Buddy 125 Aftermarket Carburetor Observations

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buzzvert
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Buddy 125 Aftermarket Carburetor Observations

Post by buzzvert »

Finally got this bad boy in from China:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CVK26-26mm-Car ... SwjexboAMR

And confirmed that it is, more or less, a drop in replacement for the stock CVK carb with a few notable exceptions:

1) Jets. The jets are larger, and it runs massively rich out of the box. Leaning it out and downsizing the jets will match up the airbox. Curiously, out of the box it runs pretty well with the airbox removed or with a "performance" filter.

2) the intake and venturi will JUST fit on the stock manifold. Very tight fit.

3) The throttle cable is workable out of the box.

4) The auto bystarter is plug-compatible.

In short, if you're stuck and can't find a Buddy 125 carb, this SPECIFIC aftermarket CVK carburetor is very workable. After tuning it will behave similar to stock.
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DeeDee
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Post by DeeDee »

That's a nice write up on an inexpensive alternative to the oem carb. I've come up against this a number of times over the years. It would be helpful to have a $33 option.
PNWbuddy
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Post by PNWbuddy »

I got an identical looking one on Amazon for a few dollars less and one day free shipping with Prime. The one I got was branded Keihin, same as OEM but 26mm instead of 24mm. Jets were Keihin branded. The fuel intake is curved, longer and slightly larger diameter than stock. The pilot was 38 same as the OEM. The main was 118 (OEM is 92) and was way too rich with the stock airbox, as you noted, even for the 161 BBK. With a smaller main jet it ran about the same as the OEM carb.
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buzzvert
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Post by buzzvert »

Here's some more details on the $35 special. I need to get better internal venturi measurements but you get the idea.
Attachments
CVK6.jpg
CVK6.jpg (95.29 KiB) Viewed 921 times
CVK5.jpg
CVK5.jpg (112.01 KiB) Viewed 921 times
CVK4.jpg
CVK4.jpg (128.85 KiB) Viewed 921 times
CVK3.jpg
CVK3.jpg (123.19 KiB) Viewed 921 times
CVK2.jpg
CVK2.jpg (119.93 KiB) Viewed 921 times
CVK1.jpg
CVK1.jpg (91.49 KiB) Viewed 921 times
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buzzvert
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Post by buzzvert »

As evidenced by the above, dat ain't the carb I ordered. It's way bigger than it needs to be. But, it CAN be made to work.

Luckily my stock carb is working fine, esp. after a vac diaphragm replacement.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

A 30mm carb on a stock 125cc engine is WAY overkill. I had one on my highly modified 183cc Blur for a while and while it was pretty good at stop light Gran Prix, for everyday riding it was slightly sluggish on the bottom end and the gas mileage was in the toilet. I eventually put the stock 24mm carb back on (#118 MJ) to get back the gas mileage. I will get a 26mm carb for it one day as a compromise.
Some people can break a crowbar in a sandbox.
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buzzvert
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Post by buzzvert »

babblefish wrote:A 30mm carb on a stock 125cc engine is WAY overkill. I had one on my highly modified 183cc Blur for a while and while it was pretty good at stop light Gran Prix, for everyday riding it was slightly sluggish on the bottom end and the gas mileage was in the toilet. I eventually put the stock 24mm carb back on (#118 MJ) to get back the gas mileage. I will get a 26mm carb for it one day as a compromise.
Yeah. I had to lean it out with jets and completely open up the airbox, and it still wasn't producing what a stock carb could. I just assumed it was the 26mm I ordered... and applied standard protocol.

Goes to show what can be done with the wrong parts. If I ever kit this bike I'll try the 30mm "26" again. Next time I'll bust out the calipers BEFORE I start testing.
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