-15, but especially the simple looks.

So if the FI system is reliable and solid enough for 55 all day, every day...well, you see my point.

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:28 pm

I LOVE MY BUDDY 150!!!!!!!!!! 60 with a smile on my face

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:20 am

as far as the bikes overheating: did you stop to consider the possibility that running any buddy (50 cc, 125 cc, 150 international or 170i) at wide open throttle for extended periods of time could cause them to overheat? i think that even though the 170i is capable of going 75mph, im not sure the buddy engine is the best for interstate travel. im pretty sure that if you took a buddy 125 and ran it at wide open throttle for an hour the engine would start to heat up, the difference is that the 170i has onboard diagnostic and will tell you when the engine is getting hot.

Yes, that possibility was certainly raised! However, the long trips (2 days at high speeds) I have taken on my 125 have not resulted in any problems or significant loss of gas milage due to the over-heating. If the 125 was overheating, then ignorance was bliss!

I think that Genuine will make available a fix for the issue in the future; it is something they simply weren't aware of and probably didn't think to test. It's not really uncommon, IMHO, for riders to find an issue or two in a new scoot/bike that the manufacturer did not consider.

RobbieD · Post by **RobbieD** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:56 am

I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:17 am

RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon.

Wish we'd seen you! Eric and I were riding along Angles Crest back from Wrightwood today! Beautiful day for a ride. I'd love to know how the fuel injection did with the altitude. My carbed Buddy gets altitude sickness really bad. (for those not familiar, Angles Crest Hwy climbs to over 7000 feet altitude)

RobbieD · Post by **RobbieD** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:24 am

I didn't notice any change in performance going up in altitude. The FI seems to do it's job nicely.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:43 am

RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.

solid experience speaks loud right there, ok. sounds good. & we're about the same size.

illnoise · Post by **illnoise** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 4:59 am

I'm an idiot, for some reason I read "170" as "220" all along, which is why I'm trying to talk you into a Blur. If you dig the buddy and the Blur's not even on your radar, then go for the 170, i don't think the displacement's gonna make a huge difference, but fuel injection is the bomb.

Never mind me, ha.

Bb.

redhandmoto · Post by **redhandmoto** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:14 am

No worry; do the same thing all the time m'se'f.

well, taste is a funny thing. And again, it depends on how your first experiences were formed, and with what. I am less-and-less interested in the superhighway nowadays, but if I did have a lotta freeway in my future, I'd go with a Triumph T100, another bike styled in the Old School mode like the UJMs of years gone by. But you know, Interstate travel, though efficient, bores me - there's nothing of visual interest, and it just gets grueling, which is why, in part, the VT750 went away.

Age has brought a bias toward small, twitchy bikes. I even like to whip around town on my wife's derestricted Honda Met; it just smokes the heavy traffic on local streets, and though it's about half the size of my butt, 43mph quickly reached seems like mad speed because it's so small. And it looks like a scooter. To my mind.

The current trend in cvt machine design, large and small, sensibly mimics the shape of the great pelagic fishes. It is aerodynamically effective, it is lowish and more stable; form followed function.

But it's a look I can't get next to, even though the upright frontage of rider-on-classic scooter sets up an air dam.

Case in point: I was recently offered a Honda Silverwing with a few years yet lowish miles for about 3K. Talked about the S'wing and it's life expectancy with a lot of people, tried it, found it super comfortable and with plenty of power, and yet I took a pass, because I can't hack the teenage Killer Whale look.

It's a fault, a blindness, an unreasoning prejudice, I know, but whatcha gonna do?

Selah.

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 1:12 pm

Seems like alot of new 170i owners are running sustained WOT. Hard break-in I guess.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:00 pm

RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.

A carbureted 150 couldn't perform NEARLY as well in the mountains as this. EFI, FTW.

(My Stella did worst of all in the higher elevations, totally bogging down!)

Someone from NoHo Scooters was telling me about an owner who had his 170 broken in and was getting great performance from it. Bet that was you!

teacherquinn · Post by **teacherquinn** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:14 pm

ericalm wrote:
RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.
A carbureted 150 couldn't perform NEARLY as well in the mountains as this. EFI, FTW.

(My Stella did worst of all in the higher elevations, totally bogging down!)

Someone from NoHo Scooters was telling me about an owner who had his 170 broken in and was getting great performance from it. Bet that was you!

Eric, it wasn't THAT bogged down....

teacherquinn · Post by **teacherquinn** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:18 pm

RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.

I'd also like to know if you've ridden the 150 series and are able to offer a comparison. My daughter has kinda stolen my Buddy and I was wondering if the 170i shows a better/different ride. She's light and had no problem hauling through the mountains on Saturday. I, on the other hand, am not so light, so I am thinking of going with the 170 as a replacement scoot.

RobbieD · Post by **RobbieD** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:12 pm

I have not ridden a 150. I'm new to scooters and the only other one I've ridden was a kymco people 250 and their very different bikes.
@Eric. It may well be me. Unless they sold another 170 already.

Raiderfn31 · Post by **Raiderfn31** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:34 pm

redhandmoto wrote:
RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.
solid experience speaks loud right there, ok. sounds good. & we're about the same size.

Size?

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:11 pm

teacherquinn wrote:
ericalm wrote:
RobbieD wrote:I just picked up a 170i a month ago and I've got 1100 miles on it, and just took it up angles crest hwy this afternoon. WOT and i was easily able to hit 55 bmph uphill. I'm 6ft 200 pd. and probably could have gone faster but it was a hot day and I didn't want to lay on the throttle too long. And not at all hard to hit 70+ going downhill. I've had no problems with my buddy 170i and I commute 40 miles a day through Los Angeles. The bike is easily quick enough of the start and has smooth swift acceleration up to fifty and from there it's not much to an easy 65+. Perfect for my daily commute and put's a smile on my face every day.
A carbureted 150 couldn't perform NEARLY as well in the mountains as this. EFI, FTW.

(My Stella did worst of all in the higher elevations, totally bogging down!)

Someone from NoHo Scooters was telling me about an owner who had his 170 broken in and was getting great performance from it. Bet that was you!
Eric, it wasn't THAT bogged down....

Enough to give me some extra motivation to get that new top end for my LX!

RobbieD wrote:I have not ridden a 150. I'm new to scooters and the only other one I've ridden was a kymco people 250 and their very different bikes.
@Eric. It may well be me. Unless they sold another 170 already.

They have; just not one with as many miles as you've racked up so quickly!

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:12 am

ericalm wrote:[
A carbureted 150 couldn't perform NEARLY as well in the mountains as this. EFI, FTW.

(My Stella did worst of all in the higher elevations, totally bogging down!)

Your Stella had its fuel mixture richened, no?
I think a standard mixture (leaner) would have done better in the mountains as the higher up you go, the less oxygen therefore it richens by itself.
As yours was already richened (for optimum sea level running) you most probably were running too rich in the mountains -hence the bogging.

Hmm, I wonder how my stocker would fare..

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:02 am

desmolicious wrote:
ericalm wrote:[
A carbureted 150 couldn't perform NEARLY as well in the mountains as this. EFI, FTW.

(My Stella did worst of all in the higher elevations, totally bogging down!)

Your Stella had its fuel mixture richened, no?
I think a standard mixture (leaner) would have done better in the mountains as the higher up you go, the less oxygen therefore it richens by itself.
As yours was already richened (for optimum sea level running) you most probably were running too rich in the mountains -hence the bogging.

Hmm, I wonder how my stocker would fare..

I adjusted the air/fuel before heading back down. Seemed to run a bit better (I didn't want to adjust too much) but it's hard to tell since it was mostly downhill. I do think that contributed, though.

Shellee · Post by **Shellee** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:59 pm

I'd also like to add my recommendation for the 170, although I haven't tried riding WOT yet... I have about 200 miles on it, riding mainly in town. It's still a terrific ride, handles great, and I'm loving it.

My only issue is that the gas gauge seems screwy. I think someone else posted about a problem with the gas gauge (was it PugBuddy?). I'm wondering if that got fixed?

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:13 pm

Shellee wrote:I'd also like to add my recommendation for the 170, although I haven't tried riding WOT yet... I have about 200 miles on it, riding mainly in town. It's still a terrific ride, handles great, and I'm loving it.

My only issue is that the gas gauge seems screwy. I think someone else posted about a problem with the gas gauge (was it PugBuddy?). I'm wondering if that got fixed?

Hey Shellee, welcome back! I hope you'll post more now that you've got a new Buddy.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:37 pm

Shellee wrote:I'd also like to add my recommendation for the 170, although I haven't tried riding WOT yet... I have about 200 miles on it, riding mainly in town. It's still a terrific ride, handles great, and I'm loving it.

My only issue is that the gas gauge seems screwy. I think someone else posted about a problem with the gas gauge (was it PugBuddy?). I'm wondering if that got fixed?

Yes, I posted that the gas gage was wonky. It went all weird today on my way home too. Basically I started home from work with the gage right on the line of the red section and the first blue section. My commute is 13.5 miles so I figured I had more than enough gas. My commute is also almost entirely along Highway 75 so I would be riding at 70bmph for most of it.

Roughly half way home, the gage begins dropping like the proverbial rock. It quickly dropped below the "E" but, when I slowed down to below 50 bmph (congestion on the transition to Highway 64), the gage actually went UP again! I hopped off the expressway early due to the congestion and took the streets to the nearest "100% gas" gas station. During the ride, my gage dropped below "E" again rather quickly--all I had to do was accelerate.

When I got to the station, I filled up the tank. It only held .813 gallons! So, apparently, I still had quite a bit in the tank even though the gage showed I had very little.

I'm hoping Genuine fixes this issue soon!

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:03 am

illnoise wrote:Here's what I'd do…

Get the Blur rather than the Pamplona. It's just a far better bike. The Buddy is fun and cute and relatively fast, and a great value, but it doesn't compare to a Blur. It's just not as well engineered or designed as a Blur.

Then you have a bulletproof, fuel-injected, modern, reliable, fast, and fun-to-ride bike that's good for commuting, longer trips, just about anything, but maybe not as flashy as you'd like.

THEN, to scratch the "Retro" itch, skip retro and go straight to vintage. Find a $1500 beater Vespa or Lambretta with a legitimate pedigree (ie from a shop or trusted scooterist). Get it running semi-reliably, ride it and see how terrifying and slow and wonderful it is, then decide if you wanna put a few grand into fixing it up nice. Then you have a hobby and a project and a beautiful bike when it's done, but you also have a daily rider while you're working on it.

Then, when it's done and reasonably reliable, if you love the vintage bike, sell the Blur. If you don't feel comfortable riding the vintage bike every day, ride it in parades and rallies and to impress girls once in a while, or just sit in your garage and stare lovingly at it, but ride the Blur day-to-day.

Bb.

^^^ I LIKE this guy...He thinks like me...And you can ALWAYS sell the vintage scoot to someone and not lose much if you don't like it...I REALLY like this idea

Either the 170 i or the 220, but yeah the 150 Pamplona is tough to pass up for a deal..hmmmm decisions decisions

RobbieD · Post by **RobbieD** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 2:55 am

Shellee wrote:I'd also like to add my recommendation for the 170, although I haven't tried riding WOT yet... I have about 200 miles on it, riding mainly in town. It's still a terrific ride, handles great, and I'm loving it.

My only issue is that the gas gauge seems screwy. I think someone else posted about a problem with the gas gauge (was it PugBuddy?). I'm wondering if that got fixed?

I've had a similar experience with my gas gauge. It shows empty when one gallon is spent. Ive read that the other .6 gallons is considered reserve fuel. Probably the explanation. And as for the issue of it going "wonky". The bike has a shallow tank with a floater mechanism to gauge your fuel level. If you tip the bike any direction away from level you will get a false reading. Especially the lower your fuel level.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:23 am

I've had a similar experience with my gas gauge. It shows empty when one gallon is spent. Ive read that the other .6 gallons is considered reserve fuel. Probably the explanation. And as for the issue of it going "wonky". The bike has a shallow tank with a floater mechanism to gauge your fuel level. If you tip the bike any direction away from level you will get a false reading. Especially the lower your fuel level.

I could see something like that being the issue. However, since I was riding at 65+ bmph pretty much the whole way, I wasn't tipping the bike a lot.

Honestly, if I cannot trust the gas gage I'll end up selling the bike. It's really great in so many ways but I'm not interested in false readings on one of the most important things associated with riding (especially long distances)!

Modern Buddy

170i - sufficiently shaken down?

170i - sufficiently shaken down?

Redhandmoto

170i review

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i

Re: 170i