OP
UTC

Member
Modern
Joined: UTC
Posts: 16
Location: Scotland
 
Member
Modern
Joined: UTC
Posts: 16
Location: Scotland
UTC quote
Hi All - I have a 2013 GTS arriving soon, and I would like advice on what electrical bits (relays, volt regulators, ignition, stator etc) are going to be at risk of failure in a 10 yr old bike, and can I improve reliability by changing them? Or is failure of these just unpredictable?
Cheers
@adri avatar
UTC

Atypical Canadian
2009 Vespa S50(LX150 motor swap), 2006 Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2319
Location: Toronto, Canada
 
Atypical Canadian
@adri avatar
2009 Vespa S50(LX150 motor swap), 2006 Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2319
Location: Toronto, Canada
UTC quote
I bought two 2006 GTS 250ie last year. One needed a voltage regulator immediately. The other needed nothing. Personally, I wouldn't go through the hassle of replacing electrical parts prematurely.

If I wanted to be extra cautious I would make sure oil, brake fluid, and even coolant are flushed out, and then replace the belt if you aren't sure of the age or mileage on it.

Then I'd fully charge the battery overnight, and put it on a battery load charger and see what kind of shape of its in. If you don't have one you can just bring the battery in an auto parts store. Many will test your battery for you for free.
@jakem avatar
UTC

Addicted
Vespa Sprint Sport S 125cc
Joined: UTC
Posts: 736
Location: Brighton, England
 
Addicted
@jakem avatar
Vespa Sprint Sport S 125cc
Joined: UTC
Posts: 736
Location: Brighton, England
UTC quote
Vehicle manufacturers often update common failing parts as time goes on, so if say a specific relay was a common failure in 2013, they might be on the 3rd or 4th design revision by now - with the same part number.

If you don't know the mechanical history of the Vespa, it's sometimes a good idea to start fresh, especially if you plan to keep the Vespa long term - valve adjustment, new drive belt, full service, new coolant and brake fluid.

If you're mechanically minded, you could always open bits up and use some contact cleaner and electrical grease on any electrical connectors.
@stickyfrog avatar
UTC

Moderatus Rana
MP3 250 and 2 MP3 500s
Joined: UTC
Posts: 22659
Location: Nashville, Indiana
 
Moderatus Rana
@stickyfrog avatar
MP3 250 and 2 MP3 500s
Joined: UTC
Posts: 22659
Location: Nashville, Indiana
UTC quote
In addition to Adri's and JakeM's suggestions, taking into account your geographic location and that your scooter is a Piaggio product, I would check all switches in the headset for corrosion, replace those as necessary and give all a dollop of dielectric grease before reassembling. On a 10 year old bike I would also just replace the brake light switches when you get it especially if it has been stored outside. They tend to go without warning in my experience and are easy and cheap to replace.

Also, and this is probably obvious, check the tire dates on the sidewall. Tires over 5 years can have significant drying that effects traction and could fail catastrophically according to some tire manufacturers.

Enjoy your new ride and welcome to MV.
OP
UTC

Member
Modern
Joined: UTC
Posts: 16
Location: Scotland
 
Member
Modern
Joined: UTC
Posts: 16
Location: Scotland
UTC quote
Thanks for the advice.
@adri avatar
UTC

Atypical Canadian
2009 Vespa S50(LX150 motor swap), 2006 Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2319
Location: Toronto, Canada
 
Atypical Canadian
@adri avatar
2009 Vespa S50(LX150 motor swap), 2006 Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2319
Location: Toronto, Canada
UTC quote
stickyfrog wrote:
Also, and this is probably obvious, check the tire dates on the sidewall. Tires over 5 years can have significant drying that effects traction and could fail catastrophically according to some tire manufacturers.
Good catch.

Format = WWYY (Week Week, Year Year)

External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

So this would be the 12th week, or roughly late March 2021
@steelbytes avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6776
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@steelbytes avatar
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6776
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
UTC quote
if these no visible signs of corrosion anywhere then I'd not worry about electrical failures. but rubber parts (including belt) ...
DoubleGood Design banner

Modern Vespa is the premier site for modern Vespa and Piaggio scooters. Vespa GTS300, GTS250, GTV, GT200, LX150, LXS, ET4, ET2, MP3, Fuoco, Elettrica and more.

Buy Me A Coffee
 

Shop on Amazon with Modern Vespa

Modern Vespa is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com


All Content Copyright 2005-2025 by Modern Vespa.
All Rights Reserved.


[ Time: 0.0106s ][ Queries: 3 (0.0017s) ][ live ][ 323 ][ ThingOne ]