Modern Vespa

ok...here goes...my first post in quite awhile. My 2007 GTV wouldn't start a couple weeks ago...so I hooked it up to a battery tender to charge the battery. I have never had a problem with it not starting before. I took a short ride and saw a deer, so I turned off the ignition just to sit and watch for a bit and when I got ready to go...the scoot wouldn't start...I had to have it towed home (AAA). I charged it again figuring I hadn't charged it long enough...let it trickle charge for a couple days and rode it to my friends house. Fortunately I was able to get there but couldn't get it started again for the ride home...sooooooo...I figure it's the battery. Went to the Vespa dealer that is relatively close to my friend's house (2 miles) and got a new battery. Charged it on the trickle charger. Hooked it all up. Figured everything would be fine. Nope...died again...with the new battery, darn. So I charged it up enough to get to the Vespa shop. I figured they could isolate the electrical problem without too much difficulty and I would have the bike the next day...or possibly the following day.
Nope, it's been a week now and they still don't know what's up. I don't know how much they have worked on it...but I don't think there is a backlog. They haven't been too good about follow up with me. Finally got a message left on my phone on Saturday that they would have it figured out Sunday and call me. Well it's Monday night and still no call. I don't want to call them again...yet. They say they have certified Vespa repair. Does it seem it should take this long to diagnose the problem? Should I go get my scoot and take it to another shop? Should I just relax and see what happens. Do they charge me for all this diagnosis time? I know I should just call them again and ask these questions...which I will...but I want to know what others think. Thanks! Dave

Sounds like something is going to ground and discharging the battery. My wifes BV had the same problem. As it turned out it was really my problem. I had put spacers under the seat hinge to change the angle of the seat. Well when I did that, it no longer pushed the under seat light switch plunger and the light stayed on.

You should be calling regularly asking for updates and when your scoot may be ready. There's no need to be insistent, but they should be able to provide updates and info. You should also ask about what sort of charges you're incurring. If they say Friday, call Thursday and make sure things are on track. If they say they're waiting on parts, try to find out where they were orders from. The entire country of Italy goes on vacation in August; you'll never get a part from there then.

Well, if we are talking about the same Vespa dealer and service facility - they are closed on Mondays and their mechanic has Tuesdays off. Go in and talk to the mechanic on Wednesday. Electrical problems can be hard to track down.

Well I finally got the call from the Vespa dealership and was told it is the "stator" that is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. The estimate
was for 3 hours labor (one for diagnosis, two for installation of the new stator)
at $80.00/hour. Plus the cost of the replacement stator that had to be ordered $204.00 for a grand total of $444.00. Everything ok with that? I don't have a clue! Dave