Modern Buddy

Hi, everyone!

I'm new to the forum. I bought a Buddy 170i in 2015 and loved it. I commuted with it regularly for a year and a half. Long story short, it has been sitting for 2 years now and (predictably) won't do anything at all. The light doesn't even come on when I turn the key. Now, I'm eager to get it up and running.

Can anyone give me a step-by-step list of what I should do to get it back on the road again? I think it probably needs more than just a new battery, but I don't know in what order to diagnose and tackle the potential problems.


Thank you in advance!

bdeitch wrote:Hi, everyone!

I'm new to the forum. I bought a Buddy 170i in 2015 and loved it. I commuted with it regularly for a year and a half. Long story short, it has been sitting for 2 years now and (predictably) won't do anything at all. The light doesn't even come on when I turn the key. Now, I'm eager to get it up and running.

Can anyone give me a step-by-step list of what I should do to get it back on the road again? I think it probably needs more than just a new battery, but I don't know in what order to diagnose and tackle the potential problems.


Thank you in advance!

In order I would do this:

Drain the fuel tank (if not already done). Easiest way to do this is to get one of those fluid pumps (Like this one here) and drain into a gas canister. Replace with brand new gas.

CHECK the fluids (oil + gear oil) - make sure all are at good levels before starting your scooter, best to definitely change the fluids before or very soon after you get your scooter started. Gear oil, if like my buddy, can't really be checked for 'level' but just ensure that there is oil, and avoid driving the scooter until you can change it out.

Definitely replace, or charge the battery (much better to just replace the battery). If you're in a pinch and need to charge the battery, either charge the old battery with a charger (2 amp slow charger), OR get a pair of jumper cables and connect the cables to a car battery while the vehicle is off, and connect to your battery. Do not start the car. You can then try to crank over your hooligan using this method. Keep in mind that your battery will need to charge and probably will take a long while to charge so either throw the old battery on a slow charger or (better method) change it completely with a new battery.

Thank you so much!

I have a Buddy 170I that sat unused for a few months and the battery was dead. I jump started it using a portable jumpstarter. It started immediately, but the battery did not hold a charge, no matter how much I drove it.

I bought a battery tender, but after several days, it still only had a red light, which indicated the battery was dead.

I bought the battery below from Amazon (model number based on Buddy manual) and hooked it up today, but nothing. No lights or horn. I tested the battery and it has at least 80% power.

Any ideas how to get my Buddy back on the road?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

Put the battery you bought off amazon on the tender to fully charge it, and check your main fuse on the red wire. If it's blown, you will have no power to the bike.

@Stanza, I can't thank you enough! My Buddy is up and running!

I charged the battery overnight and checked the fuse in the small plastic case (in the battery compartment). Sure enough, the fuse was blown. I got a replacement, dropped it in, attached the new battery, and my bike sprung to life!

Many, many thanks for taking the time!

With fuel injection they usually start right up after sitting for years even.

With a carburetor, not so much

Glad you had a happy ending with the 170i.

JayinLA wrote:@Stanza, I can't thank you enough! My Buddy is up and running!

I charged the battery overnight and checked the fuse in the small plastic case (in the battery compartment). Sure enough, the fuse was blown. I got a replacement, dropped it in, attached the new battery, and my bike sprung to life!

Many, many thanks for taking the time!

You're welcome! That sometimes happens when you try to jump start it off a much more powerful battery, or if the terminals are accidentally connected backwards for a second.