Buddy won't start unless kick started

laradu · Post by **laradu** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:30 pm

Hey everyone,

I'm hoping this is a different problem that hasn't been covered, if not can someone please help me find the link?

I've recently discovered, right before I had class, that my scooter doesn't want to start unless I kick start it.

I thought it was the battery for some reason... so I replaced it. It has been on and off lately and it's constantly needed to be charged. And it was kind of old. So I just bought a new one.

So, even with a new battery, when I turn my scooter on, things work normally IE horn, lights.. and when I turn the key, the starter will just click.
My scooter friends say it might be the starter or loose connections..
Does anyone know how to fix this problem?
Anything helps,
Thanks!

Christophers · Post by **Christophers** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:44 am

Perhaps the stator needs replacing.

Did the scooter start properly for a period of time after putting in the new battery - eventually ending up exhibiting the same symptoms of not starting?

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 12:58 pm

Jump-start the scoot from a car battery. If it cranks and starts, the starter is OK. I couldn't quite tell from your story, but if a new(-ish) battery works at first but then fails, yeah, it sounds like it's not getting charged, in which case the stator may be the culprit.

If the starter just clicks when powered by the good car battery, then the connections at the starter should be cleaned and retightened. If still bad, the starter itself then should be checked.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 1:48 pm

Note: When jumping from a car battery, leave the car's engine off, to protect against blowing a fuse on the scooter. A car battery is big enough to handle it.

C2 · Post by C2 » Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:15 am

Christophers wrote:Perhaps the stator needs replacing.

This was the big issue with mine. I had very similar issues... and ultimately I got the stator replaced (under warranty) and it's been pretty much smooth sailing ever since.

C2

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:23 am

COULD be a stator, but get that new battery charged and tested FIRST. Always make sure the battery is good, then with a fully charged battery check the charging system

C2 · Post by C2 » Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:40 am

viney266 wrote:COULD be a stator, but get that new battery charged and tested FIRST. Always make sure the battery is good, then with a fully charged battery check the charging system

Agreed... I had some other issues post stator that turned out to be a bad battery. Got a new one and all my issues went away.

phatch · Post by **phatch** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:56 pm

C2 wrote:
viney266 wrote:COULD be a stator, but get that new battery charged and tested FIRST. Always make sure the battery is good, then with a fully charged battery check the charging system
Agreed... I had some other issues post stator that turned out to be a bad battery. Got a new one and all my issues went away.

C2- what were your post stator issues?

bluebuddygirl · Post by **bluebuddygirl** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 5:24 pm

How far are you riding each day? When you put the new battery in did it start the first time? The first few times? I am asking because just like a car, the scooter needs to be driven far enough to recharge the battery. If you are doing nothing but really short trips, then you will deplete the battery starting the scoot, but you are not generating enough replacement power. If you find that it is not the stator, this may be the issue. Or, somehow you got a faulty battery. Was it sealed or did you have to add fluid to it. It is possible for a sealed battery to go bad. It is less likely that is the problem if you had to add the acid, unless you didn't follow the instructions, or had a faulty charger as mentioned above.

Good luck.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:20 pm

Sounds like the starter to me.

If once kick started it is running fine then it probably has nothing to do with the stator unless your battery is not charging. That would be a very unusual stator failure, most are ignition failures.

As suggested get the battery load tested. Your friends gave a good suggestion about checking the connections. Clean them up and begin checking things to eleminate items. Check the starter relay. If the relay is bad you can bypass the relay and "hot wire " the starter to see if it will turn over. Then you know it is the starter, relay or the starter switch.

If the relay is good then it is probably the starter. You can pull the starter, take it apart and try to clean up the coils and contacts. I have tried this and I know others that have tried it and it works...once in a while. It didn't work for me.

Starter replacement is an easy to moderate job. Be sure to order an OEM starter...they are the only ones that will fit. If changing the starter might as well put in a new relay...it is the cheap part.

Keep us updated and good luck!

C2 · Post by C2 » Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:30 pm

phatch wrote:
C2 wrote:
viney266 wrote:COULD be a stator, but get that new battery charged and tested FIRST. Always make sure the battery is good, then with a fully charged battery check the charging system
Agreed... I had some other issues post stator that turned out to be a bad battery. Got a new one and all my issues went away.
C2- what were your post stator issues?

Stalling was the main thing. It would start OK.. and be fine as long as I was moving. But as soon as I would have to stop at a light... it would die. I tweaked the idle to try and compensate, but no joy. It was REALLY quite annoying.

So I tried the simple fix before I headed up to SF Scooter Center to have them look at it... I put in a new battery(with a few more CCA than the stock Prima) and it's been great ever since.

DudeDog · Post by **DudeDog** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:45 pm

I had the exact same problem with my Buddy 50. Mine turned out to be the kill switch. I toggled it on and off - then it wouldn't start electronically, but I could kick start it and all else was OK.

So I toggled the kill switch on and off aggressively a few times and that cleared it up. Since then the kill switch has been replaced under warranty.

Could be something simple to check.

MWPMWP · Post by **MWPMWP** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 2:52 am

I had a similar problem when I first got my 2009 Buddy. About 500 miles in, my scooter wouldn't start with the starter, but I could kick start it. It wasn't all the time either. Sometimes the button worked and other times it didn't.

Eventually after a few weeks the button started working and I never had the same problem again. I'm now at 4500 miles and it starts as good as the first day I bought it.

What I did notice is that I had a slight rattle/vibration right near the starter button. It's basically the plastic body panel. If I hold my hand on it, the vibration stops. I'm thinking that maybe a wire vibrated loose for a while, but eventually corrected itself.

Anyway, it works, so I'm not messing with it!