Modern Vespa

Hi -

I just got a GTS 300 and am loving it, but I have a question about fueling.

The Owner's Manual indicates that the fuel tank capacity is 2.4 US Gal.

I have around 160 miles on the scooter and have already had to fill the tank up twice, which has surprised me a bit.

I started with a full tank when I got it from the dealer (spilled over, actually). After riding for a few days the "low fuel" light came on and the fuel gauge was just at the top of the red zone.

I went to the gas station and filled up the tank but the tank only accepted 1.4 gal.

Same thing happened the second time around.

So.....can anyone tell me why am I having to refuel so frequently (seems as though I am only getting around 50 mpg) and why am I only able to add 1.4 Gal when the low fuel light comes on?

The bike is running perfectly, BTW. And there is no evidence of a fuel leak or any other mechanical problem.

Sorry if this is stupid stuff. But I have had 25+ motorcycles and am not a newbie to the world of two wheels. And I just sold a Scarabeo 50ie that seemed to go absolutely forever on a single gallon of gas, so I am confused.

Thanks in advance.

Light comes on when you have about 3/4 of a gallon left in the tank on a 250. Yours seems a bit pessimistic, but that's just your bike. You don't have a reserve position (as you do on a motorcycle) so if you run out of gas, you walk and/or push.

I get around 135-145 miles out of 1.7 gallons on my 250, or about 79mpg. Don't know how or where you ride, but your bike is new and tight. Mileage will improve after things settle in a bit.

You should get 60+mpg after a few thousand miles. A fly screen will get you into the low to mid 70s. Of course YMMV.

P.

Thanks.

I'm in San Francisco and commuting cross town in traffic to work. A few hills. I'm trying to behave myself, but I do occasionally open the throttle to the 80% limit that I am supposed to be following while breaking it in, so I don't think I am maximizing my fuel efficiency. And the engine is definitely tight.

I think I'm going to try the experiment of carrying a bit of fuel around with me in a container and ride the bike until it runs out of fuel to see how much is in the tank when the light comes on. I never imagined that it might come on with 40% of the fuel still in the tank.

I've noticed that the gauges on this scoot are kind of a joke (but very pretty to look at, I might add.) My speedometer reads 5 mph at a standstill. : )

That's to give you get a headstart.




P.

The low fuel light on my Ducati with a 5 gallon tank comes on with 2.5 gallons left. So as Italian fuel lights/gauges go, I think our Vespa scooters are up to standards (pathetic as those standards of accuracy are). On the Ducati I have black tape over the low fuel led. On the scooter, just refuel based on the odometer.

"I've noticed that the gauges on this scoot are kind of a joke (but very pretty to look at, I might add.) My speedometer reads 5 mph at a standstill."

Nothing mysterious there. Look closely at the speedometer. There is a peg preventing the gauge from falling below 5 mph.

It's just like mine, when the fuel warning light come on there is about 1 Gal left, or 60+ miles.

Clever design.

I'm trying to imagine a logical reason for them to do that (other than "because they can".) Italian quirkiness?

Perhaps the designers see zero as a metaphor for the ultimate meaninglessness of life and wish to shield all Vespa owners from this fearful reality?

Beats the hell out of me. : )

Thanks. Nice to know I'm not crazy (and that I don't have a gas guzzling gremlin living in my fuel tank.)

Same thing on marine speedometers. The mechanisms used to indicate speed just will not work below 5MPH.

As I mentioned above, I've owned something like 25 motos (including lots of Euro bikes) and one scooter (an Aprilia) and none of them had this "feature".

I don't really care if a speedometer is accurate or not below 5 mph. I don't even care if there is a peg holding the needle at 5 mph for that matter.

But I do find it curious that Vespa chose the "peg it at 5" option given the various choices out there.

Part of the charm.

I would like an accurate speedo in the operating range, though. Some of the speedos on my bikes have been absolutely dead accurate. Most are around 5% "optimistic", but very few of them were 10% "optimistic", which is what I understand the Vespa to be (haven't had a chance to test it yet.) Seems unnecessarily inaccurate.

I would imagine that they buy their instrument cluster from some other manufacturer. Not sure why they would spec it this way.

My new GTS 300 is the exact same way. It seems to show the warning light when I still have a gallon. That is fine, now that we know. Enjoy.

yup .... mine too. I have not finished break in and my gas mileage is not great ! My light also comes on prematurely and i'm just going to live with it as is..... the 300 is an amazing machine. Nothing to complain about... Actually there is one little thing but to keep this post spam free i'll post my issue separately.

oh... and speaking of gassing up .... how the heck to you fill to the max without gas spilling all over the box and paint ? need to be a magician or have xray eyes to know when your topped up... what do you guys do ? I know don't fill to the brim..

Isn't it supposed to be a bad idea to let a fuel injected engine run dry??? I thought that I heard that once. If so, why? May-be that is why they encourage that the tank be refilled so soon?

When you figure it out, let me know. I got a bit of a spill both times I filled up. And the well around the fueling port is tiny and doesn't drain anywhere, so it is super easy to get gas on the (very thin) paint with even a tiny spill. Not the best design I have ever seen.

I don't know the answer to this question for sure, but FI systems use high pressure fuel pumps vs. low pressure pumps or no pumps for carburated systems. It might be worse for a high pressure pump to run dry since it might potentially get hotter when it has no fuel to pump (both because it is working harder and because most of these pumps use fuel as a coolant for the fuel pump) which might tend to shorten its operating life. Just a conjecture. Someone else may know the real answer.

Take the pet carrier out, just to be safe. Put the nozzle all the way in the tank with the pump handle over the open hole left by the pet carrier. Set the auto-stop on the nozzle on the middle notch. Stop after the first click. Don't try to top it off. Keep a paper towel or two handy in case you drip on the way out.

No, the gas gauge probably will not go all the way to the top, but to attempt a 100% full to the brim tank is almost certainly going to result in a spill over or overflowing into the canister, neither one desirable. A little air pocket on top of the fuel is a good thing.

Be sure to replace the pet carrier before driving off.

Is the pet carrier the removable tub under the seat that has a sticker on it saying "No Pets"?

Yes. Pet Carrier a.k.a. Puppy Warmer.

P.

Theres a known issue on the 300 with them having the wrong fuel sender fitted, so the fuel level is shown incorrectly, all dealers have had a memo about it

http://www.gtsownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1074

I mentioned it back in this topic a few weeks ago..

with how many litres your tank is fuel? mine is with 6-7 litres and i can ride for 120-130 kms... is this ok? someone help

I pretty much know how much is in the tank when the light comes on. So when I fill up, I slow down when it's close.....then to a...trickle... towards the top. I probably just jinxed myself

Honestly I don't really care too much about gas mileage right now cuz the weather is gettin' better and I'm having too much fun.

Try a thing called a McGuff. If I don't have it spelled correct then I'm close. It is a gadget that fits over the filler hole and prevents spillage.. I saw Mikey from "Orange County Choppers" as the company spokes person on one of their episodes. I plan to purchase one myself.

Save your money - don't. Search this forum for "McCuff" which is the right spelling.

Good on some bikes, but apparently useless on some Piaggio/Vespa models.

You have the correct spelling. I went out and found their website. The web site lists Piaggio and Vespas as bikes it can be used on. However I did read a review in which the user said it couldn't make a good seal on a LX-150. Hey, for a couple bucks it would be worth a try.

Do yourself a favor and read about the experiences of others on this forum who've tried it.

Fueling is not a problem if you don't try to go full tilt like you would with a car. Just follow the advice to keep the handle of the nozzle straight back over the pet carrier and GO SLOW, especially as the tank nears full.

McCuff = McCrap.
Follow silver streak's advice and go slow.
Once you get to know your scooter, you'll know almost exactly how much fuel you need and your reflexes will take over. For example, i know that when my fuel light comes on, I have used 1.6 gal . . .

Same issue here. I get a low fuel light at about a gallon and half of the alleged 2.4 gallons available. I learned to live with it. Better to fill up when there is still plenty of gas than to run out and think you have a half a tank.

I use one, but only so I don't have to fool around with the vapor return system on the POS gas pumps they have here in California. Since I haven't altered my McCuff I have to "eyeball" the tank and watch the pump. 4 out of 5 times $5 will do.

Same here, filled up my GTS300 to full, at about 95mile mark the fuel light come up...

Same here, fuel light comes on at about 100 miles give or take on a full tank(filled to the rim) and it always takes 1.4 plus or minus .1 to fill up. So far I've went 120 miles on one tank, took 1.8 to fill that time. I'm too scared to keep going. One of these times I'm just gonna go for it and do 150 on one tank, my scoot has just under 600 miles and it's avereging 60 miles to the gallon, everytime I fill up I right down the tripometer reading and the amount of gas it took to fill it to the rim. Divide the gallons it took to fill, by the number of miles you rode on the last full tank. After a couple times you can find out how much your getting mpg, forget about that light;)

My bad, I meant odometer

I've only filled mine a few times but I've got at least 100 miles per tank-full at about 75mpg (UK Gallons)

I guess mine is normal then because mine seems to be the same as everyone else. When I fuel up after the gas light comes on I put the handle on the low setting and stop it at 1.5 gallons. After that I pull the handle out and fill it the rest of the way manually. I try to get it right up to the bottom of the filler every time so I know my mileage will be consistant. Since we don't have an odometer I usually try to fill up around 100 miles each time so it's easier to remember.

One more thing I do since I keep track of my MPG is take the lowest MPG and multiply it by the tank size so I can get an idea of how far to push it. Right now I'm at 53.3X2.4=127.92

I keep a tiny led flashlight on board and use it to peer down into the fill tube when I know I'm getting close to full. It's going to be too anal for some, but it gets me a nice full tank without a spillover.