Modern Vespa

I bought my LX in St. Maarten (Caribbean) and it doesn't have a kill switch. My headlights are on at all times. This is the set up.


Empty Button where kill switch should be & Electric Starter

Lights, Directional Signal, Horn

I stand corrected.

Al

The kill switch crapped out on my 2004 Piaggio Fly 150, and I had to push it a mile or so home. But I was able to locate the two wires to the switch by loosening only a couple of screws, so I jumpered the wires and started right up. Plus it actually seems to be running better and idling a little faster with the switch by-passed.

I'm having a non start issue that corrects itself when pressing the right side of the headlamp panels together. Could it be a faulty kill switch? Symptoms are total black out, no lights in the instrument panel at all.

Could be. It has the S&S of a faulty kill switch. You either clean the points of contact or get a new one. Aren't expensive and scooterpartsco.com should have some.

The non start issue cropped up again today.

No amount of pressing the kill switch in the 'run' position would make the scooter start. I tried turning it on and off repeatedly but no joy.

Finally, when I let the scooter down from the centre stand, the lights in the instrument panel came on and I was able to get it to start.

What gives?

When you took it down from the center stand, the rear suspension/engine package moved slightly as weight was transferred to the wheel. That slight movement resulting in power being restored may indicate a wiring issue. Check all ground connections, battery connections and so forth.

Pinched wire or bad spot where wire is grounding on the some part of the bike is what it sounds like to me too.

Thanks for this. I've checked the battery connections but am not familiar with the grounds on the GT200, as everything is covered by the body panels.

Where should I check?

Start it up and start wiggling wires, if it dies you have found the area the problem is located. This is an old Ford Motor Company process, they call it the wiggle test. Now all manufactures teach it.

Well, you were on to something because pushing the scooter off the centre stand replicated the problem, and I remembered hearing the battery clunking around under the floorboard as of late. It turns out it wasn't held down properly and was causing the negative cable to come loose.

Problem solved!

The cause was a missing battery tray (part 58934). Apparently, when I had the scooter worked on last summer to fix a sheared bolt on the rear suspension, someone took the battery out with the tray and didn't put both back in. Ugh!

Fortunately I had a spare tray and now the battery is snug and the wires won't come loose.

Thanks for all your help!

Glad you got it fixed. Always something with the wee little bastards. I think they get lonely and want attention sometimes.

When I open my seat fully it hits the kill switch. First time I swore black and blue as to why it wouldn't start.

Yeah an old thread.... Don't see the point of starting a new one

I was just thinking about the kill switch after YouTube auto-played to a vid where Steve (miss you man) of Scooterwest went through the controls of MV functions. He said they always recommend using the key to kill the engine rather than the switch. His logic is that you run the risk of leaving the key in the ignition and also the risk of draining the battery down if left in the on position.

As Jess said at the top is in NA training courses we are taught to use it all the time. Since I took a refresher technique course I find myself now also using it as force of habit and my thumb can find it on both my bikes without so much as a thought. I get the risk of leaving the key in but who doesn't lock their handlebars on a scoot? Doing that instinctively has you remove they key as it is needed for the locking procedure. I suppose maybe if you park it in a private garage there is that risk.

Might be some newer MVers have some thoughts? I know I only joined last spring as I took a hiatus from riding when I moved back to Canada from the US. Wish this site was around back in the late 80's and 90's when I was a hardcore scooterist. Anyway these old threads are invaluable.

I've owned a GT200, GTS300 Super and now the GTS300 Supersport and have never knowingly used the kill switch. Like a previous poster said I have inadvertently activated it with the seat up but after the first time I did that and the scooter wouldn't start I got wise to it.

I'm one of those who was taught in MSF class to use the kill switch, and now I have the habit of using it all the time. Funny thing, when I was scooting in France this week on a rented Yamaha X-Max I was always flipping the switch -- which in this case controls the trip meter display!

It's one of those things that tells you how long someone has been riding. Most people who do a lot of riding, and have been riding for years, don't use it.

I learned to use the kill switch in my motorcycle training class, so I continue to use it on my Vespa. As others have said, it might be useful to have that muscle memory to shut it down without thinking.

I use the kill switch from habit developed when I took the MSF course. When I had my accident and the scooter was still running on top of me I used it to turn off the engine with the smell of gas leaking.

...and you won't be left looking like a fool when some practical joker on a group ride switches off everybody's kill switch.

[quote="JKJ-FZ6"]...and you won't be left looking like a fool when some practical joker on a group ride switches off everybody's kill switch. [/quote

Anyone I know?

I've never used a kill switch to turn off an engine in 45 years of riding. But I sure get a kick out of walking down lines of bikes at rally's and turning everyone's off.

The good part of the Vespa kill switch is that it shuts the starter down. That way you don't keep hitting the button listening to the engine turn over hopelessly. No starter at all = kill switch check first of all.

That could be considered a hanging offence, or at a minimum, a good s**t kicking.
Especially at a Hell"s Angels rally.