25,522 miles, 3 year old Buddy can't accelerate more than 30

mjrally · Post by **mjrally** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:39 am

My friend has a 2008 Buddy 125 that he rides non stop. An average day for him is usually around 100 miles. He recently has been having problems with his scooter going faster than 30 mph and just got a ticket for going too slow.

All scheduled maintenance has been done on time. Fluids, spark plug, filter, belt, weights have all been serviced and are ok. He recently took it in for a valve adjustment and he said nothings changed since having the valves done. I can't say anything about the engine since I havent looked at it, but it seemed to start, idle, and rev fine.

One thing he noticed is the back tire makes a lot of noise when turning it. Anyone know of any clutch/ rear wheel issues that could be giving him grief? Or anything else that we missed/ should check?

mjrally · Post by **mjrally** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:15 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hadcan63 ... e=youtu.be for a video of the back tire spinning and does anyone know how to post a video? I can't get a 90kb picture to upload

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:25 am

Did shop do a compression test on the motor? If not, do so and see what you get.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:03 am

Sounds like the wheel bearings are shot. Is there any play on the axle? Grab the tire at the top and bottom and see if you can shake it.

If that isn't it, do you have gear oil in it?

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hadcan630OY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

david12df · Post by **david12df** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:16 am

winterize your bike stick it garage, get a new one start a bike collection
I personally am on number three .

mjrally · Post by **mjrally** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:37 am

I didnt notice any unusual wobbling in the rear tire. I'm not sure about the gear oil but I'll check tomorrow. What does it take to change out the rear wheel bearing?

The shop did not do a compression check. What PSI should the compression read?

Does anyone know if there's a Genuine service manual/ guide? There's plenty of GY6 guides online.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:58 am

See this thread on replacing the rear seal by olhogrider. I've linked to the second post on the thread, which shows the rear wheel bearing, but read the whole thread (scroll up from where the link takes you). It's an excellent breakdown of the entire procedure.

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:47 am

After watching your vid I have to second the wheel bearing diagnosis. Usually when you have wheel wobble, bearings have already started to become 'out of round' or have begun to fall out. These just sound dry which will only lead to further damage if your friend continues to ride, change them now or have an even bigger wallet problem later.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:42 pm

mjrally wrote:I didnt notice any unusual wobbling in the rear tire. I'm not sure about the gear oil but I'll check tomorrow. What does it take to change out the rear wheel bearing?

The shop did not do a compression check. What PSI should the compression read?

Does anyone know if there's a Genuine service manual/ guide? There's plenty of GY6 guides online.

Once you pull the rear wheel off, you'll be able to tell if it's the bearings pretty quick.

Here's the service manual: http://www.modernbuddy.com/pdf/buddy125 ... manual.pdf

Tocsik · Post by **Tocsik** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:12 pm

+! on bearings. I've had mine replaced twice but I've only come across a few others on this forum that have had to replace bearings.
Mine sounded just like that but there was a noticeable loud noise while riding at speed, too.
I did not have a loss of top end when mine needed replacing, though. So you may be dealing with bad bearings plus something else.

mjrally · Post by **mjrally** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:20 pm

Ok thanks for the service manual. I'll get the rear wheel off and look at the bearings. I'll also look for gear oil.

Would bad bearings be the main problem as to why my friend can't go faster than 30? I just though bearings were for alignment and support. Should I check elsewhere? Dirty carb jets? Misaligned valves? Dirty engine oil?

I'd like to give my friend the benefit of the doubt that he completed all the service but if you guys say the gear oil is dry then it leads me to believe if there might be more problems.

I still want to figure out how to post a picture of his odometer at 25,000 miles though. That's a small feat in itself.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:20 pm

Bearings near catastrophic failure will heat up and slow you down. The first sign of industrial blower bearing failure is increased power consumption. I wouldn't ride it until you get it fixed.

mjrally · Post by **mjrally** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:23 pm

Ok i'm on it. I'll take pictures of what I find. Can anyone tell me how to post pictures so you guys can point out anything else?

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:26 pm

mjrally wrote:Ok i'm on it. I'll take pictures of what I find. Can anyone tell me how to post pictures so you guys can point out anything else?

When you reply, there is a section below "add an attachment". Pick your file and hit "add attachment". Keep them small 400x600 under 200k or they won't upload.

Tocsik · Post by **Tocsik** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:33 pm

mjrally wrote:Ok i'm on it. I'll take pictures of what I find. Can anyone tell me how to post pictures so you guys can point out anything else?

I find attaching pics is even easier if you have them on Photobucket or some other free image website. On Photobucket, there is even a place to click which copies the link to your clipboard which you then just paste as text to your post with the BBC code format [img]...etc

Post by **Lostmycage** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:42 pm

Also, if you use a picture sharing service like Picassa or Flickr then you can link directly to them by taking the URL for the image and adding the image tag in front

the URL. Just make sure the URL ends in an image extension like .gif, .jpg, .png or similar.

[Edit] Hah Tocsik beat me to it... can't type very fast with my thumbs.

Also, double check your roller weights for the speed and acceleration issue, it might not all be due to the bearings. Also check the clutch retaining nut. If it gets loose, it could cause that same noise (and friction).

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:17 pm

I use photobucket too, but I really hate it when you find a thread filled with missing pictures because the user moved or deleted the photos. If they are uploaded to MB, then they never go away and thus future generations will be blessed by how smart we all are.

Rippinyarn · Post by **Rippinyarn** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:51 am

Other things that might slow you down are a clogged jet, old belt, glazed variator surfaces, worn out rollers and final drive problems (gear oil not changed). Good luck and post back!

TenaciousA · Post by **TenaciousA** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:37 pm

I am new here but is is possible the ECU is stuck in a high temp limp mode ?

Bad bearings can certainly cause drag as well.

Tocsik · Post by **Tocsik** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:06 pm

TenaciousA wrote:I am new here but is is possible the ECU is stuck in a high temp limp mode ?

Bad bearings can certainly cause drag as well.

OP has a '08 125 so, not FI.

SYMbionic Duo · Post by **SYMbionic Duo** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:01 am

I've had the bearing on my drive shaft fail. I lost some top end due to the drive shaft wobbling, which caused my belt to slip.

The wheel will only wobble if one of the final drive shaft bearings is broke.

Check your gear oil, really easy to do. If it black and on close inspection has silver dots in it, then it is a bearing failure.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:55 am

Lotrat wrote:I use photobucket too, but I really hate it when you find a thread filled with missing pictures because the user moved or deleted the photos. If they are uploaded to MB, then they never go away and thus future generations will be blessed by how smart we all are.

True...but there is a limit on uploading photos. I've hit it a few times and had to pick which photos to delete from MB to make room. I fully understand that and I'm not complaining which is why I often link from other sites

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:07 am

BuddyRaton wrote:
Lotrat wrote:I use photobucket too, but I really hate it when you find a thread filled with missing pictures because the user moved or deleted the photos. If they are uploaded to MB, then they never go away and thus future generations will be blessed by how smart we all are.
True...but there is a limit on uploading photos. I've hit it a few times and had to pick which photos to delete from MB to make room. I fully understand that and I'm not complaining which is why I often link from other sites

That's pretty funny. I just hit my MB limit. I'm on other forums that don't have a limit on total upload size, so it's kinda odd to me. It's better for the site to keep them uploaded here than to have them linked from remote sites and risk losing the info.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:31 am

Lotrat wrote:
BuddyRaton wrote:
Lotrat wrote:I use photobucket too, but I really hate it when you find a thread filled with missing pictures because the user moved or deleted the photos. If they are uploaded to MB, then they never go away and thus future generations will be blessed by how smart we all are.
True...but there is a limit on uploading photos. I've hit it a few times and had to pick which photos to delete from MB to make room. I fully understand that and I'm not complaining which is why I often link from other sites
That's pretty funny. I just hit my MB limit. I'm on other forums that don't have a limit on total upload size, so it's kinda odd to me. It's better for the site to keep them uploaded here than to have them linked from remote sites and risk losing the info.

I'll fix that for you.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:07 pm

i would say even if this buddy is a somewhat expensive fix or a no fixer, at just over 25,000 hard rode miles if its been a good scoot it may just go peacefully into the night

if my 125 goes 25,000 miles i'll be a happy camper

Modern Buddy

25,522 miles, 3 year old Buddy can't accelerate more than 30

25,522 miles, 3 year old Buddy can't accelerate more than 30

25, 500 mile