Modern Buddy

I hope I'm not missing something in the FAQ, but I did search the forum for this. I need to know what the tire pressure for riding with a passenger is for the Buddy 125. I looked through the owners manual and was surprised it says nothing about it in the tire section. Can anyone help?

soup wrote:I hope I'm not missing something in the FAQ, but I did search the forum for this. I need to know what the tire pressure for riding with a passenger is for the Buddy 125. I looked through the owners manual and was surprised it says nothing about it in the tire section. Can anyone help?

Why do you think you should change it?

JettaKnight wrote:

soup wrote:I hope I'm not missing something in the FAQ, but I did search the forum for this. I need to know what the tire pressure for riding with a passenger is for the Buddy 125. I looked through the owners manual and was surprised it says nothing about it in the tire section. Can anyone help?

Why do you think you should change it?

Good point. Perhaps I don't. The MSF instructor was emphatic that most bikes require a pressure change but perhaps this one does not.

I think the reason MSF instructors recommend increasing (at least rear) tire pressure is to keep the bike handling as consistently as possible, thus keeping your muscle memory of all of your MSF-taught techniques and practice effective. With more weight on the bike at the same PSI, the tires' contact patches are wider. For one thing, that means you'll have to lean the bike more than you're used to when cornering. (Of course, the passenger affects the handling beyond just the contact patch.)

Given the relatively low speed that scooters normally travel, as well as the widespread "it's just a scooter" attitude (implying that various safety precautions for motorcycle-riding are not applicable), I think many scooter riders don't find it necessary to adjust the tire pressure.

If I were you, I would start by just increasing the rear tire by 5–10 PSI. If it still feels a little unresponsive or heavy, maybe add 5 PSI to both tires. Just be careful not to hit the maximum PSI printed on the tire. Again, the goal is to keep your good riding habits effective by doing whatever possible to make the bike behave consistently.

Just keep it at 32psi front and back (unless it's a stella), and you'll be fine.

The manual says “standard tire pressure: Front 22psi Rear 25 psi�. For some reason there’s no recommended pressure for carrying a passenger, and there should be. My Yamaha Riva 125, same tire size as the Buddy and about the same weight, specs 22 front/29 rear for solo and 22 front/40 rear with passenger. Big difference. I think you’d be safe to do something similar with the Buddy- or contact Genuine and find out what they say.