Battery charging-Buddy 125

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BoulderBud
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Battery charging-Buddy 125

Post by BoulderBud »

Hi, I just bought a new 2012 Buddy 125 and would like to know the best way to keep the battery charged. Should I wait until it won't start? If that happens can I just kick start it and ride for 15 minutes to recharge it? Or, should I get a tenter, trickler or charger and keep it topped off? If so, which one is best?

Also, can the 12V outlet be used to charge it? And, is it a good idea to get a volt meter to make sure it's charged?

I know that's a lot of questions. Sorry, I'm extremely ignorant about scooters. Thank you in advance for any advice you might have for me!

TK
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zuki
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Post by zuki »

Get one of these, they work great!!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000C7FJ7/?ta ... 0tv70okr_b
BoulderBud
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New 2012 Buddy 125

Post by BoulderBud »

Hi,
I just posted a question about my new Buddy 125. Since I just bought it in January, 2014 I'm now wondering if my starting problems could be related to it sitting around for a long time, either at the dealer, or at Genuine in Chicago. After reading many posts here, I also wonder if there could be other problems related to it sitting around for a long time, like gummed up lines and carb, etc.

Any advice will be much appreciated!

TK
BoulderBud
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Post by BoulderBud »

Zuki,
Thank you very much for the link to the battery tender! Do you have any advice as to my second query about buying a new 2012 that might have been sitting around for a long time?

TK
TVB

Re: Battery charging-Buddy 125

Post by TVB »

BoulderBud wrote:Hi, I just bought a new 2012 Buddy 125 and would like to know the best way to keep the battery charged. Should I wait until it won't start?
Don't wait for the battery to get run down before recharging it. That's a trick that's useful for keeping various solid-chemistry batteries (like those used in laptops) from losing their charging capacity. But lead-acid batteries like those in used in vehicles (and UPS systems) don't work that way, and in fact can be permanently damaged by fully discharging them.
If that happens can I just kick start it and ride for 15 minutes to recharge it?
Even if your battery's still OK, 15 minutes won't restore it from dead to full charge. The power plant in the Buddy is just barely powerful enough to both move the scooter and recharge the battery, and 10-15 minutes of riding is about the minimum needed to maintain the charge after using the electric starter.
Or, should I get a tenter, trickler or charger and keep it topped off? If so, which one is best?
The Battery Tender Jr. with a 12V-outlet adapter is the ideal choice if you aren't able to ride it enough to keep it charge.
TVB

Re: New 2012 Buddy 125

Post by TVB »

BoulderBud wrote:Hi,
I just posted a question about my new Buddy 125. Since I just bought it in January, 2014 I'm now wondering if my starting problems could be related to it sitting around for a long time, either at the dealer, or at Genuine in Chicago. After reading many posts here, I also wonder if there could be other problems related to it sitting around for a long time, like gummed up lines and carb, etc.
If it was sitting in Genuine's inventory, it would have still been in a crate, dry... so there wouldn't be any gunking. If it was uncrated, prepped, and sitting at your dealer instead, it might need a dose or two of Seafoam in the gas tank to help clean it out.
BoulderBud
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Post by BoulderBud »

Thank you TVB,

On the battery tender jr., can I just plug it into the 12v outlet and not have to attach it to the battery. Sure would make it easy if that's the case!

Stay warm in Michigan. Sounds brutally cold.

TK
Last edited by BoulderBud on Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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PeteH
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Post by PeteH »

Yes, if you get the optional 12v plug for the BatteryTender Jr., you can plug it into the Buddy 12v socket. I've done so for years.

However, if you have the 'standard' Battery Tender, it will allow the battery to pull about 1.5A, which is too much for the 1A fuse in the 12v socket circuit. The Jr. model is safe - it's current-limited to 0.7A and won't blow the fuse.
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BoulderBud
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Post by BoulderBud »

Thank you Pete H,

I will get the 12v adapter with the junior tender!

Do you use a volt meter to let you know when to charge, or do you just go by how it sounds when starting and how long it has been in between rides?

TK
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zuki
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Post by zuki »

The charger comes with a plug that you screw into to battery and then you can run the wire through the little hole in the battery compartment and zip tie it to where it can be easily gotten to, has a little cover for the hook up so there is no danger getting shorted out or dirt in it. Real easy to do, I bought extra plugs and put them on my other bikes so I only need one charger.

Here is the plug that comes with it

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BoulderBud
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Post by BoulderBud »

Oh sh**!!! Now I have to decide whether to plug in the battery tender Pete's way which is into the 12v outlet, or Zuki's way directly onto the battery!

TK
Danielm
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Post by Danielm »

I'm not a mechanic by any means and was able to run the cable under the scooter and zip tie it in about 5 minutes, it's really not very difficult. I was going to buy the adapter for the outlet but after watching a youtube video on installing the battery leads and running them under the scooter I figured I'd just do that.
TVB

Post by TVB »

BoulderBud wrote:Do you use a volt meter to let you know when to charge, or do you just go by how it sounds when starting and how long it has been in between rides?
Pretty much the only time I use it is when I'm going to be letting the bike sit for more than a week or so, to prevent the battery from running down from disuse.
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skully93
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Post by skully93 »

When it's cold I try to top off the battery now and again, because the rides tend to be very short!

We don't have electricity where we park, so I often take the batteries out and tend them manually. It's not a big deal, takes just a few minutes. hardest part is getting a grip on the darn battery!
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jrsjr
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Post by jrsjr »

skully93 wrote:We don't have electricity where we park, so I often take the batteries out and tend them manually. It's not a big deal, takes just a few minutes. hardest part is getting a grip on the darn battery!
If you took the foam part of the handle off this (and left the strap that holds it), would it fit under the Buddy cover and make it easier to grab the battery and pull it up out of the well? Just wonderin...
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BoulderBud
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Post by BoulderBud »

Thank you for all your replies! I bought the tender jr., will use it when I won't ride for a week or so, especially when it's really cold out.
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ScooterMASS
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Post by ScooterMASS »

Zuki is "dead-on" The best $25.00 anyone can spend. I own three scooters & have a Deltran Battery Tender Jr. hooked-up too all of them. I live in New England & I don't have a garage, so my Kymco GT300i sits outside (with a nice weather-proof cover) & it's always on a float charge. Every Spring, she starts right-up thanks to the Battery Tender! You can get 5-6 years out of your scooter battery when you keep it plugged-in all of the time.
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