Modern Vespa

Hello all,

I am writing this post on behalf of my husband, who is stranded at work with his now broken Vespa he has a 1997 Vespa et4 125cc

I will write below what he has told me what has happened so far...

He was riding with the head light on...
And when he used the indicator it started to splutter...
The he turned it off and on again and it worked fine...
When he came to a stop with the head light on it completely died...
He turned the light off again and kick started it and it came on again...
After he had parked it, he tried to start it again with the kick start and it will grab anything not to start, he said it feels like something has rounded off...

Any suggestions at all with what we could be looking at here!

Any replies will be greatly received

(Also while I'm here, does anyone know any good Vespa repair places in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, or Huntingdonshire UK?)

Much Thanks
Sarah McGee

The kick-starter is now defunct. He's not using the electric starter? I suppose the battery is on its way out, not helped by the colder weather.

Haywards of Cambridge are often recommended:
http://www.haywards.co.uk/

I suggest he gets them to pick it up and get it going again.

Loose spark plug wire? Start with the easy stuff first.

Thank you for the replies

The place in Cambridge would be excellent as he is just round the corner from there as he works in Girton,
But they have told he it will be a week and a half before they will get round to fixing it.
Will text him all the replies I get

Fingers crossed
Sarah McGee

Not much good if the battery is toast and the kick-start likewise..

If I understand all this "English", the shop cannot change the battery for a week and half? It sounds to me like he could pick-up the battery, take it home, pop it in and ride the old battery back to the shop.

If the delay is for the kick-start repairs ... don't mind me... I'll be off in the corner feeling foolish. Not the first time..

Get hubby to ask for a battery first - got a Halfords nearby?

Christmas shopping? Buy him an Optimate IV battery tender.

I have to say, if he knew it needed the occasional kick-start from a few days or weeks ago - then bad luck but this was inevitable.