The Creeping Battery Concerns
Press the starter, a moment of hesitation, and then the engine turns over and my Vespa GTS starts. That hesitation is a familiar signal that the battery is nearing the end of its service life. When I put the scooter on the Battery Tender and the light remained RED I knew there were problems.
Battery Maintenance Hopes
I pulled the battery a couple months ago. The voltage was a little low and so was the fluid level. At the local Battery Outlet on the Benner Pike in State College, Pennsylvania the owner put the battery on his fancy Snap-On tester. Voltage was ok. Amps were low but the test indicated the battery had a little life left. I could probably get through the summer with it.
He filled the battery with acid and told me to put it on an actual battery charger. If the amps get too low a Battery Tender won’t charge anything. So I bought a NOCO Genius 5 charger. I would put the scooter on a Tender and again the RED light stayed on. Put it on the NOCO and it would show the battery very low and begin charging and I would get the green light after 30 minutes.
Success. At least in my faulty thinking.
Slowly Dying Battery
The battery made it almost to the end of August. One morning I pushed the scooter outside to ride to breakfast and it would crank, light the engine, and immediately die. If I got on the throttle right away to keep the RPMs up it would run.
Silly me, I felt good to ride to breakfast despite knowing that there was a risk that it would not start the next time. It would have been easy to ride something else but I have a remarkable capacity for making stupid choices. Not just with scooters and motorcycles but across the entire landscape of my life. I’m better and wiser than I used to be but there still are moments when I question my sanity.
The scooter struggled to start after breakfast but I made it home, pulled the battery, and drove off to get a new one. It tested fine for volts but almost no amps. It was officially done. So for $74 dollars I was on my way home with a new battery.
Lessons to Remember on Battery Maintenance
I should have replaced the battery two months ago when it first had issues. It was three years old and that is about all the life I ever get from a battery in the Vespa. Some false ideas of financial economy swirl around my brain making paying for a replacement before every last amp is used up clouds my decision making. Listening to others say they get seven years from their batteries makes me think I should keep trying to make it work. I’ve been in this exact place with scooter batteries before. It starts to have questionable performance and instead of just replacing the battery I go into some awful cheapskate dance.
And one last positive lesson. Replacing the battery in a GTS is a pain. If the battery is seated you can’t get to the terminal nuts. And you can’t attach them before putting the battery into the opening. A second pair of hands is nice but how often are they available? So I complained to ChatGPT about this screwed up installation process.
AI knew exactly what the problem was and told me to get a piece of cardboard, fold it up, and jam it between the battery and the wall of the opening in the scooter. That effectively levitated the battery where I could attach the cables and then lower it the rest of the way into the scooter. AI saved me from invoking 34 curse words and 7 declarations that I hate this scooter.
Life is good again. The scooter starts instantly and I can now focus on more important things.
Discover more from Scooter in the Sticks
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I’m one of those folks who tends to get at least 6 years out of a battery and often more. My 2018 Versys 300 is still on its original and I preemptively changed out my 2018 R12GS original battery last Summer. I use non maintenance sealed lead acid Yuasas as a rule and they are Optimate 4 charged year round. From what I have been led to believe, lead acid batteries tend to discharge more quickly in warmer humid weather so I’m careful to provide this year round TLC. Works for me and I haven’t had a battery issue for years. With 5 Motos in the garage getting disproportionate use one must be vigilant😉 So what happens next! Won’t ride today as heavy rains forecast but I hope to get out tomorrow so here’s hoping I have no battery issues LOL. Keep on keeping on Steve👍
I’ve tinkered with batteries for a long time. Some get many years but the GTS never does. I’ve begun to suspect some sort of battery drain. I’ll need to check it out. A frayed wire somewhere could be causing problems. It’s 20 years old now and has had some hard use.
Hi Steve, last month my GTV battery gave out on me at the grocery store. Came out and nothing. Nice fella tried jumping me but nothing. Called my buddy and he got my trailer and rescued me. I like you, have multiple bikes. I have 2 battery tenders I rotate around. My current stable sort of resembles yours. (Vespa GTV, Himalayan 411, CT125 and Dr650). See how you being a YouTube influencer has affected me. 😂. Ride safe ✌️
I think my YouTube days are behind me now. I’ve not made a video for months now and feel fine because of it. The process really intrudes on the ride for me. Plus I don’t have a lot of interest.
Batteries. They confuse me at times. But I just have become willing to replace them without complaint when they start to be suspect.
Steve,
Your UTube channel gets interest from me! Don’t give up on it…..and ride that W650 too!
I’ve stopped creating content for my YouTube channel for awhile. I may return to it but for now I’m just posting here. You’ll have to imagine motion with the still images!
Love that workhorse Vespa, oh great on the cuss words too!! My dad always said we cuss when we r mad, and pray when we’re scared.. Happy Happy riding wherever u roam✌
I’ve really tried to curtail my cursing when working on things. But it is just a great pressure relief system!
If you think there might be a parasitic drain on the vespa battery we can run a simple test by placing a 12 volt test light in series with the positive cable. If the light shows up then something is draining the battery. I also have a small clamp on ammeter we can try if you wish.
I’ll darken your doorway some day soon!
I recently went through the battery issue with it not starting the scooter. Like a good owner I bought a new battery. Guess what? After then attacking it with a Booster Pack I discovered the starter was shot. Being a good boy I won’t launch into what a pain in the neck scooters can be. My Honda Nighthawk has its starter attached to the front of the engine, in the open air, while my Kawasaki Spectre has it behind the cylinders and on top of the engine under a shiny chrome cover. All fixed now but working under the scooter and behind a frame rail had me using colorful language during the job. Not to mention doing it during ninety-degree temperatures. Hopefully the starter works for a good, long time.
I’m still on the original starter and stator. I hope they keep going until I no longer ride.
I do carry an Anti-Gravity battery with me when I ride. It will jump start the scooters and motorcycles if the battery dies. And it will start my Honda Fit as well.
Good luck with your new starter. I hope it lasts a long time too.
I’m gonna guess you never considered a lithium iron phosphate battery as a replacement. If you can find one that will fit the Vespa, they are a very nice upgrade. Put one in the Trail 125 as well. Goodbye battery tenders!
I asked the battery guy about lithium and AGM batteries. He had mixed feelings about them. I wasn’t up for any research so I just picked up another lead-acid one like all those I’ve used in the past. I’m slow to change…