Modern Vespa

After spending a week cruising Italy and the Greek Isles, I got the itch to get a scooter. I've been riding motorcycles for nearly 40 years and currently have 3 other motorcycles- a Harley Sportster, a Honda dual sport and an old 1977 Yamaha RD400 fully restored and track tested. But I've always felt like something was missing.

I can still remember taking my friend's Honda Elite 80 for a test ride back in 1985. That feeling never goes away. When I got home, I started my search. I thought about getting a Vino, but then I read about their funky start problems. I considered a Honda Metro, but it's just trying too hard to be retro. It came down to the Fly 150 or the LX150. I found a nice (but dirty) 2008 LX150 in the City for cheap, so I bought it. I'm still not quite sure what kind of trouble I'm getting myself into, but we'll soon find out.

It came with a clear title, but not 100% sure it's in non-op. I have not yet seen the scooter start yet. Turns out the battery was only ready 4.38V. Both fuse in the rear were 25A and one was broken (not burnt out). No lights. No blinking LED. I put a spare battery on there. Fully charged, it's at 12.88V. Still nothing. I broke out the multimeter. It's going to be a long weekend!

Cheers,
Eddy

Congrats, you are exactly the type of person to pick up this scoot as it sounds like you are willing and capable of putting in the work. These are fairly simple machines, so I'm sure you will get it going. If you are having any problems, well, that's one of the reasons this forum exists. Keep posting progress as you go and a few pics won't hurt either. Welcome.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Here's a pic of the scooter. Filthy dirty with 8500 miles on the clock. I'll probably spend the morning taking pics and documenting ground zero, before I give it a decent wash. It's always nicer to work on a clean bike 👍[/img]

Most of the scoots I've owned never even look that clean except when they are put up for sale.

Welcome to MV! I've got an '07....nice machines! You should find MV pretty helpful for figuring things out....and we'll be watching for your progress!

2Scooter,

Welcome to the world of two wheels on a Vespa. I commend you for taking on the mechanical stuff. I have no practical talent in this area. I would wash it, and drop it at a reliable dealer and have their service department give it the full Monte. (Check Tires, Oil, Belts, Electrical, Fluids, Brakes etc). Then, if something went bad, I would dump it back on them to tweak it at their expense.

Hey, I know this would be pricey and against the course of action of many of the good folks on this forum. But, I am kind of nuts on maintenance and service and have surely spent to much in this area.

I will admit, I have never had a scooter fail on the road ever.

Bob Copeland

After a quick wash and assessment, I have a better idea of what I just bought. She cleaned up nicely, but there are some irregularities in the paint that can be easily remedied with polishing compound. The seat is going to take some persistent scrubbing to get these stubborn stains out! The front fender isn't properly mounted, so it doesn't stay with the front wheel when turning. And there's a little play in the rear wheel. I'll likely take off all the accessories and give the girl a good deep cleaning, then decide if I want to mount them back up again.

Nice looking scoot. The light tan seat is prone to staining and that one is 16 years old so it could be a challenge. Good luck with mechanical/electrical work.

You could always get a Cheeky Seats cover for the seat.

Welcome!

Now that's a thought. Thanks for the suggestion! I wasn't quite ready to give in yet- I'm only one day into this project. Maybe after beating my head against these stains for a couple more hours...

My '07 seat looked similar. IMO it was the original pattern, my wife thought it looked stained and as I was giving it to her to ride, we wound up with a Cheeky Seat, so debate solved!

I'm vertically challenged, as they say. So if I'm going to make any changes with the seat, I will likely just get a lowered seat. Cost is close to the same 👍

when your trying to start are you squeezing either of the brake levers? the brake lights need to illuminate to start the scooter. either lever will work.

Yes, rear brake lever squeezed. At the very least, there should be the blinking red LED, but I have nothing. I'm going to try to trace continuity, but I'm having problems locating the ECU/controller. I don't think that the ECU is getting power.

I did a little more testing with the electrical circuit. I connected a good spare battery, then checked for voltage at the main fuses. I found that one of the new 15A fuses I put in last night had already popped. So I stuck another one in. Then I could hear and smell something electrical burning. Light smoke was coming from the front. I popped off the cover and found that the regulator was getting HOT. Okay, the regulator is getting power I also found the controller. I checked the blue/red wire and that was getting power too. But still no lights on the dashboard.

Hard to test the regulator with a non-running scooter. What would cause the resistance? Is it just bad? I would hate to spend money on another regulator if it doesn't need one. And if the controller is getting power, why isn't it activating the LED for the code/immobilizer? Admittedly, electrical is my weakest strength, when it comes to working on vehicles. If anyone can shed any insights, that would be helpful. TIA

The manuals for the LX are here: https://manuals.wotmeworry.org.uk/Vespa/LX150/

You say the regulator got hot and the fuse blew was this before you turned the ignition switch on, or after? If before, the regulator is toast, if after chase down the dead short that's causing the problem. Double-check the battery is in the right way round - you'd not be the first to get that wrong (DAMHIK).

Yes, the cables are connected to the correct polarities. I always have to triple-check- I'm not that smart. The R/R gets hot and the fuse will blow with the key in the OFF position.

I did find some tutorials online for how to test the regulator itself, checking the health of the diodes with forward and reverse bias tests. One of my readings was crazy big! Additionally for the reverse tests, they were not stopping the signals.

Guess it's time to buy a new R/R. Wish I knew that 3 hours ago, when I put in an order to Scooterwest for the signal pod delete kit! I don't know how this will solve the no signs of life problem, but it's a step in the right direction 🤞

With a good fully charged battery, you can start and run the LX with the regulator completely disconnected or removed. That's OK for testing - not for actual use!

There are bound to be other things you'll need to order - patience is, I'm told, a virtue...

but does the brake LIGHT illuminate? if not you have a bad switch and that switch does double duty of allowing the engine to fire when starting and making the brake lights work.

UPDATE
~~~~~
I just got my regulator in the mail from ScooterWest. I plugged it in, checked all my fuses, connected the spare battery and we have lights!! I grabbed the rear brake lever and hit the starter button and the starter motor engaged! Yippee!! So problem solved

Unfortunately, I can't fire up the engine yet or take a buzz around the block- my exhaust is off, because yesterday I was addressing my rear tire that wasn't holding air, and accessing my brake shoe wear. Also my front fender still isn't mounted on the fork yet. I was hoping to get to that today, but I'm a bit sick right now, and it's been 100° F everyday since I bought the scooter (my garage has no A/C). I just got back from a cruise and I probably got Covid , so projects are moving slower

Well done so far.