Piaggio BV500 Starting Issues  By  kxj5906 (Read 5,290 times)

New battery, new oil change, same old story. Starter kicks in and does not turn the motor over. Would you recommend replacing the EFI?

I have the right side of the motor area tore down, so I could and did check the starter. It works. I rotated the motor by spinning the big nut on the side counter clockwise. Then tried to start it. It will try to start and then backfire. Valve issue? Will try to check for fuel also.

Oh, there seems to be fire to the plug.

do the starter fluid test first.... These scoots had a recall for a fuel hose in the tank. The hose comes apart and buess what... no fuel... So try the start fluid test.

The BV500 is like the Caddilac of touring scooters so you really want to take care of it right to get the longest life and most reliability from it.

Before you go too far tearing it apart call in and see if you are eligible for the free fuel line and fuel pump service. There is no charge for this repair even if you are not the original owner. For double checking the operation of the starter turning the engine that could be done just by removing the spark plug and observing the compression coming from the piston moving.

If you want to throw away $500 to $1,000 the you can replace the EFI without making sure first however best option would be to have a Piaggio/Vespa dealer put it on the Navagator Computer for a diagnostic when they do the free fuel pump recall service. 6,000 miles puts it at first or second oil change so its not even broken in yet.

Rushing in without the proper tools and knowledge about these bikes can result in thousands of dollars worth of self inflicted damage so take a step back and take your time thinking things out before doing anything. Remember Piaggio supports their bikes at a National level and has service advisors available to talk you through a repair if you simply call or email them and are patient enough to wait for a response.

For example the fuel pump pack will be repaired or replaced at no charge under the recall however if you damage it trying to do it yourself then you are out over $400 for the cost of a new fuel injector pump pack.

You may also want to rock the engine kill switch a few times to ensure its making good contact inside 6,000 miles in seven years is really bad for a bike and can cause all sorts if issues from lack of use. You could even have a sticky valve. Valve adjustment is usually not required on the Master engines until after 12,000 miles.

Be sure to use motorcycle/scooter oil in it for longest life. A full synthetic such as Amsoil Motorcycle oil is best.

Do also check and ensure that the spark plug boot is screwed all the way into the sparg plug wire as the do work loose over time and can cause starting issues.

If the bike comes with an Immobilizer Ignition make sure to get spare coded keys made and never run the bike on the last or master coded key. Once you loose the last key on an Immobilizer equipped bike many times the only way to get the bike running is to replace all the Immobilizer encoded parts which is usually the dash, ignition switch, fuel injection computer/throttle body, ECU module and fuel pump which can cost you $1,000 to $2,000. The tried to make then very unpopular with thieves.

For what you've taken apart already you should replace any oil seals and gaskets that you disturbed. Parts are available from AF1 Racing.
www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=2670

Here is the parts breakdown:
www.af1racing.com/store/ProdImages/st3/ECP3000US2.pdf