Modern Vespa

Hi,

After having enjoyed the Vespa for 3 weeks I ran into serious troubles. I had a wobbly front and rear wheel..no problem. Screeching rear-brake disc, no problem. Those issues would be fixed during the first 1k km service. But now...

Yesterday I went to work just enjoying the ride. On the return way suddenly I couldn't drive faster than 60km...as ASR randomly kicked in. De dealer looked at it and reset the system. I could procede and returned home. I little bit unsure what just happened.

This morning...while starting, the system turned on, but then...Suddenly a ticking noise from the glove department. Lights on the dash doing strange things and the Vespa just would not start. I tried everything before it died out completely. Even opening the glovedepartement wont work since the knub is electronically unlocked.

Do any of you have experience with this? I filmed the whole situation and you can witness it here.

I'm just so depressed, have been looking forward for owning a Vespa for years and I never had these issues with my other bikes. As I'm dependent on the Vespa for commuting I have a serious problem now since the shop can't help me for another week or so. Love to hear from you.

https://youtu.be/KgHmS8RUvHU

The ticking noise and lights etc sounds very much like a flat battery. If youve been riding it, the battery should have been charging so it could be there is something wrong with your regulator/rectifier. thats causing the battery not to charge.

Can you get the dealer to pick it up and check it out?

That sounds like a little problem. I've been on the phone with my dealer and they'll check it out in a week or so. Hope they can easily fix the problem. I guess and hope this is not a common thing with new Vespi?

Since the clock is also reset (00:00) I assume a discharged battery. Charge the battery and test again (measure the voltage at the battery before you try again).

Thank you, will do that

Hopefully just a poor battery.

I know this won't help you today but when it comes to transport I live by the motto "two is one and one is none" which means if you have a back up vehicle you can still get about.

Perhaps shelling out 1500 euros or so on a older Vespa might be wise?

Haha that's a nice one. I have an electric car but my loving wife claimed that one as her own once she saw the Vespa. I guess I have to give her a nice massage or two before I start talking about another Vespa.

She should be the one giving you massages if she's commandeered your electric car!

Haha you're right! Standing my ground tonight. (If you don't hear from me again, it's probably not due to a faulty Vespa.)

interestingly I'm starting to notice a number of people with 2023 getting flat batteries with newish bikes. starting to wonder if there is a problem

Coddy are you retired LEO?
My retired 👮‍♀️ buddy says the same thing about home defense regarding flashlights and rail lights "two is one and one is none"

Don't give up on your Vespa, I know it's a hassle but it's under warranty and once you get your GTS issues sorted you will likely have years of trouble free riding.

I vote battery as well.

It's nice to have a back up bike. I also have a 2019 Honda Monkey, and today the electricity was shut off in my town. I have an electric door opener. I can get the Monkey through the side door of the garage. The Vespa won't fit. Another option was to manually release the garage door, then I had to run back in the house and find a lock to secure the garage door.
I found something quickly so went that route, and did take the Vespa, but it was nice to have a backup.

I'm sorta sorry I sold my 2012 GTS. I should have kept that and sold the Monkey.

Maybe this was already addressed but when I got my 2023 GTS last summer, I drained the battery twice because I deployed the sidestand and forgot to turn off the key. I've also found the battery low but not quite dead a couple times for the same reason. The fob is needless tech IMHO. A key works fine and I remember to take it out. I see it dangling and remove it. I also can leave a key in the scoot in the garage. Not sure if leaving the fob on the rig would drain fob batteries so it's inside when I need it and I inevitably trek back into the house to access the underseat to look for glasses, etc. Sometimes, 'progress, isn't!

Bad battery is now one of the biggest issues with modern vehicles.

Don't get me wrong, batteries are sooooo much better than they used to be but, vehicle electronics aren't very forgiving of a battery that isn't in tip top condition.

CANBUS and wiring quality (decreased use of Copper) have increased the reliance on a 100% spot on battery....CANBUS may not be an issue on the Vespa though.

Strangely, battery testing still isn't a finite methodology, we can only do so much and then still have an internal intermittent fracture over bumps etc

I'd guess your earlier issues was down to battery too.

checking the wiring diagram for my 2019 supertech:

the ecu, abs, dashboard and bluetooth module communicate via canbus so it do matter

related: the kline is not connected to the ecu at all in an hpe but it was in pre-hpe.

Thank you for all your feedback. I'm regaining a bit of confidence and hope that everything will be worked out in the next week. Happy to have found this community. Cheers, Mario

From my admittedly limited experience, the present Vespas have marginal battery capacity. For weight and space reasons, scooters have particularly dinky batteries. Like all modern vehicles, modern Vespas have a lot of electronics, all of which require at least some amount current of current to run, and some suck a bit all the time. Most scooters are used in urban settings--short distances, lots of starting, little high speed running. If you're in the Netherlands, there's a fair amount of cold weather. Altogether, Battery Hell. Dead batteries rise from Hell to die at the worst possible times.
Conclusion: get a good battery trickle charger, and plug the scooter in once a week or two, and while you're on vacation. All batteries develop sulfite deposits on the outside of the lead plates, which lowers their storage capacity, even when "fully charged". This happens even faster if the batteries aren't fully cycled on a regular basis.
I bought a Ctek charger a few years ago. Expensive, but it not only works well for cars and bikes, it senses the condition of a battery, and will automatically recondition (cycle) it for you.

I'm another who left the scoot turned on after killing the engine putting the side stand down. I caught it after a couple hours but voltage had dropped too low to start. It would crank but not start. Made sure everything was off and went to jump it from a friends jump pack later and discovered that despite be8ng turned off the battery had continued to discharge down to 7v. Battery wouldn't charge back up either and I was in the middle of a 1,500 mile trip. Replaced the battery and haven't had a single issue since. I've heard quite a few reports of batteries going flat in 2023 Vespas so I suspect Piaggio got a bad batch. Odds are very good that a battery replacement will resolve all your issues but the wobble and that shouldn't be happening with the new suspension. Tire pressure has played a huge part in the wobble in the past. Under inflated even by 2 lbs off the Piaggio solo rider spec has caused it in my experience. Riding with 2 up or slightly higher pressures solved it in every instance for me. Whole threads on tire pressure on this forum.

Hey!! I am 18 months into my bike, and I have certainly had a handful of issues…….just be patient. It's all worth it.

My 2015 and 2018 models both had the wobble when I released the handgrips. The new 2023 model doesn't. New suspension or just luck?

Depending where Vespa is sourcing the batteries from makes a difference. They can be weeks or months old and die quick. Most newer machines, with all their computers and such, demand a certain amount of voltage. When it falls below that threshold, it will not start or run properly. I know I will probably get the thumbs down for this but Italian machines have never been known for their great electronics. They are not Hondas after all and have their quirks. The dealer should have no problem getting it sorted out.

Also, mention the wobble while you are at the dealer - it may be something as simple as incorrect tire pressure.

Yes I mentioned all 5 points:

1) not starting due to electrical issues
2) woble front/rear
3) smell of gasoline in garage (more than my other bikes had)
4) screeching brake discs
5) its regular 1k km's service

Good to know you are staying on top of things!

Do they PDI (pre delivery inspection), and test ride in the Netherlands as they do here in the UK, less than 1k on the clock, with wobbly front and rear wheels, un balanced? screeching brakes, smell of fuel and they will pick it up in a week or so different scenario should you have ordered the scooter and said Ill pay you in a months time, Id be

You're absolutely right. When I picked it up it had literally 0 km's. So they have not tried it out at all. When I called I first got a reaction that the wobble was very normal. Also I had to wait almost 1,5 week just to let them check it out.

This was the moment that I switched dealerships. I'm no longer letting those guys touch my bike. Warranty is guaranteed by Piaggio and they don't care which dealer does the service (I checked that out with Piaggio in Italy).
So now it's up to the new official Piaggio dealer.

And she's back roaring better than ever. Well, at least better than the last three weeks since I got her. It set me back a 250 euro's but hey…

The renewed the battery (warranty)
Set the wheels (wobble is mostly gone now)
Fixed the brake
Did a software update
And then everything thats included in the first 1000km service.

Hoping for a good next year now. Fingers crossed I don't have to visit them any earlier than that this time.

Might be a little late to the party, but as a manager of a vespa garage in the Netherlands I've got some solutions to these common problems;

The battery problem / ticking noise was probably a badly secured battery terminal, the battery tends to rattle around, getting the screws a bit undone if not secured properly. I'm guessing the problem is fixed now because they changed your battery and (hopefully) tightened the battery wire terminals properly. This same issues causes the the clock to reset and sometimes causes sudden loss of power during driving.

ASR problems are mostly caused by a low tire pressure on one of the wheels resulting in a different turning speed of the wheels picked up by the system as if one of the wheels is losing traction, inflate tires and perform asr calibration.

The wobbling of the front end can be fixed by installing the increased handle bar weights that are ment for scooters fitted with a luggage case at the back. Ask your dealer about them, they're larger, heavier and expensive, but they solve the issue.

Oh wow! That sounds great. I've already fitted a new front tire but it didn't solve the problem. Where are you situated in The Netherlands? I'm from there too.

We're situated in berkel-enschot, Noord Brabant. If that's to far out of your location we could order them for you and send them to you, only takes an Allen key to change them.

Solved most of the wobbling issues on the GTS and Beverly's for our customers anyway.

I'll wait for some better weather and make it a daytrip. I'm coming from Southern Limburg. Might be smart to call you beforehand so that you'll have time and the materials. If you're up for that. How much do you guess were talking about?

Sure thing!
I'll look up the price and make sure we have them on stock, I'll send you a pm with details tomorrow so we can make an appointment.

Sounds great! Thanks

The new suspension feels more planted to me than any of my previous GTS without losing responsiveness if that makes any sense.

Hmm, my 2024 do not have wobble (what my 2012 had), even with loaded box, and: without the bar-weights! So perhaps they have done something. But front is bit stiff on bumbs thou.

My 2024 did not wobble at first, now at 8800 miles the wobble is annoying. I have had a top box on since the beginning but no serious weight in there. Air pressure is accurate so what now?

All motorcycles and motor scooters can wobble and weave. These two phenomenon are the result of two wheel design which cannot be corrected or done otherwise.

Here is a video explaining what wobble and weave is. I have posted this several times on this forum. It is very old and more than worth your time to watch it entirely. Guys are constantly posting problems about wobble and weave with solutions and they have no idea what they are talking about. This video does.

I have a 2023 GTS300 Supertech. I got it in July 2023. I had it for maybe 2-3 months and the battery totally died. They came and picked it up and determined it was a bad battery and replaced it and no issues since.