Hi everyone!
So, I know how many people post and ask questions about upgrading there 50cc to a 70cc. And yes, I do know that I would be better off just getting a 125 instead of upgrading my 50. I have my reasons for not doing that On that note, I have searched and searched for people posting about the Polini kits. I CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING! So before people say "try the search feature", believe me, I have read for hours. If someone has a link about it I would be more than happy to accept it
Now onto the question. My Scooter shop here in Denver told me that they would put the Polini kit in my scoot way before the Malossi. They said for some reason the Polini just works much much better in the Buddy 50 than the Molossi does. They told me its much more reliable, quicker and all around better performance. There is not much about Polini on this forum. At least from my findings there isn't. Just wondering if anybody can confirm that my shop is right. There is pretty much one buddy shop in all of Denver and I called both Denver locations and they both confirmed this.
Thank you for all the help! Can't wait to see what you guys have to say!
I've heard decent things about Polini, although I can't recall anyone here installing one in a Buddy 50. I've also heard good things about the Molossi (at least the cast iron kits). jmkjr has recommended the Top Performance trophey kit so I think that's what I will eventually try first. I think that so long as you go with a reputable brand, the material that the cylider and piston are made out of is going to be of more importance than the company that made it. Personally I'm going to be avoiding all of the race kits as they are made out of aluminum and are meant for speed and not longevity. I need something that's going increase my top end without having to be replaced every 3-5k miles
"Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all" Alastair Reid
Polini makes a kit for the Buddy 50? Huh! I don't recall reading anything about this here before.
I have used parts from both Polini and Malossi and they're very good in terms of quality. Currently, I have a Malossi kit in my Vespa and a Polini variator, which replaced a Malossi one.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
sure they make them for the engine they just may not be branded for the buddy
honestly the polini kit is more of a low power kit you will get up to speed faster but not much more top end with it
when you look to buy kits you should look at scooter that run the horizontal minerllie engine (thats what you have)
a good scoot to look at is the yamaha zuma(dont look past the kits most of the other stuff wont work on the buddy with out a lot of fab work)cranks should work too i havent done a crank swap on a genuine i belive the varatior will work too and maybe the clutch if you order a new bell too but not the actaul trans gears or trans covers
the malossi will have better take off then the top performance and less top speed then the top performance
but again if you tune them you can get them pretty dang close to each other
on the zumas these are the most popular kits
athena 70cc single ring al sport
top performance trophy 2 ring cast iron
stage 6 both the cast iron and single ring al sport(the single ring sport is made by athena)
malossi
and at the very bottem in the sport kits is the polini do the the lack of top speed sure if you want to wheelie its great and thats about all its great for
then dont even consider the corsa all they do is factory polish the exhasut port for extra money
if you want to use the polini you will need to widen the exhaust port to help it flow
also polini uses a completly diffrent plug then all the other kits out there
the other kits us stock plugs one or 2 heat ranges colder then stock br8hs for cast iron and br9hs for al kits
I just got a Motoforce 70cc kit for my Minarelli horizontal bike (not a Buddy) and although I haven't had a chance to install it yet, just on visual inspection I am very impressed with the quality and workmanship.
Hello, Name's Elliot co-owner of the Denver Scooter Lab. I believe I have all the answers your needing concerning your buddy. Lets address what is better a mod'd 50 or a 125... thats a no brainer go with the 125. but... the rub is it's considered a motorcycle and you need to get licensed for motorcycles (and yes you can take the test on the Scooter so its wicked easy) in addition you will need the plates. and With any scooter or motorcycle as of 2010 you need insurance anyway.
Now a moded scooter can be plenty of fun too, as far as kits go the Malossi & Polini are about on even ground, but they do need prep work befor instalation ie Chamfering ports and gaping the rings. The CorsaR kits from Polini is an awesome kit, but you will have to get a pipe to make the port timing work. as Far as pipes go never ever and I do mean ever get the POS Prima Pipes, I personally go with one of the 3 various pipes available from Technigas, and don't forget the eis a restriction plate in them that has to be removed much like the LeoVince.
in addition if your scooter has more then 2200 miles it would be smart to get new crank oil seals both left and right since tuning an engine that is possibly sucking air in through them is only inviting disaster... and lastly if your bike has super high miles (6000+)you might want to consider a new crank bearings and or treat your bike to a new crank. ... nothing kills a 70 kit faster then half worn crank bearings and factory crank well past its prime then adding a 1/3rd more power. If you have any additional questions or ar in need of any servicing let me know... you can find me at DenverScooterLab.com
for a small 50 yes, i know it souldn crazy but 50cc scooter miles are like dog years compared to cars. hile miles for a motorcycle excluding BMW and MotoGuzzi is 30k.
A good way to tect out how things are running take out your spark plug remove the variator and grab a meaty handful of that crank shaft and shake first forward then back looking for side to side wobble then left right up down looking for a loose feeling. cranks should be firm and not jiggle in various directions.
Many of the scooters I get in exhibit this symptom starting around 5-6k miles, no matter the manufacture. What we do to combat this is always replace the Bearings with high quality SKF bearings and since its the same labour rate to install your original crank or replacement I always replace them with a Top Evolution Full circle crank or better. The full circle cranks are stronger and run smoother and with better quality bearings they will offer years more performance then their OEM counterparts. you don't need an MHR kit to appreciate the quality and durability of a good crank.
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Vintage Motorcycles & Scooters - Scooter Racing - R&D - Product Testing - Maintenance & Service Repair - Performance Tuning 2t & 4t - CAD & Rapid Prototyping - Open Lab Style Classes - KART Racing
My buddy is still under warranty for another 15 months, and then a shop plan until 2015. Therefore, my job is to ride to tar out of it and have the shop replace everything that shows any signs of wear.
a friend and I are also rebuilding my kymco 250, where all that will be original will be the engine and carb. When it needs help again, I'll let you know.
So apparently I have super-super-super high miles on my Buddy 50. Which I've replaced... let me think... the tires, front brake pads, air filter, and (a few times) the spark plug on.
TVB, you should be checking those crank seals... no way they are not leaking... unless youhave a great tech who replaced them with out your knowing. they are a wear item much like a belt or weights.I replace mine every 2600-3000 with out fail, that includeds my; barely street legal, YZ250 SuperMoto, and all my other 2t toys... this is one item that your good judgement and preventive maintainance will make or break your 2t scooter.
Oil coming from faild seals can and will cause premature variator failure....and on that note... when checking the seals make sure you never clean the brass/bronze insert in the variator with solvents, a wipe dow with a shop rag will sufice. you don't want to rermove any of the oil impregnated in it. but do check your variator... it has got to be getting time to replace it if your anywhere near 6K.
Skully, FYI keep up on them at Sportique.... assuming thats where you purchased it,since I am not there to enforce it the techs dont look to close at that sort of thing. they only doand I will probably get shit for this, but the least they have to... though they are getting better. As far as waranty and service plan work goes... crank seals are usually not covered un der any extended service plan and because they are wearable items like brake pads and belts they are not covered by warranty. BTW if you grow antsy and want to performance mod your scoot I will stand behind my work and if you go with the items I select for your scooter I will back them up with a 6 month waranty.
Specialize in:
Vintage Motorcycles & Scooters - Scooter Racing - R&D - Product Testing - Maintenance & Service Repair - Performance Tuning 2t & 4t - CAD & Rapid Prototyping - Open Lab Style Classes - KART Racing
the main mechanic that has touched my stuff at Sportique has been wonderful. Genuine is also great about standing behind their stuff, and I have another year to go just on that warranty.
Not too worried since there are people that have driven the Buddy model for 30k+ miles with nothing more than brakes, oil, and plugs. Mine's also 4t.
But, I might still pick up some other scooters to modify to the moon .
Ah, you havea buddy 150or 170 then. Then do be sure to ask for a valve adjustment at 400 miles again at 1200-1400 then its every 3-4K Mile intervals. Yes i know many buddy owners make it thousands of miles without mu ch service... i know more that have leaking valves and blown oil seals. On the topic of oil seals, hey are not as problmatic like its 2 stroke little cousin.
Specialize in:
Vintage Motorcycles & Scooters - Scooter Racing - R&D - Product Testing - Maintenance & Service Repair - Performance Tuning 2t & 4t - CAD & Rapid Prototyping - Open Lab Style Classes - KART Racing
DenverScooterLab wrote:for a small 50 yes, i know it souldn crazy but 50cc scooter miles are like dog years compared to cars. hile miles for a motorcycle excluding BMW and MotoGuzzi is 30k.
Calling BS here. More like public misconception based on abused and neglected war stories. I comb craigslist all the time, worked in the MC industry for years, and have put hundreds of thousands of motorcycle miles to the ground.
DR650 over 80k and still running fine but had oil leak so I parted it out.
DR350 big bore, head work, cam, a lot of abuse, over 40k miles(high percentage on the back wheel).
An unmodified quality Japanese or Taiwanese 50cc two-stroke will not need a crankshaft replaced every 5000 miles or new crankshaft seals every 3000 miles.
Unless you're riding WOT 100% of the time, I would expect the piston rings to last longer than 5000 miles and that's usually the first thing that needs replacing on a properly maintained two-stroke.
Now if you are talking about a Chinese made scooter...
Ah, you havea buddy 150or 170 then. Then do be sure to ask for a valve adjustment at 400 miles again at 1200-1400 then its every 3-4K Mile intervals. Yes i know many buddy owners make it thousands of miles without mu ch service... i know more that have leaking valves and blown oil seals. On the topic of oil seals, hey are not as problmatic like its 2 stroke little cousin.
Specialize in:
Vintage Motorcycles & Scooters - Scooter Racing - R&D - Product Testing - Maintenance & Service Repair - Performance Tuning 2t & 4t - CAD & Rapid Prototyping - Open Lab Style Classes - KART Racing
I have a polini variator in my kymco, and so far it has really smoothed things out. Through a fluke, I also ended up with a malossi. I liked that the malossi came with the spring, etc, but it was branded more like "here! stickers make it go faster!"
I'm sure both are fantastic, but the Polini tends to be a hair cheaper too.
On that note, I have searched and searched for people posting about the Polini kits. I CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING! So before people say "try the search feature", believe me, I have read for hours. If someone has a link about it I would be more than happy to accept it 
.