Modern Buddy

Front end clunks over expansion joints, smallish potholes, etc...
It's a new bike... has anyone upgraded the front end?
Thanks in advance for any help!

Clunking as in bottoming out? Or does it feel like something is loose?

Stanza wrote:Clunking as in bottoming out? Or does it feel like something is loose?

As in bottoming out.
This is a new scooter w/ less than 100 miles.
Nothing is loose.

I have a 2018 buddy with over 700 miles on it and have the same issue. The suspension is very stiff. bumps, manhole and cracks in the roads can rattle your teeth. it does sound like the suspension bottoms out







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The issue is w/ the front... the rear is OK.
Just curious if anyone has switched anything to deal with the harsh front suspension.
Never had a problem with other scooters like a Yamaha Zuma.

Are your forks actually "clunking" as in rattling like they're moving forward and back? Or is the ride just firm and harsh?

firm and harsh, feels like a cheap moped (non-hydraulic) front forks.

I have a similar experience with my Buddy 50 too. I think it’s because the design is meant to be inexpensive and for intended smaller riders, and I weigh 230 lbs.

I was actually looking for an upgraded fork today, but I can’t find anything available. NCY had a product in the past but it has been discontinued everywhere from what I can tell.

The only other suggestion I’ve received is changing to a heavier weight fork oil. Haven’t tried it but that might be the only option.

Everything SeattleScootNoob said is true. Manufacturers don't really expect large people to buy 50cc scooters. The harshness you're feeling might be the suspension bottoming out. I know that the suspension on my Buddy 150 felt really harsh and would bounce me all over the place on uneven surfaces. Replacing the rear shock with an aftermarket performance shock that has a higher spring rate and much better dampening transformed the ride. I'll be replacing the front forks with a pair of NCY forks and that should take care of the front.
For your situation, try flushing out the stock fork oil and refilling with heavier weight fork oil. Pour the old oil into a small container (there's not much in each fork) so you'll know how much to put back in. The heaviest fork oil I've been able to find is 20 weight. I'm not sure how much oil a 50 needs but whatever it is, put in about 10% more.

The NCY buddy 50 forks are still available but the prices are eye watering. I put the NCY forks on my 125. I have a hard time noticing any difference. By far the biggest handling deficiency is the lack of rigidity in the frame and the swing arm twisting mid corner causing the rear to steer. I rode the dragon 2 weeks ago and it was fun but you arn't going to clip an apex with any kind of accuracy and hitting any bumps mid corner can push you wide and off the shoulder. For next year I want to go to a long case motor with dual shocks and a chin bone to stiffen it up.

The issue is really with the front only.
Just cheap feeling.
I will experiment w/ changing the fork oil...
any other people having similar problems?

[email protected] wrote:The issue is really with the front only.
Just cheap feeling.
I will experiment w/ changing the fork oil...
any other people having similar problems?

I hope that helps. either way, please report back so we'll know whether it helped or not. The next step would be to scour the interwebs for a used (or NOS) NCY fork.

Let us know...

I've changed to the ncy forks.
Could not really notice a difference.

The noise seems to be something in the head where the speedometer, headlight reside. Need to take it apart again to try to narrow it down further.

Bearings seem fine, no play or loose steering stem.

2014 Buddy 50