More N00b Questions

[JoshuaKane]

Hello:

I have had my Buddy 125 for just about a month now. Looking at my Odometer I am creeping up on 186. This is the first point of confusion for me.

Obviously my speedometer is in Miles Per Hour. What I cannot determine is if the Odometer is in Miles or Kilometers. I called my dealer, and they were not sure, they thought is was in K/M but when I asked if the Speedometer being in MPH would mean the Odometer is in Miles, they drew a blank.

This also brings me to the question of the first service. I live close to 100 miles from my dealer, there is no "Scootable" route to them from my house. I was thinking of buying the oil filter myself, and doing the Oil Change for the gear box and the motor oil. Reading some other threads there has been debate over doing this, as folks thought you needed a Dealer visit by 500 miles to avoid voiding the warranty.

So I guess the questions I have are

1) Is the Odometer in Miles or Kilometers
2) Can I do the first oil change and still keep the warranty in tact
3) Why is it impossible to find a number to call Genuine Directly and ask them

thanks for the answers in advance.

-- Joshua

[jfrost2]

1. my dealer claims it's in miles, plus I've already proven this. I ride to my church which is 5.3 miles away, I calculated from my house to the church and I got 5.4 miles added on the odometer, mapquest says 5.3 miles, but the 5.4 was from riding through the parking lot then checking I guess.

Mine's pretty accurate.

2. I think they should do it, my dealer recommends 200-300 miles for the first oil change. Some dealers say they'll void your warranty if you dont do the change with them. I'd pay or rent a truck to transport the scooter to the dealer, the first service should be done by them. Then every 2000 miles you can change your own oil/filter/gearbox oil for 20-30 dollars.

3. All Motorcycle/scooter comapnies are hard to contact, theres no direct number where you can just go ask a simple question and have it answered in 2 seconds.

[KRUSTYburger]

1. my dealer claims it's in miles, plus I've already proven this.

Yours is surprisingly accurate. On most Bud125s, both the speedometer and odometer are higher than REAL miles... Some are off as much as 10% (or so I've heard). Mine's a bit fast, my speedometer will say I'm going 55, but it's really more like 52-53, not too bad. At least I won't get pulled over for speeding!

I also recommend renting a trailer rather than a truck (if you can pull a trailer). They are generally a little cheaper plus you don't have to pay mileage... I did my first oil change at about 210 and I hope I didn't void anything, it's not very clear. I guess I will take it to the dealer for a checkup before I hit 500, just to be safe.

[vitaminC]

Is there another dealer near you? If your dealer doesn't know whether the Bud is reading in mi or km, can you really trust them to turn a wrench?

Consensus seems to be that a dealer needs to do the first service in order to retain the warranty. Read it carefully, and if doesn't specifically say that the dealer needs to do it, then you should be okay, thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Act

[jfrost2]

The only reason I said rent a truck/van is because I feel the bike is safer when attached to the main transport vehicle. A trailer usually doesnt have shocks and when hit bounces because of the large impact on a bump and pot hole, the bike will be taking this torture too.

[Leeroy Jenkins]

My $0.02


1) Neither your odometer is in what I call "Buddy Units" A buddy unit is about .9 mile
2) Not as I understand it.
3) Ask your dealer first.

[JoshuaKane]

I managed to get a hold of the owner of the dealership that I purchased the Buddy from.

According to him it works like this. The dealership has to preform the "Safety Inspection" on the bike, which is done for free, before you hit 500 on the odometer. They have no issues with me doing an oil change. He also mentioned that they only charge for Materials not labor on oil changes so the whole thing should cost under $20.00

I also managed to find a co-worker who will let me borrow his truck so I can drive out to St. Augustine. I also figure that as long as I am out there I will pick up a few extra oil filters and save on shipping

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and opinions.

-- Joshua

[KRUSTYburger]

I managed to get a hold of the owner of the dealership that I purchased the Buddy from.

According to him it works like this. The dealership has to preform the "Safety Inspection" on the bike, which is done for free, before you hit 500 on the odometer. They have no issues with me doing an oil change. He also mentioned that they only charge for Materials not labor on oil changes so the whole thing should cost under $20.00

I also managed to find a co-worker who will let me borrow his truck so I can drive out to St. Augustine. I also figure that as long as I am out there I will pick up a few extra oil filters and save on shipping

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and opinions.

-- Joshua

Thanks for the info, Joshua! Was it Martin Solano you talked to, cuz if it is, that applies to me! I got my Bud125 from Solano in February... He said they do the safety inspection for free? What all does that include? I can do a check of the brakes, oil, lights, tire pressure, etc myself, but do they check the valves and engine stuff too? I guess I can call & ask him. Just thought if you already knew, you could tell me... Thanks! ~Cheryl

[JoshuaKane]

I managed to get a hold of the owner of the dealership that I purchased the Buddy from.

According to him it works like this. The dealership has to preform the "Safety Inspection" on the bike, which is done for free, before you hit 500 on the odometer. They have no issues with me doing an oil change. He also mentioned that they only charge for Materials not labor on oil changes so the whole thing should cost under $20.00

I also managed to find a co-worker who will let me borrow his truck so I can drive out to St. Augustine. I also figure that as long as I am out there I will pick up a few extra oil filters and save on shipping

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and opinions.

-- Joshua

Thanks for the info, Joshua! Was it Martin Solano you talked to, cuz if it is, that applies to me! I got my Bud125 from Solano in February... He said they do the safety inspection for free? What all does that include? I can do a check of the brakes, oil, lights, tire pressure, etc myself, but do they check the valves and engine stuff too? I guess I can call & ask him. Just thought if you already knew, you could tell me... Thanks! ~Cheryl

Cheryl:

It was Martin at Solano. And the inspection is free, he mentioned that a dealer may charge form it if you don't get the scooter from them.

I am not sure exactly what it involves, but he mentioned something about inspecting the bike and adjusting the valves is needed.

I am heading out there on Thursday Morning. I will let you know all the details when I get back.

-- Joshua