Buddy tries to die in the cold

thebirdandtheb · Post by **thebirdandtheb** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:27 pm

I'm newish (by about 4 months) to the world of scootering. I have a Buddy 50 which is my main source of transporation. I live in Downtown Houston about a mile and a half from my work.

Ever since the winter, on days when it's really cold (For us Houstonians that means 40 or below) the scooter starts fine, but wants to die if it sits idling for more than a minute. If I ride it for about 10 minutes, it's fine. Also, if it does die and I go to restart it, it starts right up.

I usually let it warm up for a couple minutes before riding it. It runs fine, accelerates perfectly, etc and I only have this issue when the temperature dips.

My scooter stays outside. I have a cover that I put on it when it gets really cold, but my apartment doesn't have a garage or covered parking.

Is this just a product of winter? Also, is there anything I should do to "winterize" my scooter since I will still be riding it heavily?

Thanks for your help!

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:51 pm

We have 2 buddies that live outside with covers (with 4 bikes and no garage, it's all we can do).

In the winter the idle may be set a little low. We get a lot colder than Houston, but still ride year round. adjusting the idle (just a TINY bit!) is pretty easy, but if you're not comfortable you can always have your local shop do it.

topic17556.html is the link to the tech library, which is a source of awesome!

Another thing you'll want to do fairly frequently in the winter is check your tire pressure. We tend to have to do it every couple of weeks to keep ideal pressure. If you're not going to ride all the time, you'll want to winterize it so that you're ready to go come Spring.

Welcome and enjoy!

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Nov 28, 2013 3:41 am

thebirdandtheb wrote:I'm newish (by about 4 months) to the world of scootering. I have a Buddy 50 which is my main source of transporation. I live in Downtown Houston about a mile and a half from my work.

Ever since the winter, on days when it's really cold (For us Houstonians that means 40 or below) the scooter starts fine, but wants to die if it sits idling for more than a minute. If I ride it for about 10 minutes, it's fine. Also, if it does die and I go to restart it, it starts right up.

I usually let it warm up for a couple minutes before riding it. It runs fine, accelerates perfectly, etc and I only have this issue when the temperature dips.

My scooter stays outside. I have a cover that I put on it when it gets really cold, but my apartment doesn't have a garage or covered parking.

Is this just a product of winter? Also, is there anything I should do to "winterize" my scooter since I will still be riding it heavily?

Thank you for putting "winterize" in quotes; you do not have an actual winter.

Keeping the scooter outdoors in the pleasant conditions you describe shouldn't be a problem at all. I do the same during the Spring and Fall. You may find it stalls sometimes when it isn't warmed up, but that's nothing to be concerned about... just adjust the idle a little (or give it a little gas when it threatens to die) and it'll be fine.

(The only time you'd need to worry about winterizing is if conditions don't allow you to ride for a stretch of several weeks, which might mean putting some Sta-bil in the gas tank and hooking the battery up to a tender.)

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Nov 28, 2013 5:34 am

Welcome to Modern Buddy!

It's easy to adjust the idle, which is probably all it needs.

Instructions here:
topic4153.html#46188

ed85379 · Post by **ed85379** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:11 pm

ericalm wrote:Welcome to Modern Buddy!

It's easy to adjust the idle, which is probably all it needs.

Instructions here:
topic4153.html#46188

Or you can just do what I do. During the first several minutes of riding, I generally keep a tiny bit of throttle going while stopped, just to keep the chain-reaction going. Just make sure you keep the other hand tightly holding the brake.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 6:51 pm

ed85379 wrote:
ericalm wrote:Welcome to Modern Buddy!

It's easy to adjust the idle, which is probably all it needs.

Instructions here:
topic4153.html#46188
Or you can just do what I do. During the first several minutes of riding, I generally keep a tiny bit of throttle going while stopped, just to keep the chain-reaction going. Just make sure you keep the other hand tightly holding the brake.

That's good for warming it up. If the idle's set too low, though, it will die even after warmup, when the idle should have settled.

spodgorski · Post by **spodgorski** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 3:09 pm

This is totally normal. The carburetor is set for the warmer temperature. The colder air makes the engine run lean in regards to the air/fuel mix ratio. The carburetor could be adjusted but since you mainly have warm weather just leave it.

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 2:34 am

One of my 125s has done the same thing pretty much from day one. If I adjust the throttle, then it idles too fast when it's warm.

I'd say use your judgement...if it seems to idle the speed you like once it's warm, I wouldn't mess with the idle. I just do like ed85379 and give mine a little throttle when coming to a stop for the first mile or so until it warms up.

I use Seafoam all the time, and while Seafoam is a great product, and I'll continue to use it, it has had no effect on this particular issue.

Buddy tries to die in the cold

Buddy tries to die in the cold

Re: Buddy tries to die in the cold