Modern Vespa

I've brought my lx50 in to Fast by Ferraci three times. This will be a fourth. They "can't reproduce" the problem. It starts most of the time, but not when i need it to go to work. 5AM. Turns over. Won't fire. I need help.
Patrick

Maybe its not a morning scooter. Try and flash the lights on and off. Then remove the covers off of it so it gets cold. Then if it still wont start splash some water on its face and give it a cup of coffee.

Seriously though Im guessing you just got it. Those have a tiny carb and can be finicky especially when cold. For one, getting some miles on it will help for sure. Go out and drive it a bunch for some long rides
Heres how I would recommend starting it:
try cranking it over for 5-10 seconds
try again cranking it over for 5-10 seconds
fully twist the throttle once and only once
try again cranking it over for 5-10 seconds
fully twist the throttle 2 times
try again cranking it over for 5-10 seconds
open the throttle half way and hold the starter for 5-10 seconds.

Hopefully it will have fired up after a couple of steps. Be careful you dont flood the engine though

Is it damp in those early mornings? What if you give it a rest for a day and try to start it early evening? I'm wondering if it is an "engine won't start because it hasn't been run in 12 hours or so" thing or if it is ACTUALLY related to the morning (i.e. dampness/dew mucking with something).

Thanks for the speedy replies. I have 1500 miles on it already. On weekends, if i sleep in and go out at 7 or 8, it usually works fine. Also, it happens on mornings when I used it the night before, at 10-11 PM. The problem is I need it at 5 or 6AM. If I can't get it started and take the train, it starts up right away when i get home at 5PM.
I don't get it. i figure it's moisture.
Any other ideas.
I'll try the starting technique you recommended. Coffee, cold water, etc.
I ride it about an hour and a half a day.

I just fixed a similar problem on my ET4.
If it was very damp, I had starting and poor running problems...never when things dried up. Recently, it just wouldn't start on a wet morning no matter what.

I decided to change the spark plug...not that I thought that was the cause, I just figured if the scoot wasn't going anyplace for a while, I might as well get the job done. It was due.

I found the spark plug wire badly connected to the cap. It easily came separated when I tried to pull the cap off. After I put things back together properly, the problem seems to have gone away. It's started on cold wet mornings twice with no problems. I know it's only been a few days since the fix, but there you have it.

Now, I'm not saying that you have the same exact problem, but the advice I received here was to check connections and grounds since they may be affected by moisture. My bad connection just happened to be in the spark plug wire/cap.

Is the temperature below freezing? I've had this problem with my lxv150 hen its freezing, and I thought it was normal, but when I talked to the mechanic, they said it should still start....?...

i have this issue too sometimes. i could be moisture but my 50 hates cold weather. i have to let it run for about 5 minutes if i can get it started or it just won't go. my mechanic told me: before trying to start it, give it a little gas, wait a sec and then start it. you may have to do that a few times before it gets the idea. it's a bit fiddly but usually works.

New spark wire cap should help. Cheap.

Cheaper still is hair dryer on spark cap.

The LX50, of course, started up this morning. I think it knows I'm finally on to it. Supposedly, they checked out the sparkplug, cap and connections and all that. I'll resuggest it when I bring it in again if the problem persists. I'll try thr various start techniques and get back to everyone. it was recommended I give it gas, and I've been doing that. Doesn't always work. I don't know about everone else, but I'd like it to work every time I try. A hair dryer? Is that every day, sometimes, or just once?
Thanks, again.

Do you give it 1/2 throttle when starting up from cold ?

I've been giving it throttle. Not sure half throttle, though. Nor has it been that cold. We're talking August, September and, now, October in the Philadelphia area. Not so cold. Sixties. A couple recent mornings were in the forties (Farenheit) and it was OK on one day and not the other.
Now, should I hold it at half-throttle while I hit the starter, before I hit the starte, etc.
As I said, it's colder at 5AM, but not freezing or anything like that.
Thanks for the advice.
Patrick

In my case (the loose spark plug wire), finagling the throttle did nothing.

The funny thing was, if it was loosely connected, it was loosely connected all the time, not just when it was wet. But I've been running the scooter all this time without any problems, or so I thought.

With the wire properly attached, It's accelerating better now, too. I guess it was running just "good enough" before the fix for so long I hadn't noticed any problems. I can't attribute this to the new spark plug: I fixed the wire cap connection a few days before the new plug was put in and I noticed the change right away.

Supposedly, they fixed a loose wire the first time brought it in. And, even the, they didn't think it was loose enough to cause problems. I'll remention the whole thing when I bring it in.
Thanks. I'll repost if anything happens.
patrick

Hold at half throttle hit starter and release when bike is running , this video shows it well .

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ln0DK5KcYg

So the coffee worked!!! cool.

It might not be a matter of them "finding something wrong" with the cap or related components. I think the idea is that dew might settle down in there causing trouble until it dries out. You could always try giving the cap a good wiggle... works for corrosion. Or you could unplug the cap and blow inside. If it is really a matter of dampness, the mechanics probably can't do anything about it. I'd try the simpler (and cheaper) therapies first of wiggling the cap, blowing on it and reattaching, or the hairdryer idea. It might sound unappealing to be hairdrying it every morning, but if it DOES work then you at least know the root of your problem and can come up with something you like better!

Keep us posted.