Starter woes

Mike1nw · Post by **Mike1nw** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 8:20 pm

2009 Buddy 125 with only 650 miles

Starter won't activate and crank. Thank goodness for kickstarter

Yes, power goes to the starter.

Removed starter. It will spin feebly with 12V applied. Does not turn easily by hand.

Is there a good source for a starter? dbelecric, my favorite source, doesn't list Buddy. But lists Piaggio. Is that a cousin of Buddy?
dbelectric new for Piaggio about $87
scooter lounge about $173. Ouch.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Sat Dec 22, 2018 11:39 pm

Battery might be weak. Try jump starting from a car battery. If it starts with the electric start then there you go, bad battery.

GregsBuddy · Post by **GregsBuddy** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 2:54 pm

+1
A nearly dead battery will spin a starter motor with no load. It takes a good battery to spin the starter motor with its intended engine starting load.
These scoot's are very reliable. MANY issues on this forum have boiled down to failing/failed batteries.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:04 pm

Good suggestions above

Did you try bypassing the relay?

IF you find you need a new starter only an OEM will fit properly. A generic GY6 starter will not work.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sun Dec 23, 2018 5:39 pm

And no, Piaggio is not a cousin of the Buddy. The Buddy is manufactured by PGO in Taiwan. Piaggio is the manufacturer of the Vespa.

Mike1nw · Post by **Mike1nw** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:42 pm

AHA. It's the battery. Although it charges to 12.56 volts.

A good 12v battery spins it just fine

Thank goodne$$.

NOW I want a genuine Yuasa to replace this year-old failed Chinese battery installed by the PO.
Does anyone know the Yuasa part no. and a source?

Thank you very much!

GregsBuddy · Post by **GregsBuddy** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:50 pm

It's almost always the battery.
Google "Testing a 12V battery" and you'll find the voltage range of a good battery and bad battery is quite specific with small variations.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 7:21 pm

Mike1nw wrote:NOW I want a genuine Yuasa to replace this year-old failed Chinese battery installed by the PO.
Does anyone know the Yuasa part no. and a source?

The standard battery for the Buddy 125 is the YTX7A-BS or equivalent.
A battery with higher capacity which still fits the battery box is the YTX10S or equivalent.

vintagegarage · Post by **vintagegarage** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:28 pm

I found this post by Dooglas, much appreciated. When I got my new to me Buddy 150 International, I installed a new and fully charged FirstPower YTX7L-BS 12V 7AH Sealed AGM Battery. The battery had enough cranking power to bring the engine only up to top dead center on the first or second push of the starter button, and then would start the engine on the second or third push of the button. Fortunately, the engine was easy to start, and would always start when the engine made one complete revolution. Yesterday, I installed a YTZ10S AGM Battery. Now the Buddy 150 starts as it should.. turns over quickly on the first push of the starter button and starts instantly. As Dooglas says, the YTZ10S is an exact fit in the battery box, requiring no modification to the box, nor the box lid. Thanks Dooglas!