Modern Vespa

Hi Guys, please help. My battery is dead and I tried kick-starting my LX 150 but failed. I had the key to ignition "on". Twisted th throttle a little, lift the lever and gently press down until I feel the traction then stepped on it hard... nothing happens, not even a hint that it will start...

Anyone knows the trick to it? Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

Phaedrus

double check the kill switch?

also, people here say to go easy on the kickstarter...it can crack the case.

um...ya..i don't really know how to help you.

Do a search. There are a few discussions here about kick starting the LX-150. I tried all the tricks and still could not kick mine over

LX150 have notoriously bad batteries. It is a good idea to keep your battery hooked up to a battery tender when you can. I have never heard that it is a good idea to kick start the LX150, again, because it is very difficult, AND the chances of cracking the case or breaking the kick start off is higher than not.

I have heard many horror stories about cracking the case while trying to kick start the LX-150. Has anyone on this forum actually cracked theirs, or seen someone first hand that did? Although I don't doubt its possible, I am inclined to chalk this up as an urban legend until someone actually steps forward and can give a firsthand account of the damage.

Exactly!

You should not use the kick start. Jump it or charge the battery.

Consider upgrading to the ET battery and battery tray. This takes care of most peoples LX battery woes.

OK...here's how I do it. Did it. Think of the kickstart as your emergency back-up.

If you think the kick start is the only way:

Make sure the ignition is on and the kill switch is on.
Stand next to the scooter and make super-frikkin sure that you have real shoes on.
(This is another reason to have and use good riding shoes or boots. If you do need to use the kickstart on the road and you only have flip-flops )

Put the scooter up on its center stand and grip the grips.

Standing next to the scooter, place the arch of your right foot on the kickstarter and slowly push down a few times until you feel the kickstart "grab" at its highest position...then stop. Now it's properly engaged.

Get ready,
then push down fast and hard.

Then, most likely, you will repeat. And repeat.
You may have to do this several times before it starts.
After a while you get the hang of it.

Good luck.

Thanks Menhir for actually giving instructions on *how to* kick start. I realized after typing my post, that it was less than helpful in answering the actual question that Phaedrus had. But Phaedrus, get that battery tender regardless!

My dealer told me to never kick start my LX.

Only use it as a backup but it is there for a reason. I once had to use it after stopping on the side of the freeway to help someone that had broken down at night. I left the lights on while I was helping so we didn't get run over and it ran the battery down.

Anyhow this is how I do it when I have to:

1. put the scooter on the center stand
2. make sure the key is on, kill switch and all that. you can hit the starter button and you should at least hear a click. this will let you know that everything is ready to go if you could only get the engine going round.
3. stand to the left rear of the bike and grip the rear rack/chrome bar at the back of the seat.
4. with your right foot press the kick starter through it's range of motion slowly a few times. Note how the motion is not just down but is down and forward. Let your leg learn this motion slowly first.
5. press the kick starter faster and with more force but in control and following the same motion as before.

I think the broken cases tend to come from treating the foot as a hammer and throwing it at the kick starter. That said, I still only use it when there are not other options.

the technique i used successfully today is this:

press lever down until you feel resistence.

then, from there (don't let it spring back) press down swiftly

and it will start.

Someone also said once don't hold the brake lever in when doing this. I don't know if there's any truth to that though.

People with the LX150 should convert the running lights back to turn signals. It's the running lights that suck too much juice from the battery.

As for techniques for kickstarting: well, I have a proven technique for not passing gas while urinating, and it's saved me on several occasions, but it's kinda hard to explain it over email or bulletin boards. Same with kickstarting, or putting it on the centerstand, or tying it down on a truck.

you do not need to hold the brake lever.

How come every time I try to kick start my Fly it jumps backwards?

I switched mine out with LEDs but then I've never had battery problems...yet.

hey Gaseous, what size LED's did you use? How do they look? May be interested in this mod... Was it the turning signals you used them for or the running lights?

Your Fly has have a kickstart? I got gipped

Yeah, my Fly doesn't have a kick start either....

They are 1156 and I got the 8LED bulbs. I got the idea from micbergsma and they work great. One word of warning, when they say the bulbs are 'white' they really mean 'blue-ish'.

fly 150-new leds in front running lamps

Kickstarting an LX150 is not that hard. The methods posted above work fine. I wish I had practiced it before I needed to do so. Anyhow it reminded me of trying to start my old KH400 .

Doug

Centerstand

Sorry Skrapiron and Ellen, mine doesn't either.

If the battery is completely dead you cant kick start the beast. There needs to be a some voltage to make the computer work.