Modern Vespa

I've had the BV 350 (2017) five days now,and riding it daily. When I start it for the first time each day, it takes a good 3 minute warm up before I can launch without the motor dying. During the warmup I have to give it a rev now and then to keep it going as well. Is this normal? Might the idle be set too low?

In the nine months I've had my GTS 300 (2016) I've never experienced the engine dying like this. I usually let the motor warm up 1-2 minutes before launch, but I can launch immediately with no problem.

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

No, that's not right. You shouldn't have idle trouble. But I don't have any suggestions at the moment, sorry.

A trip to the shop may be in order once I return from St. Louis.

What's the condition of the battery? I had a similar problem, noticed a connection was loose, tightened it and things have been good to go since. BTW, have you received a "check engine" light or had the ASR or ABS flash? Those also can be evidence of a weak battery. Since you bought used, the bike may have sat around and the battery is on the way out.

It starts strong and without hesitation, it just dies after a few seconds. When I return from St. Louis I'll have to shoot a short video to better demonstrate the issue.

Ho long did it sit unused by the previous owner? Obviously not long as it's a 2017. Should it not still be under warranty or is that non-transferable? I know my 2017 GTV still has about 10 months of warranty left.

I wouldn't think it sat long or much. He orwned the scoot 13 months and put 2,400 miles on it during. I've still 11 months of warranty coverage. Other than this one issue, the scoot runs like a champ.

My bv was doing that and the dealer sold me some gas treatment.he said tbey have had a problem wiith poor quality gas. The treatment did tbe trick, no more stalling..

I've fueled it twice since taking possession. 93 octane both times.

Stuff was called liquid performance ethinol equalizer. Only took about 20 miles to see the dif. Idles fine now. Dealer said since the hurricane last year the gas is of poor quality here in fl.

Where can I find said magic elixir?

Makes sense especially as this is a used scoot. If it's under warranty though it makes nothing but sense to make it a dealer issue and they can work it out. I don't recommend making any changes to anything under warranty without running it through the dealer/vendor. I deal with this with servers, computers and networking equipment etc all the time. At least "open the ticket" so there is a record of the issue.

Local vespa dealer sells it. Gainesville. Fl new scooters for less. Ns4l.

Will do. Definitely.

Your bike doesn't need to stand for too long before the fuel in the tank goes off. The components of the fuel start to separate out after just 5-6 weeks. Some of these components form a sticky gum in the tank, fuel pump, and fuel lines. Also tainting the fuel injector. This affects the way the bike starts and runs particularly when the motor is cold and warming up. 2400 miles is pitifully low miles so the bike has stood around and the fuel will probably have been old on more than one occasion. This sticky gum is difficult to remove unless you get some seafoam in there. It will probably cure the issue. I'm also plus one on checking the battery leads and condition of the battery itself.

Google it.

2,400 miles in 13 months is pitifully low? Not contradicting, just wondering.

Could still be bad gas!

My 2013 had that issue. It was so bad that I got in the habit of starting it up first thing in the morning after waking up, before I even began my morning ablutions. Some morning's it would take as long as 30 minutes to get it to idle steadily without stalling, or without stalling when giving it gas.

My 2017 fires right up on the first try. My routine now is to put my bag & shoes in the top case, put my phone in speedometer mode on the RAM mount, then start the engine. I then go back into the utility room & put on my jacket & helmet. I open the garage door on my way back to the bike, and put my gloves on before taking it off the center stand and rolling it out of the garage. Close the door with the remote, hop on, and motor away once the door is closed.

Just called the folks at AF1 regarding. A mechanic is supposed to call me tomorrow.

Good information folks. Thanks.

Not saying no here, but all of my 5 scoots started pretty much right off after being stored for almost 6 months over winter. Hard start first time out for two of them, sure, but everything fine after that first cold start.

I'm thinking valves.

This may Be something to consider. Others have posted getting 55-65 mpg with their BV350's. I'm getting roughly 66 mpg. If I had a valve adjustment issue could I be getting such mileage?

At 2,400 miles the valves are fine.
My BV starts and idles fine with no problems.
After only one week, you may need to run it for a while to get any old fuel and varnish out of the fuel system. The elixir could help.
I let my scoot' warm while putting on my last gear: helmet & gloves. I ride gently for a short distance (2-4 km) and don't gas it much at all until it's at ~85C. This usually takes ~5-7 minutes or so at ~25C ambient.

HI Jet, over this side of the pond that's a weekend run!... Seriously. It varies quite a lot by owner of course but we do really ride our bikes over here, covering some serious miles, even if just commuting. Many of us just leave the cars in the garage. For someone to ride just 2400 miles it means the bike is most likely to be standing around a lot. Even if the bike does just 46 miles per week (2400 in a year) the gas is likely to repeatedly go bad and leave deposits at the bottom of the tank. But it's more likely the bike has stood for weeks if not months at a time. Modern gas goes bad real quick compared to gas from 10-15 years ago. These sticky deposits get sucked into the pump and fuel lines and stick to everything they touch including the injector. Can't remove it easily unless you use a fuel system cleaner, either that or a strip down. Usually just refuelling with good gas won't do it although it helps. I'm guessing that a couple fo tanks of good gas with a fuel system cleaner in it will clear your problem. We used fuel system cleaner in the workshop on bikes and cars all the time. It works and saves a stripdown for the customer. By the way, on the trade side, many manufacturers recommend the use of a fuel system cleaner on low mileage cars and bikes when it goes in for a service once a year. But they don't publicise this in the owners manuals as they don't want owners dumping any old stuff into the tank inappropriately. To do so can damage the cat or cause other engine problems if the dosage isn't right. Use it right and it's a wonder drug for your bike!

Unlikely to be valves as tight valves will normally only affect hot running unless they are very very bad indeed. But, yes indeed Madison. Know what you mean. My bro in law has a tiger 800. He stores his bike for 6 months at a time each winter and contrary to most of us over here, rides just 1500 miles a year. I kinda tell him he should sell his bike to me at a knock down rate as he isn't using it enough...lol. Yet until this spring it always started fine over the last 4 years after storage. This year he encountered the rough starting and poor running, stalling not idling right etc, down on power problem. I took a look and with a torch you could see the sticky gum in the fuel tank. It's a brown reddish colour. I dosed it with Redex Fuel System cleaner and he rode the bike for a week and refilled with yet more Redex. It cured the problem. It ran very rough to start with as the Redex dissolved the gum and carbon in the engine. That's normal, but suddenly it ran real good with improved power and mpg's. He said it ran better than it had done for a couple of years. So couple of things. It depends on the type of gas in your bikes as to how quickly the individual components separate out. Even the octane rating alters the separation effect. It also depends how the bike is stored ie: in a warm environment or cold environment. It's also a mostly cumulative effect, so if a bike is being used regularly but very short miles the fuel in the tank takes ages to be used up so the gas goes 'off' 'bad' or whatever you want to refer to it as. Gradually as the bike is used small amounts of the sticky gum starts lining the fuel system and injector, also reducing the amount of fuel that can pass through the pump and filter. It also starts to cover the inlet valves and seats lowering performance. All easily cleaned off with a fuel system cleaner. But may need a couple of tanks of fuel with cleaner to do it. If you do the same to your bikes it will likely make them go better all round! Good luck...