Unidentifiable Leak (new scooter owner)

marshalmissy · Post by **marshalmissy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:04 am

Hi there!

I recently purchased a used 2013 Buddy 125 with 600 miles on it and did the worst thing you can do. I knocked it over on its left side and bent (cracked) the rear brake lever.

The rear brake still works and I have a new one on order. Nothing else is broken or cracked, but the rear brake lights don't illuminate (due to the lever cracking under the rubber housing?).

I took Zippy (don't judge

) out for a short ride tonight - still building confidence in riding - and when I got home, I did a walk around and noticed that inside of the rear tire well, at the bottom, closest to where you adjust the rear brake cable, there was fluid along the rim. It is almost yellow/green in color, is somewhat thick since when I rotate the tire slowly while on it's center stand, the fluid very slowly rotates along with the tire.

Based on the description i gave, does anyone have any idea as to what this fluid is and how concerned or worried I should be?

Thank you for reading!

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:23 am

It's gear lube.

Two possible reasons for this:

- A blown seal in the gear case.

- Whoever prepped or maintained the scooter put in too much lube. There's a weep hole in the case that allows excess lube to escape (probably to reduce the chances of the excess pressure blowing out the seal). This is what happened to my Blur.

DO NOT ride the scooter in this condition. If the lube works its way onto the tread, or if you are in a hard left lean, there is a serious risk of the rear end sliding out from under you.

Get this serviced at your earliest possible convenience.

marshalmissy · Post by **marshalmissy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:29 am

Thank you, Charlie55! I appreciate your quick response.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:43 am

marshalmissy wrote:I recently purchased a used 2013 Buddy 125 with 600 miles on it and did the worst thing you can do. I knocked it over on its left side and bent (cracked) the rear brake lever.

Naw, you can do much worse things than that.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:57 am

TVB wrote:
marshalmissy wrote:I recently purchased a used 2013 Buddy 125 with 600 miles on it and did the worst thing you can do. I knocked it over on its left side and bent (cracked) the rear brake lever.
Naw, you can do much worse things than that.

That's what I was thinking. This is a very common occurrence and a really easy part to replace.

As for the oil...track down the source, I doubt it's the seal and could be someone just being sloppy.

Welcome to MB...we'll take care of ya!

marshalmissy · Post by **marshalmissy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:32 pm

I really appreciate people's responses. When I get home, I'll be sure to look where the fluid is coming from. I tried to find the source last night, but I didn't have a -ton- of light in the garage, even with a flashlight. Hopefully it's something easy to identify and fix.

After scouring the boards, I found great instructions on replacing the rear brake lever and am thankful to have such great resources here at MB.

You guys are the best; thank you for taking time to help me out!

OldGuy · Post by **OldGuy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:52 pm

Hope you find the leak. And, please clean the rear tire and wheel thoroughly before you ride again. Slipping isn't fun!

marshalmissy · Post by **marshalmissy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:53 pm

You guys are so awesome. I just got here and feel like I've come into a family.

I tracked down the leak and it is coming from one of the hex bolts located closest to the inside (left) of the rear tire. The gear box?

I found a video on YouTube re changing the gear box oil...should I drain, re-fill and start over? This is a challenge I'm willing to take on, which is amazing considering I've never driven a scooter until I was on vacation in Thailand in April and never drove a motorcycle until I took the MSF course. The video I saw looked pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

BTW: does it matter that I was riding in 90+ degree heat last night?

@OldGuy: I used Simple Green on the inside of the wheel rim and on the rear tire. Thank you for looking out for me and advising me on what to do.

OldGuy · Post by **OldGuy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:58 pm

I would drain and start fresh because you don't know how much is left in there. 90 degrees shouldn't matter. Certain places of the world these scooters see that most every day.

marshalmissy · Post by **marshalmissy** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:05 pm

I'll do that. Thanks for the advice-I really appreciate it.

Modern Buddy

Unidentifiable Leak (new scooter owner)

Unidentifiable Leak (new scooter owner)

Re: Unidentifiable Leak (new scooter owner)

Re: Unidentifiable Leak (new scooter owner)