New Member, This Is A Steal, Right?

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:10 pm

Hi guys! This is part introduction post "hi" plus me asking if there is anything I need to know before buying a 2012 Buddy 50.

The guy selling might be on this forum... strangely enough I saw a member from the area in another thread. Nonetheless, I'm looking for a scooter to get to and from school, 9 miles away there is a rather large hill to go up. I can get a Yamaha Vino 125 w/ 5k miles for $650 used (with helmet),
OR
I spoke with a guy late last night and this morning who has a Buddy 50 with LESS THAN 100 MILES on it! He said they just never rode it. I felt a little bad with my budget I could really only offer him $700 (he asked $900) but he said sure! Not certain about helmet but who cares I can get one. The ad said the carburetor was recently cleaned and it looks fine in pic, a little dusty.

Is there anything specific I need to look for that would be a warning sign against this? Double checking, that is a great price, right? And is this the place to be if I want to service and fix the scoot myself?

Thanks in advance for the help.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:12 pm

update, he's not from this forum but is a short hop away from me.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:32 pm

Whether you get a Buddy 50 is up to you. If a 50 meets your needs, the Buddy has gotten some good evaluations. You could certainly do the rest of us a favor by not posting any more nonsense polls, however. You are getting a poor start as a new member of this on line community.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:36 pm

hah it's not a nonsense poll at all. I'm not literally asking if you get them for free. I'm new to scooters. It sounds like a good price to me compared to what else I've seen listed, but I wanted to check with the experts. Also asking if there is anything I need to check out prior to making a purchase. I forgot to mention it does come with a battery charger. I have to ride it 9 miles almost daily, up a hill. You tell me, will it fit my needs or do I need the 125cc that the Vino has?

Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, I didn't intend the post to be seen as a joke at all.

skipper20 · Post by **skipper20** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 5:25 pm

evPocket wrote:hah it's not a nonsense poll at all. I'm not literally asking if you get them for free. I'm new to scooters. It sounds like a good price to me compared to what else I've seen listed, but I wanted to check with the experts. Also asking if there is anything I need to check out prior to making a purchase. I forgot to mention it does come with a battery charger. I have to ride it 9 miles almost daily, up a hill. You tell me, will it fit my needs or do I need the 125cc that the Vino has?

Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, I didn't intend the post to be seen as a joke at all.

If you've got a hill to contend with, get the Vino 125. Better yet, get a Buddy 125. If you're new to scooters, it's always good to buy something a little bit bigger than smaller. You can always grow into a 125cc but with a 50cc and the type of commute you're doing, you'll soon be dissatisfied and then you'll be faced with the extra cost of upgrading.

Bill in Seattle
'09 150 Blackjack
'12 170i Italia
'08 250ie Aprilia Sport City
'09 300i Sym CityCom

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 5:48 pm

Welcome to MB!

Depending on local laws you probably need MC endorsement for the 125.

Either one sounds like a fair deal but I only get scooters for free...relatively speaking.

And yeah...the poll is stupid

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:06 pm

Yeah the 125 would require a Class M license. The permit is just a written test I asked a family member he said piece of cake. Thank you for your help guys I have a tough decision to make. Does anyone know how many miles the Buddy and Vino are expected to run respectively? I am leaning towards the Buddy just because it has such low mileage, essentially new and I don't need a license for the 50cc. Yeah I'm torn because the Vino looks great too and skipper's advice is well heard.

I found the new rider FAQ and guides those are really helpful so thanks for that and for the pricing opinions I thought they both sounded fair, and both those offers are significantly lower than the sellers' initial asking price.

It is too late to get rid of the poll! We're stuck with my poor attempt at making something useful and humorous.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 7:09 pm

evPocket wrote:The guy selling might be on this forum... strangely enough I saw a member from the area in another thread. Nonetheless, I'm looking for a scooter to get to and from school, 9 miles away there is a rather large hill to go up. I can get a Yamaha Vino 125 w/ 5k miles for $650 used (with helmet),
OR
I spoke with a guy late last night and this morning who has a Buddy 50 with LESS THAN 100 MILES on it! He said they just never rode it. I felt a little bad with my budget I could really only offer him $700 (he asked $900) but he said sure! Not certain about helmet but who cares I can get one. The ad said the carburetor was recently cleaned and it looks fine in pic, a little dusty.

That's a great price, for either one.

I rode a Buddy 50 for nearly 25K miles, so it's definitely a reliable machine. As long as you pick an appropriate route, it'll take you almost anywhere. But depending on the size of that hill you mention, it might be an issue on a 50cc. With the restrictions taken off, you can get up to 40mph on one, but it won't maintain that speed going up hill for very long. Not a problem if the speed limit on that hill is 25mph, but definitely a problem if it's 45mph. Is there a route that avoids the hill? Have you considered moving?

Or is the hill shorter or flatter than I'm thinking?

If not, I'd suggest considering the Vino. Yamahas are also very reliable scoots, and the inconvenience of having to get the proper license for it is a one-time thing.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:47 pm

The Vino 125 is a great scooter. Yamaha builds a quality machine. If it is in good shape, it is well worth what he is asking. That engine well cared for can last 30,000 miles no sweat. A buddy 125 is a lot faster bike than the Vino 125. The vino 125 will smoke the buddy 50. Life is short, buy them both.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:49 pm

I just saw you are in St. Louis. Very distinct riding season like here in Denver. Buy them both now, and sell which ever one you don't like after Memorial Day.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 2:44 pm

haha thanks DeeDee - ok call me crazy because I bought a scooter I couldn't get to start, but guy gave me the buddy for 600 that had been ridden 85 miles in 2 years. We were thinking get the carb cleaned and someone else told me maybe a valve adjustment(?) - thankfully I don't need this thing running today so I figured I could go with it. A shop said he'd buy it off me if I don't want it, though that probably assumes nothing is significantly wrong. Family member works at a technical high school so I turned it over to them to have the boys look at. Cousin builds motorcycles if worst comes to worst.

Can I ask you guys, how reliable are your push-starts? To be blunt, I have a prosthetic leg below knee on my right side, and kicking the hell out of a crank really isn't in the cards for me. Yes, riding season essentially just ended so people are practically giving these things away. And of course I plan on riding through the winter to/from school. Just talked to a guy about a very nice wolf-rx-50 that is an option too (still thinking I don't want to get a license or register it). But of course I am really hoping the Buddy just needs a little TLC I'm pretty pumped on it but not letting myself get too excited just yet.

Thank you for the help on choices, I've got 1 in hand and 2 more possibilities

P.S. I have mapped an alternate route to big hill. It's not San Francisco big, and I'm slight of stature, but good to know I do have another way to get there if I end up crawling up it.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 2:53 pm

The 50 has no valves to adjust. If it sat for two years, you want to pull the fuel tank and clean it, and you will need to take the carb apart and clean it also. The gasoline has turned to varnish and acts as a glue after two years. If you buy the vino to resell, see if the DMV will let you get the title in your name without putting plates on it. You shouldn't have to provide proof of insurance, and you will save about $75.00 by not putting plates on it. Can't speak about the kick start because I never use it.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:04 pm

Boom. Then I should be in business with just a little work. It didnt sit the whole 2 years but I consider 88 mi in 2 years essentially sitting. Sounded like they took it out a few times each season. I'm almost certain the kids at the tech school can take care of those fixes, the seller assured me he had actually fired it up and rode around for a while that day. I believe him, really nice guy all the way through he texted me before I came out and said he was riding it but it wasn't idling so I trust him. So I'll send a text over to the high school and give them a heads up to look for that.

Thank you!!

And I guess that means your push-to-start button works great on the 125 so I'll assume for now that mine will be the same. I feel a little better.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:34 pm

If it has ran recently. You can get a decent battery for $25.00 shipped. Put in a new battery, and get as much of the old gas out of the tank as you can. Put in a 1/2 gallon of fresh gas (mid-grade) and ad 2 oz of sea foam. Fire it up and coax the idle to keep it running. Once it has warmed up, see if it will let you give it gas and take it for a ride. I'd put in a fresh spark plug, and change the gear oil for good measure. With that low of miles, your original air filter should be fine. Be sure you have a good quality 2 stroke injector oil in the reservoir.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 4:38 pm

evPocket wrote:Can I ask you guys, how reliable are your push-starts? To be blunt, I have a prosthetic leg below knee on my right side, and kicking the hell out of a crank really isn't in the cards for me.

Kickstarting the Buddy 50 isn't terribly difficult, but you need to open the throttle a little as you kick it, and it takes some practice to do reliably. It might be doable with a prosthetic, but getting a good battery would save yourself a lot of grief.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:33 pm

Thanks one more time guys.

I heard from the school that they cleaned the carburetor jets and everything is running great, including the start-up button. I wont be home until after dark but I'll tool around the neighborhood tonight and let you know how it goes. Spark plug might be a fun part I could change out myself just to tinker a little. I'm stoked, time to ride.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:00 pm

I have owned a 125 Vino and still own a 125 Buddy . I can certainly recommend both as durable scooters that give good service. If you should choose a 50 instead, do so only because it better meets your needs. The need to obtain a motorcycle/scooter license is not much of a reason to overrule making your choice based on capabilities of the bikes. I would strongly suggest you take the MSF training course so that you become a safer and more skillful rider. After completing the course, you have earned the motorcycle endorsement on your license and that is no longer an issue.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:18 pm

How about some pictures when you get a chance.

ScooterDave · Post by **ScooterDave** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:48 pm

evPocket wrote:hah it's not a nonsense poll at all

Yes it is.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:13 pm

evPocket wrote:update, he's not from this forum but is a short hop away from me.

Is that the one on Craigslist? If it is, wow! what a buy. That scooter will sell for $1400 around July 4th. Good job.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:47 pm

I will get some pics up today after my ride home. Took it to school, the Buddy 50 chugged up that hill with no problems at all.

Thanks for recommending the motorcycle course, even though I always signal, have used hand signs, and am very careful traffic is still a little unnerving. I time my rides during lulls. Today was the acid test and I think Buddy fits my needs very well, there are two small stretches of road where the speed limit goes up to 40mph, and it seems like my max speed is about 40 no hill. Looking into a nice pair of gloves or liners

One question though, I just hit 100miles on the scooter, and it sometimes it seems to die instead of idling. I'll be driving and suddenly lose accelleration, have to throttle it back up a few times. I killed it twice at red lights today that was the only real issue I had.
They cleaned the carb, could this still be related to the scooter not being used much for two years?

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 7:09 pm

The Buddy 50 has a black plastic knob on the carb, I think, that is your idle-speed adjust. Turn that a bit clockwise to raise the idle speed - you might be adjusted a bit too low, such that when the cold-start "auto-choke" (really a mix-enricher) stops doing its thing as the engine warms up, the 'normal' idle speed isn't quite high enough. You should be able to access this knob through the hatch in the bottom of the underseat carrier.

Let the engine warm up first to where the idle drops down after cold-start, then make your adjustment.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 7:37 pm

Okay thanks! I'll be riding home shortly I will try that when I get back.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 2:57 pm

evPocket wrote:I will get some pics up today after my ride home. Took it to school, the Buddy 50 chugged up that hill with no problems at all.

Good to hear. Whether the Buddy 50 can "handle hills" all depends on the specifics of the geography and the prevailing traffic.

Today was the acid test and I think Buddy fits my needs very well, there are two small stretches of road where the speed limit goes up to 40mph, and it seems like my max speed is about 40 no hill. Looking into a nice pair of gloves or liners

That's about right. And yeah, even at a modest 40mph, wind chill can get uncomfortable.

evPocket · Post by **evPocket** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 10:32 pm

Just a couple of pics, I kept forgetting to bring my laptop out on the porch. Not sure if you can tell in the pictures, but it snowed today so I'm laying low until class on Tue. Might even take the bus then. Supposed to be nicer by Thu

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Mon Nov 17, 2014 1:22 am

You did real good on your first scooter venture. Wouldn't hurt to put a couple of ounces of seafoam in the tank. Thanks for the pictures!

Modern Buddy

New Member, This Is A Steal, Right?

Is that a great price?

New Member, This Is A Steal, Right?

Re: New Member, This Is A Steal, Right?

What kind of shape is the Vino in?

Sell them after Memorial Day and double your money.

50cc 2t has no valves.

Before you hand it over to a bunch of eager kids.

Post a picture or it didn't happen

Did you get that black B50 off St. Louis CL for $600?

Great scooter at a fantastic price.