Modern Buddy

Being new to the scooter world I am wondering if any of you have seen this. I am relying on the wisdom of the masses here. It seems problematic to me. In case you can't tell that is my kick start.

I would guess your leaking gear oil, but I'm no expert.

Yup, looks like gear oil to me but the dealer said thats thats impossible because there is no oil around the kick start. I don't really see what else it could be. I noticed it right away when I got the Buddy home after purchase but I figured it was something that may have happened during assembly. I whipped it off when I did my first oil change (both motor and gear) at 200 miles. Now there is 500 miles on it and there it is still. Must be a bad seal. I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen.

Bring it to your dealer, and MAKE them fix it. It is OBVIOUSLY leaking. (even if your dealer pretends not to see it or calls it "weeping")

Unacceptable.

The more I think about it this seems as though it would be engine oil. It must be leaking through into the transmission via the crankshaft and out the kick start seal. Yup, problematic. I wonder how much oil is on the belt?

Man hope you get that fixed soon (sorry you're having a problem in the first place) Let us know what the official problem/fix is once you find out. What dealer did you get your Buddy from?

I got it from Scoot Around Town. I shot them some photos by email so they could assess the problem. After looking at the Buddy service manual I see why he told me this shouldn't be oil. The kick shaft is independent from anything that contains oil and of course the transmission is dry. It appears to have an open vent on the bottom slightly forward from kick start shaft where I suppose moisture could be introduced that could run through the kick shaft bearings when forced through by air pressure. Could the black substance be belt dust? Also the bearing for the kick shaft itself could be a source of the problem. As you can see I have given this all quite a bit of thought..... maybe too much.

I have the same thing. It can't be oil...like you said, there is no oil in the tranny. I think it may be the belt dust/moisture thing, or grease from the bearing. Mine's been like this off and on since new, and I have 1300 trouble free miles...I'll ask at my next service.

JeremyZ wrote:Bring it to your dealer, and MAKE them fix it. It is OBVIOUSLY leaking. (even if your dealer pretends not to see it or calls it "weeping")

Unacceptable.

(Edited by moderator)

That little bit of seepage is perfectly normal. That assembly is lubbed a little bit durring production, so... when it gets warm it is perfectly normal for a little lube to seep out.

Patina wrote:
.... I restrained myself from calling you a (beep)

Patina: I think you just did. There's no need for such harsh words in this forum, we're all "Buddys" here. Somehow I think you would have chosen your words more carefully if you were face to face with Jeremy. Get off the nasty bus and get a life. And yes, if I were face to face with YOU I would tell you the same thing.

Could be as simple as a a little spray lube on the kick start shaft itself.. It may have ran a little and collected some road junk... Now that you have a picture, you can wipe it off, and see if it reappears... Not enough volume is weeping to matter at this point, so you can take your time if you like to see if it comes back.... Good Luck....

Genuine contacted me today. They believe its just some assembly oil, no worries. That was my initial thought until it happened again then I got concerned but I got this info from Genuine themselves so there it is. All is well again.

Sweet! I am a first time scooter owner and I know all these little things can make you anxious...glad it's no biggie

krylonics wrote:Genuine contacted me today. They believe its just some assembly oil, no worries. That was my initial thought until it happened again then I got concerned but I got this info from Genuine themselves so there it is. All is well again.

Definitely good to hear it was nothing. So now I know not to freak out about it if it happens to me...lol But make sure to save you correspondence with Genuine... just in case

JeremyZ wrote:Bring it to your dealer, and MAKE them fix it. It is OBVIOUSLY leaking. (even if your dealer pretends not to see it or calls it "weeping")

Unacceptable.

There are plenty of situations where this is perfectly good advice. The dealer should definitely take care of the situation (and should want to fix it for you) especially when you just got a NEW scooter.

Corsair wrote:

JeremyZ wrote:Bring it to your dealer, and MAKE them fix it. It is OBVIOUSLY leaking. (even if your dealer pretends not to see it or calls it "weeping")

Unacceptable.

There are plenty of situations where this is perfectly good advice. The dealer should definitely take care of the situation (and should want to fix it for you) especially when you just got a NEW scooter.

I think you need to be respectful, realistic, and calm when you go to the dealer. If I walked in with the attitude that I am going to MAKE them do something, before understanding what the problem is, I would only ruin my credibility and my relationship with them.

Well I have the same thing on my scoot, not as pronounced but its there, never thought it was anything but now its good to know its just cosmetic – thanx for the report.

captaintg wrote: I think you need to be respectful, realistic, and calm when you go to the dealer. If I walked in with the attitude that I am going to MAKE them do something, before understanding what the problem is, I would only ruin my credibility and my relationship with them.

Completely agree. Once again I do feel that your dealer should WANT to keep your scooter running good.