Modern Vespa

I have a 2007 GTS 250 that I bought used. At the end of last season and then again in the few days that it has been warm enough to ride (I am in Ohio) it stalls and the lights on the dash flash. I noticed that the check engine light and then the code light would come on/flash before and after stalling completely. When riding the other day, when it stalled while riding, the headlight indicator as well as the oil indicator light and the check engine and code lights all were flashing. It has been jerking a bit before stalling, as if it doesn't have fuel, but it has plenty. Anyone else have this happen to them or know what it is? I am not able to make it very far before it stalls, just around the block a few times. I am riding to Amerivespa in June and need to get this sorted out by then. Thanks for all your help!

If it still has its original battery, it's due for a new one! 8)

I don't think it's the original battery in the bike. Would the things happen like I mentioned above if the battery was wrong/going bad?

In general, the fuel injection systems on scooters are kind of sensitive to low battery voltage. If the battery is more than three or four years old or has lived a hard life it could be getting weak. I'm not saying for sure the battery is the cause of these problems, but that's where I would start.

Hi Z - 1st check the spark plug cap on the HT lead to be sure it is secure.

You should also check voltage on the bike at idle. If the voltage is rising over 14.8v, then the voltage regulator likely needs to be replaced. It's located on the left side inside the legshield behind the radiator.

There are some details here...

Vespa GTS 250 Voltage Regulator

Also, I'm riding with a group from Dayton Ohio to Amerivespa in June. There are a couple of other folks joining us from C-bus.

Thanks Carl I will look at those. I replaced the voltage regulator last year, so I hope it isn't that again. I will check the battery too. There are 3 of us riding from Cbus. We should all try to connect. We are starting to plan our route now.

So I removed the battery that was in the bike, and it appears to be the wrong size completely. Its a Duralast ETX14L. I did some research and it seems like for my year GTS it needs a YB10L-B type battery. From reading on the forum, I saw that I can get an AGM battery from Motobatt, the MB10U, that would be a swap. I think I will try that. I hope this wrong size battery didn't fry any of my electronics! I will check the spark plug lead as well. Is that a hard thing to replace if needed?

Thanks for all your help!

Why on earth do you think the larger capacity battery will have harmed the scooter electrics? You should surely want to fit the largest capacity (Ah) battery that'll fit in the space. The Motobatt MBTX12U (which is 14Ah) is fine.

Piaggio changed the size of the battery in 2000 something, from the one you think you need to a 12 amp one.
When they did this, they also changed the little plastic tray the battery fits in. If your battery fits in the tray, the tray has been changed.
One big problem with the early GTS that causes the sort of problems you are describing is the positive cable shorting out against the frame where it attaches to the battery. Make sure your battery is held in place and there is no way the cable can come into contact with the frame. You might see little black marks on the metal if it has been arcing out already.

Here are some pictures. This is the tray that was in the bike when I bought it, the current battery, and a pic of the battery compartment on my gts. It looks like there may be some arcing. What do you think? I haven't had the tray in since it won't fit the current battery and if I put the tray under the battery then the plastic battery strap that goes on top of the battery doesn't fit.

That's one way to make it fit.

I hate it when I see stuff like that, because it makes me wonder what else was fixed with the same regard for the machine.
Those black lines near where the positive terminal was do look like the ones that are made when the positive terminal arcs off the body, and they just happen to be in the right place.
Pull the bucket and make sure the big brown connector doesn't show signs of overheating, and check the other wires you can see to see if any of them look like they overheated. You will know it if you see it.

That is a very good battery, so if it still works, put a bit of electrical tape on the frame where the berminal was, reinstall the battery and make sure everything is far enough away that the positive isn't going to spark, go a little crazy with the electrical tape, and take it for a ride. If you caught it in time, it's going to be fine. We once made a battery box out of a 1 gallon oil container by cutting the top off, and left it high enough on the right side so there was no way the terminal could arc against the body.

Thanks for the tips. Here is a pic of the area under the bucket. Nothing appears to me to have over heated at all, just dirty. Haha. I will do the electrical tape and think of a way to make a battery box so there won't be metal on metal contact. I will report back when I get a chance to ride. It's 15 degrees here, so it may be a week or so until we get a warmer day. Thanks again!

If you are not using a battery tray, it is advisable to stick some rubber feet to the bottom of the battery. Otherwise the bottom of the battery can rub on the frame and eventually make the battery leak.

It should be fine if it's securely clamped down, tray or no tray. Some support underneath may be necessary just to make sure the clamp does indeed fit tightly.

So I finally got around to working on the Vespa. I put tape on the metal as it was suggested and modified the existing battery tray to accommodate the battery. I took it for a spin and it seems to be running much better now as it should. Thanks again for the help. I hope this takes care of it!

- Zach