Modern Buddy

I have a 2006 Buddy 125 I just inherited. It had sat for 3 years apparently. I drained the gas, changed all the fluids, and added seafoam (1oz) to the first tank I filled. It runs, but I can smell gas when I ride it, and the mileage is crappy. It bogs slightly at quarter throttle, but runs fine at half throttle. Is it clogged jets? Runnning too rich? Where is the gas smell coming from? What should I troubleshoot first?

Carb clean!

Scooter Works sells a little "Rebuild kit in a sealed bag" for the Buddy 125 carb for a fair price. I to have to rebuild the carb on the wifes old 125 Buddy. It is getting hard to start and will stall. Did a complete tune up (valves, new plug, fresh fuel, air filter etc.) and it is the carb that needs a tune up now. Hate messing with carbs but I know how to do it and have a lot of local support if I run into any issues. Thank ethanol in the fuel for causing most of our fueling problems with carbs.

If you are comfortable working with small, sometimes delicate parts, you should be okay.

I suggest removing the carb, draining the fuel out of the bowl, then disassembling it while working over a clean towel. I prefer working right at the kitchen table if my wife isn't home.

I like to use carb cleaner like Berryman B-12 in a screw top can. I like it that way versus a spray can because I can just pour a little in a coffee can to let hard parts soak for a while. Berryman B-12 or a similar product should be available in any auto parts store.

A narrow wire will help clean out your carb jets.

I use a ultra sonic cleaner (cheap with the coupon from Harbor Freight). Something that I was told is to use NON-flammable carb cleaner. For hard parts I have heard Berryman is safe, but anything else NON-flammable is the way to go. Something to do with warping the plastics and destroying rubber prematurely if flammable is used.

Very true about solvent based cleaners on non-metal parts. You probably don't want to soak plastic and rubber parts in any solvent. Giving them a wipedown should be okay, and should get them clean enough for our purposes.

DeeDee wrote:viewtopic.php?t=20718&highlight=clean+125+carb

Fantastic write-up. I just trained my pet monkey to clean carbs. Time saver!

Wow, looks too hard for me and I think it costs around $100 in a shop to have the carb removed and cleaned. Is there a way to partially clean the carb without removing it?

In the first 6,000 miles, all I've done for maintenance so far is change the oil 3 times, the gear oil once, and the plug once. My shop is 60 miles away and I haven't been back there since I bought it.

So, since my 2 year old bike still runs very smoothly(maybe slightly rougher when it's cold outside), would it be a good idea to have anything else checked or worked on, like a valve adjustment?

Thank you for any answers to my 2 questions. And, I really appreciate all the help I've gotten here the past two years!

luddite20 wrote:I have a 2006 Buddy 125 I just inherited. It had sat for 3 years apparently. I drained the gas, changed all the fluids, and added seafoam (1oz) to the first tank I filled. It runs, but I can smell gas when I ride it, and the mileage is crappy. It bogs slightly at quarter throttle, but runs fine at half throttle. Is it clogged jets? Runnning too rich? Where is the gas smell coming from? What should I troubleshoot first?

I agree its time to carb clean, but I also don't think that 1oz of Seafoam in one tank is enough. Won't hurt to do it for say two or three more tank fulls.