Modern Vespa

Hi everyone,

I had to jump start this morning to get the engine running but luckily spring has just about sprung so it's not a bad time to get myself a new battery! What are the best options for a 2017-18 GTS 300? I'd definitely consider lithium-ion, if it's not insanely expensive. I'm not sure what specs or dimensions I'm looking for… I'm in the UK if that makes a difference. I ride all year round and currently have to park outside so I can't keep it warm in winter.

Edit with the answer so no-one else orders the wrong thing - it's the Yuasa YTX12-BS not the YTX14-BS! Make sure you see what's written on the existing battery in your Vespa before ordering a replacement. Thanks everyone!

This is a good battery at a great price: https://www.ebay.com/itm/303631633704

I'm not sure the question you are asking. #1 would be what is the standard battery for a '17-'18 GTS 300? The answer is a Yuasa YTX14BS or equivalent. #2 would be does anyone recommend an upgrade to the standard battery? My answer is that I like Motobatts and have gotten excellent performance from them (the correct Motobatt is MBTX12U). #3 would be can anyone recommend a cheaper battery than the standard Yuasa which has worked for them? I believe Abner_Bjorn gave you an answer above. You might also try searching some past posts on this subject.

Thanks! I guess my question is really, how do I know which batteries will fit and work in this Vespa? You've already answered what the standard battery is which is really helpful and I'll go with that, unless anyone can tell me how to figure out which lithium ion battery would fit/work? I did search the forum but I think everyone else has some basic knowledge I lack

Well, if you just want to know what lithium battery would fit, the answer would appear to be https://twotyres.co.uk/product/ytx12-bs-ytx14-bs-lithium-motorcycle-battery/?utm_source=BR&utm_campaign=LithiumBatteryChooser&utm_medium=referral .

I have no experience with these however, so no recommendation on whether this would be a good idea or not. Given that lithium batteries are more finicky about charging requirements and temperature range than AGM batteries, the pros and cons of this alternative may be questionable.

Oh weird so I just search the Yuasa model number YTX14BS and all compatible batteries would be advertising as equivalent to that? Thanks!

I'd been thinking about trying lithium ion because I only started having battery trouble after moving somewhere without a garage and figured exposure to the cold had killed the original battery, and I'd heard lithium performed better in cold temperatures… despite reading on this forum that you shouldn't charge it below 0˚C - I ride frequently enough that I've never charged my Vespa's battery!

The only thing that's making me think twice is that apparently you mustn't jump start a lithium ion battery, and being able to jump start today saved me when I needed to get somewhere quickly…

Riding the scooter does, of course, result in charging the battery as well.

Yeah that confused me about not charging a lithium battery under 0˚C since it would be charging once the engine started but I just figured that would bring the temperature up above 0 or something

edit: ah, okay so if it's under 0˚C out you just turn on the lights/sound the horn until it sounds normal at which point the battery is at a high enough temperature to start the engine.

I think I'll stick with lead acid because I never had to think about it before and lithium sounds more complicated!

https://www.tayna.co.uk/motorcycle-batteries/f/piaggio-vespa/vespa-gts-ie-super/

The choice is yours

But do check under the battery cover that it is the correct battery ?

Just not true. The internal resistance of any Lithium based battery is so low (a few milliohms maximum) that you hardly heat it at all even with high currents. Lithium batteries can be heated with heating pads - that's what's used in cars. That uses up some capacity, but keeps the battery healthy. Very wise - the Vespa charging voltage rarely gets high enough for long enough to properly charge an AGM battery, let alone a Lithium based one.

It's worth mentioning that if you do get an AGM battery, then it's wise to have an AGM compatible charger and to use that every so often to top up the battery. I use the larger capacity (12Ah) Weize one as above in all our scooters.

Batteries are such fun things to shop for, and gee, the spaces they fit in really do matter! The Piaggio Liberty has a battery that is 3 3/8" in height, 4.5 in length and 2 5/8" in width and the space it goes in will NOT expand for anything larger, 12V, 10ah, and $108 from Scooter West, who had it in stock, I tossed in a couple other items I had wanted to buy, including an oil filter as need to change oil on several scooter and only have 1 oil filter on hand.
Prices matter but as I have several things that use batteries and have wheels and suck up gas, i can say the car is easy to buy a battery for, the others are all type and size specific, those battery spaces will NOT stretch to fit a larger sized battery.

As far as I know, the Yuasa YTX series batteries installed in GTS of the last decade or so are all AGM.

And they're probably fine in those scooters, with regulators to match. Older ones, especially the Leader-engined ones, that originally came with wet-cell or 'low maintenance' batteries may not get to the 14.8V or so that AGM like for their bulk charge. This probably explains why the older scoots don't get on well with the Motobatt range, with those batteries often not lasting more than a year or two.

The Yuasas, even the AGM ones, are still of the 'add acid yourself' type.

Which is very easy, and allows you to do it yourself, ensuring it's done right. It's a great thing too, because the initial filling and charging of a motorcycle battery will impact not only its performance but also its lifespan.

So I ordered a Yuaca YTX14BS thinking if all the others are based on that one it would be the way to go… then I checked the battery this morning and the one that came with the Vespa is a YTX12BS :S Is the 14 going to fit? It seems like the 14 is a higher capacity battery so it would be an upgrade as long as it does, right?

In the UK since 2018 you have to have a special license to buy sulphuric acid (I believe due to the spate of messed up people throwing acid in people's faces) so all batteries are sold pre-filled - lucky for me since I don't want to have anything else I could do wrong!

Follow up question - this Vespa was bought at a slight discount as it had been on the dealers court for a year - is there any chance they put a 12 in because they had to replace the battery and it was cheaper but it should have come with a 14? That Tayna site only seems to list 14s as being compatible with the GTS 300 i.e. o.O

the battery I took out of my 2019 supertech was the yuasa 12 like in your photo. I'm too lazy to check the new one in my bike that that I was sold a couple of weeks ago but am pretty sure that it's identical.

Thanks, it does look like a tight fit too and the 14 is a 1.5cm taller!

The technical data section of the manual (which I just now checked…) does say 12V-10 Ah which matches the YTX12BS not the YTX14BS although I think the Ah is just the capacity? and some other YTX12BS equivalents have 12Ah like the 14BS. So confusing! But I think I'm going to phone the battery place and ask them to change my order to a 12BS as soon as they're open…

Yes, I agree batteries are confusing… Battery shopping is kind of a PIA.

For the record, the OEM Yuasa ASM battery that came with my 2015 GTS 300 lasted forever. I can't remember, but I think when I sold the scooter in August of 2021, it was still going.

For my new 2018, I rushed and got a battery in a hurry, which was probably a mistake. I ended up with a correctly-sized Energizer ASM from Tractor Supply. It works, but for how long?

I think the Yuasa you ordered is a good choice. I hope it lasts as long as my last Yuasa.

Yuasa has a good guide for fitting powersport batteries to many applications including scooters. The YTX14BS battery fits my '15 GTS just fine. The YTX12BS battery also works with a plastic spacer underneath. The Motobatt MBTX12U also uses a spacer to fit my scooter. The length and width of all these batteries is the same.

https://www.yuasabatteries.com/batteries/search-results/?vehicle_type=scooter&vehicle_make=piaggio-vespa&vehicle_year=2015&vehicle_model=gts300-gtv300

Oh that's handy, thanks! When I change the year to 2017 it only lists the YTX12-BS as suitable, so I'm guessing there's no spacer under my battery and it goes right up to the bit that holds the battery in, but I'll update if I find a spacer when I swap the old for new!

But, if we are talking about GTS 300s - none of them ever had a Leader engine and all of them have used the YTX series AGM batteries, so this concern should not apply in that application.