Modern Buddy

Hi all, I am looking to buy this buddy but thought i would throw it out to you people who may be more knowledgeable. sounds good and looks good but not really sure. Going to test drive this weekend. any thoughts?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/5875134500.html

If it's been properly serviced and starts, idles and runs smoothly, sounds like a good deal to me. Make sure to start it up when it's dead cold to check how it starts and idles. A lot of Sellers that have bikes with a hard start-up problem, will warm it up before you get there to hide the hard start condition.

Second the cold start check. Just check the down pipe and feel if it's warm. Some will say its priced high for a 08 and some will say the low miles mean its been sitting forever. If it starts and runs fine, has some sort of service history, has BOTH sets of keys with key code tag, tires are properly inflated when you show up to test ride it, gas smells "correct" and a flashlight and finger smear reveals no rust in the tank, oil "looks" correct and is at the correct level, has the owners manual then it was loved but not ridden much. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few more things but that's what popped in my head.

thanks for the quick replies. The person wanted to meet somewhere else so i think the scooter may be warmed up already. going to text him tonight and let him know i want to do a cold start. thanks for the list of items to check. stuff i would not have thought of.

I bought a 2008 Buddy with 3000 miles. The oil smelled of gas and sure enough it had a dirty carb., and a couple of other issues, but I worked it all out and it's a great scooter. It still has the original tires (no cracks, with good tread) ; my mechanic said they are fine. $1500 is maybe a little high because of the year, but I think you'll really like the scooter. Esp. if you learn to work on it and take care of it. Because it has set a while, if it runs rough I would treat the gas with Seafoam, but be prepared to have to clean the carb.
It's a real plus to have the windshield and cover.

ucandoit wrote:It still has the original tires (no cracks, with good tread) ; my mechanic said they are fine.

I would not ride a scooter with eight year old tires regardless of tread depth. You are the one at risk, not your mechanic.

Dooglas wrote:

ucandoit wrote:It still has the original tires (no cracks, with good tread) ; my mechanic said they are fine.

I would not ride a scooter with eight year old tires regardless of tread depth. You are the one at risk, not your mechanic.

Take this advice. After about 2 years and before tires begin to crack the rubber becomes dry and hard. Hard tires are less sticky and more prone to losing traction. There is a date code on every D.O.T. approved tire that'll tell you the week and year that it was made.

gageplate wrote:Hi all, I am looking to buy this buddy but thought i would throw it out to you people who may be more knowledgeable. sounds good and looks good but not really sure. Going to test drive this weekend. any thoughts?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/5875134500.html

Looks like a nice one. Kent is close by and if I were in the market for a Buddy 125, I'd definitely be looking at it. And, at this time of year I'm sure the seller is flexible on price. The test ride will tell you a lot so if it feels good, go for it! Even if it doesn't feel good, Buddy scooters are very fixable with excellent parts and service support throughout the nation. And, a little hard starting, rough idling, etc. gives you excellent leverage as far as the final price is concerned. Again, these kinds of problems are very fixable and this forum has the kind of talent that will help you with fixes and get you pointed in the right direction. Good luck!

Bill in Seattle
'14 170i Hooligan Matte Green.

Thanks all for the help. Ended up buying the scooter and seems like it was very well cared for. Test drive went well. Except for some scratches, things looked good. Would be interested in doing some of the maintenance myself. Does anybody have any good suggestions for books to help me and maybe websites? All new to me so think "Scooter maintenance for Dummies". If i needed to take it to a shop any thoughts on were to go in seattle where people have had good results. Thanks again. Appreciate all the help.

Do the preventative maintenance yourself if you can.

http://www.modernbuddy.com/pdf/buddy125 ... manual.pdf

Don't forget to look in the "Technical Library" section here on MB for lots of grear how-to info.

When I buy a used scooter, I will go through and give it a complete service:

Engine oil and filter - 27 oz. Rotella T6 HiFlow 197 filter torqued to 12 ftlbs
Gear oil - 3.1 oz 75w-140
Spark Plug NGK C7HSA gapped to .65mm
Air Filter - Can usually blow / vaccuum out every other service
Valve Check/Adjustment Gap set at .08mm

You should also consider changing the fuel filter - any 1/4" in line filter will work, and flushing and refilling the brake fluid DOT 3.

Search this forum. You will find detailed instruction to help you with any of the above. All of this is fairly simple.

Now you have a baseline to begin with. Make a simple spreadsheet like this to keept track of it all: