Modern Vespa

We bought a replacement battery on Amazon (Chrome Battery) and it wouldn't hold a charge. It was a big hassle we don't want to repeat so were wondering if anyone has recommendations for a compatible battery that's not expensive that will do the job? Is it possible WalMart or some other big store (car parts?) might have/get one - so if it's bad again it's not such a hassle to return?

cheap batteries are just that CHEAP not only in cost but quality as well.

so if you buy 2 cheap batteries for $60 each your in for $120. why not just buy a good battery for $120.

Removing Original Response...
Things change after a few years

bang for the buck is the motorboat mbtx16u from amazon
https://www.amazon.com/MotoBatt-MBTX16U-Factory-Activated-QuadFlex/dp/B003YHN66Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467936155&sr=8-1&keywords=motobatt+battery+mbtx16u

I have been really happy with mine now for 4 years so far.

Same for me.

"motorboat"? Auto spell check?

Should be MotoBatt

That makes no sense budget wise.
2 x Motobatts = $240 would get you 8 years.

1 EarthX-ETX36C = $349.00 would get you 6 - 8 years. Very little reserve capacity compared to a lead acid battery.

I've found that the batteries at the local Batteries Plus stores aren't bad. They're not the "best", nor always as cheap as mail-order but they work good enough. The ones I've bought there have lasted at least four years (except one dud that they replaced). And I don't have to wait for mail-order when I'm ready to ride.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far - I should have qualified this a bit.

We're going to be selling the MP3 so don't want to invest heavily in a battery we won't be making use of long term. Thus the search for a good discount battery that will get the job done, but not break the bank.

$349 for instance is crazy expensive compared with a $45 Amazon battery.

I tried the Batteries Plus online and they didn't list Piaggio or even Vespa. Maybe it requires going into a local store and hoping for the best...

Still searching around a bit but thanks again!

If someone can give you a part number for another battery that fits your MP3, Batteries Plus or another place could probably cross-reference it. Batteries Plus usually has many types in stock.

and this can be found in the owners manual or the workshop manual. folks need to do a bit of their own searching first

This is true, I used Batteries Plus AGM Battery they make "The Best one, not sure its name" for a few years.

Keith,
Marietta, GA

My Rule you put the biggest one that you can fit.
I think the Standard is a YTX14-BS, but if you put the wires just right you can fit the 16-BS.

If you don't have a bunch of the accessories, just go with the normal one. The 400/500 have extra spare charge capacity vs the 250, which has less than 5 AMPs.

Keith,
Marietta, GA

They list it under Scooters/Motorcycles.
Try Vespa when you search vs Piaggio.

Yea, I know...
I "Over-Kill" everything I do.
My neighbor tells me, when you change your Oil, can I have it !

Keith,
Marietta, GA

The advantage of the bigger battery, it uses less of it's capacity to start the motor, so it takes less time for it to get back to fully charged.

OK, got it - https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/scooter-and-moped/piaggio/fuoco-500ie/500/na/500cc

They show Fuoco so I called to make sure and gave them the YTX14-BS number.

The 14-BS is the important part to unlock searches - they stock compatibles -

Xtreme AGM Battery - $90 200a 12mo warranty
Duracell Ultra AGM - $102 220a 24mo warranty
!0% off with coupon code if you buy online and them pick up in store.

This seems like the best bet for us - in case the battery is DOA again it's a quick exchange.

Also sold as - Energizer AGM PowerSport Battery - Group Size 14BS

Sams club has another generic here in stock locally - http://www.samsclub.com/sams/magna-power-power-sports-battery-group-size-14bs/prod3600105.ip?

Advance Auto Parts - http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/autocraft-power-sport-battery-14-bs-200-cca-14-bs/2090236-P?zoneAssigned=1&prefZC=34243#fragment-2

Lastly - a cross reference chart for other versions - http://www.gsbattery.com/PDFs/Battery%20Supplier%20Cross%20Reference%20Chart.pdfsprodId=prod3600105&selectedTab=allProducts&_requestid=1211471

This should do it! Hopefully not the fault of the MP3 for the battery not holding a charge!

END RESULT - For convenience sake we bought a battery today at Wal-Mart! EverStart PowerSport Battery, Group Size ES-TX14 - It has a terrible warranty, but should do the trick. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as convenient as we had hoped. The 1st one we took home was DOA - making that 2 batteries in a row that were NFG out of the box. I went back and got another and it's working fine - though i did make sure to try the "spark test" before buying it. (Shorting the - and the + with a thin wire ever so briefly to make sure it was alive.)

Turns out replacement batteries are not so hard to find - if you know what to look for.

Not long term review.
Trying out a Lithium battery. If its as good as they say, we'll see. One thing for sure it weighs nothing, like a box of feathers.

It holds a charge for weeks without charging. Very good cranking power. Not much more costly than other Scooter batteries.

Please don't use the "spark test" with lead-acid batteries. Voltmeters are cheap.

Do you have this battery in your Mp3 500ie?

yes, I finally had to get a new one last month and bought another motorboat. 5 years on a small battery is pretty darn good and never using a trickle charger on it when the scooter sets over the winter for 3-4 months of non-use.

That's the one I just installed in my MP3 500. Couple months ago only, so no comment about reliability.

This Battery does not fit the MP3/500 ABS model.
I know, I have one sitting here that I purchased and can't use it.

I also tried putting in the MP3/250, also to tall.
The one I am using with success is the MotoBatt MBTX12U (12V 14 Amp) 200CCA Factory Activated QuadFlex AGM Battery.

If anyone wants to buy a MPTX16U that's been never installed, PM me.

Keith,
Marietta, GA

AWESOME. Thank you. I couldn't remember if you had the 500 or 400.
I am about to be back to fulltime riding and needed to replace.
Hope all is well.

RideOn

[/quote]If you don't have a bunch of the accessories, just go with the normal one. The 400/500 have extra spare charge capacity vs the 250, which has less than 5 AMPs.

Keith,
Markets, GA[/quote]

So would that be the same for my mp3 2012 300ie rl ?

What would the total amps (watts) available be while riding?

And is the 5 spare amps (60 watts) after standard high and low beam are on ( I have nothing aftermarket on the bike that draws power )

I wish to upgrade my headlights in the near future and want to leave a bit for the battery

If you don't have a bunch of the accessories, just go with the normal one. The 400/500 have extra spare charge capacity vs the 250, which has less than 5 AMPs.

Keith,
Markets, GA[/quote]

So would that be the same for my mp3 2012 300ie rl ?

What would the total amps (watts) available be while riding?

And is the 5 spare amps (60 watts) after standard high and low beam are on ( I have nothing aftermarket on the bike that draws power )

I wish to upgrade my headlights in the near future and want to leave a bit for the battery [/quote]

It's the charging system you have to worry about, more so than the battery.

So would that be the same for my mp3 2012 300ie rl ?

What would the total amps (watts) available be while riding?

And is the 5 spare amps (60 watts) after standard high and low beam are on ( I have nothing aftermarket on the bike that draws power )

I wish to upgrade my headlights in the near future and want to leave a bit for the battery [/quote]

It's the charging system you have to worry about, more so than the battery.[/quote]

Correct...

Adding a Higher Amperage Battery provides you some more "Cushion", the charging on the MP3/250 (Vespa GTS/300 Similar) is just not adequate for to many accessories. So it will eventually catch up the discharge when moving vs sitting at a long stop light.

What worked out well for me, was using the EarthX ETX-36C (36 Amp Battery.) I was using Heated Gear, High Power Dual Lights, and not an issue.
But... that was until the battery went out after only 2 years of use, and EarthX Adjusted Price for Replacement was only about $20.00 from buying a new one. They had told me I would get 4 Years out of the Battery when I spent $400.00 on the Battery. So I have given up on Lithium Iron, and went back to MotoBatt. I reduced my accessories to a manageable level on my MP3/250. I monitor using the Signal Dynamics Voltage LED Display, as long as I show "Green", I am good.

Keith,
Marietta, GA

If this is the case, why would you recommend someone else buy one? Especially when the thread topic mentions a good, cheap battery.

Hun?
I am not recommending at all, I am sharing the Experience.
I went back to MotoBatt (Only 14 Amps) which is the Cheaper Alternative, but less Amperage.

Third post in this thread you recommended it. I must be missing something here.

At the time of the original post I had no issues. I had purchased 3 of these for each of my Bikes, they all started going out within a few months of one another. I had problems where the Vendor did not provide a fair exchange policy, it just became cost prohibitive for to me to spend about $1200.00 every few years on Batteries. That's just Crazy... Lessons Learned !

Now if you want to buy an EarthX every two years that would be your decision to do so, it would probably work just fine. I don't feel the Lithium Iron Technology is quite ready for Prime Time yet. I can buy a number of MotoBatt Battery replacements for what I paid for the single EarthX.

If you are someone that needs the additional Amperage on occasion as I do; my suggestion would be to run "Two MotoBatt Batteries" together when you need more Amps to run Heated Gear during the Winter (I have a Y-Cable" made to do that and I just plug the second battery in under the seat.), which is doable with AGM and it has proven to work well (Provides me 28 Amps). Remove the second battery, and have it available as a spare for testing when one of your Primary Batteries are in question. Having 3 Bikes, I keep a few spares. The MP3's have interesting problems when batteries are not providing the expected Voltage.

Keith,
Marietta, GA

If you don't have a bunch of the accessories, just go with the normal one. The 400/500 have extra spare charge capacity vs the 250, which has less than 5 AMPs.

Keith,
Markets, GA[/quote]

So would that be the same for my mp3 2012 300ie rl ?

What would the total amps (watts) available be while riding?

And is the 5 spare amps (60 watts) after standard high and low beam are on ( I have nothing aftermarket on the bike that draws power )

I wish to upgrade my headlights in the near future and want to leave a bit for the battery [/quote]

I believe the MP3/300 RL would be similar to my GTS/300, since it is the same Quasar Engine. LED Technology is getting better, that may be an Option for Brighter Headlights? I have not tried it yet...

My headlight plan is....

As I have 2x 55 watt headlights (1x low 55 watt ( h1) and 1 by high 55w) I am using 110 watts currently.


I would like to put 2 x 24 watt led globes and run both lights from the low beam loom/loop
Then i wish to mount a 60 watt led light bar or 2 X 24 or 30 watt led seperate lamps as high beam
and will be mounting the led bar or 2 headlights on a bracket that will fit into/onto the 2 upper windscreen bolts and be either in front central for a light bar or either side of windscreen if 2 x led lamps used

The handle bar switch will remain as is and low will run both front lights and high beam wiring will still be dedicated to high only.

The 24 watt led h1 globe puts out more lumens than the 55 watt standard hallogen from my searches and as there will now be two off I should ne able to get a wider spread and nearly double the lumens

The 60watt led light bar or 2 x 24 watt led lamps will be higher and give more lumens and much more spread being a big plus as I get heaps of kangaroos and ferral deer.

I reckon im saving around 5-7 watts if this works so still have room to play if more lumens needed.

Cheers Eden

That sounds like a very good plan you have.
I would have to get my old Excel Spread sheet out to do some calculations.
But I think you have it well thought out.

Speaking from the MP3/250 Perspective.

I have my High/Low Spring removed, so I run either 1 Low, or 2 High (Pass Position). But my Bulbs are using 2 x 130 Watts (Each) on High, which is too much. So at a Stop Light, the Battery Drains Quickly. I manage this watching the Signal Dynamics LED, when it turns to Yellow, I go back down to 1 Headlight. When I am on the Highway, there is adequate power being generated, so I leave both on.

With that said, during the Winter...
I will plug in my second MotoBatt giving me a Higher Amperage Ability, and can run with a Heated Jacket (Toasty), and the Signal Dynamics LED stays Green. I guess I could run the Dual Batteries all the time, but I can manage this during the Summer Months, but without the Notifications available to me, I would be blind as to how much power I am using vs what is being generated. This configuration works well for my needs.

Now as far as the MP3/500 Sport...
I have not seen any indication of Amperage issues.
I am running the Higher Wattage Bulbs with the similar Spring removed from the Switch (Run both Bulbs most all the time in Pass Mode.). I use the same Heater Gear as well. The Master Engine seems to handle the additional load requirements well so far.

The GTS/300, is basically a "Parade Bike" ...
I do run a 140 watt Bulb, I forget the Manufacture but they are not made anymore (Blinding Blue Light). Luckily, I have a Spare... I use the Signal Dynamics Notifications as well as the Pulse Modulator for the Front Bulb. LED Notification stays Green all the time. I have all the other Bulbs replaced with LED's and the Switch Back Mods from Scooter West.

Please post your results, maybe on a New Post.

Thanks,
Keith

Thanks heaps for that Keith!

And yes will keep all up to date as I go

Also I will post to a new thread and am new to this and didnt mean to hog someone elses thread.

Great site folks and much appreciated

I understand now Keith. The something I missed was that this thread was over a year old. Most forums lock old threads so that time jumps don't happen like this. My mistake for not noticing that. Thanks for the clarification and apologies for hijacking the thread.

NP

I tried telling you they would not last. Have co workers that live and breath battery technology and they were saying it's not meant for that kind of short burst loads. The technology works best for a slow draw application.

I hear ya...
Some of us have to learn the Hard Way...
I have replaced 2 with Motobatt, I have one left in the GTS that's still working OK.

I tried cheap batteries and they are just that, cheap junk. Stay away!

Motobatt 16 YTX-16 BS (14 is factory size but 16 is taller and still fits)
is recommended but it's still a Chinese battery.

Yuasa AGM is the only batteries I touch any more.
I own a Optimate 6 to properly charge it after I add the acid (very easy to do)

https://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/YTX16-BS.html
Motocross = Yuasa = ZERO difference.

My MP3 never started better. I have Yuasa now in all my bikes.

I bought a battery from battery mart it is a A G M battery ( absorbed glass mat) type it was about $69.00 dollars and then it went on sale for 49.00 dollars it came fully charged and I got it in 2 days with free shipping you can goggle it and see there sight. Well made battery guaranteed for 1 year