Modern Buddy

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Syd's comment about checking the Kill-Switch is so funny and true. It has to be the first thing to check. More than once I've been baffled why the scooter won't start, and sure enough, the kill-switch had been turned on, either by another rider who thought that was the way to stop the engine, or by ...

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My comment won't be popular and I admit that I do not have my finger constantly on the pulse of what used scooters sell for, etc., but I really think too many of you are exaggerating the "great buys" out there. Great buys do not come up all that often, in my experience, and I do scan the M...

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Same thing happened to me. Gas coming out the air filter (a lot), but also gas getting into the oil. For gas to flow like that, with the engine off, both the petcock and float have to have failed. I removed some debris from my carb. float bowl, and cleaned the carb., but still ended up changing the ...

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I was waiting at a red light watching the thick rush-hour cross traffic and a guy on a scooter went whizzing by. He caught my eye as he was so tall, but then I noticed he was literally standing, though crouched, on the seat of the scooter, riding it like a surf board. No helmet, etc. And lately I'm ...

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I got an email that Genuine is introducing two new scooters. The Brio 50i and Urbano 50i. Both are 4 stroke, electronic fuel injection, dual disc brakes, and wisely, IMO, they have 12" tires. I think they look pretty nice. I'll stick with my Buddy 125, but wish it had 12" tires.

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I feel the torque wrench is for sure important on both the variator nut and the clutch nut. You can do that. You'll get the knack of removing the belt and reinstalling it. It takes a bit of time to figure out because it is new to you, but it is doable and there are helpful threads and videos. Keep r...

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I do just basic mechanical work on the scooter and I made the wood tool and was very happy with it. I wanted to be able to use a torque wrench when tightening the nuts back on to get the torque right. I don't trust an impact wrench for that. Also, I have no other use for an impact wrench and don't w...

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I, too, really dislike the inaccuracy of the Buddy speedometer. I don't know why this bothers me so much. It seems like cheating; not being straightforward, honest, reliable, and a bit patronizing, as in: "We made it artificially much higher to keep you safe". It's my job to keep myself sa...

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One big positive is that the scooter has low mileage. You can always make a reasonable offer and walk away if it is rejected. Here, we have to pay sales tax on any vehicle bought from a private party. As to not having many scooters to choose from, I follow the Genuine scooters for sale on Craigslist...

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DeeDee. I made that tool and it worked wonderfully and I thank you so much for the instructions. I used it to remove the variator nut and replaced the rollers and belt, then used it to remove the clutch nut. I did not want to buy anymore tools, like an impact wrench, which I would rarely use. I've k...

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I checked out some videos of the Yamaha SMAX. It looks like a very good scooter for my son, who says my Buddy 125 is too small; he's thinking of getting a small motorcycle, but this Yamaha has plenty of power and speed. I keep wondering what larger 13" wheels would be like. I'm too cautious to ...

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There's a young man called Mitch, on youtube, who works with a variety of well made scooters. He has posted videos on an oil change, gear oil change, and a few other good videos about Buddy Scooters. Mitch is deaf. His videos are very clear and accurate. I wish he did more videos on the Buddy scooter.

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I learned on, and still play, a nylon string "classical" type guitar. It has a wider neck and I finger pick or strum, but for me it is much easier than the steel string acoustic guitars which also pretty much require a pick to play. I've never felt comfortable with a pick. I was surprised ...

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Babblefish. If you want to start a band and open for the Stones, begin with learning 3 chords (I suggest G, C, and D). They will take you a long way, through hundreds of songs. LOL. I could actually help you a bit with guitar, but teaching yourself is fun, too, and in a way, those beginner days are ...

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jd. Does that mirror fit the Buddy 125 without any adaptations? Is there a right and left?

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I recently had this problem with my left mirror hanging limply at the connection to the stalk. Here's my experience: It took quite a while to ever so carefully push the black rubber gasket surrounding the mirror, back into the housing. I used a tiny screwdriver (the kind to tighten glasses) and even...

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Yes, overcrowding seems always related to illness. Whether it's humanity crowded together in small spaces or animals put in unnatural "factory farms".

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Babblefish: Would you let us know if the BeReelOutdoors filters are a reasonable price and if they are good quality? thanks

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Charlie55. That was pretty funny. I had a good laugh. Thank you.

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I trust Genuine.

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Tenders. Am not positive how I got on the list, but am thinking it's because I once emailed them questions about CVT size.

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I got an email today from Genuine Motors informing me that they have now put out their own brand of Genuine motor oils for Genuine scooters and motorcycles. The oil products are made in the USA and are available at Genuine dealers. They have 15W-40 Full Synthetic, 85W140 Gear Oil, a Synthetic 2 Stro...

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I forgot to mention that another site, 49ccScoot, has some very helpful scooter mechanics, too. They are about all kinds of scooters, not just 49cc.

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I dread electrical problems, but remind myself to persevere. It's cool that you have rebuilt a lot of the scooter. Get a copy, if you haven't yet, of the electrical circuit pathways of the RH. You can probably get it off the RH site. That will help you figure out which wire goes to the horn, starter...

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I have a Buddy 125. I fill the gas tank, add a small amount of Sta-bil (read directions) which is a widely used fuel stabilizer and what the scooter store in my area recommends. After adding the Sta-bil run the engine about 5 minutes. If you can get non-oxy fuel (no ethanol in it), that is best to f...

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I change my oil and filter just once a year, in spring when I take the scooter out of winter storage. I ride for about 6 months, putting on roughly 1100-1200 miles, before putting it back in winter storage (long winters here). Have been using a conventional oil, Yamalube, made for scooters and motor...

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Just to chime in. The stock belt on my Buddy 125 was 743x20x28. That is also what the dealer told me was stock and what I bought to replace my belt for the first time at 10,000 miles. The "old" belt looked to be in very good condition. Identical to the new one. I measured the width which w...

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When I wanted a second, back-up key, for my Buddy 125 I had to buy a key blank that matched the Buddy key. All the places I checked, including the locksmith, did not have the correct blank to make the key. The scooter store that sold the Buddy scooter did have that blank. I'm sure you can buy the bl...

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I don't mean to throw in a "red herring", as you seem to feel the sound is coming from a tire or the CVT, but the term, "clicking", immediately has me thinking of valves that are too "loose", too wide a gap. You would, however, hear this sound just by putting your ear c...

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I would have liked to have seen that, and even better to have been riding with a "herd". It's fun just to see another scooter rider in my town. I notice the motorcycle people give a kind of outreached "hand salute" that they sometimes do when we pass each other. Am thinking that ...

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I swear I didn't layer the grease on like make-up. lol. If things go wrong, less performance, etc., I now know how to take it all apart and can hopefully correct the issues; thanks to all the help you guys have given me.

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Babblefish. In your tech library post you said to put a thin layer of grease on the top of the boss drive (spacer) that goes through the variator. I went ahead and did that but wonder if that would get grease in the variator and muck up the rollers. Did I understand you correctly?

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Thanks, JohnK. That is kind of you. I was nervous about replacing the belt, rollers, clutch and getting the variator and clutch nuts off and on properly. Understanding how to get the belt to sit low in the clutch pulley was a good lesson. Now, after seeing the parts and handling them I feel much mor...

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I'm so embarrassed. I just realized that I had not opened the little fuel valve I had installed on my fuel hose near the carb. No wonder the scooter would not start up. That's a relief. Now to go ride it and hope the new rollers and belt perform well. A big thank you to Dee Dee who posted plans to b...

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I feel discouraged. I went ahead and installed the rollers and belt doing it all quite carefully. I got the belt down in the clutch pulley and installed the clutch & bell & tightened the nut to 37 ft. lbs. Then, with the belt over the boss drive, I installed the variator outer pulley (fan), ...

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Am in the process of replacing belt and rollers on my 2008 Buddy 125. It has 9700 miles and both the belt and rollers look really good. But since I have the new parts I'm going to install them. In the tech library Babblefish has documented the process for belt and roller replacement on his Blur, but...

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Sure enough. The nut and stalk are indeed separate and now my mirrors are suddenly wonderful. I feel sheepish not having truly checked out that nut. It is pretty obvious. Thanks for your help, once again, Babblefish. Maybe someday I'll be removing the head of the cylinder (which I don't know exactly...

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Am having trouble getting my rt. hand mirror secured in the correct position. The mirror itself rotates nicely on the end of the "stalk" and is not binding up. The mirror "stalk" is threaded "left" and rotates smoothly into the hole, but when it finally tightens into po...

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Is there a chance that the throttle cable is sticking a bit? It can be cleaned, if that is the case.

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So, the problem all along was a simple splotch of oil on the engine, which would of course burn and smell as the engine heated up. Didn't cost a nickel to clean it up. (Although I'm wondering how oil got on the engine.) Am guessing you were worried the burning/smell problem was caused by something s...

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Babble: Thanks for responding about this concern. Being a novice I tend to stick to stock everything as I just don't have the experience to confidently choose otherwise. I probably would not know a cheap knock-off from the original. Phenom: It will take me a while to make the tool to remove the vari...

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Phenom: I, too, am about to replace my belt and rollers for the first time. I think we'll both do fine. I emailed Genuine about using a 743-20-30 belt. They said: "That size belt should be fine, though there is a small chance that you will experience premature belt slippage with the size discre...

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Babblefish: The cvt belt from ebay that you suggested is not quite the same size as the original Buddy 125 belt. The original on my Buddy 125 is a Bando 743x20x28. (Not a 743x20x30). The original size belts are sold by scooterlounge and dealers for $48, which is nearly double the price as the one on...

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It's quite easy to remove the battery and take it to a Batteries Plus or similar store to have it tested for free. I've done that. If it's bad, you'll need to buy a new one. I'd much rather buy a new battery than replace the starter. When removing the battery disconnect the negative lead first, then...

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Thank you Babblefish and Stanza for the information. I appreciate your help.

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Babblefish: Since my Buddy has 9,500 miles I think I will go ahead and replace the belt and rollers. Isn't it important to also replace the little guides in the variator? Do those come with the rollers? I want to stick with stock everything. Is it much more expensive to just replace the entire varia...

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Concerning replacing the belt. I've got 9500 miles on my 2008 Buddy 125. I weigh 125 lbs and do not carry passengers. Have done all the routine maintenance, including inspecting the cvt belt, which looked okay, no fraying and I measured it's thickness which if I recall was in the okay zone. The scoo...

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Stanza is correct. You do NOT need to squeeze the brake level when kick-starting. It does help to turn the throttle just a bit before doing it.

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A third option is needed in the survery question. 3) Do you do all the mechanics yourself. Am guessing that many Buddy owners do all the work themselves

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If you decide not to do the basic maintenance yourself I would choose the dealer. The dealer sells these scooters and is obligated to service them properly. As others will tell you, it is very rewarding to learn to do the basic services the scooter needs. Oil change, gear oil change, checking tire p...

Modern Buddy

Search found 341 matches

Genuine is introducing two new scooters

Genuine Motor Oil is here

Oil Change interval question

CVT questions

Difficulty adjusting right hand mirro