Buddy 125 Top Speed ~ entwurfatlantic

Buddy 125 Top Speed

So... The wife wants a scooter.I am pretty sure a 50cc isn't going to cut the mustard here. I have no intimate knowledge of these little buggers but the dealer that is close 35 miles selles Genuine Scooter's and they have a two year warrenty. She is commuting twenty miles at a speed of 55-60 mph. Is the buddy really going to be her buddy or will it just not be the ticket? Would the Buddy150 be worth the extra $400 for 25cc and tricked out paint with Air horn...Please take a second and drop off your 2cnts.
Are the speeds "55-60mph" the speed limits or how fast people are actually driving?
If it's the speed limits you're going to need something more like a 250cc and up.

That's more or less maxi-scoot territory. But you still want a small frame scooter there's the Kymco People 250 and People S 250.
It's mostly country rural two lane roads with the max posted limit is 55. It's greatly varied but its normal to have slow moving vehicles along the way as its farm country. If a 50cc will do 35-40 seems like a 125/150 should do 55 on the flat?<table class="specs" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="4" class="hed">Buddy Specs</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Engine</td> <td>50cc 2-Stroke, Air-Cooled, or
125cc 4-stroke, Air-Cooled</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Transmission</td> <td>Automatic (CVT)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Colors</td> <td>Black, Red, Light Blue, Seafoam, Orange</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Suspension</td> <td>Telescopic Front Fork, Mono Rear</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Tire Size</td> <td>90/90 - 10 (50cc), 3.5 x 10 (125cc)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Braking</td> <td>Front Disc, Rear Drum</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Top Speed</td> <td>30 mph (50cc, restricted), 60+ mph (125cc)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Warranty</td> <td>2-Year / Unlimited Mile</td> </tr> <tr> <td>M.S.R.P.</td> <td>$2695 Buddy 125</td></tr></tbody></table>
The maxi scooter idea is appealing but may as well go for the burgman400/650 if were going up in size. The bottom line is price and a maxi scooter isn't in the budget unless its a Chinese made scooter in a crate with no dealer support for parts or repair. I can hold my own with a wrench but nothing pisses me off more than when parts become obsolete or made of unobotanium. Local dealers around here will not work on brands they don't sell and warn about off brands and reliability issues.
The buddies are rumored to be a little more powerful than the average 125 and supposedly do an indicated 60mph+ (which is really closer to 57+). I assume the 150s will have a little more pep but I haven't heard more about them.
Another thing to consider is that even though these small frames are capable of the higher speeds, the smaller wheels and shorter wheelbase make them "twitchy" at high speeds. It's not horrible but requires more effort to keep it steady compared to the longer wheelbase of the large frames. For the price of a new buddy (which are a good deal, don't get me wrong) you should take a quick glance around your area on craigslist or something to see if anyone is selling a large frame for around the same price or less.

Don't over look the Honda Helix. I've seen some older models with low miles going for around $2000 (closer 1500 in a couple of cases) and I bet it'll do everything that buddy will do and more. It's just not as pretty.
Don't buy anything Chinese, unless it has sweet & sour sauce included.
for a distance of 20 miles, id find a 250 whatever.
a 125 could do it, but 55 to 60 will be wide open, full throttle.
Two Guys in my scooter club have 125 buddy's and they swear by them.
They keep up with my Honda 150 elite, which tops out at 60, but prefers 45 to 50.

I really like honda's. The Helix is an excellent machine with low seat height, long stable wheelbase and a top speed of 70 mph. Find a 250 Elite Or a newer Honda Reflex 250.
Try to find something used on craigslist, the buddy will do that speed but like said I wouldn't want to do that distance and speed on the small frame and 10" wheels. A SYM HD125 or 200 or the Kymco People would be better since it has the larger wheels and longer wheelbase.
My sister-in-law just bought one, and I went for the obligatory ride around the block this weekend. It's an impressive little scooter. Has decent pick up and go, but I'd have concerns about the commute you describe. I have commuted on similar roads for a little farther many years ago, and honestly I'm not sure I'd want to ride that little scooter that far. However, that was back in the days of $2/gal gas... My other transporatation was a horse-hauling truck back then, and given that choice today I'd probably opt for the scooter too.
Something with a little bigger frame/wheels would probably be more ideal, but so would cheaper gas. There's really only one way to find out if it'll work for her.....

(and I'll admit it - riding that scooter around was a blast!)
Like a fat kid likes cake! I think them little buggers are addicting.
Sometimes it is not a matter of your choice, just look around your household, TV, fridge, heater, computer, monitor, etc.. actually, take a look at your cell phone battery.. pretty good chance that is made in China.
If you want to pay the least for what you want, pretty good chance it will have to be made in China.
Boyd Been here awhile

I am in the scooter business. You want at least the Buddy 150 or a Sym HD200. It is a long commute for a scooter. Do not buy Chinese!!!! Good luck
A 125 is not going to cut it for a 20 mile commute at 60 mph. Get a 250.
What is your business with scooter?
What Chinese scooter have you personally ridden or broken?

Why not buy Chinese scooters?
"What is your business with scooter?
What Chinese scooter have you personally ridden or broken?

Why not buy Chinese scooters?"

TC2Wheel, Please enlighten us china haters with your tales of high quality chinese scooters and motorcycles.
You asked for feedback, so here's mine.
We're in a very rural, SE Minnesota location and on county roads much like the ones that you describe, so I'm betting that our use is comparable. We're in the valley region along the Big River, with plenty of up and down, paved county roads, unpaved county roads as well as lots of gravel township roads.

I've been riding my 125 Buddy in our area, often making 50-100 mile loops on the above roads, amazed at both how much I enjoy and at how well the Buddy handles these roads at actual 50-60mph speeds. I say actual because I've had the GPS along to verify what I was actually running. Indicated 62 on the speedo was very close to a real 55. Max speed while on the more level sectioned rides has normally been 62-63 per Quest.

That being said, both the scooter and its rider enjoy speedo readout rides of 55-60 a great deal more. From all indications so far, the Buddy's response to these rides is that it would love to be run like this all day long.

I'm making plans for a bigger tour that will involve camping (w/gear) this summer, but am running out of open dates since there are already lots of trips planned this season on my other machines. I'm still toying with attending the Sheboygan events in a few weeks on Pinky.

I've found a local loop that runs 85 miles, 90% of it on gravel that never goes outside of a 25 mile diameter circle from home. In the past, my favorite bike for this ride was my old XL350, a natural pick for anyone looking into our garage. I ran half of the loop last week on the Buddy and from now on, choosing between the two machines will be just one more hardship I'll have to endure

As far as your wife's commute goes, the choice about a ride would involve traffic volume, the traffic's speeds, time of day, road condition and your wife's comfort/experience level. Without knowing any more than what you've shared with us above, if it were me, I'd be using my Buddy.

My personal commute is 65 miles one way and I leave at an insane 3:30 AM. Obviously, the Buddy isn't the right pick but then with our many nightly creatures, I don't commute on any of the bikes. We're planning on and I'm looking forward to a shorter commute. When that happens, the rural roads will give way to urban roads and the Buddy will make the loyal, daily trip to work.

My 125 is more fun than a whole room full of monkeys.
Boyd Been here awhile

"What is your business with scooter?
I work for a supplier of parts and accessories nationwide to scooter shops. We also have a dealership in the Chicago area where we sell Kymco, Genuine, and SYM. We will only work on Chinese scooters with a waiver form that states we will only fix the problem the bike is brought in for. If anything else brakes we have no responsibility to fix the new problem. We have 6 Chinese scoots in our service shop right now that have under 100 miles on them and one has a seized engine, all others are not running. One has a broken seat, dead battery, key is broken off in the ignition.
Most of our customers on the wholesale side (Scooter shops) will not work on Chinese scooters because of the low quality.
What Chinese scooter have you personally ridden or broken?
They change their names so often that we stopped keeping track.

Why not buy Chinese scooters?"
Most shops that sell them (if they are even a scooter shop) will not have any service to back up the bikes.

TC2Wheel, Please enlighten us china haters with your tales of high quality chinese scooters and motorcycles.
sperkins Been here awhile

Joined:

Mar 7, 2008

Oddometer:

213

Yeah I wouldn't want to do that distance either.... definitely try a SYM HD125....
VN_Biker Adventurer

Joined:

Apr 27, 2008

Oddometer:

18

I'd rather pay extra now & get something reliable then
get headaches later on. In Japan do I trust.
Although I've seen good reviews from the Italians etc.
I own a buddy 125.
My 2 cents.

Mine is stock except 11g doc pulley sliders ($20 mod)

it takes me on a 50 mile round trip almost every day.

I top out @ 80 mph indecated every day. Mainly thats where the needle sticks, i'm sure it would keep winding.

It will do 75mph indecated on flat ground tight tuck.

Great scoot. let me know if you have any questions and check out www.modernbuddy.com

as for the 150's, the 400 extra for is for a little more low end torque(not much) some different colors and a loud ass horn.

some shots from my adventure scooting.
Sparx-
thanks for the input, I was about to ask about the extra 25cc if it was worth it! Sounds like the 125 would be fine!
Thanks for the great photos (again)