I broke every cardinal rule. Whoops. Now what?

Elypia · Post by **Elypia** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 3:47 am

I have a horrible confession. The past few years, I've been so busy, and I never really thought about it until I realized that it is going to be a problem here in a few weeks.

Yes, that's right. I...don't do general maintenance on my scooter. I know, it's stupid. Just how severe is it?

I'm sitting at nearly 6000 miles, and I haven't had touched anything but tire pressure since 800. The thing is, it has been running great, and the oil was never low. My rear brake lever is loose, so I stopped driving it in October of this year.

I want to get her running again for spring, so since I finally, here in my senior year of college, have time to pick up a wrench. The nearest shop that'll do it is in Chattanooga, and that's several hours of driving, so I want to do most of it myself except for what I can't figure out. It's a 2009 Buddy 125, and my warranty's expired at this point, so.

I plan on changing my oil, oil filter, and gear oil here in the next week or two. First, I'm going to get a new battery, since I doubt it's going to hold a charge after being idle without a charger since October. I'm going to measure the tread on my tires to see if I need to take it in to get them changes, which I'm certain that I do, but it never hurts to check. I'm also going to tighten my rear brake.

I know that I need to take it in to have really in-depth things checked out (cables and such things--I don't want to play with the electrical system). However, what else can/should I do at home to cut down on maintenance costs?

Summary list of what I'm planning to do myself:
Oil and oil filter change
Gear oil change
Rear brake tightening
Battery exchange
Tire inspection
Spark plug test/replacement if needed

I should also probably siphon the gas and get a new tank; it was new gas when I filled it up in October, but I'd like to get that out of there quickly so that it doesn't start gumming anything up in case it's gone bad.

What else is ABSOLUTELY VITAL that I check before I put her on the road for short trips (~3 miles one way or less, usually)? Since it's been four years, the battery replacement should be done whether it holds a charge or not, right?

I can't believe how hardy my 125 has been. I'm the worst owner on the planet, and she's got me through college. I'd like to keep it after.

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:34 am

You should definitely check the valves. It is pretty simple and only requires a couple cheap tools. I think the service manual covers all the steps and can be downloaded for free here:
topic17349.html

There is also a good valve adjustment thread with a few pics locatedhere:
topic8312.html

Replace the battery even if it seems like it will take a charge. It is cheap insurance that you won't be left stranded when you are trying to get home before a rainstorm etc.

I would definitely consider switching over to synthetic oil if you have a tendency to overlook regular maintenance. It offers much better protection when change intervals get extended past the recommended mileage. As a worthwhile experiment, when you do your oil change, measure how much oil comes out vs. what is supposed to be in the engine. My guess is that you will have less than half of what you started with after that many miles without an oil change. I bought a few 32oz plastic measuring cups at the dollar store for jobs like this. The dollar store can also help you out with a turkey baster or one of those big flavor injector syringes to help you refill the gear oil.

If your tires are even getting close to wear spec, replace them now. In the long run, it is much cheaper to do this sort of maintenance early than to try to wait and have a blow out or take a spill on wet pavement and wind up getting badly hurt. Don't be afraid to check out other brands of tires available in the same size. The tires most manufacturers install are a long way from what I would consider high performance.

At 8,000 miles it would be worth taking a look at your brakes (front and rear) as well as the condition of your CVT belt and rollers. There is a wear spec for the belt in the service manual. The rollers develop flat spots that negatively effect performance. If they are not nice and round, consider replacements.

There should be some sort of maintenance schedule in the service manual. Use quality fluids and stick to the recommended maintenance intervals and you should get many more happy miles out of your scoot.

Elypia · Post by **Elypia** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:23 pm

Thanks so much! I'll do just that!

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:10 pm

On the oil: I would recommend changing the oil AGAIN after 500 miles.
The oil's pretty dirty and, after sitting undisturbed that long, all the gunk in it has had a chance to settle to the bottom. Changing the oil is good and running it is good...it will stir up and loosen the gunk. I'd do a "break-in" interval (500 miles) before going back to the regular service intervals.
IMHO
YMMV
And other applicable four-letter groupings.

Scooterboi · Post by **Scooterboi** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:54 pm

From the original post I don't think it has sat for a long time. Elypia has just been using without doing any maintenance for 6000(ish) miles.

Elypia · Post by **Elypia** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:54 pm

It has been sitting for a couple of months. We have had a particularly annoying winter.

If I were to change the oil again after five hundred miles, should I change the filter again?

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:03 pm

If it were me, I would. Your call though.

If it had just been sitting, I would just change the oil at normal intervals. My reasoning for suggesting a 500 mile interval is this: at 6,000 miles the oil normally has been changed 3 times, then it sat for a few months giving it a chance for particulates to settle and thicken. Some of that won't drain out with the imminent oil change, but will get loosened up when the fresh oil is heated and circulated through use.
It's a similar situation with running in abnormal conditions. All the motor vehicle manuals I've read say to shorten the intervals if conditions are outside of "normal". Shortening one interval should (IMHO) get you back to normal intervals.
Just a suggestion, though. I'm not a mechanic by trade.

Scooterboi · Post by **Scooterboi** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:48 pm

Missed that part about "since October."
I agree with Cheshire. It's cheap insurance just in case there is residual from the last oil change and you should be back on schedule, for oil changes anyway.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:17 am

How/where has it been stored?

When working with a scoot that's been sitting for some time, I think it's best to get as many variables as possible back to "0" so that if something goes wrong, you'll already have eliminated some common causes.

For instance, if it was it sitting with gas in the tank, I'd drain it and replace with fresh gas. 100% necessary? No. But easy enough to do.

The transmission should be checked. Clutch should be cleaned/blown out. Belt examined and/or replaced. Rollers inspected and/or replaced.

Change the air filter, too.

Your rear tire is probably pretty well worn after 6K. Check the tread!