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Buddy 50 starts w/kick but not starter

Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:44 pm
by PDXjack
My wife’s 2018 Buddy 50 starts fine using the kick starter but will not fire if using the electric start. Battery is fully charged and cranks motor over fine. Any suggestions of where to start diagnosing this would be welcome.

jack

Re: Buddy 50 starts w/kick but not starter

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:31 pm
by Stanza
That is bizarre....the buddy 50's party trick is that you can remove the battery entirely, and kick start the engine to have it run. The only thing the battery is responsible for, aside from horn and turn signals, is physically spinning the engine. The stator, while spinning, energizes the ignition system, independent of any battery power.

The only thing I can think of that might be a factor here, is if the battery isn't spinning the engine over fast enough, compared to your kick start. Have you tried a fresh battery, or an external jump? If that's not it, then you could be dealing with a few other problems, none of them fun.

Re: Buddy 50 starts w/kick but not starter

Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 3:45 am
by WheelieDan
Did you ever resolve the issue? Mines doing the exact same thing.

Re: Buddy 50 starts w/kick but not starter

Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 3:38 pm
by tenders
These issues are almost always related to: weak battery with inadequate juice to properly spin the starter, failed starter relay, or diminished effectiveness of starter motor (worn brushes, failed windings, gunk in gear preventing proper engagement).

Step one would be to rule out the battery with a lithium jumpstart pack or a plain old-fashioned jumper cable to a car battery or similar.

If you think a car battery will be dangerous to the Buddy, summon an expert. You shouldn't be doing this yourself. There's been a lot of talk on this on the Buddy FB group. Like most FB functions, that group has so many complete idiots making stupid guesses about things that I find it practically useless.

Re: Buddy 50 starts w/kick but not starter

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2023 12:42 pm
by sc00ter
Every fall when the weather gets cooler we get the "My scooter is hard to start." questions. Pull the battery and have it tested at a Batteries Plus or a good motorcycle shop. The test is usually always free as well, or you can buy your own battery tester. I still need to get a battery tester myself.

Then, let us Buddy owners never forget, the D-Mod. I forgot the battery number (will try and look it up later unless someone else chimes in) but it lets us fit a larger battery with a easy modification that has a bit more cold cranking amps. I'll be doing this D-Mod when the time comes to replace my battery.

Finally, when it comes time to replace the battery, don't get the cheapest battery from a Amazon China vendor unless its quality has been confirmed by a real Buddy owner. But then again you can save some serious money, get a $15 dollar battery, and use the kick starter when it won't start! Oh, and Lithium batteries don't always do well in cold. Stick to a good old reliable AMG battery.

Re: Buddy 50 starts w/kick but not starter

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2023 2:36 pm
by scootERIK
sc00ter wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 12:42 pmThen, let us Buddy owners never forget, the D-Mod. I forgot the battery number (will try and look it up later unless someone else chimes in) but it lets us fit a larger battery with a easy modification that has a bit more cold cranking amps. I'll be doing this D-Mod when the time comes to replace my battery.
The Buddy 50 uses the 4L-BS, the Buddy 125-150-170 use the 7A-BS. Some owners manuals say the 125-150-170 use a 7l-BS but I think that is wrong but I don't know for sure.

The "D-Mod" uses a 9-BS battery - http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/viewto ... =1&t=14379

Another option is the 10S-BS. It is about the same size as the 7A-BS but with a lot more cold cranking amps and a few more amp hours. Depending on brands it can have similar "power" to the 9-BS with no modifications. There are a few Modern Buddy members who recommend this battery.

With a Buddy 50 even just upgrading the battery to the 7A-BS is going to give you a lot more starting power.