Modern Buddy

So I picked-up my new-to-me 2008 Buddy St. Tropez 150 from jmpSF today. She has a new addition to the family, so no more scootering for her...for now, I guess. Here's where it all started: topic30261.html

Here are some pictures to prove I have it. There are a few bumps and bruises and a bit of rust, but overall, she's in good shape other than the fact that she doesn't run (the scooter, not jmpSF ). As you can see, some of the plastic needs a bit of attention. I'll fix what I can and replace what I can't. I'll look into why the engine won't start as a first priority. If anyone is parting out a 2007-2010(?) Buddy and has good plastic (color doesn't matter), let me know.

Updates and details coming soon...

So, the story is that this poor little 2008 Buddy has not been ridden in over a year and was left sitting forlorn with gas still in it's tank and carburettor. Battery was also not put on a tender, so it was just about dead. So, in order to save it, I bought it from it's original owner and trucked the little guy home and immediately started CPR:

The remaining gas in the tank smelled like paint thinner, so it was drained.
The carb was taken apart and cleaned - it actually wasn't too dirty.
The air filter was dirty, but I didn't have a new one on hand so I just used my compressor to blow it out and used a vacuum cleaner to suck as much of the remaining dirt off.
The oil, or what little of it remaining in the engine, was black and thick...all 2-3 ounces of it. Drained both the engine oil and the gearbox oil and refilled with fresh, new stuff.
Checked the sparkplug and determined that it was still OK.
The battery is a quality Yuasa unit and is only about two years old, and though it was below 12.5 volts, it was above 11 so onto the charger it went.

Refilled the gas tank with premium gas and some Seafoam. Reinstalled the freshly charged battery.

Result? After a bit of cranking and wheezing, the engine fired up and sat there happily idling away. Spuddered and coughed at any throttle application at first. Rode it around the neighborhood a little bit and it got better and smoother. It's still running a little rough, but I'll let the Seafoam do it's thing for the the next few tankfulls. Idle is a little low, so that'll get taken care of.

I'm amazed at how spunky this little guy is, but I'm not used to how small it feels, and is, compared to my Blur. I keep dragging my feet on the ground because it's so low. But, I like it, I really like it.

The plan is to replace the oil filter (I left the original one in for now) and change the engine oil again in about 50 miles. I'll check the valve clearances at the same time.

The brakes feel a little strange, most likely caused from being unused for so long. Front brake probably still has it's original brake fluid in it, so it will get flushed and changed.
Lubricated the rear brake cable, but the brake lever mechanism has some issues that needs attention.

Both tires had only 10 PSI or so in them so they where filled to 30 PSI. The front tire appears to be the original whitewall and is dried out and hard. I'll be replacing it soon. The rear is a 100/90-10 Heidenau that still has good tread and tackiness to it.

There are all kinds of little things that need attending to, such as the headlight which shakes around because one of the two pivots that supports it has broken off. I'm in the middle of repairing it rather than replacing it. I'll post pictures of how I fixed it when I'm done.
The overall plastic bodywork alone is going to take a lot of time to get it to where I'm satisfied. There are a lot of scratches and gouges and pieces broken off or missing. Repainting everything to factory colors is too expensive, so I'll most likely change the color scheme. Haven't decided on what I want yet, but I have some ideas in mind.

I have a 161cc BBK that I was going to install, but decided to wait because this amazing little guy has less than 8K miles on it.

Stay tuned, more to come...

Good to hear of a Buddy getting back on the road! I took the Buddy out again after riding the Blur for awhile and yeah...it is low but spunky!

I agree...let the seafoam do it's thing and change the oil and filter. It is amazing to me how tough these little scooters are. With just doing regular maintenance my 06 has been trouble free and fun!


All the things you mentioned seem pretty minor and do able. Keep us updated!

Good score. Instead of having you fix it for him, he sold it to you? Can't have too many Buddys.

DeeDee wrote:Good score. Instead of having you fix it for him, he sold it to you? Can't have too many Buddys.

Yes And she's a "her", as in new mom...new moms' should really stay off of scooters and unicycles.

Where on the rear brake cable do you lubricate and what do you use?

ucandoit wrote:Where on the rear brake cable do you lubricate and what do you use?

You have to take the brake lever off in order to get to the cable. To lubricate the cable, I used a Teflon based spray. I'll take mine apart again and take some pictures to make it easier to understand.

Headlight support pin repair

I know there is already a how-to regarding this in the technical library, but here's my take on it, over-engineered though it may seem. Hey! This is earthquake country!
...and being an engineer, I do tend to over-engineer things just for the fun of it, heh.

I first glued the broken pivot pin back onto the headlight bucket with two-part epoxy glue. I then drilled a 3mm hole all the way through the pivot, making sure the hole was centered well. The pivot pin was then sanded down to shorten it by about 1mm. A 3mm screw with a flat washer was inserted and held in place by a nut with some liquid thread lock to keep it in place. This is the reason I shortened the pivot pin, to make room for the screw head. I reinforced the other, unbroken pivot pin too, just for insurance.

A little elaborate, I know, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have to fix it again.

Nice job! From the second photo it appears that you have very flat fingers!

BuddyRaton wrote:Nice job! From the second photo it appears that you have very flat fingers!

Thanks, but ? ?

Lubricating the rear brake cable

OK ucandoit, as promised.

The pictures tell the whole story, but you're basically applying lubricant between the inner cable and it's housing. This will allow for smoother brake action and extend the life of the cable.

Use a non-petroleum based lubricant because there might be a plastic inner liner that may not like petroleum, plus it will not gum up over time. I used a Teflon spray from Dupont (see picture), but if you can find it in a non-spray can, it will be easier. I bought mine from Home Depot, but any motorcycle or bicycle shop should carry cable lubricant.

The first thing you need to do is to release some of the tension from the rear brake drum lever on the cable by backing off the adjustment nut. Back it off so that only a couple of threads are holding it onto the cable. Even though I say to not completely remove the adjustment nut at the rear wheel, it is actually easier to lubricate the cable with the nut removed because it makes it easier to slide the inner cable in and out to distribute the lubricant. But, be warned, it can be a pain to reinstall it because of the spring on the cable and the spring for the brake drum lever.

Remove the brake levers' pivot screw and it's locking nut so that the lever can be removed. See picture.
One note, the picture showing the brake lever pivot screw and it's locking nut will look different on your scooter because my switch housing is broken due, I'm guessing, from the scooter being dropped sometime in its' past. My rear brake lever was twisted in several directions and had to be beaten with a hammer to straighten it out.
That white stuff seen all over the lever and the cable is white lithium grease that I used to lubricant the pivot screw and lever.

Remove the cable from the switch housing and pull back the black rubber seal to allow application of the lubricant.

Spray enough to where you think the lubricant has reached the lowest point of the cable. Apply it in short spurts or else it will get everywhere. If you have a non-spray can, then just a couple of drops at a time to give it time to run down the inner cable.

Reassemble everything in reverse order (gee, I sound like a Chilton's automotive service manual). When adjusting the adjustment nut at the rear brake drum, be aware that the amount of threads showing in the picture is only for reference. The ultimate adjustment for your scooter may be different depending upon how much brake pad is on your brake shoes and where you prefer your brake lever to be when the brake starts to activate. Too loose and your brake lever will be up against the handlebar grip before the rear brake fully activates and too tight and your brake shoes will always be dragging on the brake drum.

Hope all of this makes sense. Ask questions if I missed something.

Lubricating the rear brake cable (continued)

Oops! Ran into the six picture limit...

Also, added the last picture to show how to position the brake lever in order to remove the cable.

babblefish wrote:

BuddyRaton wrote:Nice job! From the second photo it appears that you have very flat fingers!

Thanks, but ? ?

Thought that was a glove

Thank you Babblefish for such excellent photos and detailed instructions. Could not have been better. I hope Erik will put it into the tech. library.

My Buddy and I have been spending some quality time together. Flushed and bled the front disk brake today. The engine starts up easily and is running really smooth. I'm surprised how smooth and powerful this little thing is. This scooter scoots😊 Handling is good too, despite the dryed up front Maxxis tire. I just received the Michelin 110/80-10 S1 tires I ordered, so changing the tires will be the next item on my list to do. The oil in the crankcase is pretty dark already so that, along with the oil filter will get changed.

One interesting thing I noticed about riding the Buddy is that my legs get much colder than when I'm riding the Blur. Not surprising I suppose, considering the Blur is a lot wider. But thats neither here nor there.

This is exciting! I am very happy for you and your new scoot! Keep us posted on how it's going.

Instead of new body panels or a professional paint job, I'd suggest repairing the cracks with bondo or epoxy, then hitting it with Plasti Dip Spray. If you don't like the result, you can always peel it off.

https://plastidip.com/our-products/plasti-dip/

k1dude wrote:Instead of new body panels or a professional paint job, I'd suggest repairing the cracks with bondo or epoxy, then hitting it with Plasti Dip Spray. If you don't like the result, you can always peel it off.

https://plastidip.com/our-products/plasti-dip/

I had thought about doing this because I know a few people have done it with good results. The problem is, some of the panels have mounting tabs that are broken off which doesn't allow them to lock together so will need replacing anyway. In one of the pictures, you can see one of the panels being held in place with a plastic wire tie.
I decided to leave most of the panels alone and paint the ones' that are flat gray/blue a satin black. I'm replacing the gray hand grips with black because the gray is impossible to keep clean.

I replaced the stock front Maxxis 100/90-10 tire with a Michelin S1, 110/80-10 today.
Removing the front wheel is a lot easier than the rear. The speedometer cable does not have to be removed from it's drive at the wheel. When the axle is withdrawn, drop the wheel down and pull the speedometer drive with the cable attached off. The only other thing to remove is the two bolts that hold the brake caliper in place.

The only problems I had was that I was doing it outside in the warm early evening, just when the first mosquito's of the season where out in force. And, unknown to me, a metal spacer from the left side of the wheel fell out and rolled...somewhere...in the dark. One of my neighbors helped me find it when he saw me groping around with a flashlight. So, for anyone else doing this, look out for this spacer!

The rubber oil seal in the wheel that surrounds the spacer is worn out and no longer seals, but I'll replace it at a later date when a new one gets ordered.

For some reason, even though the new tire is suppose to be bigger, it looks slimmer than the old and looks to be the same height. Oh well.

Some may have noticed the LED headlight conversion in an earlier picture. The aluminum fins of this conversion interfered with the odometer lamp housing which prevented the top and bottom halves of the instrument/headlight housing from closing together correctly. I cut away part of the fins to allow more room, but it's still not quite right. Guess I'll find a slimmer light conversion.

Installed a new rear shock. You'll also see it on eBay with an "RFY" label on it or without the "reservoir". It's just so-so. Looks nice and offers adjustable pre-load settings via an adjustable collar or with compressed air. Normally the air (or nitrogen) would be used to prevent or reduce foaming of the shock oil, but I don't think this shock has any oil in it because it doesn't seem to have any dampening at all. Just all spring, in other words, a stick with a spring on it. Still, it isn't horrible, just not quite what I was looking for as far as handling is concerned. If the road undulations are spaced just right, the back end can start to po-go up and down quite a bit. It does offer a softer ride in general though, if one is into that sort of thing. But, I can't complain too much as it was pretty inexpensive. I'll leave this one on until I can afford to get a YSS shock for about $150.

Repainted the stock exhaust system with heat resistant paint because I couldn't stand that "rustic" look. Wiped it down first with a cleaner to remove any oil, grease, or silicones then sanded it with wet/dry to remove lose paint and rust. Painted the steel mounting plate too because it looked "used"...yes, I'm anal. Using a 12mm socket with built-in universal made removal and re-installation of the exhaust stud nuts a little easier. For those who don't know quite what to look for when asked about the exhaust gasket, I included a picture pointing out the gasket.
The whole back end looks a lot better now. I think I gained at least 5 HP...

Someones' offered me a Buddy 150cc engine for $250, shipped. Thinking about it, for something to "play" with, heh...

Did I mention that I was anal? Lol.
And yes, that rusty upper engine tubular support brace will get removed and repainted...

Wow you are making that thing look spiffy! How did you clean the engine with air hose or just elbow grease?

babblefish. How do you elevate the front wheel of the scooter to remove the wheel for the tire change? And did you remove the rotor, to protect it, during the tire change? When replacing the rubber seal in the front axle do you also need to grease any bearings there? Thank you.

bgwss wrote:Wow you are making that thing look spiffy! How did you clean the engine with air hose or just elbow grease?

Yeah, that's what I want to know too!

ucandoit wrote:babblefish. How do you elevate the front wheel of the scooter to remove the wheel for the tire change? And did you remove the rotor, to protect it, during the tire change? When replacing the rubber seal in the front axle do you also need to grease any bearings there? Thank you.

When the scooter is on it's centerstand and on a level surface, it teeters easily on the centerstand. When the weight of the front wheel is removed, the scooter teeters to the rear wheel and stays there.

I did not remove the brake rotor when changing the tire. I laid the tire/wheel assembly on a double layer of corrugated cardboard to protect it. After the tire change I wiped the rotor down with brake cleaner to remove any oil, silicone spray (used to make tire removal easier), and dirt.

It's not necessary to grease the wheel bearings when replacing the outer oil seal, although I did put a little grease on the lips of the oil seal and the seal in the speedometer drive before reassembly. It's actually not possible to grease the wheel bearings anyway because they are sealed with their own rubber seals. If you look at the picture of the wheel with the spacer removed, you can just make out the bearing inside by it's reddish-orange rubber seal.

bgwss wrote:Wow you are making that thing look spiffy! How did you clean the engine with air hose or just elbow grease?

Thanks. I don't like working in a dirty engine compartment. I'm the same way with my cars, too. I've had 10-15 year old cars with engine compartments that looked the same as when they were new. Come to think of it, I have a 41 year old car with an engine compartment that I'd eat my dinner off of. It's a disease...
Cleaned it with Gunk Foamy Engine Cleaner, a small brush, a sponge, water, and, of course, plenty of elbow grease. If you do the same, be sure to get the foamy engine cleaner because it's suppose to be safe on plastics and has a conditioner to protect the plastic. Does a great job. I might try using it on my dishes...

BTW: anyone living in the San Francisco Bay Area who would like some help on their scooter or want to learn how to do stuff on them, you're welcome to contact me via PM and we can arrange something.

Forgot to mention that this is offered at no cost. I just like to share knowledge. Good Karma and all that...

Babblefish. So, when reinstalling the exhaust, after changing the tire, I should put a dab of anti-seize on the tip of the two exhaust bolts then screw on the two nuts? I've read to be very gentle tightening those two nuts. Wouldn't anti-seize cause the nuts to maybe loosen during the vibration of riding. I don't understand when to use anti-seize.

babblefish wrote:BTW: anyone living in the San Francisco Bay Area who would like some help on their scooter or want to learn how to do stuff on them, you're welcome to contact me via PM and we can arrange something.

Forgot to mention that this is offered at no cost. I just like to share knowledge. Good Karma and all that...

And it's fun to do!

ucandoit wrote:Babblefish. So, when reinstalling the exhaust, after changing the tire, I should put a dab of anti-seize on the tip of the two exhaust bolts then screw on the two nuts? I've read to be very gentle tightening those two nuts. Wouldn't anti-seize cause the nuts to maybe loosen during the vibration of riding. I don't understand when to use anti-seize.

Put the anti-seize on the threads of the bolts or the nut, not just the tip. A little goes a long way, so don't over do it.

I've never had any hardware loosen up whenever I used anti-seize, but through many years of wrenching on almost everything under the sun including some pretty exotic materials, I've developed a pretty good feel for how tight is tight enough.

Because of the possibility of galvanic corrosion, I use anti-seize on fasteners that are going into dissimilar metals such as steel into aluminum or brass, particularly if it's in a high temperature environment such as the head of an engine. Even if the two mating metals are the same, such as that of the exhaust nuts onto the exhaust studs, because of the high temperatures and potential for corrosion, I'll use the anti-seize. I'll always use anti-seize on stainless steel fasteners if they're going into either steel or stainless steel because although tough and durable, stainless steel is relatively soft and can gall, making it difficult or impossible to remove under certain circumstances.

Interesting thing I noticed on the Buddy, the air intake for the air cleaner box is via a snorkel under the seat. It is routed high enough to avoid sucking up water. When I was living and working in Taiwan, I always wondered how people were riding their scooters in such deep water after or even during a Typhoon. Now I know.
There's no way to explain what its like to be driving in the middle of a Typhoon, but it's an experience I'll never forget from my time in Taiwan. I love that place...

Though a couple of the pictures are not actually from Taiwan, you get the general idea. I didn't always have a camera with me, so I missed taking pictures of people doing amazing (or stupid?) things. I was there before the appearance of the ubiquitous cell phone camera.

Decided to try bar-end mirrors. These are 3" diameter and are slightly convex to give a "wide-angle" view. I just have to remember that things seen in the mirror are closer than they appear. They are made of aluminum and do not vibrate, so the view is very steady. They work very well, though it took me a little while to get used to looking down at the mirrors and the smaller view. Filtering through traffic with them sticking out hasn't been a problem. These are available in black along with other colors. I really wanted them in chrome, and the ad on eBay showed them in chrome, or at least they were shiny. But, this is what I got, a satin silver color.

What kind of grips are you using? I like to look of them.

I have a set of crg mirrors I am going to mount on my Buddy when I pick it up the end of next month did you have to move the throttle tube toward the center to make clearence for the barend mirror?

Thanks. Rick

I think you need to use some Mother's Back to Black on your cockpit covers and floor mat.

RickyDragon wrote:What kind of grips are you using? I like to look of them.

They're something I bought off of eBay for under $8. The ad for them says they are made of rubber, but they feel and look more like plastic. Not very soft and are slippery to grip. They are also not a drop-in replacement because the throttle cable spool (circled in red in the photo) is too big and needs to be shaved down to fit into the Buddy throttle housing. It might be possible to remove the spool and replace it with the one from the Buddy, but I didn't try doing this. I'm going to be replacing them with a pair that I found at a local motorcycle shop that are softer and have more grip.

If you're still interested in them, here's the eBay ad:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Repla ... SwuxFY1Fet

exmayor wrote:I have a set of crg mirrors I am going to mount on my Buddy when I pick it up the end of next month did you have to move the throttle tube toward the center to make clearence for the barend mirror?

Thanks. Rick

No, I didn't have to move the throttle tube. The grips I used had openings on their ends for bar-end mirrors. The mirrors slid right into the end of the handlebar.

k1dude wrote:I think you need to use some Mother's Back to Black on your cockpit covers and floor mat.

Yeah, they're pretty faded, but they are gray from the factory, though currently all beat-up and faded. I decided to change their color to black and have started repainting them. I'll try using a vinyl paint on the rubber mat, but if that doesn't work, I'll buy a new black one from Scooterlounge.

babblefish wrote:

k1dude wrote:I think you need to use some Mother's Back to Black on your cockpit covers and floor mat.

Yeah, they're pretty faded, but they are gray from the factory, though currently all beat-up and faded. I decided to change their color to black and have started repainting them. I'll try using a vinyl paint on the rubber mat, but if that doesn't work, I'll buy a new black one from Scooterlounge.

Back to Black can be used on grey or any other color of vinyl/rubber/poly. IIRC, it's sort of a creamy/clearish/whitish color that spreads on easily and restores whatever color back to it's original appearance. I've used it effectively on gray, black, and beige before.

k1dude wrote:

babblefish wrote:

k1dude wrote:I think you need to use some Mother's Back to Black on your cockpit covers and floor mat.

Yeah, they're pretty faded, but they are gray from the factory, though currently all beat-up and faded. I decided to change their color to black and have started repainting them. I'll try using a vinyl paint on the rubber mat, but if that doesn't work, I'll buy a new black one from Scooterlounge.

Back to Black can be used on grey or any other color of vinyl/rubber/poly. IIRC, it's sort of a creamy/clearish/whitish color that spreads on easily and restores whatever color back to it's original appearance. I've used it effectively on gray, black, and beige before.

Thanks, but I want to change the color to black anyway. For faded plastics, I use a product from Meguiar's called Natural Shine Protectant that is also creamy white and works really well. It includes a UV blocker that helps protect against the sun.

Sigh...changed my grips again. This time with a pair from Italy that are very soft and have a nice tacky feeling to them. The ends of these are already open for bar-end mirrors or bar-end weights. As I mentioned, I bought these from a local motorcycle shop, even though it was a little more expensive than buying online. These didn't have the pre-installed throttle spool so I used the one from the original Buddy grip. Works better anyway and eliminates the play I had from the other one. Didn't need to use any glue because after the window cleaner (Windex) used to install them dried, they where on tight. Had to cut open the end of the original plastic throttle spool to allow clearance for the bar-end mirror. These have a much better feel than the plastic ones and allow for smoother throttle action.

At the same time, I swapped the left switch housing/rear brake lever mount with a used one bought through eBay to replace the original, broken housing.

Haven't done much with the Buddy lately. Been too busy riding it everyday to work, but hmm, something appears to be missing...

Guess it's time to re-engineer this thing and see if I can weld a stronger support in.

Yeah, it's been far too long since we've drooled over your handiwork!

OK, took me awhile but I finally got around to fixing the rear rack. I MIG welded in a piece of 1/4" thick steel bar instead of the original 1/8" that broke off. I hear this breakage is common when the top case gets overloaded a lot by uncaring owners like me.
The rack was pretty rusty too so I cleaned up the rust and painted it. Used Rustoleum self etching primer then about eight coats of Rustoleum aluminum. Three coats of Rustoleum clear went on last. I then baked it in the oven at 200F for a couple of hours. Hopefully it'll last awhile.

Still haven't gotten around to repaint the body work. This has sorta become my beater scooter, sigh...

That's a beefy looking rack now. The way it should have been done at the factory. I shuddered when I saw Prima now offers the same rack with a back rest attached to it. How long does one of those last before it breaks at the bend?

My Buddy doesn't twerk anymore!

Just installed a YSS rear shock and my little Buddy has been transformed. I no longer fear potholes, animals, and small children. The stock rear shock is so worn out that it sags almost to bottom with me just sitting on the scoot, and I don't weigh that much. The ride is now firm and controlled but it still soaks up bumps and potholes without feeling like I'm losing control. Stability around corners is so much smoother and controlled. The particular YSS shock I bought was originally meant for a Kymco People 50 and is about 20mm longer eye-to-eye compared to the stock Buddy shock. The mounting points are identical though. It is nitrogen charged, has pre-load adjustment, and a progressive spring. It does not have adjustable dampening though. I cranked out all of the pre-load but it was still a bit of work to install because of the nitrogen pressure inside (the shock wants to stay fully extended) and the bottom of the shock is bulkier than the stock one. Looking at the picture, it looks like the bottom of the shock is contacting various bits and bobs that it shouldn't, but there's just enough clearance. The spring rubs a little bit on the plastic rear fender but that's OK. Now when I sit on the scoot, my knees are not bent as much and the back end sits much higher. Highly recommended mod.

Bought mine through eBay from Scooterworks for $47 shipped (!) Outstanding deal considering others are selling the same shock for around $150. I think they only have one left, as of 6/15/18.

Now to do something about that mushy front suspension...

Oh snap! A dealer on eBay just accepted my offer of $170 for a brand new pair of NCY front shocks. Oh boy!

Scooterworks used to carry a fancy NCY shock that looks just like yours for the Buddy 50/125/150/170, but now they only carry one in basic black. I wonder why Scooterworks discontinued the fancy sliver/gold/black version.

They also used to carry a gold/silver front shock, now they only carry white/silver. Why did they discontinue both the gold front and rear?