Finally purchasing my first scooter in the spring !!! After much research I had settled on the buddy 125 and now genuine throws a curve with the 150 Italia . I intend to keep this scooter as long as possible and want the most bang for my buck. So I'm asking all you scooter veterans your opinion-is there a marked difference between 125 and 150? Is it worth the extra money? Will I be jonesing for that extra 25cc in six months? I'm more interested in performance than styling; for example, if the only difference between the regular buddy and the Italia were the styling I'd probably go with the solid color buddy-that's just me.
Begs the question: why for heavens sake didn't genuine offer a 150 "vanilla" buddy.
its my understanding that for 2008 you can get any of the solid color buddys with either a 50cc or a 125cc, and you can get any of the special international 2 tone buddys "Series Italia", "St. Tropez", "Pamplona" with a 150cc, and in addition to that you will be able to get the series italia the "little italia" in a 50cc limited edition.....
thats all my understanding on 2008, things always seem to change day to day though until the new line actually hit the dealerships....
mines a 125cc and i dont think i will feel the need to bump up to a 150cc... 125cc is pretty darn quick as far as i feel....
Last edited by SERIES ITALIA RIDER on Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
From what I can tell, I don't think the Intl editions will be available in 125s. It's pretty much either a 150 or the 50cc Little Italy. No middle ground.
I'm in the same boat as the OP. I don't have mine yet, but plan to get on board in late winter. I was looking at the Italia for its uniqueness. Now they have introduced the Pamplona and I'm in love. True it's $300 more than the standard Buddies, but that's really not a big difference in the long run. Plus, I'm sure that extra 25cc will come in handy from time to time. I say it's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. It really depends on the type of riding you'll be doing.
davland wrote:From what I can tell, I don't think the Intl editions will be available in 125s. It's pretty much either a 150 or the 50cc Little Italy. No middle ground.
This is correct.
The jury's still out on the 150s, as we need more information and no one outside of Genuine will have ridden one before next spring when they arrive. I will say that whatever extra is eked out from the 150s will likely be more icing on the cake—I don't think most riders would be jonesing for the extra displacement. Also, the 150 will be freeway-legal in most states where the 125 is not.
Here are my guesses for some possible benefits of a 150 over a 125:
More acceleration off the line. (The Buddy 125 is already very quick, though!)
Slightly higher top-end speed (maybe +5mph).
More torque going uphill.
A little more power for riding 2-up. (Though the Buddy's seat and foot space make this a little difficult anyway.)
More high-end torque.
This all depends on where that extra 25cc is coming from and so on. We'll probably have some more info this winter, but as I said, the proof is in the pudding. We won't know for sure until we get to ride them in the spring.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
feel free to check out the 2008 Genuine Scooter website... www.genuinescooters.com ... it shows all the updates for 2008 and specs on all the '08 scooters in the genuine line, not just the buddys...
SERIES ITALIA RIDER wrote:feel free to check out the 2008 Genuine Scooter website... www.genuinescooters.com ... it shows all the updates for 2008 and specs on all the '08 scooters in the genuine line, not just the buddys...
We can all read the specs but it is going to take a few guinea pigs buying the new 150 and comparing it to the 125 on the road before anyone can give advice about the pros and cons of the two engines. As ericalm pointed out, that extra 25 cc can work in several different ways depending on how the scoot will be tuned and geared.
Dooglas wrote:
We can all read the specs but it is going to take a few guinea pigs buying the new 150 and comparing it to the 125 on the road before anyone can give advice about the pros and cons of the two engines. As ericalm pointed out, that extra 25 cc can work in several different ways depending on how the scoot will be tuned and geared.
i was not giving advise on 125 vs. 150 was i???? i was giving the website simply for everyone to check out and read what Genuine Scooters is saying about their 2008 line, not just the buddys, but the whole Genuine Line of Scoots.... because i thought it was a cool update on Genuine Scooters website.... sorry dooglas!!!!
SERIES ITALIA RIDER wrote:feel free to check out the 2008 Genuine Scooter website... www.genuinescooters.com ... it shows all the updates for 2008 and specs on all the '08 scooters in the genuine line, not just the buddys...
We can all read the specs but it is going to take a few guinea pigs buying the new 150 and comparing it to the 125 on the road before anyone can give advice about the pros and cons of the two engines. As ericalm pointed out, that extra 25 cc can work in several different ways depending on how the scoot will be tuned and geared.
I know nothing about motors...So the difference between the 125 and the 150 may not be reflected in a more powerful engine? Can someone explain this a little please?
i cant explain it... i was just giving the website for Genuine 2008 because i thought it was cool to read about the 08's.... maybe someone with lots of motor knowledge can give the facts, i hope.... all i can say is i went from a Kymco 50 to the Buddy 125 and WOW what a difference....
SERIES ITALIA RIDER wrote:feel free to check out the 2008 Genuine Scooter website... www.genuinescooters.com ... it shows all the updates for 2008 and specs on all the '08 scooters in the genuine line, not just the buddys...
Thanks for the new site... It seems that Genuine is really listening to it's USA customers!
(How refreshing. -Especially when you think about Piaggio...)
The new Buddys now also come in 150cc's, the whitewall tires are now tubeless, and there's a stronger horn!
-Only thing they missed was updating the headlight to a 55/65 brighter bulb,
but that we can do ourselves without too much of a problem.
This Genuine is a decent scooter company, IMO. With a far better attitude than Vespa/Piaggio!!
lastbestwoman wrote:[
I know nothing about motors...So the difference between the 125 and the 150 may not be reflected in a more powerful engine? Can someone explain this a little please?
i don't know much about engines either. i think what eric was saying in the bullets is all about the extra power. it just depends where in the spectrum the power is placed...
...right?
lastbestwoman wrote:[
I know nothing about motors...So the difference between the 125 and the 150 may not be reflected in a more powerful engine? Can someone explain this a little please?
i don't know much about engines either. i think what eric was saying in the bullets is all about the extra power. it just depends where in the spectrum the power is placed...
...right?
Right! It will be more power, but just how much and when/where you'll feel that power is still an unknown until some test ride reports start coming in. My guess is that it'll enhance but not dramatically change the ride. Even a modest boost in any of the areas I mentioned above would be welcome.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
[quote="davland"]True it's $300 more than the standard Buddies, but that's really not a big difference in the long run. Plus, I'm sure that extra 25cc will come in handy from time to time. [\quote]
I'd certainly pay an extra $300 to turn my 125 into a 150. I push the envelop a lot and would certainly enjoy ANY performance advantage it brings. Otherwise, if it's just about looks and you want the more basic model, I'm certain you will enjoy the performance of the 125.
You don't wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner Dottie, a REBEL.
Okay, so now that Genuine has updated their website, I can't find specs on the 07 models. I know you all can answer my query. Including the new 08 models, which Buddy models have tubeless tires and which have tubed? I know the new Intl models have tubeless. What about the standard Buddies for 07 and 08 and the 07 Italia?
2007 buddys have tubeless, except for the 2007 italia with whitewalls has tubes... the 2008 internationals are the first whitewalls to be tubeless for buddys and all the 2008's are tubeless...
!!! After much research I had settled on the buddy 125 and now genuine throws a curve with the 150 Italia 
. I intend to keep this scooter as long as possible and want the most bang for my buck. So I'm asking all you scooter veterans your opinion-is there a marked difference between 125 and 150? Is it worth the extra money? Will I be jonesing for that extra 25cc in six months? I'm more interested in performance than styling; for example, if the only difference between the regular buddy and the Italia were the styling I'd probably go with the solid color buddy-that's just me. 
