Modern Buddy

Seems my stock Buddy sometimes "howls" when accelerating quickly from a stop, there also seems to be some slight slippage in the drive train as well. It doesn't happen all the time. Could my rollers be shot already? I have 5500 miles on it and last service was at 4200 miles. I weigh about 180. Thanks in advance.

My $.02 worth: yes. Most likely your rollers. Go ahead and switch to sliders since you are replacing them. Consider the Dr. Pulley variator while you are at it if you can spare the $90.

The sound you describe can be a build up of belt dust. The slipping sounds like your clutch bell is glazed.

If you ride it hard, the belt and clutch pads will wear faster. You probably just need to open it up, blow out the dust with an air compressor and check the bell to make sure it's not slippery. A light scuffing with Emory cloth on the inside of the bell should return your grip.

Were the rollers change at 4200?

Sounds a bit more like belt slippage at this point, but if you're going to crack the transmission, you may as well check the rollers.

ericalm wrote:Were the rollers change at 4200?

Sounds a bit more like belt slippage at this point, but if you're going to crack the transmission, you may as well check the rollers.

No roller change at 4200, just an oil/filter...

Your rollers might be worn, but they shouldn't be shot. PGO uses really hard nylon casings for their rollers. They last a pretty good long while.

Sliders do perform a little better and seem to last a little longer, but keep your money in your pocket until you see that they have significant flat spots. Slider weights aren't mandatory and I really think most folks who just ride the scoots would do well to keep the stock rollers until they wear out, then replace them with sliders if that's what they want to do. I learned it the hard way ($$$) but do as you will, lol.

That being said, I don't think rollers are the cause of either the howling or the slipping. See my previous post for that.

Lostmycage wrote:Your rollers might be worn, but they shouldn't be shot. PGO uses really hard nylon casings for their rollers. They last a pretty good long while.

Sliders do perform a little better and seem to last a little longer, but keep your money in your pocket until you see that they have significant flat spots. Slider weights aren't mandatory and I really think most folks who just ride the scoots would do well to keep the stock rollers until they wear out, then replace them with sliders if that's what they want to do. I learned it the hard way ($$$) but do as you will, lol.

That being said, I don't think rollers are the cause of either the howling or the slipping. See my previous post for that.

Flat rollers will shudder, which could feel like slipping if you didn't know better. That being said, I think I got about 6k outa the stock ones.

Sounds like excess belt dust causing belt slip. This could be your howling. Hard to tell though as I can't hear it very well

Kaos wrote:Flat rollers will shudder, which could feel like slipping if you didn't know better. That being said, I think I got about 6k outa the stock ones.

Agreed! Chances are, you'd notice some other problems with flat rollers—rattling, uneven acceleration at other speeds, noises as you decelerate.