Good deed

velobuff · Post by **velobuff** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 12:50 pm

So there were about 5 high-school aged girls add dressed up last night gathered around one of their friends who was unsuccessfully trying to start her buddy.

We walked past the group on our way home and I could hear her hitting the starter over & over again without any hope. Battery sounded less happy on each attempt.

I asked my date if I should go help out the poor girl so I turned around & we went back to the group & asked the damsel in distress if she needed help staring her scooter.

Not owning a buddy, I asked her if it was running today to which she replied yes. I looked at the fuel level & asked if it had any since it was on "E". She explained it goes well below the E when it's really empty. I looked for a loose hose or a closed petcock & found none. I felt the exhaust & manually turned the back tire. Made sure the switches were in appropriate settings, hit the starter button & same thing. Starter turns but no engine kick.

Remembering it was probably carburated, I cracked the throttle just a tiny bit while hitting the starter & she came to life - the scoot & girl - to the amazement of her friends. I killed the engine & taught the girl my technique (told her to use it only when it doesn't start normally bc she could flood the engine) & she was able to get it started.

Hopefully she got to where she was going... Hehehe...

2wheelNsanity · Post by **2wheelNsanity** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 1:54 pm

Nice job

.

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:50 pm

always nice to help out!

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:06 pm

Well done! But it doesn't go all that far when your on "E". I've found that out the hard way.

rsrider · Post by **rsrider** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:43 pm

Running out of gas is inexcusable. Running anything under a 1/4 of a tank is being irresponsible. If she had gasoline she probably wouldn't have had the problem in the first place.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:48 pm

What? You didn't show her how to kickstart that puppy

.

Tocsik · Post by **Tocsik** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:10 pm

Hey, did you tell her about Modern Buddy or ask if she already reads or participates?

un_designer · Post by **un_designer** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:48 pm

+1 karma point

that said, is it just me or is the buddy really difficult to kick-start sometimes? i swear that 50% of the time i can't even kick-start my own. when that happens i just use the electric starter, but a part of me feels defeated and asks "what if i didn't have the option of using the electric starter??"

Tocsik · Post by **Tocsik** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:55 pm

un_designer wrote:+1 karma point

that said, is it just me or is the buddy really difficult to kick-start sometimes? i swear that 50% of the time i can't even kick-start my own. when that happens i just use the electric starter, but a part of me feels defeated and asks "what if i didn't have the option of using the electric starter??"

I agree. I tried it on mine yesterday just for kicks (okay, sorry about that) and failed.

I've done it in the past and wanted to stay in practice.

pdxrita · Post by **pdxrita** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:39 pm

Tocsik wrote:
un_designer wrote:+1 karma point

that said, is it just me or is the buddy really difficult to kick-start sometimes? i swear that 50% of the time i can't even kick-start my own. when that happens i just use the electric starter, but a part of me feels defeated and asks "what if i didn't have the option of using the electric starter??"
I agree. I tried it on mine yesterday just for kicks (okay, sorry about that) and failed.
I've done it in the past and wanted to stay in practice.

Yeah, I don't think it's really designed to be kick started. The kickstarter is there mostly for emergencies, and perhaps even as a marketing point. I know more than a few people on this board have hesitated at the 170i because it lacks a kickstart. I've done mine a few times, but it's pretty difficult for me. I did do it once under duress when my kill switch was misbehaving, before I discovered that flipping the switch a couple of times would remedy it. I was pretty happy with myself for actually pulling it off when needed.

As for the rider with the issue, it does sound like she was out of gas. I hope she used that start to get herself to a gas station. I'd say it' s okay to go below 1/4 tank, but continuing to ride on E is not smart. Good on ya' for helping out.

Raiderfn311 · Post by **Raiderfn311** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:28 am

Showed her your technique. NICE. Seriously, I had to start a lawnmower for a nextdoor neighbor(Gal) the other day. Gotta show Buddy love.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:50 am

I would have said "next time get a Honda" as a goodbye

Raiderfn311 · Post by **Raiderfn311** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:04 am

JH, I love ya man. One of the first I met here.

SuperFlyBuddy · Post by **SuperFlyBuddy** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:35 am

For whatever reason on a semi-warm restart I have to give my scoot just a bit of gas as well. If it's stone cold or a hot restart it fires right up with just a touch of the starter.

velobuff · Post by **velobuff** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:34 pm

SuperFlyBuddy wrote:For whatever reason on a semi-warm restart I have to give my scoot just a bit of gas as well. If it's stone cold or a hot restart it fires right up with just a touch of the starter.

My Vino 125 & People 250 are the exact same way.

I can kickstart or electric start the Vino cold and it's amazing how it turns over right away. After I've been riding it and the engine's warm, it usually takes a slight opening of the throttle. If I do a warm kickstart it takes nearly 10 kicks before it turns over.

The People 250 obviously doesn't have a kickstart.

I'm guessing Fuel Injected's always start on the first try?

Anyway, yeah, I hope she was paying attention and remembers what I taught her. I was going to go into putting in a shot of SeaFoam and always getting good quality gas, etc but I think they were more interested in their dresses and boys walking by than in discussions involving internal combustion engines LIKE OKAY?! so I didn't even mention Modern Buddy.

Her Buddy was pure white so I'm thinking it was relatively new - certainly looked that way.

RoadRambler · Post by **RoadRambler** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:18 pm

Good on ya for helping her out!

Interesting, though, I've never had trouble kickstarting my Buddy when she's cold (extremely cold temps are the only reason I've had to kickstart), but I most always give the slightest touch of throttle when starting any time, which I was taught to do when I bought my scoots. Hmm.

SuperFlyBuddy · Post by **SuperFlyBuddy** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:52 pm

Here's another starting behavior I have learned that works on my Buddy and my wife's:

During the winter when they sometimes don't get started for a couple three months, if I hit the starter (w/o throttle since they are stone cold) and they don't fire up within the first couple seconds it seems continuing to run the starter (with or w/o throttle) does no good. I have found far better luck at that point to just wait ten minutes and try the starter again. Every time after waiting that ten or so minutes both scoots always fire right up. Again, that procedure works when they haven't been ran in months and by "starter" I am referring to the electric starter.

My theory (in the above situation) is if they don't fire up right away continuing to crank floods the engine and you're fighting a losing battle. Waiting allows time for the excess gas to evaporate.

Also when attempting to kick start it's best to push down on the kicker until there is some resistance (which is the compression stroke), let up on the kicker so it returns to the top most position, then kick. That way you'll get the most kick for your money. Otherwise you are someplace else in the cycle and to a certain extent wasting a full force kick hoping you're gonna cycle through the compression stroke with that kick.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:08 pm

Raiderfn311 wrote:JH, I love ya man. One of the first I met here.

Hey Raider, whats up?

Hope all is well, the scoot is great, etc....

SuperFlyBuddy wrote:For whatever reason on a semi-warm restart I have to give my scoot just a bit of gas as well. If it's stone cold or a hot restart it fires right up with just a touch of the starter.

Same. Seems we have those old fashioned thingys? What were they called? Ah yes, carburetors!