Modern Buddy

Hi scooter people!

I have had my Buddy 125 since 2006 but I am a poor caretaker and it is getting harder to keep running since I ride seasonally. I never plan to stop riding, it just tapers off, so I don't properly prepare the bike for storage. The carb is the bane of my existence.
Bought the Hooligan 170i this past weekend.
Liked the specs and sitting on it really felt like the big brother to the Buddy.
Only have 40 miles on it so far but I really like the 12" tires and feeling bigger and more visible on the road.

paige wrote:Hi scooter people!

I have had my Buddy 125 since 2006 but I am a poor caretaker and it is getting harder to keep running since I ride seasonally. I never plan to stop riding, it just tapers off, so I don't properly prepare the bike for storage. The carb is the bane of my existence.
Bought the Hooligan 170i this past weekend.
Liked the specs and sitting on it really felt like the big brother to the Buddy.
Only have 40 miles on it so far but I really like the 12" tires and feeling bigger and more visible on the road.

Like any carbureted scooter, the Hooligan also requires TLC when not used for awhile. Keep the gas tank full to avoid water condensation and put some Sta-bil in the tank and maybe a dash of Seafoam too.

Bill in Seattle
'12 170i Italia (AZ scoot)
'14 170i Hooligan

The Hooligan is fuel injected, so no carb worries.

The advice to add Seafoam before storage is a good one. Seafoam will stabilize the fuel, there is no need to add Sta-Bil as well. I add about 1.5oz of Seafoam per gallon of gas to all of my power equipment before seasonal storage and have never had a problem firing anything up in the spring.

After adding the Seafoam, take the scooter out for a short spin to ensure that the treated gas had made it into the fuel injection system.

Don't forget to disconnect your battery as well, or it will most likely be dead in the spring.

YO. Congrats! Welcome back.

I haven't had much saddle time on the Hooligan but agree; it felt like the Buddy's big sibling. A lot of people get on a Buddy after riding bigger scoots find it "squirrelly"; the Hooligan is quite un-squirrelly by comparison.

Thanks Eric.

I got tired of wanting to ride but having to prep/fix the scooter.

Now off to the farmer's market to see how much the pet carrier and topcase can really hold!

ericalm wrote:YO. Congrats! Welcome back.

I haven't had much saddle time on the Hooligan but agree; it felt like the Buddy's big sibling. A lot of people get on a Buddy after riding bigger scoots find it "squirrelly"; the Hooligan is quite un-squirrelly by comparison.

That's what I enjoy the most about the Hooligan. It offers a fairly big and stable riding platform with good performance.

I'm thinking of trading my Buddy 170i for a hooligan. I love the bike but prefer the more sport look to the vintage look. That and the squirrel factor. The Buddy seems to handle bumps terribly, and we've got lots of bumps here.

thumper650 wrote:The Buddy seems to handle bumps terribly, and we've got lots of bumps here.

As a Buddy owner (3 years) and a Hooligan owner (2 years), I can confirm that the Hooli handles Chicago's crappy streets, grated bridges, and hurricane winds like a champ. The larger tires, extra weight, and longer wheelbase makes it a noticeably more stable ride.

Berner wrote: As a Buddy owner (3 years) and a Hooligan owner (2 years), I can confirm that the Hooli handles Chicago's crappy streets, grated bridges, and hurricane winds like a champ. The larger tires, extra weight, and longer wheelbase makes it a noticeably more stable ride.

That's good to hear. My Kymco Agility 50 handles bumps better, as does my friend's Roughhouse. I'll have to ride over and see if my local dealer has any good deals on a Hooli!

Does anyone have a long-term review of the Hooligan? I am thinking about getting one when my Suzuki is paid off.

Clydeo wrote:Does anyone have a long-term review of the Hooligan? I am thinking about getting one when my Suzuki is paid off.

I only have a couple hundred miles on it so far but it has started and run like a champ every time I want to ride.

Not impressed with the refueling setup- the sleeve on the pump combined with the awkward angle and (relatively) small tank makes for a messy process sometimes.

Clydeo wrote:Does anyone have a long-term review of the Hooligan? I am thinking about getting one when my Suzuki is paid off.

I've had my Seattle Matte Green '14 Hooli for about 9 months now and I'm very satisfied. So much so that I traded in my AZ scoot, a '13 Kymco Like 200i, for a '15 Hooligan Titanium. So, 2 Hooligans makes for a good endorsement I'm sure.

Bill in Seattle and leaving Tucson next Sunday (sigh).
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green
'15 170i Hooligan Titanium (AZ scoot)

I'd like to get a Hooligan as a stable mate for my Blur, though I'd look into getting the parts required to make it a X-Hot, as I prefer the look of that, especially the dash. The flat floor would be nice when going shopping. But for the times when I really want to be a hooligan, I'd ride the Blur.