Review of the
Genuine
Buddy 150 (International)
May 2008
 Do
you remember “Spy vs. Spy” in Mad Magazine? Yeah, that’s what I was
tempted to title this review… but good sense (and fear of copyright
lawyers) won out in the end. So it’s a combination of “Buddy vs.
Buddy” and a general review of the new Genuine Scooter Company Buddy 150cc
International Series. A big “Thank You” to Bob Hedstrom of
Scooterville
in Minneapolis for providing the Buddy St. Tropez used in this review. I
will begin with the Buddy 150 and then go into the side-by-side comparison
with a first generation Genuine Buddy 125. The Buddy 125 used for
comparison belongs to my wife Beverly.
Speedometer Reading/Speed/Fuel Economy
Like the vast majority of the scooters that I review, the Buddy 150 has
an optimistic speedometer. In this case, almost 10% optimistic. I checked
the speed with a GPS unit and found that when the Buddy 150 was indicating
30 MPH, the actual speed was closer to 27 MPH and at 60 MPH indicated the
actual speed was 54 MPH. Other speed and mileage results have been
corrected to account for the optimistic speedometer.
The Buddy 150 is quick – really, really quick. The scooter used for
this review was new, so I didn’t thrash it. After break-in, I would expect
the Buddy 150 to be even quicker and to have a faster top end. I very much
appreciate the dealers who let me have scooters for reviews and I know
that these scooters will be sold to someone when I am done with them. That
being said, I don’t push them to the limits of their capabilities. I am
also careful with them, apparently more careful than Kevin Kocur who
writes for a well-known local publication. Should you run into Kevin, be
sure and ask him how the kickstand works on a scooter…..
OK, enough Kevin-bashing for now. With a 160 pound rider, the Buddy 150
had a top speed of 65 MPH (indicated 72 MPH). Again, I am pretty
sure that after break-in this will go up a bit. With a 210 pound rider (me)
the top speed was 62 MPH. Fuel economy during the test was 82 MPG. I
consider this to be extremely good as the Buddy was ridden at varying
speeds, by several riders and was ridden QUICKLY by all.
Features
I selected the Vespa LX150 and the Piaggio Fly 150 for comparison in
the following chart. I did not make a comparison chart between the new
Buddy 150 and the older Buddy 125.
As you can see, the Buddy looks very good “on paper” and I’m pleased to
say that looks even better in person and when you ride it. The Buddy 150
has impressive storage under the seat and a handy tray up front. There is
a power socket on the left side and the tray is just big enough to act as
a cup holder for a tall and fairly narrow 12 ounce coffee travel mug –
didn’t spill a drop. The Buddy pictured is the St. Tropez version and it
includes two-tone colour treatment, colour-matched grips and seat, and WAY
COOL whitewall tires. The horn is LOUD, the loudest I have heard on a
scooter. There is also a green “Italia” version and a dark red and cream
“Pamplona” version. All three are really, really good-looking.
Probably the best feature of this (and other) Genuine Buddy
scooters is the plethora of accessories available. Genuine Scooter Company
has done a great job of making sure that there are plenty of ways to make
your Buddy YOUR Buddy with front racks, rear racks, chrome kits,
windscreens, baskets, top-cases, and more.
Riding Impressions
Did I mention that the Buddy 150 is quick? It makes other 150cc
scooters seem slow by comparison. This isn’t just me talkin’ - lots of
other people took the Buddy for a spin and they all commented on what a
little speed-demon this scooter is. The Buddy 150 handles very well and
has strong, progressive brakes. It fits shorter riders VERY well and can
accommodate riders up to about six feet tall. There is room for two – for
short rides anyway – and the Buddy is happiest at mid-range speeds. On
faster surface roads (45 MPH posted speeds) the Buddy 150 feels
like the quickest thing on the road. The horn is LOUD. This is no little
“beep-beep” scooter horn. Several people said they looked around for a big
truck when they heard the Buddy horn.
Fit & Finish
Everything fits together well on the Buddy and the finish on the panels
is very good. The seat hinge seems a little sloppy and latching the seat
closed can take some attention. The components used appear to be of
excellent quality.
Buddy vs. Buddy
 Waaaaaaaay
back in the good old days (2006) my wife Bev bought a Buddy 125.
She has been very happy with it and has used it to commute to the office
as well as for organized scooter rides and to just zip around St. Paul.
This was a “first generation” Buddy, and I thought it would be fun to see
how the new Buddy 150 stacks up against the older 125.
Bev’s Buddy is well and truly “broken in” and has had a windscreen,
rear luggage rack, top-case, and graphics added to it. The Buddy 150 is
new and dead stock. I expected the 150 to be faster. After all, it DOES
have an extra 25cc, but the differences don’t end there. The new Buddy has
much improved lighting, both front and rear. The larger headset on the
newer Buddy is also more in keeping with the retroish design of the
Buddy. The lighting improvement apply to the new Buddy 125 as well.
The Buddy 150 is markedly quicker than the Buddy 125. I weigh 210
pounds and Bev weighs MAYBE 115 pounds. With me on the Buddy 150 and her
on the Buddy 125 I can keep up. Of course she runs away from me when I’m
on the Buddy 125 and she’s on the 150. With two equal weight riders (darn
close anyway – 155 lbs and 160 lbs) the Buddy 150 is faster off the
line and through the midrange. At faster speeds (50 MPH+) the two
are very close. The roll-on and midrange punch of the buddy 150 is
considerable. With both scooters cruising at about 40 MPH, the Buddy 150
surges ahead, though the 125 catches up quickly. As mentioned earlier, we
got 82 MPG during the test on the Buddy 150. During mostly the same
riding, the Buddy 125 returned 90 MPG.
Conclusions
The Buddy 150 International Edition is another hit for Genuine Scooter
Company. It is certainly the quickest stock 150cc scooter I have ridden
and the combination of nimble handling, good brakes and decent storage
make it a great machine. As of this writing, the International Buddy is
rapidly selling out at Scooterville in Minneapolis. The St. Tropez was the
only choice available for review as all of the Pamplonas and Italias that
were in stock had been spoken for. If you are looking for a great urban
scooter with some highway capability and are fond of the design – get a
Genuine Buddy 150. You’ll be glad you did.
The Genuine Buddy St. Tropez used in the review was
provided by Scooterville.
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