Modern Buddy

Pardon te brevity I'm on my phone . I parked this morning and now my scooter won't start. Electric start has been broken for about a week, and was scheduled I be looked at tmrw, along with getting my first service afterwards .

I've been kick starting for a week but right now it just won't start. I hear it trying, but it just won't catch. I checked spark plug and it looks clean.

Ahhhh! I'm parked on 16th between 7 and 8 ave. and yes the kill switch is on! [/code]

Fuse is good (blinkers work)

It probably won't make any difference, but take the gas tank cap off to make sure it isn't pressurized. Then put it back on and try again. Also remember to grab the brake handle (as well as the kill switch being on). You'd be surprised how many people still occasionally forget one or the other.

I took off gas cap and heard a big suction noise so it was definitely pressurized. Let it air for 10 seconds then tried again I kick start.. No luck. After a few more tries I checked the gas cap again and it was pressurized a bit.. Is that normal?

Just in case, try leaving the cap just a little loose, so it doesn't quite seal.

bimbom wrote:I took off gas cap and heard a big suction noise so it was definitely pressurized. Let it air for 10 seconds then tried again I kick start.. No luck. After a few more tries I checked the gas cap again and it was pressurized a bit.. Is that normal?

No it isn't normal. You probably filled your tank too full the last fillup. You can't fill the tank all the way on a Buddy. You have to make sure to keep the level at least and inch or two down from the lip. IIRC, since your scooter hasn't had it's first service (I'm assuming it's new), it has an insert in your tank to prevent the nozzle from going too far into the tank. Never fill gas beyond the bottom of that insert.

You probably had gas splash into your overflow tube and charcoal emissions cannister. You might be out of luck. Usually the solution is just to wait until the fuel has evaporated out of the cannister.

Try to start it with the gas cap off.

If nothing works, call the Genuine Roadside Assistance number at 1-866-311-8982. They'll tow you to your dealer for free since it's still under warranty.

Pull out the spark plug for a several mins to allow a flooded engine's gas to evaporate? This worked for me once. Carb may be dirty otherwise if its been a while since you've used it or put in sub par fuel.

Do they tow for free?...or is it just a certain distance they tow for free? Just curious--does anyone know?

I hope you got your scooter going. So sorry to hear about this.

k1dude wrote:Also remember to grab the brake handle...

That's an urban legend when kick starting. At least on my '09 Buddy 125 you don't have to hold a brake lever when kick starting.

SuperFlyBuddy wrote:

k1dude wrote:Also remember to grab the brake handle...

That's an urban legend when kick starting. At least on my '09 Buddy 125 you don't have to hold a brake lever when kick starting.

Really? I'll have to give it a try tomorrow.

Hey all, sorry for the lack of updates. So after 30 min of Kick try attempts, drenched in sweat.. My girlfriend arrives and I asked her to throttle a bit as I kickstart it. On the second try it starts up. She throttled so hard I think the whole block heard it (overestimating my "a bit" remark). Luckily it was on the center stand or the thing would've gone flying.

Anyway, I believe this was all from the gas becoming pressurized. As I recall my last fillip may have overfilled. Thanks all for the help