Scooter Review Manhattan Buddy 50 Make light of commuting with a buddy.
Words by JEREMY BOWDLER, photography by LOU MARTIN Look, I’m probably not the right person to be testing nifty 50s, what with size 11s and 195cm to squeeze into the footwell and 95kg to sit on top of the seat. But, on the upside, if a 50 can carry me, it’ll carry pretty much anything.
Manhattan’s new Buddy 50 comes with a topbox as standard fitment, as well as a reasonably sized underseat compartment and a handy open glovebox plus parcel hook on the front legshield. No surprises then from the standard urban 50 scooter we’ve come to expect from Chinese companies.
Where the Buddy begins to make its presence felt is in the level of finish. The paintwork is good and bright, with a snappy colour scheme and the red/silver/black of the test unit looked nice and fresh. Panel fit, too, was a pleasant surprise, with the finish exceeding what we’ve come to expect from a lot of scooters out of China.
There was no creaking or groaning from the plastics, nor were there any uneven gaps or mismatched panels. Also impressive was the mirrored gloss finish on the engine covers. Easy to clean and smart-looking. Again a step up from what we’re used to seeing in this price bracket.
And the price bracket is important. At this level scooters are considered to be cheap transport or personal freedom for the person with not much spare cash. Pricing matters and achieving a better level of finish for the money is always welcome. As a second car, or a short-range commuter, the Buddy makes a lot of sense for not many cents, if you’ll pardon the pun.
So what do you get, apart from eye candy?
The four-stroke 50cc engine promises a level of reliability that the commuter market demands – it’ll probably run forever as long as you feed and water it – though the performance isn’t up to two-stroke standards. Of course, both in 50cc form are limited in terms of top speed, but two-strokes will get there more smartly.
With my bulk aboard the Buddy, once we got to 50km/h, there was no problem maintaining it, though hills knocked some speed off (down to 30km/h on my commuter hill-climb test circuit). A lighter rider would, of course, allow the Buddy to perform better. Getting off the line, too, was more stately than sprightly.
Pleasingly, the chassis and brakes/suspension package exceeded the demands imposed by the engine and worked quite well in a commuting environment. Neither speed humps, potholes nor torrential rain fazed the Buddy, though given the 50km/h limit, I knew I was going to get wet, wet, wet when the heavens opened.
So is what you get for your $1650(+orc) worth the money?
The Buddy seems to be well-built – a notch above many similar offerings – with reasonable suspension, good brakes and the ability to solve your transport needs, provided you fit the bill: not too heavy, not too big and not in too much of a hurry. ✽
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 5/06/2008
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