Modern Vespa

just got a 2004 GT200 a little over week ago.
rode it a couple of times around the neighborhood and loved it!
then a couple days later, the scooter wouldn't start

ok ok, i did leave the key in the ignition, but it was on OFF and the starter switch was flipped to OFF as well. since the scooter died early in the week, i didn't get a chance to get anything for it until the weekend. i talked to the guys at NoHo Scooters, and got the Battery Tender Jr..
and they gave me a good talking about taking the key with me at all times (and just leave the starter switch on)!

anyway, i removed the battery, and charged it for over 15 hours.
this morning i eagerly put the battery back in and... no good!
all the lights work (though it worked before too).

is it still the battery?

Hi Uno,
this is definitely a question for the General Discussion part of the forum, rather than the Not-So-Modern

Welcome though!

When you switch the key ON, what number and duration of flashes do you get from the immobiliser LED, and does it stay ON or OFF?

you mean that little blinking 'code' light.
not sure how many blinks. wasn't even sure what that did.
but i do think it stays off.
is that bad?

If the battery was completely drained, you will need a new one. Batteries, especially lead acid or sealed type batteries, loose their polarity when all charge/energy is lost.

But if the lights work, you may have a blown fuse or faulty wiring. Also battery tenders are not necessarily battery chargers, they are designed to feed a small current to keep the battery topped off, not to charge a drained battery.

Check the all the fuses and look for loose wires or signs of corrosion. Then, if you can get a hold of one, put a known fully charged battery in the scooter and see if that works. Process of elimination to find the problem, one thing at a time.

"Stays off" is good. That means the key is recognised by the immobiliser, so now you probably just have a duff connection, switch or relay.

Do the brake lights work with either brake lever?

(It might be about time to create a flow-chart for all this - yes I know there is one in every workshop manual, but for some reason no-one seems to read them...)