Greetings from Washington state! I bought a new 2019 Buddy 170i a year ago and I love it! You made a good video with a lot of detail on the Buddy, but you didn't mention one of the best features is a flat floor which lets you carry larger items that you hold in place with your feet. These scooters are great for getting groceries, getting fast food to bring back home, or running errands around town . They make these chores fun to do. Plus you can hit the yard sales, or just take it for a buzz around town to see what everybody is up to in the neighborhood. These are great for really hot days when you can let the breeze cool you down while everybody else is overheating in the sun. Plus, you can park them next to the bike racks at a lot of stores since they are on the small side. What a great way to get around.
@@glenmones713 They both do. It's the 10" wheels. I love Genuine but I wish they'd bump to 12" wheels whenever they make a new scoot (i.e. when they came out with the Kick).
@@9988ScooterGirl my problem with the buddy is the rear drum brake.. I won my buddy125 in a raffle I would trade it in for a buddy kick or hooligan170 in a heartbeat. Little wheels are great cheap tires nimble etc.. not great for rough roads but hey you should’ve gotten a Yamaha tw200 😂
They run better than you would think, for such a small engine. The kick starter comes in handy, especially when you are out and about. The battery can be dead and you kick them and they fire right up. I love that!
Buddy is better in electric wiring assembly. Also, the fiber-reinforced plastic body panels are not so easy to crack as well as ugly as Vespa after tipping over.
I just purchased A "BUDDY50 " .love it❤️.. 2 stroke 49cc engine gives lots of torque! .. here in Connecticut no registration insurance..👍. Just a regular driver's license needed..( I have a motorcycle license from years ago) .. I installed a primo windshield.. gained 5mph 👍.. and I remove the catalytic converter exhaust..& installed a scooterworks exhaust system no catalytic and gained another 5 mph top end.. does an honest 40 to 45 mph on level ground ( 45 to 50 mph on the scooter speedometer) it hits the bumps a little hard.. but the scooter is super fast for a 50cc!
@@glenmones713 In the United States, it is a violation of Section 203(a)(3)(A) of the 1990 amended Clean Air Act for a vehicle repair shop to remove a converter from a vehicle, or cause a converter to be removed from a vehicle, except in order to replace it with another converter,[27] and Section 203(a)(3)(B) makes it illegal for any person to sell or to install any part that would bypass, defeat, or render inoperative any emission control system, device, or design element. Vehicles without functioning catalytic converters generally fail emission inspections.
The buddy is absolutely underrated. PGO makes a great short case Minarelli clone. It’s so good that you can buy Zuma parts and they bolt right in. I have a Buddy 50, with just a variator, clutch, and a slight jet and it’ll hit over 50mph without issue. The genuine may be goofy but the bikes are right there with the best.
I don’t think the genuines are goofy at all. The ones riding them look goofy…..just like the ones riding motorcycles look goofy. The motorcycles look nice, but the riders look goofy, especially the ones who mean mug and wear “cuts”.
HAve had my 125 about a week .. Performance wise, I am very very satisfied... Happily ran 55 60 MPH and ,despite the 10 inch wheels, felt very stable at that speed. AS far as "pep" seh definitely, ahem, SCOOTS!
I have a 2018 I bought new has about 7k miles and I have to say the wheels are my biggest complaint my only time to go down I’m sure do to the small wheels other wise I use it everyday with no problems....I watch a lot of your videos and keep thinking I should upgrade to a vespa
I am thinking of getting a Buddy 125. The 10 inch wheels are something you get used to. I had an old Vespa P200e with a hop-up kit and expansion chamber. It would do about 85 on a good day. Death trap, no brakes and didn’t handle. My old Kawasaki H2 was safer. I wanted the Buddy because there is a lot of parts available. I think 55 or 60 is plenty fast on 10 inch wheels.
Hi Robot, I have been watching you for years, thanks for all the info! What's the difference between this and the Buddy Kick 125? And how do they compare to the Urbano 200?
I enjoyed the review, its the kind of scooter I have often hired on vacation as even in Italy I find its hard to find a Vespa for hire. One thing I do like the look of is the mirrors. I had an MP3 500 for a year and the mirrors were diabolical. I must admit that getting older I like the fact that my GTS has ABS but I grew up on ten inch wheels and no ABS. So as you say you just need to be aware and ride accordingly. Keep up the good work.
Dig your videos. Believe it or not your videos are so good that I've used them to help do maintenance on my Buddy Kick, which you say is completely different bikes in this very video. Help me out my Robot homie and do some things for the KICK. You would be the first on RU-vid or the internet near as I can tell. I get it, it's not as popular as others in the Buddy line. I myself think they should drop the Buddy moniker altogether. It's just so much different, but I digress, Genuine never asked me. Please Robot Sir, put out a KICK video?
@@buffering7612 no they don't at all actually. It's a considerable difference in every thing from the Bosch fuel injection on the Kick vs a carburetor on the reg 125 to the conventional motorcycle like oil filter on the reg buddy vs the screen in spring setup on the Kicks oil reservoir. I could go on. I'm sure that there are some similarities, some of the guts inside are like a lot of other Genuine models. I'm sorry, but the longer I own my KICK the longer I think they should drop it from the Buddy family all together. Like, the Rough house and Hooligan are their own lines. I'm sure Genuine's got their reasons, but damned if I can suss them. Clearly this pokes a nerve with me, lol.
@@loucipherreed3211 look into a used buddy 170i I got my 08 buddy (125 but still) for $1500 last year with factory miles and no fuel in it I want a buddy pshyco bored too 170 😂
@@buffering7612 I think my Genuine dealer said the 170is are fuel injected. I almost got one and at that price, I'd say grab it. Beat boredom's ass bro. If you can find one, get a Royal Alloy, that thing just looks like it tears shiat up, supposed to be faster than the 170i. It's not a buddy either just another Genuine. Oh I thought you said you could buy a 170 for 1500. Read that too fast.
@@loucipherreed3211 never heard of the royal alloy I’ll look into it.. saving up now for when a used xr650L shows up locally.. nobody sells them!!!! I refuse too get a “new” one they’ve been making them for decades and they’re tanks. 99 Kawasaki Mojave (lemon) 03 Yamaha blaster (lemon) 98 Kx125 (clapped) 03 Crf230/ttr225 (tank) 07 Crf250 (125 with torque not worth the $) 97 Cr250 (fast tank) 03 Cr125 (good but not on pavement) 08 buddy 125 (little tank) What I’ve owned over the years; when I turned 17 I had too stop riding dirt bikes everywhere 🤣
Great review, Robot. I have a 1958, robin egg blue Allstate Vespa 125 scooter. It has been setting for years. I inherited it from by master machinist uncle. I paid a motorcycle mechanic put it in road ready condition. He has completed his work and has road tested it up to speeds of 45 mph. The bike has about 350 miles on it. I am interested in getting a modern scooter with today's safety features. A vintage Vespa is cool but I'd rather be riding and not spending time making adjustments. I would much rather be on the seat of a new Honda Super Cub riding the the back roads here in Ohio than in my garage. I plan to sell the Vespa and apply the cash to a new scooter. The saddle has a small tear and there some cosmetic scratches and nicks. It's in great shape for its age. She has been stored indoors all her life. I would appreciate your advice on how to find a buyer for my scooter.
Hey Robot! Your channel is awesome, thanks for all the great information. An elderly couple near me is selling a 2009 buddy 125 for 1400. It only has 614 miles. Should I grab it up? I don't know much about buddy scooters. I used to own a vino 125 about 5 years back.
I hope you got the buddy 125. I just got a 2006 with 12,000 miles for 800 and this bike is unbelievably fast. I owned a vino 125 before and no comparisons can be made. The buddy is like a rocket ship
@@nyazz22 That’s so unfortunate. Sorry to hear that. The torque pull is no joke, it’s very easy to lose control. So an inexperienced rider can easily wreck it. The vino was climbing hills @ 15mph but the buddy @ 50mph (same hill). I’m so addicted to this machine. Truly a marvel of engineering
I have a question I have genuine buddy 170i and I want to know the rear tire how many spline does have. The reason I ask cause I want to install a final gear 18*36 and the rear axle both has 19 spline.
Great v-ideas, i would like to ask, if Is posible to get, main plain bearing like You had in whole overhoul of Blue Vespa? I faund that piaggio, selling just vhole casting, witch Is a bit expensive. ThankYou Petr
Hello thank yo i have one but the guy i got it from put a air cooling system on it and an exturnel oil filter on it he had to make a bracket for both so im trying to find out if i need the oil filter he added to it i don't see were that one would go if it was stock and i would like to remove it if i can
This "buddy" is called "BuBu" in Taiwan and made in Taiwan by PGO. PGO has made Vespa thru re-licensing by Bajaj of India decades ago. BuBu is popular among local high school kids in Taiwan for drag racing. In fact, BuBu is a nimble "bazooka" regarded by youngsters. The short wheelbase attributes to the nimbleness for youngsters to ride in lane-splitting among busy street. An affordable scooter while being reliable.
I have a buddy 150 cc who ever had it set it to hall ass I mean if’s fast but since it has a small 2 gallon tank so distance is not great how can I adjust carburetor to get it back to normal speed and maybe get better gas mileage
Idk but I’d look for a used one first if the owner/bike can prove too you he changed the oil you’ll be fine. A guy with 100k on his told me you can put 30k on it before you need a belt and brake pads. Rear tire lasts 6k front lasts 12k