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MWPMWP · Post by **MWPMWP** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:10 pm

Quick question......

I bought a new 2009 Buddy 125 a couple months back. Just reached 500 miles. Over the last couple weeks, I'll go to start the engine and I'll get silence when I click the starter button. I'll kick start and it will work fine. The problem usually occurs when I let the scooter sit for a day without using it.

My question is this.....is this the sign of a dying battery? The scooter sat on the showroom floor for a while before I purchased it and the dealer apparently charged it all up before I took it home. I'm not even sure how long these batteries are supposed to last, but I'm assuming longer than two starts a day for a couple months.

Another quick question....did anyone get a care package from Genuine after their purchase of a scoooter? I was told something about receiving a package, but I'm guessing it would have showed up by now.

jmazza · Post by **jmazza** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:16 pm

It could be battery related but also likely that you are either forgetting to hold a brake lever in or not holding it in far enough when using the electric start. One of the brake levers has to be held in (and activate a switch) before the electric start will work. Kick starting works without doing this.

It is possible the dealer didn't charge the battery fully or the battery is going bad. You can take it in for a test or do it yourself. It would be good to rule that out as the battery is only under warranty for a very short time. You don't mention where you are located but it is also possible that you just need to keep the battery on a Battery Tender Jr. to keep it charged. Short rides don't really keep the battery charged very well as the charging system isn't very robust. I'd bring the battery into a Batteries Plus or your dealer to perform a load test just to be sure.

As for the care package it's anyone's guess! Many of us never even got our Roadside assistance cards (though we were still covered) and the reports I've heard of Genuine sending out gift packages (t-shirt, keyring, etc.) seem to be somewhat random.

I hope this helps! Welcome to ModernBuddy!!

Tazio · Post by **Tazio** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:18 pm

Care package? I want my care package. It's been almost five years and it still hasn't arrived.

CROSSBOLT · Post by **CROSSBOLT** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:36 pm

We had to "jack up" the dealer to get our package. When that did not work we talked to the nice folks at Genuine and they got it sent out. Dealers in scoots these days are no better than the Honda dealers in the sixties. They promise a lot and deliver nothing. They use either some dummy off the street or a too-busy good mechanic to setup new machines. Either way they usually miss a lot. The dealer big shot usually is too busy to take care of annoying details like customers after the sale.

Karl

CROSSBOLT · Post by **CROSSBOLT** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:44 pm

Oh, yeah, MWPMWP, the start problem. Get out your meter and test light and trouble shoot! Well, DUH! you say....check the battery with a volt meter and a load tester if you have one. Rig an 1156 stop/tail lamp for a load and then check the volts. 12.6 is about as low as it should go or thereabouts. Then if that passes start checking out the lever switches and the solenoid. It could be something simple like a harness plug undone. I apologize in advance if you already know about this kinda stuff. Let us know what finally solves the problem.

Karl

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:49 pm

I got my care package about a week ago and I purchased my scoot at the beginning of September (although, I received it at the beginning of October, grrr!). A new friend of mine said it took three months before he got his care package.
I think they might send them out in batches every couple of months or so... maybe?

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:00 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:I got my care package about a week ago and I purchased my scoot at the beginning of September (although, I received it at the beginning of October, grrr!). A new friend of mine said it took three months before he got his care package.
I think they might send them out in batches every couple of months or so... maybe?

My purchase was mid-Sept and I haven't gotten mine yet. I'm hoping for it. I've been eagerly waiting to see if I get a 'Do it with a Buddy' tee XD

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:14 am

You don't get the care package until the dealer activates your warranty with Genuine after your first service.

Ethan Allison · Post by **Ethan Allison** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:59 am

Lotrat wrote:You don't get the care package until the dealer activates your warranty with Genuine after your first service.

This might be true but aren't you supposed to get the warranty activated when you buy it?

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:20 am

If by 'first service' you mean 'dealer prep', then yeah, but the dealer is supposed to register your warranty on Genuine's website when you buy it.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:39 am

Lotrat wrote:You don't get the care package until the dealer activates your warranty with Genuine after your first service.

What the others said... I haven't had the "first service" done yet, but I got my scooter swag a few weeks ago.

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:44 am

I'm sure every dealer does it there own way. Will Genuine honor your warranty if you don't do the first dealer maintenance?

theflash784 · Post by **theflash784** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 6:39 am

I got my care package about 3 months after purchasing my Buddy. I just took it in for its first check up and oil change. Blackbeard POwersports in Clinton Twp has been great to deal with. It was $40 for the oil change and the mechanic tightened up my loose right mirror. He also wiped down the scooter, cleaned the mirrors, etc. They have a good stock of Geniunes there.

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:14 am

Lotrat wrote:I'm sure every dealer does it there own way. Will Genuine honor your warranty if you don't do the first dealer maintenance?

From the FAQ at Genuine:

Q: Can I maintain the scooter myself?
A: We'd strongly advise you have the scooter maintained by your authorized Genuine dealer. I mean, we really really really really prefer you take it to your dealer.

Let's be totally honest here. The number of problems we see with customer-maintained scooters vastly outnumber the problems we see with dealer maintained scooters. We're talking like a 10:1 ratio or something crazy like that.

Your dealer has special tools that you probably don't have. Your dealer has service manuals. The guys at your dealership do nothing but wrench on scooters every day. The guys at your dealership have cool shop jackets (with embroidered name tags) we'd bet you don't have. We could go on and on.

If you are bound and determined to maintain your own scooter, we ask you to at least do the following...

Have your authorized dealer perform the 500 mile first service. This is the most important service in the life of the scooter and goes way beyond an oil change. The valve clearances are inspected, the cables are adjusted, the brakes are tested, bolts are tightened, the carburetor is tweaked, and so forth.

After that, if you choose to perform some or all of the maintenance, please make sure to purchase a shop manual from your authorized dealer, all special tools, a torque wrench, etc. Then make sure to closely follow the recommended maintenance schedule, read the instructions before you even think about picking up a wrench, and take your time.

If you do all that, chances are you'll be just fine. But if you do something wrong and your motor starts sounding like a 4th of July fireworks display, it ain't warranty...it's all on you. [top]

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:06 pm

That's all understandable, but lets read between the lines. Will Genuine still honor your warranty if you have done everything yourself "correctly" and something fails? Like a starter switch, a starter, an ECU, parts of the charging system, or other items that do not require any maintenance and there is no record of the dealer performing the first service? They probably will, but anyone have first hand experience? That first dealer maintenance cost has been a thorn in my side since I forked over the money for it. I haven't paid a mechanic in 20 years. I'll let them do warranty work, but never maintenance. I take care of my own fleet.

Back to batteries... A battery can fail in less than 3 years if it's not been maintained. A battery will sulfate when not in use.

The best way to prevent permanent lead sulfation when not in use, is to maintain its State-of-Charge at 100% by continuous float charging. If continuous float charging is not possible, recharge before the State-of-Charge drops below 80%. Permanent sulfation kills approximately 85% of all batteries not in weekly service. State-of-Charge isn't 12v down to 0V. It's a much smaller band of numbers:

100% - 12.780
75% - 12.550
50% - 12.300
25% - 12.000
0% - 11.760

It's not likely that the dealer maintained your battery. It's not likely that your battery got weekly service use. A single charge isn't going to bring a failing battery back, but it will get you out the dealers door. If you have a volt meter, check the voltage. If it's below 12.5V, it may be bad. Crank the starter and if it falls below 10.5v it trash.

In my line of work I see thousands of small VRLA batteries fail. Batteries in the best environment possible and they all fail between year 3-5. The off-brands fail in year 3. Bigger names in year 4 to 5. Not many make it to 5 and I've never seen one make it to it's 6th birthday.

teabow1 · Post by **teabow1** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:56 pm

Are scooter batteries more sensitive to being "damaged" than say car batteries?

And if the dealer can't/doesn't maintain the battery of a new scooter before it's sold, what happens when the battery dies in less than a year after I purchase it? Batteries are consumables and not under warranty, as I understand, but if the dealer was negligent about keeping the battery properly maintained before the scooter was sold, the buyer isn't at fault. So what happens? Would the dealer give a free new battery?

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 6:47 pm

Lotrat wrote:That's all understandable, but lets read between the lines. Will Genuine still honor your warranty if you have done everything yourself "correctly" and something fails? Like a starter switch, a starter, an ECU, parts of the charging system, or other items that do not require any maintenance and there is no record of the dealer performing the first service?

The point is they can refuse to honor your warranty if you DIY. They do not ship warranty parts to individuals from the FAQ:

All warranty work must be performed by an authorized Genuine Scooter dealer. Genuine will not ship warranty parts directly to the owner, or to a third party dealership/mechanic. Warranty work and warranty parts are free of charge, but the costs of transporting the scooter to and from the authorized dealership is the sole responsibility of the owner. Depending on the situation, it's possible you could take advantage of Genuine's roadside assistance program to tow the scooter to the dealership if it cannot be ridden.

so why'd you be fixing these things yourself on a warrantied bike would definitely be suspect.

It is simple, if you service your bike yourself, you run the risk of nullifying your warranty. Genuine will not screw you to screw you. But they aren't in the business of financing individual tinkering either. So if they suspect your DIY maintenance is at fault they do not have to honor your warranty.

BATTERIES:

I think the guy who said no 2 batteries are created equal hit the nail on the head. Sure there are things you can do to help get the most out of your scooter battery life:

1) always warm up the bike until the idle settles - that's helping the battery charge as well as making sure the engine will perform optimally.

2) ride your scooter for at least 15mins before turning it off again. Anything less than 7 (I'm told) just drains the battery more. So take the scenic route!

You could walk to somewhere it took 7mins to scoot

3) ride your scooter often. Every day would be great!

4) if you live in a cold place and/or are a seasonal rider, take the battery out and tender it for hibernation.

I still have my original battery. It's strong. The only starting problems I've had have been spark plug related. To my knowledge, my peeps that ride like I do also have never changed their '09 batteries. But we're in So Cal and ride year round and mostly every day

MWPMWP · Post by **MWPMWP** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:59 pm

Well, I haven't had a problem starting since I posted this, so it may be that I just don't ride enough. I only have a ten minute ride each way. Hopefully I won't have any more issues. Thanks for all the comments. It's always great to know all this info.