Modern Buddy

My girlfriend has a 50cc 2 stroke Buddy which she never bothers to winterize. She has had it for about 3 years now and probably only puts about 300 miles a summer on it. We went to start it the other day and you will never guess what happened. It started right up!! No battery tender, no Stabil, nothing. Three cranks of the ELECTRIC STARTER and a little smoke and it was running like a top!

I was afraid it was going to be a long process involving seafoam and carb cleaner.

Does the fact that it lives in a heated garage make a difference? Was she lucky? or is winterization not as important as it seems?

IMO....
Heated garage helps with the battery. Letting them get below freezing for long periods of time shortens their life in my experience.

I have found 2 strokes to be easier to get going after storage than 4 strokes

I am a little surprised that a 3 year old battery held enough charge, after winter, to start it right up but she must have good karma

I dont go crazy over winterization - I just pull the battery, put in some sea foam & fill up the tank. My Stella (2 stroke) fired up Saturday on the 2nd kick (after being in the cold shed all winter)

I do suggest replacing the spark plug after it has been sitting for the winter. For $2.50 & 5 minutes worth of time, it's cheap maintenance.

& dont forget to check the tire pressure!

I'm a pessimist - I threw in SeaFoam and Stabil.

premix in the gas will help lesson the effects of the crap gas. So a 2T is better off. I STILL throw star-tron or stabil in everything I have. Taking off carbs is a pain.

ScootLemont wrote:
I am a little surprised that a 3 year old battery held enough charge,

My 2007 Buddy has the original battery and is still going strong ~knock on wood (tapping forehead)

I don't have any idea.

PeteH wrote:I'm a pessimist - I threw in SeaFoam and Stabil.

PeteH: I do the "same" exact thing! But...I also add Startron ethynol fuel stabilizer as well with every fill-up here in Mass. When I store my Kymco GTI300 for our harsh New England winters, I also add a touch of Lucus Oil/Gas treatment & a little Octane Booster. Gasoline degrades pretty fast & I think additives work. Some people refer to them as "snake oil" sales...but they been working for me for years!

Maximus: Count your lucky stars! You're really lucky! Your battery shouldn't have worked like it has! Do yourself a favor & install a Deltran Battery Tender Jr. here:

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-02 ... +tender+jr

It's the best $25.00 I have ever spent! I'm sure there are many people on these boards that will back me up on this!