Modern Buddy

They make good stuff. If you pull the trigger on one you'll spend lots of time and money at Racing Planet buying go fast stuff, and ScooterTuning.ca. TGB (Taiwan Golden Bee), ADLY and Genuine are the last of the true 2-srokes that you can purchase new. I have a terrible TGB dealer around the corner from me. They rarely ever stock one because their customer base won't pay quality TGB money for a scooter. You thinking about buying one?

If I had known about them before buying a second Buddy 50, perhaps.

KYMCO had a 50cc 2-stroke with liquid cooling at one point. Those were pretty quick de-restricted/stock. We in the states also had Aprilia, Malaguti, Peugeot, Italjet, Yamaha and Honda to name but a few worthwhile 2-strokes. I'm still considering getting a Genuine Rough House 2-stroke before they (Genuine) quits importing them BUT I ride my Buddy 125 and realize that a 50cc isn't safe for the local roads around here, forcing me to go BBK. I miss tuning 2-strokes sometimes but I also work with them for my job, so I kinda get 2-stroked out easily.

But those TGB scooters are cool. The local dealer by me had the Express in both 50cc and the larger 4-stroke, I think it was a 150cc? at one time. I like the Express models myself. Yet something like a P200E or Rally Vespa would kill 2 birds with one stone for me, but prices have gotten a bit crazy for them.

The bullet is a very solid scooter, probably TGB's best model. It's got a Morini engine, so not quite as easy to find performance parts as a Minarelli or Piaggio engine, but they are out there. The build quality is about what you would see from Suzuki, and if I remember correctly, TGB makes or made the engines for the Suzuki 50cc scooters.

I'll give my 2cents on the best UNDERATED 2-stroke scooter. The Hyosung Sense. A pipe and variator swap would make them fly (later ones you also had to snip a wire on the ECU). That scoot was not only quick but comfy as well. My wife and I would go on many a 2-up adventure on that fun little Sense. Shame Hyosung only brings in the 4-stroke version now.

Downside was the variator nut was reverse thread (I wrote a note inside the case to remind me) and it was tight getting access to the carb.