Starting the scooter

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 1:55 pm

This morning I ran out to the bank and the local convenience store to do some quick errands. When I got to the store I made my purchase and went back out to the scoot.
Each time I made a stop I followed my same starting routine, key in, turn on, hold left brake, kick it to life. Except at the store, I realized I just barely held the brake lever and it started. I thought, "Hmm, that's odd".
Turned the ignition off and went through the starting procedure again, this time I did not hold the brake lever at all, and it fired right up.
So my question is, does anyone know why this would happen? It may have been doing this for some time and I just didn't know it. Since it starts I'm not overly concerned, just wondering why a safety interlock would fail.

If there is a fix for this I would be interested in learning about it. I know that some other makes of scoots don't use this type of system so I am not interested in those, just the ones that do.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 2:22 pm

Kick it to life? Don't know about the RH, but on the Buddy the brake levers are only an interlock for the electric starter. You can kick start it with the brakes off.

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 2:34 pm

Yep, it's true of the Buddy. If you use the kickstarter, you don't need to hold the brake. That's by design.

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:58 pm

Two years of ownership and I am still learning new things. Out of habit I have always held the brake whether using the electric start or kick starting. I went out to test this and it holds true for the RH.

Now I have new knowledge in my bag-o-tricks.
Thank you PeteH and pdxrita for clearing up my confusion. I owe you both a beverage of choice.

zuki · Post by **zuki** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 4:25 am

I have had several scooters that had kick starters and none of them had to have the brake held because u have to have them on the center stand, on the center stand there is most likely no chance of it taking off unexpectedly(but can happen). I had a zuma 125 that wouldn't start at all on the side stand,it had a switch wouldn't let it start until the side stand was up. It was only electric start.

agrogod · Post by **agrogod** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 11:39 am

Never having owned a Genuine before, my local (soon to be out of business) shop owner showed me both ways to start up, electric and kick, and in each case he said the brake lever needed to be held in order to start. I have done it this way since purchase.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:19 pm

It's certainly safer to have a brake engaged, but not necessary.