Modern Vespa

I have a 2007 Vespa GTS 250ie. Unfortunately, due to spending a lot of time away from home, the scooter was not used for 18 months. The battery had died and I replaced it with new one. Still the starter does not crank nor do any other lights or indicators come on. I checked the voltage on the new battery and it is fine. The two Vespa dealerships nearby have refused to look at it with the excuse that the scooter is too old!

I have no idea about what to do next. Would it be useful to try to jump start the scooter? Can I use a portable jump starter (many available on Amazon) or is it better to jump it with the car battery ?

I will, off course, drain the gas and fill up with a fresh lot before I try starting the scooter.

Thanks for your help.

Portable jump-starters are perfectly acceptable on a modern Vespa. And for the record, your 2007 qualifies as modern -- and also not very different than the new ones that the dealers sell today -- which leads me to believe they are just incompetent.

"any other"? so some do?

start with checking that both brake levers activate the brake light, toggle the kill switch a dozen or more times, and check all fuses with a multimeter

Did you check all four fuses under the seat? Especially the main 30A fuse, without which nothing at all happens. Also check you replaced the battery with one with the same terminal orientation - some 250s came with the terminals 'reversed' from the usual Vespa layout. Installing a battery backwards would have blown the main fuse - but probably done no further damage.

Apologies for not getting back sooner.

I checked all the fuses- glove box and two sets under the seat. They all were intact. I have attached the pictures of the locations of the fuses.

I rechecked the battery voltage and terminals. No issue there.

When I turn the key to ignition, a strange whining sound comes from the front left side which goes away after a few seconds. What could be producing this sound ?

The headlight or brake lights do not come on. Also, nothing lights up on the speedo.

What to do as the Vespa dealers have abandoned me! Nearest independent Vespa mechanic is more than 50 miles away in New York.

The whirring sound when you first switch on is a good sign - it means the fuel pump has activated for a couple of seconds - as it should.

If the brake light don't come on, then it'll never start - the starter relay gets its power through the brake light switches and the starter button. It also gets its coil grounded by the ECU when the ECU knows it's OK to start, i.e. kill-switch off etc.

Firsst thing - check the brake light circuit. Could just be both switches faulty - surely not, people say, but it's far more common than most folk recognise. It's 50-50 whether just the left or both brake light switches have failed if the bike won't start. A very common fault.

If you get the brake lights working, but the bike still won't even turn over, then suspect the kill-switch is faulty. Just working it 20 times or so often gets them working again, but replacement is often the best answer.

Try to clean with emery paper the battery terminals

Have you measured the fuses (as recommended) with a multimeter or a test lamp or just checked them visually?

And removed and replaced each one a few times to clean the contacts? I suspect they're good because the fuel pump worked...