Buddy 50 suddenly hard to start

[Scootergoddess]

Hey friends… with 800 miles on her, my 2022 Buddy 50 is suddenly very hard to start. Used to start every time on first or second try… now suddenly takes 8-10 tries! Whats going on? No change in gasoline. Was at 1/2 tank when this started. Colder weather here, but in the 50s… not THAT cold! Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Therealslimshaggy]

The cold weather does make a huge difference. Even 50s. After riding the 2T 50cc engine 15,000 miles in all weather I can say a few things. I can tell a difference in running and starting just from a drop in the 70s to the 60s. It’s not fuel injected but does have an electronic choke. The engine is small and in colder weather doesn’t stay warm because all the heat gets disapated so it never really runs smooth It’s really a fair weather bike. That being said you will need to open the throttle fully a few times for a few split seconds during startup. That is usually what I have to do in cold weather. It’s also what I do in warm weather but in the cold seems to take longer and a little more gas. If you want to test to see if your battery cca( cold cranking amps) rating is too low or you think you might have a bad starter motor you could try kick starting it while giving gas. If it starts first time after a kick start but doesn’t when using the push button then I suggest upgrading the battery to a 130cca battery. Walmart sells one. After I installed it I could tell the starter had more power and got the engine running right off the bat.

[sc00ter]

I had the same issue that I covered in my "I may be getting a Pink Buddy...." thread, at least that's what I think I named it. Anyways, I tried:
Bigger "D-Mod" battery. Didn't make a difference.
Taping off airbox to increase fuel on cold starts. Didn't work.
Tested choke circuit. Works correct.
Was going to upjet the idle jet but never got around to it.
Tried to adjust the air/fuel screw on carb but my Buddy 50 didn't have one.
I just ended up doing the "Broken choke" trick. Holding the throttle wide open on cold days when the motor was cold. Mine always started fine when warm. Make sure you have a good grip on the rear brake! It seems they come from the factory lean for cold starting?
Also, check the sparkplug gap for any debris.