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New 170 in Iowa for winter

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 1:58 pm
by Racer X
Hello
I Am a long time scooter rider and motorcycle racer. I spent many years without a car . I finally broke down and bought a van to haul my motorcycle to the race track. That was 2010 after getting 570000 miles on the van it died. So I have been putting full time mileage on my Scarabeo 50.

I moved to Iowa last year and love it. Today I pick up my new to me (1900 miles) Buddy 170i . I am very excited and looking forward to riding a fuel injected bike this winter.
Winter in Iowa is going to be a challenge. But I have done it before in Baltimore . Vans are freezing cold and sit outside all night. So getting in and driving fifteen minutes to work does not give the van time to warm up. Vans are not good in snow and ice. They skid sideways and get stuck. Vans with bald tires and half a million miles are really bad in winter. And I have to park a block away from work and walk.

The scooter is kept in a garage with some heat. It's fuel injection system should be great in very cold weather. I use layers and I have very good motorcycle touring gear. I have heated gloves and I had a heated vest. ( controller broke) but I'll get a new one.

In the ice and snow I know to just take it easy. Don't get over confident and
Look for ice. In Iowa they seem to do a good job clearing the roads. And I can pull right up to the building at work with three steps to the door to get in.

So that's the plan. The next three months should be interesting

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 4:59 pm
by Syd
Congrats on the new Buddy, Racer. Pics in mid-Feb are required. :D

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 8:33 pm
by Racer X
Ya the phone will probably be stuck to my tongue

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2016 12:39 pm
by MYSCTR
We have ridden the older Buddy 150 in temps as low as 20 degrees. Would suggest a scooter 'skirt' as much for the scoot as you. Scoot ran fine. Ours our garage kept and there was never any issues and yes watch for ice cause it will watch for you. Best of luck!

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2016 8:38 pm
by Racer X
Here it comes.

This weekend is 24 deg for a low. I am looking forward to testing out my set up. So far the Buddy is working out great. 90 mpg for my first tank. That is amazing.

I love the under seat storage. New tires and a rack will be cool. But not till next year.

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2016 11:03 pm
by unklsteve
Congrats on the 170i! I pick up my Pamplona 170i next Tuesday from the dealer in Clinton Township, MI. Looking forward to plugging in the heated jacket and gloves and enjoying some cold weather riding!

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:15 pm
by RoaringTodd
I used to live in MN. The winds can get fierce in the winter. If you were out in the country with those winter winds, I'd love to hear the tale!

Check out Cheeky Seats - they make this awesome scooter lap cover that can work as chaps. My friend has one and swears by them.

RT

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2016 10:39 pm
by Racer X
So far the Buddy 170 is doing great in the winter. Starts easy and runs perfectly. It is delivering 90 mpg on the second tank of fuel. I changed the rear axle gear oil at 2000 miles to Moble one synthetic.

The temps are now in the low fortes and upper thirties. A couple days of rain. My gear is doing great no cold feeling. And relitivly dry riding. I have not ridden below freezing yet or in driving rain. So I am lucky that's all.

If I had to look for a complaint it woud be the tires. I can get the rear loose and the front tends to tuck in a little. As long as I ride slowe it's perfect. But if I get aggressive the back will slide. So I just have to behave.

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2016 5:43 pm
by Racer X
New toy for Buddy. Just for fun

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 4:17 pm
by Racer X
First day below freezing. 30 deg but sunny and no wind. Really felt nice . I need better socks . But other than cold ankles no problem. GPS shows 53 mph and the speedo reads about 55 or so. That's not bad. A larger tire will put it closer to actually speed.

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:34 pm
by scootERIK
Racer X wrote:If I had to look for a complaint it woud be the tires. I can get the rear loose and the front tends to tuck in a little. As long as I ride slowe it's perfect. But if I get aggressive the back will slide. So I just have to behave.
Have you checked your tire pressure? If you have the right tire pressure and you are sliding it's time for new tires. I had an 8 year old stock tire on my Buddy and it still had enough traction to scrap center stand. If don't have enough traction to turn you probably don't have enough traction to stop hard.

I would recommend the Michelin S1 100/90-10, they handle well, last a good amount of miles and don't cost that much.

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 1:00 am
by Racer X
Tire pressure is spot on. The tires are 90/90-10 white walls that came with the scooter new. The tread is good. Maybe a little hard. I have only felt it slide a couple times. It's unnerving but not like it just lets go. I'm going to be riding in ice and snow. So I plan to upgrade soon

I want to get the Metzler ME 7 teen. They are all season ,also a little bigger. They are 130 70 10 rear and 120 70 10 front.

You can always survive losing the rear wheel grip

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:45 pm
by Mikestib1
But never the front, take it slow. Even Rossi and Marquez crash in moto gp when they lose front grip. And remember wet roads in the shade are always treacherous. Wear a one piece textile suit with armor for comfort and safety. And gloves with leather palms

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 10:24 pm
by Racer X
I am definitely no MotoGP racer. I have been racing landspeed and drag racing for many years. I am always wearing gear. I have a lot of leather. I don't do the one piece thing. But zip together has proven itself.

I am really loving this scooter. Yes it does slide some in rain. I'm going to drop the pressure in the tires some.

Riding with the GPS more has shown the speedo to be pretty accurate. Definitely good enough. Some motorcycles are way off. This seems to be within two MPH.

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 10:43 pm
by Racer X
Today was my first taste of cold weather. 21 degree and windy. The scooter did great. Started with no problem. I let it warm up for about five minutes while I bundled up. I think I'm OK gear wise. If my commute was ten to twenty minutes longer my fingers would be cold. But no problem at twenty deg.
It will be colder later in the week. No snow riding yet. Maybe Saturday.

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 11:24 pm
by HowHH
My Blackjack fared better in the cold than I did. I added a Burgman 400 to the fleet so I could run heated gear (gloves and jacket liner) and heated grips. Much more comfortable in the cold.

Good idea you had to go with the 170 and FI. The FI is more reliable for those cold weather starts.

Suggestion for wet weather riding - I really like the performance of the Michelin S1's.

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 1:39 pm
by Racer X
I am getting the S1 tires in a couple weeks. After some more research the come in better sizes and are in stock.


I might be able to get a free set of wheels so I'm sorta waiting on that. Today will be 14 deg for my morning ride. I have gloves but no heat controller. That will be another thing I will look for .

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:33 pm
by HowHH
I have an oversize S1 for the rear wheel waiting to be mounted. I am interested to see how it will perform compared to the stock sized S1.

When you say you have gloves, but no heat controller, do you mean you have heated gloves? Which ones? I have the Gerbing's (from when they were still Gerbings!). On my Buddy they were good for short hauls in the winter, as long as I hooked the scooter up to a battery tender to recharge at the end of the day. The problem is that the Buddy's stator could not keep up with the wattage draw from the gloves. On longer rides the gloves would slowly drain down the battery.

If you get a heat troller, I strongly recommend going with warmnsafe.com. Their heat trollers are superior to others out there because they can be reset in the event of an electrical issue. Other heat trollers have a fusible link that that cannot be reset. Once it is tripped the heat controller is toast. My $100 dollar Gerbings heat troller was ruined due to an electrical fault in one of my jackets connectors, so lesson learned.

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 6:45 pm
by Racer X
I can't remember the brand. I bought them for twenty dollars in the box. Original price was 140.00. I will get them for Christmas.

I might look into battery powered gloves it depends what I can find cheap.

I thought I had 90/90- 10 tires from the factory. But they are 90/100-10. I'm worried the metzler 120/90-10 will be to tall. S1 come in a 110/80-10 for the front. 130/70-10 for the rear.

Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 11:46 pm
by Racer X
Today it snowed!
There was a layer of ice and snow on top. 23 deg and snowing hard. About as bad as it gets without wind. Or colder temp.

The tires did not do great. But I let out a little air and they did OK. I kept my feet down and did about 20 mph. Steady throttle was the key. Anything. Abrupt broke the tire loose. And on hills it just spun to a stop. I would slide back on the seat and just walk it along until it got moving. All in all it was fine. Better tires will help. But ice is the worst.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 7:00 pm
by Racer X
Today it was 3 deg with a windchill well below zero. That's cold!! My nose was the only thing that got cold. But after adjusting my face gear and scarf I fixed that. The roads are clear of ice so that is good but parking lots are not clear. I scored an extra set of black rims. And bought a dedicated set of snow tires. Let's see how that goes.

Buddy started right up and ran perfect .

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 10:59 pm
by MYSCTR
We will just call you adventuresome!

Everyone at work thought I was nuts driving in the (teeny weeny) snow wo got here in Texas a few years back and then the ice that started forming as i headed home one afternoon. Just enough to cover my face shield.

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 12:27 am
by Racer X
Well that did not work out at all. First the rims I found are from a Buddy 50. They don't fit. And the tires are from a Zuma . I hoped the 130/90-10 would squeeze in. No way. So I'm back to ordering the Mischilen S1's. it was worth a shot

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 1:17 am
by MYSCTR
Racer X wrote:And the tires are from a Zuma . I hoped the 130/90-10 would squeeze in. No way.
Not on a Buddy - We run 130/70-10 on the rear stock and it works yet adding the adjustable shock allows us to raise the back in just a tad to insure we don't touch the tire while riding.

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 10:36 pm
by Iowa Racer
I'm back
I changed my email address and could not log in. So now I am Iowa Racer. I am still riding every day. The ice last week was not a problem. I did finally order new tires. They should be in next week. The rear tire has obviously even over inflated. The edge has plenty of tread but the center is down to nothing. That explained the skidding around I have been experiencing.

I also got a black out kit. It was sorts not complete and it was free. I am going to do a major service at 3000 miles while I have it apart for tires and the black parts. I'm going to change oil and filter , rear axle oil, spark plug and clean the air filter. Plus change the brake fluid. The brake fluid has never been done.

I am also going to remove the side cover and check the belt and roller weights. I had a problem with a funny surge or kick when accelerating from a stop. I assume it was dust buildup up in the clutch. It went away after a 60 mile ride.
One question I have . Can the 170i get a kick starter attached? Like just order the 125 parts? I left my key on and the battery was low. Not dead and I jumped started it with another battery. Now I carry jumper cables that hook to my tender lead. But I would love to add the kick starter.

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 10:37 pm
by Iowa Racer
I'm back
I changed my email address and could not log in. So now I am Iowa Racer. I am still riding every day. The ice last week was not a problem. I did finally order new tires. They should be in next week. The rear tire has obviously even over inflated. The edge has plenty of tread but the center is down to nothing. That explained the skidding around I have been experiencing.

I also got a black out kit. It was sorts not complete and it was free. I am going to do a major service at 3000 miles while I have it apart for tires and the black parts. I'm going to change oil and filter , rear axle oil, spark plug and clean the air filter. Plus change the brake fluid. The brake fluid has never been done.

I am also going to remove the side cover and check the belt and roller weights. I had a problem with a funny surge or kick when accelerating from a stop. I assume it was dust buildup up in the clutch. It went away after a 60 mile ride.
One question I have . Can the 170i get a kick starter attached? Like just order the 125 parts? I left my key on and the battery was low. Not dead and I jumped started it with another battery. Now I carry jumper cables that hook to my tender lead. But I would love to add the kick starter.

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 3:44 am
by skipper20
Iowa Racer wrote: One question I have . Can the 170i get a kick starter attached? Like just order the 125 parts? I left my key on and the battery was low. Not dead and I jumped started it with another battery. Now I carry jumper cables that hook to my tender lead. But I would love to add the kick starter.
While it might be mechanically possible to retrofit a Buddy 50/125/150 kick starter to a 170i engine it would be a waste of time as the 170i's EFI requires an extra shot of electricity to properly energize the EFI. There's probably a better technical explanation for this but it's the only one that I can come up with. Anyway, a kick start won't provide that extra shot. You need a fully topped off battery to do the job. Since you don't want to have a no-start situation in the wrong part of town or in the middle of nowhere, don't leave that key on again!!

Bill in Seattle but currently wintering in Tucson
'15 170i Hooligan Titanium (AZ scoot)
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 12:26 am
by Iowa Racer
Thanks
I have had a dozen bikes without a kick starter and never really had a problem.
I added LED running lights to the dead lights. They don't draw much and now if I would leave the key on I can tell.
I also added a brighter GE Silverstar headlight bulb. WOW what a difference that makes.
I also installed my black out parts today. The little Buddy is looking good. A nice coat of wax was in order so it is nice and shiny. Next is the tires and paint the silver rims a satin black.

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 12:47 pm
by MYSCTR
Iowa Racer wrote:Thanks
I have had a dozen bikes without a kick starter and never really had a problem.
I added LED running lights to the dead lights. They don't draw much and now if I would leave the key on I can tell.
I also added a brighter GE Silverstar headlight bulb. WOW what a difference that makes.
We can second this...

1) Three 2014 Buddy 170i scoots (no kick starters).
2) All three of them have the deadlight connected as LED running lights with all 4 blinkers switched to LED, brake lights have back off brake adapters.
3) Used GE Silverstar on the older 150's, upgraded these headlamps to PIAA extreme white for an even whiter & brighter headlamps.

When we first did this we were concerned with short 4-8 mile commutes that we would end up draining the battery so we initially had the two girls scoots on the tender once a week, yet I ran mine on purpose with no added juice to be the 'test' with the load from the mods. I have gone over 10,000 miles and when it was tested by our local shop it showed it was not holding a full charge so we got a new battery.

Our daughter is closer to 7,500 miles and after spending two winters in Colorado (using a battery tender), she rode to work one morning here when we had a recent cold snap and after setting in the sub-20 degree weather all day gave up the ghost so we replaced her battery with the battery mod (slightly larger cell). I know since she moved back, she only used the tender maybe 5-6 times in 9 months and her commute is now right at 4 miles which I am sure did not keep her fully charged.

At least in our tests anyone wanting to do light mods, especially if going to LED's should not have any worries about the battery. That said, it would be prudent to use a battery tender on a regular basis to extend the battery life as short trips, extreme cold and or not riding year round will shorten the battery life.

Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 3:15 pm
by Iowa Racer
Well it looks like I have survived the winter using the Buddy 17i as primary transportation in Iowa. The winter was very mild so that was luck. But the Buddy performed flawlessly. 95 mpg and zero problems. I did change the tires. The rear was over inflated by the previous owner. The ice and snow did did not seem to be a problem. It haules groceries and smal stuff from Lowes. It always started with ease and it feels great now that the weather is getting warmer.

Flawlessly

Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 7:06 pm
by MYSCTR
Great testimonial - keep us posted!

Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:58 pm
by Dooglas
Iowa Racer wrote: The ice and snow did not seem to be a problem.
Because you did not have much this winter? Or because you had no difficulty riding the scooter on ice and snow?

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:36 pm
by Iowa Racer
Both
We did not have any deep snow. And the ice was not a frequent event. The new tires did not make that much difference in snow. Much better in rain and dry. We had a couple days of ice then snow on top. Iowa does a great job of clearing it. But when it was coming down I just took it easy and ride with my feet down going ten to twenty mph. I don't like keeping my feet down but at low speed and clear road it feel better and have on heavy boots.