Modern Vespa

I am debating whether I should purchase a 300 super that has its Check Engine light on.. seller says, they are not sure but thinks it's just a "sensitive" switch. Doesn't really matter what a seller says about a lot of things.. puffing… but wonder if I am getting into something that could be a major issue. The bike is priced right. But a check engine light? Your opinion. Thanks

why is the glovebox all askew?

that would be my first question.

Not sure what you are seeing? Glovebox?

I think greasy means this gap

Oh, I see that. They did say they had it off recently…More concerned with the engine light being on.. any ideas? Like to purchase but little weary. Ok if I spent couple hundred to fix, but dont want to get into 500-1000!

c'mon son, keep it clean and tidy:

why did they have it off?

engine light could be anything really. do they have any service history or has it been recently repaired?

also, got any more pictures?

Yes

AHHAHAHAHA!

from the FIRST pic I was all: I think this bike has been in an accident....

anyway. does it run and ride and just has the CEL on?

Haven't seen it in person yet.. plan on it this Saturday

Fixing that body damage on the left alone could cost more than a couple

Without seeing the error codes from pads or obd2 etc,i wouldn't trust such a dismissive comment

My art quality was in line with the bike condition

^^^

that bodywork alone is dough. but if you don't care what it looks like and wanna rock it there's no shame in that game.

but they obviously tried to fix it or something so that it wasn't throwing a CEL so you're in "magic 8-ball territory" on that. so figure more toward 1K than 500

you may rely on it

I wouldn't touch that with a 10' pole. There's a thread in archives here about a GTS being tapped from behind at a stop light. Scooter wasn't a total loss, still rode and stopped. Down the road, during a tire change it came to light that a swing arm bolt was sheared off. Damage wasn't noticable until well after the fact. Owner ended up just about giving the scooter away. It's what you don't see that will end up biting you in the ass. Walt for something cleaner.

Frankly, the "check engine" light is not truly about the engine. The only sensor in the engine, connected to the ECU, is cam/crankshaft position sensor.

My first thought about the CE light is broken or disconnected lambda probe.

What about the coolant temp sensor and oil pressure sensor? Even the ABS can cause that light on the dash.

I think of the light as "the ECU is concerned about something which may or may not be the engine"

annnndddd... the lambda sensor!

I think Jah is trying to make some point about that sensor and others such as the throttle position sensor or the air temp sensor in the throttle body are not actually in the engine (guessing he defines this as crankcase + cylinder + head), but I'm just guessing.

Walk away, don't look back, just walk. There's plenty more to choose from.

Yes, if we're talking about the engine as the mechanical internal combustion unit without the intake, exhaust, fueling system and external parts of cooling system, then the only thing the ECU really knows about it is the current position of either crankshaft or camshaft.

The oil pressure sensor does not cause the CEL to turn on, it has a separate light. The coolant temp sensor might be anywhere in the cooling system, but I don't think it is in the engine itself. Regarding lambda probe, well, everyone knows where's it.

So if the most concerns are about the engine itself, the Check Engine does not mean a lot. It won't tell you about the piston crack, head crack, bad seals, overheat or any other really bad thing. Most problems that the CEL tells about are easily solved.

On the HPE it's in the head near the thermostat. Very clear if you look at the parts diagram.

But to be honest i don't see defining engine to not include the throttle body (or a carb) is a useful way to define it

One models have in thermostat, other in radiator. Could be even more weird solutions.
Regarding the engine, not including ECU into the engine makes sense cuz' there are engines without ECU. And some of them are totally the same as with ECU, but without ECU (like early Quasars in first carb mp3s)

I think price and mileage might be a good determinate of whether or not to buy this particular scooter. What's the price?

I bought my 2018 GTS, used, with 3 miles on it for $4000 about 12 months ago. The battery was dead and the oil and coolant were 3+ years old, so it was not running, but in excellent physical shape having spent its entire life in a shed (except for a single ride around the block). When I changed the fluids and got it running, the check engine light kept going on unless I kept the gas tank full. After a few hundred miles, the check engine light just stopped coming on regardless of fuel level. Why it was "on" in the first place is still a mystery.

It may be just the angle of the picture but to me it also looks like the front wheel is not very centered???

I thought the same thing about the front wheel, but the picture is at a weird angle. Anyways, to the OP, bring a friend who knows bikes with you. Make sure to take a test ride. If the seller says "Oh, it doesn't have tags so no test ride." or other stupid crap just walk away. Note anything suspicious if you get to take it out for a test ride and compare notes with your scooter buying wing-man. I could care less about a little cosmetic damage if it was just for a beater. Good luck!

Also considering this 2008 gt 200L. Good reviews? Hard to get part? like my 2005 ET4? This has 2500 miles, told it "runs great". Is a 200 going to be a noticeable upgrade from my ET150? It does have a lot less miles and I'm guessing 12" wheels (?). Looks good. Thanks all..

GT200 is a great scooter. That looks to be in pristine shape. They are easy to work on, parts are readily available. If it's a choice between the GT200 and the trashed 300, take the 200. If it a choice between the 200 and a GTS300 or 250 in similar shape, I'd take the fuel injected scooter. Ride one of each, and you will see what I'm talking about.

Not that this is the case, but if it's between $500 for the GTS300 and $3500 for the GT200, go for the 300. Price is a factor.. How do the asking prices compare?

Air filter oil cap looks black in one picture

This is the exact type of thing that I look for in a scooter and after reading through the thread I just wanted to go back and check what they were asking. First of all I don't mind cosmetic damage as long as its not bent and handling weird. But the price is the thing, if it is cheap enough it doesn't matter what is wrong with it, at some point it will be worth more in parts and even if that is all you are using it for is a parts scooter it still has to be dismantled and sorted.

If they do not want to get the mystery check engine light sorted you negotiate that in the price, it could be a worst case scenario and cost X so I will offer Y type of situation. If they are not willing to accept your extremely low offer of Y then you walk away, no harm no foul, you don't mean to insult anybody but you just can't go any higher than Y if you don't know...

Is the title clean? The way they total scooters for even the slightest thing the bike could have been bought back from the insurance company. If that is the case and you can give him a little more than he gave insurance company I think its a score but it has to be really cheap.

If nothing else hopefully you will have softened him up a little bit and made it better for the next guy is my approach. I don't see anything wrong with this buying strategy. You figure what would be the worst case scenario for the mystery problem and offer accordingly so you are not harmed. If it turns out worst case you flip the parts for your money back, if not you got a deal. The seller can refuse your offer if he chooses as long as you are polite and respectful and try not to insult him I don't see the harm but the price has to be really good!

GT200 v ET4 is night and day difference. but it is also a 14 year old bike that some parts are becoming difficult to source as production supplies are drying up.

GT looks good, but I can see right off that bat that you're going to need tires. I'm guessing you'll need a full comprehensive tune up due to age and expect to replace some rubber bits irrespective of the stated mileage.

I'd definitely look at the blue one. The 300 has too many excuses to sort.

Looking at the glovebox on the bike, it looks a bit weathered. However, in photo #5, there is a perhaps new glovebox and another part I guess is the center hump cover on the ground to the right of the bike. Inquiring minds want to know.

it's the same glovebox. there's paint missing in the same spots.

my guess is that they have it off trying to suss out the "sensitive engine sensor"

I remember running into so many GTS' of varying vintage in the same "iffy" shape as the one the OP is considering here, which ultimately led to me biting the bullet and buying new. (About to do it again.)

Looking at those photos, I'd give the thing a hard pass unless the asking price is seriously low/negotiable. I think greasy's take on it costing up to $1k to put it right is literally on the money, and possibly a bit on the low side. And, yeah, I'd want to know about that title: if I had a tenner for each bike I came across with a salvage title...

you know what, going back and reviewing the photos I realize that I totally missed the damage to the LH side of the shield, that coupled with what appears to be a poorly painted replacement fender leads me to believe that there's a little more of a story here.

I'd pass on this unless you can confirm that it's not bent up AND it's crazy cheap.

I wouldn't bother looking at it TBH. Almost guarantee it will be a waste of a drive to hear some bullshit story and feigned ignorance, followed by you politely trying to leave and pretending you'll think about it.

It's not some rare thing where it's a score even if it's a major fixer. I'd just keep looking

If you have the knowledge to be able to figure out repair costs +-150-200, it depends on the price. If you don't, double whatever you think the most could be. Bikes that look like this one make people hate matte paint.

Clear title?