Modern Buddy

Hello All,

I purchased the #15 of 174 of the Psycho addition today only a couple hours ago. I rode the scooter from the dealership back to my home on small roads only because I was worried we would put too much stress on the engine. At 23 miles we reached home. We let it sit in our garage for an hour before riding it to the movies. Watched a 2.5 hour movie and came out to scoot on home. Well it dies twice. We got it going to where we made it home. My husband let it run for about 5 minutes to see if the problem persisted. Nothing. So he test drove it again. He was stranded for about 30 minutes before our friend came to jump it again. What are we doing wrong? He puts it in the Lock position every time not even on the Off but actual LOCK. Should I be worried? We literally bought it 6 hours ago. Please help. Anyone?

Sarah

you said he had to have someone give him a jump, could he not kick start it?

It may just need to have the battery charged although the dealer really should have made sure the battery was charged before selling it to you. It may not be holding a charge and in that case you'll need a new battery which should be covered under the two year warranty I would imagine.

I think they have corrected this problem but did you try removing the gas cap and then replacing it. There was an issue called vapor lock with the old gas caps but I thought they had replaced the old caps with new ones that fixed this issue. Still worth a try.

Thanks for the fast reply! He did kickstart it, but by that time it was dead he could no longer get it to start. So he got it jumped. Sounds like it is running ok, but I also told him about the gas cap thing and if it happens again we will do that. I'm just so worried because we just purchased it brand new out of the dealership only hours ago.

If it wouldn't start normally, but it did start with a jump, then that seems to point to the battery. Maybe the dealer didn't prep it properly with a full charge. I see two possible courses of action:
1) Try to charge the battery yourself with a trickle charger.
2) Take it back to the dealer. That's what the warranty is for.

Because of the excellent warranty, it'll definitely all work out for the best in the end. Congrats on the new Psycho! It'll be a great scooter - no doubt about it.

I wouldn't worry too much. Even if you did get a bad battery it's a super quick fix and Genuine,s two year warranty is awesome. btw I'm totally jealous, the Psycho is a great look'n scoot

i would not worry too much, Sarah. neither you or your friend should worry. you certainly don't want to fiddle around too much with a scooter under full two year warranty. and any issues you have initially should be taken care of by the dealer or under warranty

just don't tamper with it in a way which would make the shop question your actions or void your warranty

first day issues can be common with any mechanical product such as this

do not fret! but be patient and look forward to enjoying the ride. these are by and large extremely reliable and dependable bikes

Thanks everyone for the replies that puts me to ease. I've ridden sport bikes since I was 16 and I can take one apart, but I don't know my way around scooters yet there is no way I would take a chance with that. That IS what the warranty is for. It seems it is the battery. I am ordering the trickle charger right now and taking it into the dealership on Tuesday when they opened. I've researched for over 6 months on the Buddy and rode it for a day on vacation. I fell in love instantly. So I know they are very dependable. Hopefully my experience gets better! Again, thanks for all of your help.

By the way, welcome to Modern Buddy. This community is the undocumented bonus that comes with buying a Buddy!

oh heck sarah, you're a rider? have cycles? you're good to go. these are very simple machines and backed by a great little company. it will get worked out fine and your research will have paid off

and being a sportbike rider you can take advantage of that NCY suspension / brake set up right away

congrats on your badass Psycho and welcome to scooting!

Yes, I'm 24 now so I've been riding sport bikes for about 8 years. I own a Ninja 250 and a Honda CBR. Also, which trickle charger should I purchase? I am looking on scooterworks.com and I see one for $26. I do not mind spending money on the best stuff, but it needs to be dependable one. So is this one sufficient for my Psycho?

I am not familiar with all the brands, but my Buddy came with Deltran's Battery Tender Jr.

Back to the dealer, tell them the problem, have them fix it.

juls64 wrote:I am not familiar with all the brands, but my Buddy came with Deltran's Battery Tender Jr.

yup. this seems to be the favorite of many. i don't have one but a neighbor has a couple for his bikes. i asked him about 'em and he says its a great product. he has the regular 'Tender but says Tender Jr is just as well for scooters. i don't have one, though. my Agility starts fine. even the Buddy which has only been rode 1000 miles in 20 months and who's battery was once cranked 15 times in the cold trying to start it, fires up first time, most of the time

battery seems fine

rsrider wrote:Back to the dealer, tell them the problem, have them fix it.

Agreed, but it's good to have a battery tender on hand anyhow for winter, and long storage times. I think most of us use a Battery Tender Jr. I can't remember if mine came with the 12-volt outlet adapter, or if I had to order it separately, but that's how I charge mine all the time, rather than pulling up the floor covering, etc. Very convenient!

I agree with everyone that it seems like it's the battery. Hang in there--I'm sure you are going to love your scooter and find that it is indeed super reliable after you get this issue resolved!

I would take it back to the dealer, and welcome 2 the club, lots of good people on this site....

When Buddies are very new, it's not uncommon to have the occasional stall, like when you are coming to a stop at a light. When the motors are new they are 'tight'. It's nothing to worry about if it starts up again, and will go away with some miles.

It's also possible, as most here have suggested, that the battery is not up to its job. Maybe the bike shipped with an underperforming battery, maybe the dealer could have charged it longer before delivery. Your dealer can test the battery and swap you out a new one if needed.

No customer ever left my shop with a new Buddy without starting it at least once with the kickstarter in front of me. Sometimes very small women had a hard time with it, but I always worked on it with them until we had both experienced them starting their bike with the kicker. Between doing that and having a house rule about charging new batteries overnight (it can be all too possible to rush a bike out the door with an inadequate charge when a customer is all excited and things are busy), and gently pushing for a battery-tender sale by discounting and installing at time of purchase, we eliminated next-day-callbacks like yours.

(except for when they call to ask why the turn signals on the front panel don't work)

Of course it could be something else, a funky loose wire somewhere, but I bet everything will turn out fine.

run_sarah_run wrote:Yes, I'm 24 now so I've been riding sport bikes for about 8 years. I own a Ninja 250 and a Honda CBR. Also, which trickle charger should I purchase? I am looking on scooterworks.com and I see one for $26. I do not mind spending money on the best stuff, but it needs to be dependable one. So is this one sufficient for my Psycho?

As others have said, the Battery Tender Jr. is the one to buy. If you look around you should be able to find it for $15 to $20.

Don't let the dealer just charge the battery. Have them REPLACE the battery for a new one. Once a battery has been discharged that far, it will never be the same. You purchased a NEW scooter. Demand a NEW battery.

^agreed. Battery may not fully recover from a near full discharge. And like others have mentioned, the warranty is for stuff like this. G'luck.

Thanks for all of your help. We are heading into the Scooter store tomorrow first thing when they open up. My husband fell in love with the scooter over the weekend so much that we are actually going to buy the last Psycho they have in stock. This obviously did not deter him at all.

run_sarah_run wrote:Thanks for all of your help. We are heading into the Scooter store tomorrow first thing when they open up. My husband fell in love with the scooter over the weekend so much that we are actually going to buy the last Psycho they have in stock. This obviously did not deter him at all.

I think you'll find the issue is a quick fix and will like your Buddy's all the more when you see how well Genuine takes care of its customers.

This problem is easily solved. Remember that every new Genuine Buddy scooter comes with a 2 year full warranty, AND free roadside assistance. If your scooter isn't working, simply do the following:

1. Call the Genuine Roadside Assistance number, shown on your Genuine Roadside Assistance card that came with your scooter.

2. When roadside assistance arrives, have them bring your scooter back to the Genuine Dealership.

3. Have your Genuine Dealer fix the problem.

If you haven't received your Roadside Assistance card in the mail yet (pretty unlikely for a brand new scoot), your ID is your VIN number, and just for reference, the phone number is 866-311-8982.

run_sarah_run wrote:Thanks for all of your help. We are heading into the Scooter store tomorrow first thing when they open up. My husband fell in love with the scooter over the weekend so much that we are actually going to buy the last Psycho they have in stock. This obviously did not deter him at all.

years of fun in store for you two--congrats!

While a battery tender is a good idea, and I have them on every one of my motos and scoots, a brand new scoot should not need one after the first day!
The battery is defective and should be replaced as when the scoot was running it should have charged it. The battery obviously did not take a charge.

Hi Sarah

We all wonder how it worked out for you? Feel free to post back and let us know.

I wonder if your husband did in fact get his Psycho?