Battery question?

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ret63
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Battery question?

Post by ret63 »

I have had by brand new Buddy Italia for just over a month now.
Today I was on my way to work and when I pressed my electronic starter it made a weak sound and never started.
I try again once or twice and it seemed worse.
Next I tried to kick start and was on my way.
Again when I was leaving work I had to kick start again.

When I got home I noticed my headlight was really weak. Could it be the battery? How long should a new battery last?
Does it work like a car when it running regenerating power back to battery to keep it charged?
I have been using it almost everyday it seems a little early to be having problems.

Thanks

RET
TVB

Post by TVB »

Yeah, the battery is supposed to get recharged from excess power produced by the running engine. The Buddy engine doesn't produce a lot of excess power, however, so a lot of short rides at low throttle may not charge it enough. If that's how you typically use the scooter, you might benefit from getting a Battery Tender Jr to help keep the battery charged overnight. Try taking the scooter for some longer rides and see if the battery gets charged better from them.

By the way, the headlight is not powered by the battery. It gets its power only from the engine, so a low headlight really just tells you how much power the engine was putting out at the time (which usually isn't a lot extra). If the engine was idling fairly low, that might explain the weak headlight.
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Dooglas
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Post by Dooglas »

Well, yes, it is a lot too early. At least a couple possibilities to consider - both should be covered by warranty. The first is that the battery is defective - perhaps a dead cell. The second is a problem with the stator or voltage regulator, leading to the battery not charging properly. I'd discuss this with your dealer. All this assumes that you are riding far enough to actually charge the battery - if not, a tender might be in order. How long are most of your trips?
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ret63
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Post by ret63 »

TVB wrote:Yeah, the battery is supposed to get recharged from excess power produced by the running engine. The Buddy engine doesn't produce a lot of excess power, however, so a lot of short rides at low throttle may not charge it enough. If that's how you typically use the scooter, you might benefit from getting a Battery Tender Jr to help keep the battery charged overnight. Try taking the scooter for some longer rides and see if the battery gets charged better from them.

By the way, the headlight is not powered by the battery. It gets its power only from the engine, so a low headlight really just tells you how much power the engine was putting out at the time (which usually isn't a lot extra). If the engine was idling fairly low, that might explain the weak headlight.
Thanks, I also had a Prima performance exhaust put on recently so it really does idle low these days.

I live in the city so most of my trips are about 10-15 mins each, maybe a long trip would benefit.
How does the battery tender work? is it off household power?
My only source of power where I park would be my car.

Thanks
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ret63
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Post by ret63 »

Dooglas wrote:Well, yes, it is a lot too early. At least a couple possibilities to consider - both should be covered by warranty. The first is that the battery is defective - perhaps a dead cell. The second is a problem with the stator or voltage regulator, leading to the battery not charging properly. I'd discuss this with your dealer. All this assumes that you are riding far enough to actually charge the battery - if not, a tender might be in order. How long are most of your trips?
I live in the city so most of my trips are about 10-15 mins each.
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Dooglas
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Post by Dooglas »

ret63 wrote:I live in the city so most of my trips are about 10-15 mins each.
If you rarely do a trip much longer than that, your problem is likely right there. Scooters don't produce enough power at idle or low speeds to make much of a contribution to recharging the battery. Using a tender does require access to AC power. If you really can't arrange for periodic parking in a place with power access, the other choice is to remove the battery for recharging - admittedly a pain.
david12df
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Battery question?

Post by david12df »

i've had battery the orignal battery 3 years strong , for ten mile ride to charge battery
no outlet, take battery out and charge in house
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KABarash
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Re: Battery question?

Post by KABarash »

david12df wrote: no outlet, take battery out and charge in house
Probably your best option. As others have said here and in other threads, short commutes can and will actually be a detriment to your battery. I know, my previous 10 mile round trip commute pretty much assassinated my battery.
Removing the battery is pretty much no big deal, lift the floor mat and remove a couple screws. You have to do that anyway to put the tender's alligator clips on it.
How about a loooong extension cord the one or two times a week you need to put it on the tender?
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TVB

Post by TVB »

My typical daily use is a couple of 15-minute rides, so it's not inconceivable for a battery to get by on that amount of charging. It'd be worth getting the battery tested.
50CC Cape Cod
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Post by 50CC Cape Cod »

If you have a volt meter try taking a reading that will at least give you a
better view of the battery condition. If it is new a simple recharge may be
a quick fix. I would also contact the dealer. The volts should be at least
around 12.8V range. You can always take it into autozone or advance and they will check it out for free. If you charge it you want to trickle charge it. Also check that the terminal connections are tight and have not loosened up.
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ret63
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Post by ret63 »

So I stopped in the dealer where I purchased Italia from early today..
They had a look ...and yep, it was the battery.
The replaced it at no charge.
Also ordered one of them Battery Tenders just in case this happens again.

Hey, thanks for all your advice.

RET
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