Modern Buddy

Hello all, bought a used 08 125 buddy scooter. Can someone please tell me if there is a rear tail light ? Or is the back red display supposed to be dark until the brake is applied? The big red light on the back of my scooter is bright all the time. Can anyone please explain this to me.? Thanks for your time

Yes, the Buddy has a tail light. The filament for it in the bulb might be bad requiring replacement of the bulb. Also, the brake light should not be on all the time, just when the brakes are applied (obviously). The brake light switch on either the front or rear brake lever may be defective and is stuck "on".

My ‘09 50cc came stock with what I consider a very nice LED tail light and brake light assembly, but I’m not sure if the ‘08 model year had that too. If I recall correctly from my Vespa, a non-LED incandescent combo tail light/brake bulb is specified as a “21/5� - meaning 21 watts when the brakes are applied and 5 watts the rest of the time as a tail light. The Vespa and many other vehicles use an 1157 style base for that bulb, and they’re cheap, but that may not be relevant to the ‘08 Buddy.

My guess is the ‘08 came with incandescent bulbs and yours is burned out.

It is super easy to take off the back panel to get to those lights to see what’s going in - just a screw or two and then a twist to release the bulb holder.

Concur with Babblefish: if you start the scooter up and don’t see an obvious red tail light, or a bright light that appears only when the brake is applied, the tail light filament is burnt out or disconnected. If the bright light doesn’t change when either brake is applied, one of the two brake switches operated by the handlebar brake levers is stuck. Try freeing it with a spritz or two of WD-40; this may require removal of the panels around the handlebars (a few Phillips screws from below).

I appreciate your help and suggestions!

Thanks to Babblefish and Tenders I was able to figure out the problem. Turns out that the plunger on the rear brake switch was actually bent. The new switch was only about five dollars and it took about a half hour to replace it. Once again many thanks for your help and advice 😄

Nice! I love cheap fixes!