Modern Vespa

Took delivery of our new GTS 125 Super at the weekend. Haven't ridden it much, as there was a problem with getting the plate. The dealer kindly lent me his trade plate, saying it was fine for me to use it for a few days, but I don't feel like being pulled over and having to explain it, especially in a foreign country.

One thing I noticed though - when pulling away immediately after starting the engine, when I twist the throttle, it feels like it's going to stall, the revs drop and it refuses to move off. After a minute or so, it's fine. I didn't think I'd need to let it warm up before setting off, and it's not like it's cold outside (in fact, it's around 25 degrees).

Is this just because it's brand new, or do I just live with it?

I think they need a little warming up before running cleanly. I've left mine ticking over for a while to warm up but still splutters a little when riding away - less than a minute driving and it's fine.

Pictures of your new ride please Norman! 8)

That doesn't sound normal to me Norman. At least mine doesn't do that. However, as a rule, I do let mine warm up a bit but it doesn't drop revs if I just start and go. You may want to check that with your dealer.

That doesn't sound like normal behaviour to me either. None of our three Vespas does that, now granted, none of them has the same engine as yours, but it doesn't sound right to me.

Thanks guys - I'll get some pics up soon!

The dealer mentioned something about it happening to start with, but I couldn't work out if he meant just for the first few miles, as it's new (it had 4km on the clock), or each time it's started from cold. Unfortunately, he doesn't speak much English, and I don't speak much Dutch.

I have to drop the trade plate back to him in the next day or two, so I'll try and ask.

One thing I spotted whilst searching the forum - I definitely did overfill the tank. The gauge was showing very low when I picked it up, so as soon as I got home, I emptied a 5-litre can (around a gallon) into the tank, expecting it all to go in. Only three-quarters did, and a lot sloshed over the top. I think I read that European models shouldn't be affected by this, but now I'm wondering...

Norman, your overfilling the tank is probably what is causing the hesitation. There might be gasoline in the air filter starving the engine of oxygen. You might consider opening the air filter and squeezing out any excess gas that is in there.

Thanks Benito, I'll have a look when I get home. I thought I read that the overfilling problem only affected the US-market models, due to a pollution control device.

Strange too that after the first few seconds, it's fine. Once I'm moving, there's no spluttering, just completely smooth fuel-injected Vespa lovelyness!

Norman you may be correct on that, that might be an oversight on my part.

Don't think there's any problem with overfilling an MV in Europe (other than that it all spills out into the underseat/over the garage forecourt. Oh, and that every drop of petrol costs a squillion squids). It's happened to me enough times, in spite of me trying to be careful.

But I do think that you've got some sort of fault with your scoot. In my experience, you don't need to let MVs warm up. They should just start and go, without any rough running. (Based on riding a GT 125 and a GTS 250)

Thanks BB - I'll try it again when I get home. I'm kinda hoping that it was just some gunk from the manufacturing process that needed to be cleared through the system. Fingers crossed, otherwise I'll mention it to the dealer when I return the trade plate.

A very common problem on 125s - including some brand new ones - is the valve clearances being too tight. Ask the dealer if he will check these at the first service.

Just a quick update:

I finally managed to get the scooter back to the dealer a couple of days ago. He checked it out on his computer dyno thing, and apparently the lamda figure (whatever that is!) is wrong when the bike is cold.

The first thing he tried was to switch the key on and off 5 times, which he says can reset the ECU if it's out of spec. No luck there though.

He told me that, unlike most other bikes, it's not possible to use a PC to adjust the settings on the ECU. Piaggio are aware of the issue, and are sending a replacement ECU just as soon as the manufacturer, Magnetti Marelli, gets them sorted. I'm told that this problem affects all these new fuel-injected GTS 125 Supers (and presumably the US-market 150 as well).

It seems that the bike is fine to ride, as long as you let it idle for a couple of minutes to warm up before riding off. Since I'm away on holiday for the next week anyway, I just left it with him.

Hopefully it'll be sorted when I get back.