Modern Vespa

Hi,

I brought my Vespa GT200 into the shop today to get two blue keys programmed. I have been trying to program the keys myself with Scooter West's video tutorial without success.

The service manager informed me that there have been 7 keys that have already been programmed and that I need a new CDI unit. I know my mechanic is honest because I bought the scooter used from another shop that I do not have 100 percent faith with.

Is there any way I can have another spare key made without having to shell out a couple of hundred bucks for a new CDI unit? I have the master key and just want one spare key in case I lose the master.

Thank you,
Ross

I think he is wrong. The unit will store 7 keys in memory. The red key is burned it, the others are temporary. Programing new keys bump old ones out. Otherwise a lost / stolen key would always work.

The GT200 service manual lacks detail on this, but a LX150 same time frame, carb'd scoot has it.

http://www.wotmeworry.org.uk/manuals/Vespa/LX150/LX150Workshop-searchable.pdf

pg 67-68

He is correct. A CDI will shut down from acknowledging new keys after 7 or so. New CDI for a couple hundred bucks seems like an easy solution to me.

Best,
SDG

Much more economical solution is to clone your existing/working red or blue key. Member jimh can help you with this.

-Craig

I'll second what Craig said. PM JimH and see what he thinks. I'd trust what he says 120%. Good luck.

Couple hundred dollars seems a bit too much for me. Not an easy solution at all..........

There is no need to replace anything at all mate.

Send your master key to me.

https://www.allmotorcyclekeys.com/proddetail.php?prod=GT15RDT5

Cheers

I've decided to get a new CDI with brown key for the BV 500, and lockset, since I only currently have a blue key because that's all the prior owner had when I bought the scooter from him. I can prove that I'm the legal owner, if necessary

I'm willing to get the OEM new replacement, but I'll also consider used or aftermarket CDI, or even disabling the immobilizer to be replaced by a more powerful alarm system with disabling relay for the ignition/fuel systems.

Does anybody have info on good reliable sources and options for these parts? I'm not trying to avoid Piaggio dealers either, since I have no problem with choosing the OEM product installed by a dealer, if I think that's the best option for me. I only want to know the full range of options available so that I can make a fully informed choice among them.

By all means buy those parts if cash is of no object - but why not just get your blue key cloned (by jimh of course ), and carry on as normal? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind...

Exactly! I just had jimh clone the blue key for my wife's scooter. WAY less expensive than a new CDI. I'm not gonna flush that kind of cash away even if it won't break me.

-Craig

Here is my cost effective choice/option.....

If you have a good working key, then why replace anything?

I would be happy to cut and clone your key.......it's what I do

https://www.allmotorcyclekeys.com/proddetail.php?prod=GT15RDT5&cat=20

Feel free to call if you have any questions.

Cheers

207 230 4667

A special thanks to those members who continually support me and encourage those about their "options".

It means a great deal to me.

Humbly, Cheers

I have a couple of reasons to not merely clone the key. I got the scooter for a very low price, so even with this additional expense, my overall cost is well below market. I can actually make use of the ability to add new keys and to disable old ones, which I can't do now, having only one blue key at this point. When I go to sell the scooter at some future point, not having the red key is a drawback for the new buyer that could devalue my selling price. I also don't want the new buyer to be in the same position as I'm currently in. Getting a new CDI will restore the full factory function of the immobilizer, which I view as "broken" because some prior owner lost the brown/red master key.

I want a working red key and two blue keys to have at sale for delivery to the buyer. I'd like to show the new buyer how to program the CDI to add and remove blue keys, since that's obviously a common point of confusion for other owners with immobilizers. I consider the new buyer to be a member of the scooter community, and I want him/her to get the full enjoyment of using it, instead of passing the "buck" of an immobilizer without a red master key.

But if I can get better function with aftermarket products at a better price, I'd be willing to do that too instead of replacing with an OEM CDI, such as using a keyless remote control. I already have a scooter with alarm and remote control start that seems to work good for me, so that would be fine to add to the BV, so long as I have the ability to lock-out remotes at a later time without having them physically present.

By the way, it's pretty cool and fun to have remote start on a scooter. It also is a bit silly and overkill, but that's what makes it funny to me. People still think that alarms and remote start are expensive add-ons, but it's actually rather affordable and prudent to have an alarm to deter the casual, opportunistic thief or vandal. I use alarms with 2 way remote feature so that I get notified on any trigger of the tilt, motion, or electrical tampering sensors.

Depending on which CDI you need, you are probably looking at $200-350 for a new one. And buying used electronics on ebay is usually a crapshoot. The problem with CDIs is that you can't look at them and tell they don't work.
There are companies in the UK that are starting to sell bypass cdi units for piaggio scooters on ebay.uk. Af1racing offers a -re-virginization process, whereby they clean the old key chip code out of the memory. Then you would program it like a new setup with a new red key and new blue keys. You could probably reprogram the blue keys you already have.

^^^^
This is another good option.

Have the current CDI put back into a virgin state, buy a new lockset, and you're good to go. Then you'd have a 'standard' set-up that would be fine for selling on.

It's still going to cost five times as much (and the rest) as just cloning the current key, but I've been in a similar position a few times before, when the money spent wasn't a consideration, just the 'proper outcome' - so I can understand your thinking.

Is it your Keeway that has the remote start? I saw one in London a few years ago - the system was quite well thought out.

Thanks for the tips, Motovista! Getting the existing CDI to accept a different red key would be great, since it's a big waste for legitimate owners to have to buy a new CDI when a prior loses the master key. Security is stupid when it ends up mostly affecting the owners of the items instead of the thieves. An immobilizer doesn't prevent a thief from loading the scooter into the back of a truck in about 30 seconds and driving off to part it out later.

JimC and JimH, thanks for your helpful comments too. It's always nice to see locksmiths who help on forums and make specialized services available that aren't always profitable for local locksmiths to do. It's an interesting and evolving trade, and one that often gets overlooked by bright young kids who may not have the option to go to university, yet need to keep learning in their career to avoid boredom. I hope you take on apprentices to "clone minds" as well as cloning keys! I suspect that a brain dump from you to a kid isn't so easy to do and would take years to be successful, with risk of overfilling if you go too quickly. I had a locksmith show me how to pick and rekey lockset when I was a teenager, and not for a life of crime. He knew I was actually interested in the mechanics of how things work.

JimC, yes, my Keeway matrix 50 has the factory alarm and remote start. That scooter is one of my "rescues." Here's a video to cue up for reading the story, with a photo of the sad headlights of a scooter looking through a chain link fence of a storage unit.

It was left unwanted in a storage locker, abandoned by a Keeway regional rep who skipped town without looking back, then it sat on a dealer floor for a while with no buyers, until I came a long and rescued him and his brother the Outlook 150. It didn't seem right to split them up, and the dealer wasn't really in that line of business. So I picked them up for a good price and the dealer unloaded a problem case. The matrix 50 ended up in a loving home, with a warm spot in the garage to sleep at night, being nurtured by a battery tender. It's currently being petted at least once a week, given a ride to stretch it's engine and scuff the tires a bit, while it's recovering to soon become a daily rider for someone who needs it and loves it.