Modern Vespa

So, this happened. I have a brand new Vespa gts300 - I had a great day out on it today, and when I was about 5 miles from my house suddenly I noticed (was almost full throttle) I started slowing up drastically. So I pulled over and came to a full stop. Them bam, won't start at all. Seems and feels like fuel just stopped getting to where it needed to go. So, thankfully, i have a friend who is a mechanic and very into motorcycles. They came and looked at it and they think it's a fuel pump issue or a fuse or whatever but they didn't know. They have a van with ties and they transported my scoot home. My Vespa dealer is 40 miles from me. I would imagine since this is a brand new machine they will come and take it and service correct? Isn't this very odd that this happened with under 500 miles??

Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!!!

You could check that the spark plug cap hasn't fallen off.
Or that you didn't accidentally hit the kill switch.

I def didn't hit the kill switch……I have zero idea how to check my spark plug cap.

Now that it has cooled off, follow the plug wire down there until you feel the cap. Check for any loose movement. Then press the cap toward the head with all your strength. Also check the fuel lines, maybe one of them dropped off.

It's brand new. Call your dealer.

Also check your towing coverage with your insurer. I think State Farm tows up to 100mi (or $100 - I can't remember).

Piaggio can be stingy about warranty claims. (I've been waiting for more than a year to get my defective saddle replaced, after they denied liability for the same problem the first time it happened.) I don't think they pay for towing, but I can't speak to your local dealer's policies.

This illustration from the shop manual may help you. Follow tonymarchman's instructions to check the plug cap. As znomit says, the dealer should help you with a brand new scooter, but this is an easy thing you can check yourself. It may be valuable to know in the future, too.

Thanks! I won't even attempt to try that……The mechanic friend said it had no fuel pressure. How can they be stingy with me? I just bought this thing in March. I just wish it didn't happen on a sunday so I could talk to someone!!

Yeah, fuel pump failure is common with GTS's, too, I've heard.

Can you hear the pump running when you first turn the key on?

It does not sound like it usually does when I turn the key. just the lights on the dash go on not the normal sounds that I've been used to for the last few weeks

Check the fuses and the relay on the right-hand side underneath the 'pet carrier'. As it's a fairly new scooter, I'd expect it'd be more likely the fault is just a connector loose, rather than a faulty part.

A few minutes spent wiggling some connectors, fuses, and such that you can reach without taking the scooter apart may save you the hassle and/or cost of a tow. Good luck!

My friend has a 2021 GTS 300. Yours is a 2021 or 2022, but not indicated. His fuel pump failed. Replaced under warranty. Sounds like it is a common problem.

^^^^This.

If no luck, call the dealer. I didn't get my first (used) Vespa from a dealer, but the motosport shop I bought it at made my problem right without be bringing it in...I think it was 30-40 miles away. IIRC they came and got it, the second time one of their mechanics stopped on his way home from work. A wire had come loose. Great service in hindsight.

My mechanic friend jiggled and wiggled and the fuse box thing he actually pulled each one out and looked at them etc. they worked on it for like 20 mins.

when turning the key on, do you hear the usual whir of the fuel pump for a couple of seconds?

No, i dont hear that. Not at all. Just the lights on the dash go on

No, i dont hear that. Not at all. Just the lights on the dash go on

Check the fuses with a multimeter. Sometimes the look ok but aren't.

I can't check anything with anything I'm an idiot but I love the scooter. I can't do any of the mechanics

well that would mean, fuel pump or the fuse or relay that powers the fuel pump. I think the manual says what each fuse is for so check that and replace that fuse to eliminate one of these possible causes.

I am sure shear frustration lead you to write that.

The fault will most probably be something simple and you are right in letting the dealer sort it out.

The majority of members on here are not 'mechanics', but common sense gives them the ability to do basic safety checks (you say in an earlier post that you didn't check the tyre pressure on your ET 4 in 15 years of ownership?).

For your own safety, learn to do the basics!

Been there. You'll be a Vespa mechanic soon. Just you wait…

On a serious note, the dealer should fix this. Really, it shouldn't happen in the first place on a brand new scooter, but apparently its a regular thing for Vespas. Good luck… Hopefully the dealer can resolve this quickly and efficiently, and your Vespa doesn't end up sitting for months waiting for someone to repair it. That's my situation.

You have been waiting months? What's wrong with yours?

With my ET4 i did check the tires.....that was the only thing I could do. I would rather let the experts (mechanics) work on my bike. I consider my Vespa an extension of myself..... when somethings wrong with me I go to the doctor.

It would be nice if your dealer came 40 miles to pick it up, but the dealer is not obligated to do so, as far as I know. If you need to get it to the dealer, be very selective on who you allow to transport it. There are few correct ways to secure one with straps, and both cosmetic and mechanical damage is very easy if a person does not know what they are doing. The best solution is to secure it from the handlebars standing straight up--not on the side stand or center stand. Use 2 straps and use a Canyon Dancer harness (the one with the plastic cups on the ends, not the one with the nylon sleeves!!!!) or use a Cycle Cynch harness (my preferred method).

I don't expect him to do it for free sadly. I know I'll have to pay for it. I wouldn't want anybody but the dealership to tow.

Some motorcycle insurance policies include roadside assistance or it may be added for little cost. AAA memberships will include bike and scooters if you buy the more expensive RV coverage. Most of these policies will include up to a designated number of miles of towing, but you are then at the mercy of whomever they send out to transport your scooter.

The relevant fuse and relay are under the seat, beneath the 'pet carrier', not in the main fuse collection at the front.

They looked at all the fuses…….even under the seat - I have no way of knowing if they looked at that exact fuse.

My 2018 GTS300 needs an engine cylinder head gasket and a base gasket. It's been months because I don't really want to do myself, but the two closest dealers basically turned down the repair. One dealer said outright that it's not really something they "do" and another said that they could do it after riding season, which, as you know, ends in like October/November around here. I was willing to pay $1000 for someone to do this repair correctly and somewhat quickly (a couple of months).

So, given the responses from local Vespa dealers, it was either wait until October/November or do it myself. So, I started doing it myself out of necessity... Granted, I do NOT want to do it myself - I want/need to (in no particular order): ride my Vespa, go fishing, enjoy time with my wife/family, see my kid's baseball & soccer games, teach, finish the last episode of Moon Knight, do work-related paperwork, hang out with friends, pay my taxes, mow and tend to the lawn, change the oil on our various power equipment, clean my car, organize the basement, clean the garage, drink craft beer, help out my mom/dad, go running, see movies, get a physical/colonoscopy, go to dinner with my siblings and their significant others, play in-person (not online) Pokemon, pick up our dogs' poop, wash/dry laundry, see live music, etc., etc., etc.

Given all that, I would like to ride my Vespa before December 2022. So, I'm doing it. I'm not very good at it, and I don't want to do it. Hence the months long wait. At this point, I do have the engine out of the scooter and sitting on a table in my garage.

If you get great service from your Vespa dealer, please send me a personal message. I'll gladly bring my engine (and Vespa) to them (or whomever) if they want to capably replace two gaskets and re-assemble the engine.

At 477 miles and my bike just died - I am super sad and hope it's just a quick fix. I do not hear the usual whir of the fuel pump for a couple of seconds like I did every day prior.

Have you told this to your dealer?

Told what? That I do not hear that sound? Yes.

This thing is still under warranty. I do not understand the question or need for multiple threads regarding this. Call your dealership. Its under warranty. They are required to resolve it. PERIOD. Next.

I have not read anything about your fuel level. What about your gas level? Have you checked that? Add more gas and see what happens. The fuel gas gauge may be faulty. It happens.

This isn't a very good comparison. There are hundreds of doctors you could potentially go to for various ailments, but only a very few scooter mechanics. And I bet you don't go to the doctor every time you get a scrape or a sore throat.

If you are truly putting yourself at the mercy of a mechanic every time some little thing is amiss, you will not get much chance to ride your scooter. Boats are the same way. I suggest considering the need to understand a little bit about how these things work mechanically to be a pleasant and interesting part of ownership.

Respectfully, I disagree. Along with a few other basic safety checks, the OP should learn to check the fluids (along with the tire pressure/condition) to ensure that all is adequate for riding. Otherwise, the OP should feel comfortable relying on dealer/mechanic expertise for everything else. Not everyone wants to be a Vespa mechanic. I think it's ridiculous (especially in 2022), that Vespa riders should have to do anything more than basic checks per the manual; they should be able to rely on dealers and professional mechanics for everything else. From my perspective, I want to ride a cool-looking, well-fitting (I'm 6'2"), gorgeous robin's egg blue Vespa GTS300. I have zero interest in it mechanically. Similarly, I have zero interest "mechanically" in my seven-year-old home's HVAC air handler, dual-water softener, AC compressor, propane furnace, and septic system. All those items are serviced regularly by professionals and generally work flawlessly without issue (except for the septic system, which needed a new "float" for the up-flow system a couple of years ago). Similarly, our two Toyotas (75,000 miles and 165,000 miles) are expected to run with minimal maintenance checks and dealer servicing... And they do so. I'm not sure why Vespas should be any different, but I welcome thoughts on why those who own them need to become mechanics, even though they don't want to be mechanics.

I'm not disagreeing with the sentiment that one WOULD LIKE be able to expect that degree of reliability from a scooter. What I'm saying is, the less an owner is willing to do themselves, the more the availability of the pro shop is going to dictate how much they use the scooter.

It's easy to take Toyota-level reliability for granted but there are hundreds, or even thousands, of vehicles per square mile in many places. This is what funds and scales the availability of repair expertise and parts inventory that cars enjoy. There simply aren't enough scooters per square mile to justify anything close. The OP's situation is a perfect example of this. He's going to spend a lot of time not riding his scooter in exchange for the privilege of not getting into it.

I own my flaws. I am not mechanically inclined. I am fine with it. I can check tire pressure, and oil etc…..but everything else I just cannot do. I just feel safer having a professional work on my bike. At 47, I am not going to start to learn……it's a waste of time since any time I tried things- I failed. Even with this, I tried the manual, YouTube etc…I don't even know what to look for. It's Greek to me.

This is definitely a fluke…477 miles and this? I rode a ET4 for 15 years…….sure there were times it was in the shop besides normal tune up's……I own a scooter and 3 cars. I have Triple A and mechanics and Vespa technicians that I trust.

For the 15 yrs I had my ET4 I can count on one hand how many times it was in shop for longer than I wanted…….

It's all good. Even my good friend who is a mechanic suggested I bring it to Vespa.