Modern Vespa

This just may be a quirk of Piaggio engineering, but after I refuel my 2021 GTS 300 HPE the bars on the fuel gauge are. very. slow. to. show. a. full. tank. It takes about 20 minutes of riding before all the bars fill in to show a full tank.

I'm new to scootering but I would have thought the fuel gauge would show a full tank right after refueling, just like a car does. I know that I have a full tank so there's no problem with waiting to see the bars slowly fill in (it's the simple pleasures in life that are best!) But I was wondering if other's Vespa fuel gauges act like this.

I'm going in for my 600 mi service next week and I thought I'd check the forum experts to see if this is normal or not. Thanks!

Not normal. Your fuel level sender float is sticking. It needs more up and down action !

You need to fill and then empty the tank repeatedly to free it up a little.

Lots of riding for you then!

I don't believe the newer bikes use a mechanical float valve. I believe they use an electronic sensor. Mine reacts fairly slowly as well (though not 20 minutes).

I agree about needing more riding!!!

I'll mention it to the mechanic when I go in for service. Not a big deal but a little bit odd. Other than that, the scooter has been great.

My float is stuck on my GTS. I've been using the trip meter for a fuel gauge since I got the bike 4 years ago.

FYI, I asked the service techs at my 600 mile service about the slow rise of the bars on the fuel gauge after a fill-up. They said it's normal and designed that way so that the bars don't change if you ride uphill or downhill. The bars thereby reflect your fuel level more accurately.

Mine shows full immediately. I think they fed you a line.

Yep. My 2020 HPE shows full as soon as I start it up after fueling. I need to get some more miles on this one - it is about 15 to 20 mpg less than my 2009 GTS (which opened up nicely after about 3,000 miles).

Turn the ignition off and then back on. Happens with mine also and that's what gets the correct reading, if not I have to ride it a few miles for it to catch up. Weird but not a real problem

Mine is sometimes down by a bar after a fillup, but it usually rights itself by the time I get home.

Mine reads full right away.

Who knows if they have more than one supplier for the level sensor, etc...
It sounds like the level sensor is working, just not like you think it should. When they are broken, they do a lot more interesting things. The problem with trying to compare what you have to other owner's experiences is that most of the responses are going to come from people who do not have your model and don't know if it's normal or not. Some people hit the kill switch and fill up, others turn the ignition off, then fill up. Some jump back on, start it up and take off, others leisurely put their gloves and helmet back on, wander around for ten minutes, get on the bike, check everything they possibly can, take their gloves back off and post their mileage and fuel purchase on their smartphones, then start it up and leave at a measured pace. Lots of variables.
At the dealership, they see enough of these bikes to know when one works or doesn't work. One of my cars takes what I swear is about half an hour, though I've never timed it, and if I did, it might be all of five minutes, but it sure seems like half an hour or even longer, for the fuel level to show after I fill it. I don't know why.

I usually just hit the kill switch when I fill up, I don't turn off the ignition key. I may try turning off the key next time to see if the gauge reads full immediately. I have a 2021 GTS and maybe the fuel gauge hardware is different from the 2020s. Funny how these little things are different from scooter to scooter.

If this is the worst "problem" I have with the scooter, I'll be living a charmed life.

If this is the worst "problem" I have with the scooter, I'll be living a charmed life.
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Amen to that

To see what kind of level detection system your Vespa uses, simply look at the exploded drawing in a spare parts list.

Mine has the same behavior as the OP (2020 HPE). After I ride a little it normalizes.

I have a 2021 GTS 300 HPE and my fuel gauge reads full instantly after fill up.

FWIW, my 2020 HPE Tech takes 5-10 mins to reflect refueling when doing a full refuel. I've not paid attention on a top off though.

I thought I'd post a followup.

If I leave the ignition key on when fueling up, the bars are very slow to increase to show a full tank (10+ minutes of riding).

But if I turn the ignition key to off, then fuel up, when I turn the key back on, the bars show full gas immediately.

haha my 2010 will show a full tank and if i go full throttle it will dip down to half a tank until the fuel stops sloshing haha

I have 900 miles on my 2021 GTS 300 75th and the fuel gauge is not reading accurately. I have a full tank and the indicator says "Refill Fuel" and blinks. Had been working accurately til now. The local dealer says they've had 3 customers this month report similar malfuntion but I'm not certain if they were 300's too. Hoping it's just the sensor.. Warranty will fix it.

I hope it is just the sensor, should be an easy fix for the dealer (if they have the parts).

BTW, I lived in Irvine for 30 years before moving to Arizona. Happy riding!

Seal, Huntington, Laguna, Balboa, … all the beaches within. 30 minutes of lane splitting from Irvine. Didn’t even realize that before I moved here a few months ago. But maui living, riding a Vespa to work along the coast, that’s where it’s at. But Beware of the tourist whale-spotters driving you off the road.🤣

Mine is doing the same. Going in for warranty service soon.

I wish I could have ridden the Vespa to these areas when I lived in Irvine. I used to ride a bicycle to them, but riding a Vespa is doing it in style! There are lots of rides in greater Phoenix and a great scooter club to hang out with.

I used to ride my 1969, 250 Triumph, through the orange groves on Irvine Ranch. When it was rumming, which was not often.

Not many orange groves in Irvine anymore!

Ok, the fuel gauge thing may have fixed itself. 40 miles, no problems. Fingers crossed!

Don't feel too bad. The fuel gauge on my 2021 GTS worked for about a day then stopped working at all.