Modern Vespa

It's starting to get wintery and sucky, and I'm about to get a second bike... which means that between the two, I'll probably be swapping them out once every week and a half or two. What should I do to make sure that they actually start up when I try to get'm to?

I've heard I should disconnect the battery, but that's about it... and that was supposedly "for periods longer than a week".

Both have the Piaggio Code... one'll be the GT and the other with be an Aprilia Atlantic 500...

Whatever you do, make sure the battery is charged before you try starting it. A flat battery can kill the starter relay and keep the starter spinning when you turn the key on.

Don't ask me how I know this.

heheh Well that's definitely part of what I want to make sure doesn't happen. I may buy a battery tender but I"m also unclear as to what's a safe, normal amount of time to go without starting up these modern bikes without killing the battery if I just unplug the silly thing.

what i usually do is start it for a couple of min every 2 or 3 days,i think is better taking a few min of your time to do this than worrying about dead batteries,blown relays,disconecting,etc.;good luck!

CUCO

heheh Well that's definitely part of what I want to make sure doesn't happen. I may buy a battery tender but I"m also unclear as to what's a safe, normal amount of time to go without starting up these modern bikes without killing the battery if I just unplug the silly thing.[/quote]

If I'm not going to ride my scooter for 5 days or more I just plug in the battery tender. Most come with the quick connecter that you leave on the battery and just plug the battery tender into. 2 second process. That way you don't have to worry. Starting the scoot every few days probably ( I'm not a tech) does more harm than good. I think you'd actually weaken the battery because the scooter wouldn't be running long enough to put any charge back in, plus you'd be building condensation in the exhaust etc. that could lead to problems down the road. Just my 3 cents worth.

Condensation is an excellent point to mention. The exhaust (stock) is very rust prone, especially from the inside out. Other parts are vulnerable to condensation too. I have seen a friend's exhaust last only two seasons.

It takes more than just sitting at idle to charge the battery anyway, so just starting it will not do much.

If it is ridden in the winter, and your area is like Michigan and extremely heavy in salt use, I can guarantee your exhaust will look like hell by March, and aluminum will turn powdery.

Your best bet is to use a battery tender, and keep it plugged in when not in use for more than 5 days or so. Also, the colder it is, the quicker a battery can discharge.