Modern Buddy

I have a 2013 125 Buddy that just hit 10,000 miles. I drive my scooter on a daily basis to work and want to ensure it operates fine. Are there any special maintenance  requirements at 10,000 miles? What wear and tear should I expect? I take my scooter for tune ups and oil changes etc to the Genuine Buddy Service dept at the dealer for any services but we have little discussion about any special maintenance and not sure what questions I need to ask at this point. I haven't had any issues with my Buddy so far.

My former scooter was a Schwinn 50 and it only had 4,500 miles on it before it became too costly to continue operating- belt broke, carburetor cleaning few times a summer, frame was not supported, loose gas line so many issues

Have you changed the belt and rollers yet? If not, they are certainly due.

First of all, welcome to MB nicebeaches.
Congrats on your 10k milestone. You might want to read some of Bonegirl's posts since she had the same scooter as you (even the same color) and she put 40k miles on hers.
Most definitely keep an eye on the belt and rollers. Bonegirl swore by synthetic oil and premium gas so I guess those would help you get to 40k too.

I had my rollers and belt changed at 10,000. The mechanic said they were still in pretty good shape. But if the belt goes, it is very costly to repair at that point. These little scoots are the real deal. Bullet proof.

Welcome to MB, nicebeaches. You can look forward to several more 10,000 mile reports!

We have rode three Buddy scooters over 10,000 miles - keep the service up and you will be fine.

schroeder wrote:I had my rollers and belt changed at 10,000. The mechanic said they were still in pretty good shape. But if the belt goes, it is very costly to repair at that point. These little scoots are the real deal. Bullet proof.

They are indeed bulletproof. FWIW, the "looks" of a belt is not a good barometer of its condition. The heat inside the trans. and the age of the belt are a factor. It's always suggested that you go by mileage and nothing else.


Edit-Derp. And yes, age(if the scooter has been sitting).

Have your valves adjusted if you haven't already.

Thank you everyone! Theres so much information on this site and appreciate the advice. I'll take my scooter in to have the belt and rollers changed, I want to keep my scooter cruising for a long time. I really love how the buddy is durable, zippy and disaster free.

ThNk you thank you!

nicebeaches wrote:Thank you everyone! Theres so much information on this site and appreciate the advice. I'll take my scooter in to have the belt and rollers changed, I want to keep my scooter cruising for a long time. I really love how the buddy is durable, zippy and disaster free.

ThNk you thank you!

And buy 3 of these little guys, too.

http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/prod ... ansmission

I recommend buying the whole deal(rollers, belt, and side pieces) and bringing them to your dealer. They may not have the parts and if they do they will probably charge more than what you can get them for yourself.

I have a follow up question.. I took a peek under the scooter and see the pipes leading to the muffler are a little rusted, should I be concerned? Do the pipes need to be replaced?

KrispyKreme wrote:

nicebeaches wrote:Thank you everyone! Theres so much information on this site and appreciate the advice. I'll take my scooter in to have the belt and rollers changed, I want to keep my scooter cruising for a long time. I really love how the buddy is durable, zippy and disaster free.

ThNk you thank you!

And buy 3 of these little guys, too.

http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/cart

I recommend buying the whole deal(rollers, belt, and side pieces) and bringing them to your dealer. They may not have the parts and if they do they will probably charge more than what you can get them for yourself.

Why are you linking an empty cart?

k1dude wrote:

KrispyKreme wrote:

nicebeaches wrote:Thank you everyone! Theres so much information on this site and appreciate the advice. I'll take my scooter in to have the belt and rollers changed, I want to keep my scooter cruising for a long time. I really love how the buddy is durable, zippy and disaster free.

ThNk you thank you!

And buy 3 of these little guys, too.

http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/cart

I recommend buying the whole deal(rollers, belt, and side pieces) and bringing them to your dealer. They may not have the parts and if they do they will probably charge more than what you can get them for yourself.

Why are you linking an empty cart?

I think Krispy specified it in this statement:

I recommend buying the whole deal(rollers, belt, and side pieces)

Parts are shown here:

Buddy 125 Transmission

Rollers are #29, Belt is #24 and side pieces are #30, the plastic ramp guides for the variator.

Sound advice.

^^^^^Thanks AZ. People sometimes forget about those side pieces.



The link changed on me k1dude.

nicebeaches wrote:I have a follow up question.. I took a peek under the scooter and see the pipes leading to the muffler are a little rusted, should I be concerned? Do the pipes need to be replaced?

Nothing to worry about now, but you get a rear tire you could ask the dealer to sand it and spray it with some BBQ paint while the exhaust is removed.

Thank you for clarifying the orders in the scooter lounge parts. I ordered all the parts you suggested and will take my scooter for fine tuning once all the parts arrive.

Thank you thank you!!

My wife's had 10k miles on it when it suffered an unnatural death. I have over 15k. Other than some minor rattling due to loose bodywork and the like, no problems at all.

Valves should be checked, but regular maintenance should get you to triple that mileage no problem.

skully93 wrote:
Valves should be checked, but regular maintenance should get you to triple that mileage no problem.

If you can learn to do valve adjustments and fluid changes(videos online show you how) you can save lots of $. My local shop was going to charge $110 for a valve adjustment I can now perform in about 15 minutes.

nicebeaches wrote:Thank you for clarifying the orders in the scooter lounge parts. I ordered all the parts you suggested and will take my scooter for fine tuning once all the parts arrive.

Thank you thank you!!

That is fantastic. Update when you are on the road!

Krispy Kreme, I'm still scooting everyday with the Buddy 125 and its so convenient than taking public trans or highway. I never knew a scooter can work past 10,000 miles so I have a little anxiety that something might break soon but didn't know what I should bring up to the service dept for a quality check. I'm definitely taking it in to prevent a major issue.

Yea the oil changes are pricey and would like to change it myself but I can't do any car maintenance in my condo garage and don't have a place where I can responsibly to dispose of oils. Also, would changing oil yourself void the 2 year warranty?..I'm over the 2 year mark now I guess, but I can reconsider it if changing the oil is easy. Would you recommend this 2 part video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJxeHbsq6gA

The valves, are those the things under the seat (the little cutout section)?

Firstly, the Buddy is a very high quality scooter that can go for many miles.

As far as the warranty, as long as you get the first service done at the dealership, you are good. Your warranty (2 yr) is from the date of purchase.

The video is spot on. As far as a place to do oil changes, just lay down some cardboard and have at it. It's not like you have a '76 Nova on bricks. As for disposing of oil, get a plastic drip pan at Walmart. It holds several oil changes worth. When its full go to any car shop and ask to dump it with theirs. They may charge you but usually they don't.

Lastly, valves are on the cylinder head. Take the cap off(with an 8mm t-socket wrench, great tool) and there they are. You can find video out there for this also. There are many members here who have more knowledge that I do, so just ask whenever you need to.

*For other members, please correct me if I'm wrong about anything.

Can you maybe find a shady corner of a park's parking lot to do the oil change? The new oil and a container large enough to hold the old oil would probably fit under the seat along with a very small tarp to protect the ground.
You'd probably be breaking a local ordinance, but if someone questions you you could just say you broke down and will be done with the repair in a couple of minutes....

nicebeaches wrote:
The valves, are those the things under the seat (the little cutout section)?

That is the carburetor. Videos taught me.

nicebeaches wrote:Krispy Kreme, I'm still scooting everyday with the Buddy 125 and its so convenient than taking public trans or highway. I never knew a scooter can work past 10,000 miles so I have a little anxiety that something might break soon but didn't know what I should bring up to the service dept for a quality check. I'm definitely taking it in to prevent a major issue.

There are plenty of us on here that would be in trouble if their bikes only lasted 10K before needing replacement.

I just had my insurance total out my bike after an accident and in 12 and a half months of riding I had 9408 miles on it and it had PLENTY left to go dang it!

Last I looked at the dash my old Buddy 125 it had 32,000 miles. Still runs strong. Has been bulletproof. Did the valves at 30,000 and checked the belt (out of spec-replaced it). New owner takes good care of it and keeps the oil changed and such. Glad it went to a good home!

Oh, forgot what did go wrong. Stator took a poo at 20,ish?000 miles, dont remember the exact millage but it gave me plenty of warning. Ignition key got stuck around 20,000ish also, just bought a new barrel assembly. Last week the starter died, cheapest one we found was $150. He complained but hates kick starting more than the price. Spark plug boot cracked at 15,000ish, just replaced the whole coil thingy. To me its wear and tear items just like a car, but MUCH cheaper.

sc00ter wrote:Oh, forgot what did go wrong. Stator took a poo at 20,ish?000 miles, dont remember the exact millage but it gave me plenty of warning. Ignition key got stuck around 20,000ish also, just bought a new barrel assembly. Last week the starter died, cheapest one we found was $150. He complained but hates kick starting more than the price. Spark plug boot cracked at 15,000ish, just replaced the whole coil thingy. To me its wear and tear items just like a car, but MUCH cheaper.

I am able to keep my scoot indoors. Lucky me. Without the weather beating the frak out of my beautiful scoot, I don't run into problems like this.

Correction, it is 38,900 miles and counting on my old Buddy 125-I read it wrong the last time. I'm trying to catch up with him on my SYM, but I'm just hitting 30,000. We both use our scooters as main transportation-rain or shine/hot or cold.

sc00ter wrote:Oh, forgot what did go wrong. Stator took a poo at 20,ish?000 miles, dont remember the exact millage but it gave me plenty of warning. Ignition key got stuck around 20,000ish also, just bought a new barrel assembly. Last week the starter died, cheapest one we found was $150. He complained but hates kick starting more than the price. Spark plug boot cracked at 15,000ish, just replaced the whole coil thingy. To me its wear and tear items just like a car, but MUCH cheaper.

Ouch, that's a lot of money for a starter motor. Just for reference, I see these motors on eBay all the time for anywhere between $23-99. They look pretty much the same as the the one from my Blur.

Yesterday I changed my oil all by myself at a friend's garage, it was very easy, I can't believe I've been spending so much $ for the dealer to do it. I also changed my weights, belt and spark plug. I bought the Dr. Pulley weights and the OEM gates belt (743X20X30) and used an impact gun wrench.

After changing these, when accelerating from zero to 15ish, the scooter sputters or "hesitates" which causes a slight jerk. It only jerks when accelerating from a stop sign or stop and go traffic. I had this issue before changing but now the jerking is more noticeable. No issues when accelerating from 15 to 45+.

What should I make adjustments to make it a smoother acceleration? Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

Did you go a lot lighter on the sliders? That might cause it.

Also, what about wear on the variator itself?

Last guess, new belt just needs to wear in.

I added the 11g Dr. Pulley weight sliders because I read the 11g are a good overall mix for driving around the city and faster acceleration. I don't go past 45mph since I'm city driving. The variator was in good condition. I wiped off the dust but overall good condition.

Should I try the 12g or 13g Dr. Pulley sliders to smooth the acceleration, would heavy be better? I'm 5'1 126lbs but carry a bookbag with books and other stuff that add weight to the scooter.

skully93 wrote:Also, what about wear on the variator itself?

That would be my guess. Uneven wear on the variator surfaces due to improper break-in.

Look at the variator surface for anomaly's.

nicebeaches wrote: After changing these, when accelerating from zero to 15ish, the scooter sputters or "hesitates" which causes a slight jerk. It only jerks when accelerating from a stop sign or stop and go traffic. I had this issue before changing but now the jerking is more noticeable. No issues when accelerating from 15 to 45+.

Can't be entirely sure based on your description, but this sounds like it could be the clutch slipping. Usually caused by dust accumulating on the clutch that keeps it from engaging properly (in my case anyway). My Aprilia is really bad about that. Taking off from a stop it will kind of shudder a bit and then accelerate normally. All I have to do is take the transmission cover off and blow it out with compressed air, and it's good to go for a while. If it's really bad, you can scuff up the pads on the clutch with some sandpaper. If it's really-really bad... well, a new clutch assembly may be needed. I can't imagine it's that far gone though.