Replacing Left Brake Lever

sqrlbate · Post by **sqrlbate** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:54 pm

Long story short....Buddy 125 tipped over, left sided brake lever cracked. I got the replacement part but can't seem to find any step by step instructions on replacing it. Any advice???

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:04 pm

The info from this thread was from a Buddy 150 St.Tropez, but I'd think it would be the same for a BlackJack...

viewtopic.php?t=5997&highlight=replace+brake+lever

sqrlbate · Post by **sqrlbate** » Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:07 pm

Excellent! Thank you!

ScooterLou · Post by **ScooterLou** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:48 am

Same thing just happened to me. scooter tipped over in driveway. I was supposed to receive part Thursday. Called Thursday, not even shipped yet.Grrrrrrr. Supposed to be here Monday. Keeping my fingers crossed. In serious scooter withdrawal.

sqrlbate · Post by **sqrlbate** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 1:45 am

I'd believe the withdrawal! Luckily, it's my mom's scoot & not mine so I won't have to go through it!

Post by **ericalm** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 4:12 am

Were your scooters on the center stands when they tipped?

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:07 am

cowl protectors. they don't just protect the cowls.

my scoot's been on its side 3 times - once I got hit and twice 60mph+ winds picked up and put it down (on its side). only the getting hit scratched the brake lever a wee bit but not once has it broken. It's cause (I think) the cowl protectors hit firsts and thus that handle bars don't take the beating

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:38 pm

I had the same thing happen to me on a road trip in northwest Michigan. I kickstand-parked the scooter on a sloped surface, nudged it slightly, and over it went. SNAP. I tried the nearest scooter dealership that my phone could locate, about 5 miles away, and they had nothing that could fit: just parts for Vespas and motorhomes. So I scooted to Bayside Cycles of Frankfort MI, the nearest Genuine dealer: 40 miles with one brake thru the hills of northern Michigan (and in the opposite direction of my destination for that night).

The owner didn't have a brake lever in stock, but without me even asking he took one from one of his inventory bikes. He treated me like a valued customer, even though I was just passing through, and he was in the middle of some serious drama with his co-owner, who'd taken "his" tools home (requiring my guy to take a quick trip home to get his tools to do the job). Cost me $25, including labor. It also cost me a bit of time (I had to skip riding the beautiful Old Mission Peninsula to make up for it), but considering that this was the last Genuine dealer I'd be anywhere near for the next six days and several hundred miles, and even turning around and heading home

would've been at least 150 miles of risky riding, I considered myself pretty damn lucky.

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:25 pm

TVB wrote:I had the same thing happen to me on a road trip in northwest Michigan. I kickstand-parked the scooter on a sloped surface, nudged it slightly, and over it went. SNAP. I tried the nearest scooter dealership that my phone could locate, about 5 miles away, and they had nothing that could fit: just parts for Vespas and motorhomes. So I scooted to Bayside Cycles of Frankfort MI, the nearest Genuine dealer: 40 miles with one brake thru the hills of northern Michigan (and in the opposite direction of my destination for that night).

The owner didn't have a brake lever in stock, but without me even asking he took one from one of his inventory bikes. He treated me like a valued customer, even though I was just passing through, and he was in the middle of some serious drama with his co-owner, who'd taken "his" tools home (requiring my guy to take a quick trip home to get his tools to do the job). Cost me $25, including labor. It also cost me a bit of time (I had to skip riding the beautiful Old Mission Peninsula to make up for it), but considering that this was the last Genuine dealer I'd be anywhere near for the next six days and several hundred miles, and even turning around and heading home would've been at least 150 miles of risky riding, I considered myself pretty damn lucky.

Great customer service!!

sqrlbate · Post by **sqrlbate** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 2:34 am

It's my mom's scoot that she had parked in my driveway long enough to close the garage door. I'm assuming it was on the side stand cuz she has a bit of a hard time getting the center stand down

I was quite surprised how banged up it got just from tipping over, especially since she has the cowls on her Buddy. Guess it was just one of those freak things when gravity takes over & there's nothing you can do but stand there in horror & watch it hit the pavement. Glad to hear you had such great customer service! We live WAY too far from our shop here in Chicago so it was a DIY project I let a Harley friend of mine take care of. I tried to get him to ride it, no such luck

ScooterLou · Post by **ScooterLou** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 3:23 am

Mine was not on center stand. I was going to run into the house to grab something. Made it ten feet and heard it hit the ground. Where I parked it on the driveway there is a ever so slight slope. Should have known better. Must I always learn the hard way.

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 4:23 am

I used the side stand ONCE on my first buddy. The remote opener to the garage was not working so Igot off to use the manual control and used the side instead of the center stand-like a dumb arse I left the engine running. The back wheel must have still been spinning becuase the engine was not warmed up and it caused it to topple. So I have never used the side stand again.

goldscott · Post by **goldscott** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 3:47 pm

I had my scooter on the center stand and it was so windy where I parked that it tipped over and broke the left brake lever as well.

It's pretty easy to just figure out how everything goes. Take the old one off and put the new one on in reverse order.

Basically just stick the end of the cable in and then put the bolt in and tighten it up.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:33 pm

peabody99 wrote:I used the side stand ONCE on my first buddy. The remote opener to the garage was not working so Igot off to use the manual control and used the side instead of the center stand-like a dumb arse I left the engine running. The back wheel must have still been spinning becuase the engine was not warmed up and it caused it to topple. So I have never used the side stand again.

The torque and vibration from the engine cycling is enough to take a scooter like the Buddy off its side stand.

It's best to use the center stand at all times. A lot of people have trouble using it at first—even very small, featherweight people can do it once they learn how to. It just takes some practice!

At the very least, never use the side stand when the scooter is running.

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:04 pm

ericalm wrote:It's best to use the center stand at all times. A lot of people have trouble using it at first—even very small, featherweight people can do it once they learn how to. It just takes some practice!

+1. I'm one of those small, featherweight people and I was able to centerstand a Buddy on the first try, which happened at a dealership because I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to do it. As a point of comparison, I tried to centerstand my partner's Kymco People 150 and couldn't do it to save my life (I've since learned how, as a result of learning on the Buddy). The Buddy is extremely easy to centerstand. I don't even think about it now, it's just automatic. I can't even remember the last time I used the side stand.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:08 pm

ericalm wrote:It's best to use the center stand at all times. A lot of people have trouble using it at first—even very small, featherweight people can do it once they learn how to. It just takes some practice!

The key to it is understanding how to use your own weight (even if it's not a lot) for leverage. Don't try to pick up the scooter (at least not as the main source of power), but put your own weight down onto the lever of the stand, and let that do most of the work.

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Wed Aug 10, 2011 3:24 am

TVB wrote:
ericalm wrote:It's best to use the center stand at all times. A lot of people have trouble using it at first—even very small, featherweight people can do it once they learn how to. It just takes some practice!
The key to it is understanding how to use your own weight (even if it's not a lot) for leverage. Don't try to pick up the scooter (at least not as the main source of power), but put your own weight down onto the lever of the stand, and let that do most of the work.

I don't actually even use my weight; I had to centerstand it to see how I did it. I grab the handlebar with my left hand, rack with my right, and then just push back on the stand with my foot while guiding it back with both hands. It sounds hard, but it really doesn't require hardly any strength. It is possible for me to stand on the lever and use my ~100 lbs to push it down, but it's not necessary.

paulremski777 · Post by **paulremski777** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:06 am

Anyone break a left brake lever and install a new lever themselves? Please give me a link. or step by step procedure if you have an answer to this? Please and thank you!!!

Buddy 50

cummingsjc · Post by **cummingsjc** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 1:30 pm

paulremski777 wrote:Anyone break a left brake lever and install a new lever themselves? Please give me a link. or step by step procedure if you have an answer to this? Please and thank you!!! Buddy 50

If you have the correct replacement lever, this is the procedure:
1. Loosen up the rear brake cable by rotating the tensioning nut down put the rear wheel. Sometimes you can rotate it by hand or you may need a wrench (maybe 14mm?) if it is stuck.
2. Expose the base of the left brake handle by peeling up the black rubber cover that covers the pivot screw.
3. Remove the pivot screw with a screw driver on top and wrench (8mm?) underneath.
4. The handle should be able to be pulled out at this point. Pull it out as far as the slack in brake cable allows and rotate it around to expose the bottom of the brake lever.
5. Slide the handle off the little plug that holds the brake cable to the brake lever.
6. Install the replacement brake lever and reverse the steps above.

Steps 2-6 are easier if the top cover over the gauges is removed (a whole other process) but removing the top cover is not absolutely necessary, as I recall. You just have to work your screwdriver in between the plastic cover and the back of the left switch assembly.

Here is a video of the process: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CE_ARn9FD44

paulremski777 · Post by **paulremski777** » Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:52 pm

Thank you Cummingsjc for your help. You are greatly appreciated.

cummingsjc · Post by **cummingsjc** » Sun Nov 27, 2016 5:14 am

paulremski777 wrote:Thank you Cummingsjc for your help. You are greatly appreciated.

No problem. That is what this forum is for.

tiii · Post by **tiii** » Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:06 am

there should be enough grease from the first lever.

but, since you've got it appart anyway, use a dab of grease where the cable end slides into the lever.

Modern Buddy

Replacing Left Brake Lever

Replacing Left Brake Lever

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Re: Left brake lever installation by lay person