Heavy Dudes w/ hilly commutes - Buddy 125 have enough power?
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Heavy Dudes w/ hilly commutes - Buddy 125 have enough power?
I'm deciding between the Buddy 125 and the 170i. The folks at the dealer were great, but surprisingly they told me that I should get the lower powered 125 - they liked the carburetor on the 125 better than fuel injection on the 170i (easier to do work on a carburetor, no performance improvement with fuel injection) and they said the 170i has less storage space because the engine is bigger.
I think those are good arguments, (and I've never had a dealer try to talk me into a CHEAPER vehicle, which is awesome) but I weigh 270 lbs, and live in San Francisco, where I will face a lot of hills. The dealer won't let me test drive the 125 (no insurance) so I'm going to have to rely on the experience of buddy owners here. Will I regret not upgrading to the 170i?
I don't plan on highway driving, just within the city, commuting to work.
Thanks in advance!
I think those are good arguments, (and I've never had a dealer try to talk me into a CHEAPER vehicle, which is awesome) but I weigh 270 lbs, and live in San Francisco, where I will face a lot of hills. The dealer won't let me test drive the 125 (no insurance) so I'm going to have to rely on the experience of buddy owners here. Will I regret not upgrading to the 170i?
I don't plan on highway driving, just within the city, commuting to work.
Thanks in advance!
- jrsjr
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I cast the first vote for the B125, with one caveat. In this thread, POC Phil makes the following point about roller weights.
Good luck! Let us know what you decide.
POC Phil knows what he's talking about, so I'd take his advice on the roller weights. If you read that thread you'll see where he actually weighed some roller weights and discovered that the actual weight is significantly lower than the nominal weight, but the nominal weight of the stock rollers is 13 grams and what you want is the weights with a nominal weight of 11 grams. The lower weight rollers force the motor to spin faster at lower speeds. That causes the motor to run a little harder around town which will help pull you up the hills of San Francisco. Try to negotiate with your dealer to swap out the roller weights as part of purchase price.pocphil wrote:If you're ... (over 250) you may want to drop to a 11 Gram roller just to overcome your mass with a few more RPM's. This may drop your top speed a little, but you'll get moving faster.
Good luck! Let us know what you decide.
Last edited by jrsjr on Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
- avonpirate
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BRD529: I live at altitude, and my 125 climbs long ascents easily at 40-45mph. Not certain, but perhaps your weight equalizes with the thin air here. Being an ex Tahoe girl, the 125cc should ascend anything around the Marina, Financial district or over in Marin without much problem. It'll fit neatly on the Ferries and should be fun around Angel Island. Keep it off I-80, I keep mine off I-70, IMHO just not worth the risk. Should do just fine on the backroads to Napa, or up to Bodega.
I know nothing about the 170cc, but the 125 is a heap of fun.

I know nothing about the 170cc, but the 125 is a heap of fun.

- JHScoot
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i like the 170i for the task unless the 125 has a huge price advantage and you can get used to its lower power for the task. and as said a couple mods might work things out for you on the 125
as for myself i have weighed as much as 255 riding around a Buddy 150 and ride one now at 240. it does fine going up hills at around 40mph give or take and depending on the angle / grade of the climb. idk the terrain of SF but have passed though the city twice. i saw lots of shorter, steep hills. the 125 should do well on them imo so long as no one is speeding behind you
that said my Agility 125 goes up one local, long hill at around 40mph but quickly drops to 30mph. my bj takes the hill and holds 40mph. all this is actual mph, not by the inaccurate speedo. and a woman here named Bonegirl rode a 125 for 40,000 miles and she said a local hill near her home always left her 125 at 25mph. but when she moved to a 150 it took the hill at 40mph
so, all depends on what you need and what you can live with and what is safe for you. however i chose the 170i for the sake of certainty
as for myself i have weighed as much as 255 riding around a Buddy 150 and ride one now at 240. it does fine going up hills at around 40mph give or take and depending on the angle / grade of the climb. idk the terrain of SF but have passed though the city twice. i saw lots of shorter, steep hills. the 125 should do well on them imo so long as no one is speeding behind you
that said my Agility 125 goes up one local, long hill at around 40mph but quickly drops to 30mph. my bj takes the hill and holds 40mph. all this is actual mph, not by the inaccurate speedo. and a woman here named Bonegirl rode a 125 for 40,000 miles and she said a local hill near her home always left her 125 at 25mph. but when she moved to a 150 it took the hill at 40mph
so, all depends on what you need and what you can live with and what is safe for you. however i chose the 170i for the sake of certainty

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Thanks for the thoughtful responses. Its so great as a scooter newb to have a helpful community like this. Sounds like either would be a good option!
I'm now leaning to the 170i, but am thinking a lot about the lack of a kickstarter. How likely is a scenario where a dead battery leaves me stranded? Good news is I can park this in my garage so I could attach it to a tender.
I'm now leaning to the 170i, but am thinking a lot about the lack of a kickstarter. How likely is a scenario where a dead battery leaves me stranded? Good news is I can park this in my garage so I could attach it to a tender.
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I have a 170i and also have the good fortune of being able to park it in an enclosed garage. Just to be on the safe side I plug it into a battery tender once a week or so. Even with the BOB Combo Deadlight Adapter installed, it's never really down all that much. But, you're right. The lack of a kick starter means you need to be thinking battery tender. BTW, if you want just a little extra boost getting up hills, I would definitely recommend the 170i. I've owned a number of scooters since I started riding 6 years ago, mostly Honda, Yamaha and one Vespa, and the 170i is by far my favorite.BRD529 wrote:Thanks for the thoughtful responses. Its so great as a scooter newb to have a helpful community like this. Sounds like either would be a good option!
I'm now leaning to the 170i, but am thinking a lot about the lack of a kickstarter. How likely is a scenario where a dead battery leaves me stranded? Good news is I can park this in my garage so I could attach it to a tender.
Bill in Seattle but currently wintering in AZ
'12 170i Italia "The Olive Pit"
- ericalm
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I think you might prefer with 170i out of the crate, but with some modifications (different rollers are very cheap and easy), you might like the 125 more. Going further, I think a more modified 125 (cylinder kit, variator) probably gets you the best-performing Buddy but by that point you've sunk in a lot more money and will need more frequent maintenance.
If they have a Psycho 125 in stock, though, no question—get the Psycho! It's geared differently than the other 125s and will give you that hill climbing oomph you want.
Also, a minor upgrade that will help with any model is a mid-sized windscreen.
If they have a Psycho 125 in stock, though, no question—get the Psycho! It's geared differently than the other 125s and will give you that hill climbing oomph you want.
Also, a minor upgrade that will help with any model is a mid-sized windscreen.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
- Christophers
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We weigh in at 240 lbs. when we're riding 2-up on the 125, and I've never really felt like the scooter suffers for the extra weight - still plenty of zip and climbing power. If anything, the increased force required to break is the most prominent change that I notice with the extra weight. So my recommendation would be to find a well maintained used 125 and save a grand or more. As others have said the kick starter is a very nice feature: it turns those rare occasions when the battery just doesn't have enough kick into a non-issue.
- BuddyRaton
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I am a firm believer that a Buddy 125 is still the best bang for the buck in a small displacement scooter!
"Things fall apart - it's scientific" - David Byrne
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'06 Cream Buddy 125, 11 Blur 220, 13 BMW C 650 GT, 68 Vespa SS180, 64 Vespa GS MK II, 65 Lambretta TV 175, 67 Vespa GT, 64 Vespa 150 VBB 64 Vespa GL
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'06 Cream Buddy 125, 11 Blur 220, 13 BMW C 650 GT, 68 Vespa SS180, 64 Vespa GS MK II, 65 Lambretta TV 175, 67 Vespa GT, 64 Vespa 150 VBB 64 Vespa GL
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- jrsjr
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Hahaha! Well, I can't make that claim, but I did find a road into the mountains outside Albuquerque that was so steep it stopped my Vespa GT200L dead in its tracks. No kidding, I had to use the brake to keep from rolling backwards. Do we have any members from Albuquerque? There were some houses just outside town that were perched right on the side of the mountains. The grade was too steep for the road to go very far but it was definitely long enough to stop my Vespa dead in its tracks. You can just imagine me inching down that hill backwards because the incline was so steep that I couldn't swing around without falling over sideways.JHScoot wrote:i once rode a 125 up a hill and into the wind and began rolling backward!
- skully93
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I have to second this. Not that fi is a bad thing by any means, very nice!Christophers wrote:We weigh in at 240 lbs. when we're riding 2-up on the 125, and I've never really felt like the scooter suffers for the extra weight - still plenty of zip and climbing power. If anything, the increased force required to break is the most prominent change that I notice with the extra weight. So my recommendation would be to find a well maintained used 125 and save a grand or more. As others have said the kick starter is a very nice feature: it turns those rare occasions when the battery just doesn't have enough kick into a non-issue.
But, riding occasionally 2 up on the buddy 150, it has done just fine. Our combined weight would be over 300, esp with a top box full of stuff.
It stinks that you can't test ride them to try it. I would find that very frustrating.
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Purchased a 170i today - they were on sale for $2999 before freight, delivery, etc.
Worked great going up the hills on Hayes! Thanks all for your advice, glad I went 170.
One correction: the 170i definitely has less storage space. It cannot fit a full helmet under the seat (because of the fuel injection)
Thanks!
Worked great going up the hills on Hayes! Thanks all for your advice, glad I went 170.
One correction: the 170i definitely has less storage space. It cannot fit a full helmet under the seat (because of the fuel injection)
Thanks!
- ericalm
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Congrats!BRD529 wrote:Purchased a 170i today - they were on sale for $2999 before freight, delivery, etc.
Worked great going up the hills on Hayes! Thanks all for your advice, glad I went 170.
One correction: the 170i definitely has less storage space. It cannot fit a full helmet under the seat (because of the fuel injection)
Thanks!
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
- avonpirate
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- JHScoot
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outstanding!BRD529 wrote:Purchased a 170i today - they were on sale for $2999 before freight, delivery, etc.
Worked great going up the hills on Hayes! Thanks all for your advice, glad I went 170.
One correction: the 170i definitely has less storage space. It cannot fit a full helmet under the seat (because of the fuel injection)
Thanks!
no worries i can't get an XL helmet even close to fitting under the bj seat and its the same room as a 125, i believe. prob just a matter of noggin' size

pretty sure all 'Buds have two helmet hooks under the seat, too. 170i, included. and a nice helmet lock of some sort also works good
congrats and ride safe

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