Modern Vespa

Hi Guys - it ws about 3c this morning when I tried to start the mp3 500 - The ignition was kicking, it would come alive like with a cough and die again after couple of coughs - was trying to rev it while on stand but didnt help - it took at least 7-8 attempts before it stayed on. I take it is beacause it was cold? what can I do for it to start in first go - I had a rain protection cover on it - concious that it will only get colder here in the UK and can't afford for it to do that when I am relying on it for commute.

Any advise?

Better Battery...
Look at EarthX ETX36C (Biggest that you can fit.)
Made for Snowmobiles originally, and widely used on bikes now.

Keith

hi Keith - the battery was ok until now then - the only change that happened was that I installed wires to the battery for the heated gloves but as the gloves werent connected to the wire so shouldnt have drained it.

I only bought the bike 3 months ago from new - the battery should be fine shouldnt it unless something I did wrong installing the wiring for gloves. To be honest it were only 2 red and black wires to the + and - on the battery and that was it.

ECU may be adjusting to start in that cold a temp.
Don't think you need a bigger battery if it was cracking over that long and still started.
Also, do not touch the throttle while starting. Let it get up to idle on it's own.
If you open the throttle, the ECU is trying to find the right fuel mixture while you're changing the amount of air coming in.

That makes sense - does anyone else experience this in cold? Can I do any preventative measures?

[quote="RiderUK"] Based on lot's of experience with other mcycles:
-Use a Trickle Charger when bike is parked... this keeps the battery fully charged, and makes for good starts.
-Upgrade the battery... The stock batteries in many new bikes are junk... the cheapest that the mfr can provide, and some don't last even one year. Try Jump Starting your bike, using any 12v battery (from a non-running vehicle, if present)... if the bike fires right up, then that's a darn good sign that your battery is insufficient, either due to having not been charged, or is perhaps worn out.
-Carry a set of jumper cables... You, or someone you meet, will definately need them at some point, as all batteries die.

You said the scoot was on the stand. It sounds like you were not activating the seat sensor. You have to be sitting on the seat to rev it like you wanted to.

+1 on this.

Although usually is a good advice to have a good battery and battery tender (go for it), is NOT the issue here. Your are able to start the engine several times... a low battery wouldn't allow that.

Verify that the battery cables are Tight (eg No loose screws at the connectors, atop the battery).

This happened to my mcycle yesterday... bike would either not crank, or crank weakly, and have erratic idle.

Hi,

When my 500 was new I had the stator replaced twice as it wasn't charging the battery and left me stranded twice.

Since then cold weather hasn't been a problem for me, I rode all last year in the snow and everything. The bike is garaged at night but sits in my office car park all day covered in the sleet from the journey in, then it starts on the button.

Not sure why you are stuck on battery? Nothing he described pointed to a battery issue to me. As a matter of fact it sounds like his battery is strong

A shot of injector cleaner in the petrol tank might not do any harm

A low battery can crank the engine, yet not be strong enough to Also fire the coils to the spark plugs.

This is a well known problem on GL1500's for example, in which a solution is to only let the engine crank 1 time, at which point the engine will fire up much better than if it is continously cranked over & over again... eg As soon as you stop cranking the engine, then suddenly there's enough juice left to make a spark to the plugs, and it fires up.

To help my bike(VT1100-T) start better in the cold I closed the plug gap down from .035(stock) to .028 and it did help my bike start easier when it's cold outside(20*F). With Iridium plugs it starts even better than with the stock style plugs.

ROD

The engine needs to turn over twice before it fires smoothly - cheekythomas gave an excellent explanation of this some time back. All to do with the ECU determining the correct stroke for the fuel injection, as it fires the plugs on every cycle regardless.

Any more than twice and it's best to stop and try again.

If it 'coughs' and the dash lights flicker, you may have a duff battery - yes this can often happen with a new bike - there's no telling the history of the battery itself. If it also makes a grinding noise that's different from usual when it coughs and dies, the sprag clutch may be shot - but I doubt that on a new bike.

You did note he has a 2013? " Piaggio MP3 LT 500 Sports 2013 "

Of course... Same concept applies to all bikes

My 500 can be a bit of a bugger to start in the cold if the plugs aren't fresh.

Thanks guys - I have noticed that this issue happens if the scooter hasnt started for a day e.g. there is a gap of a day - if I am using it daily then it starts up in the morning but as soon as I dont take it out for a day then it kinds - misbehaves

hopefully it just gets too cold and nothing to worry about.

Again, that's a typical problem with a old battery... it does not hold a charge well.

He has not given one reason to think it is the battery. Did you see him say he had to put on a charger to get it to start, I missed that if he did.

You're in Southern Ca. and it's never been cold enough to have the cold start issue he is referring to, I have and it just doesn't want to start but cracks over nice and fast.

It's a 2013, how can the battery be old?
You are seeing MP3 500 and thinking old, they still sell an MP3 500 "Sport" in UK and EU.

To the OP:
Did you have any issues with the speed the motor was turning over?

i get this problem too when its cold, and i haven't used the bike for a few days. i think its been mentioned on here before, what do is start the bike as normal but hold the throttle open very slightly and it will start up. once the engine is warm, it has no trouble starting up again for the rest of the day. Maybe something to do with the choke? anyway that method works for me.

There is no choke - it's fuel injected. The fuelling when cold is determined by the mapping firmware in the MIU (ECU).

doh, of course!