My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

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MrGrumpy
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by MrGrumpy »

Data wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 5:31 am I've done the exhaust after the winter ravages, but can't stand the site of a messy stand. Ok I'm a bit anul about it, I admit! :o
Oh - well here's a tip for you then - never buy a Tmax! Yamaha seem to have forgotten how to make centrestands - its as if they make them out of mild steel and slap a bit of emulsion paint on them - rust appears within months!!! I'm not the most anal person maintenance and fettling wise, but I'm always on the floor putting various stuff on the stand trying to prevent rust!

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Data
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by Data »

abitmad wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 5:34 am
hatter wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 4:51 am We all have problems like this occasionally when you ride scooters. TBH it probably is a couple of easy fixes but you nor the dealer have not had much luck.
Rejecting the scoot under the Sale of Goods Act is one option and may focus the dealers mind but I think he may want one more chance at resolving the issues first.
Good luck, Hatter
I agree with your comments but one small point, the legislation is now The Consumer Rights Act 2015 which replaces three earlier acts including the Sale of Goods. It grants 30 days from the date of taking ownership to reject goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described, and get a full refund. This site has further information:

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights ... JYx8n5KiSl
And that's the very act I used to reject a brand new car 3 years ago after I realised the car had serious engine and auto gearbox problems. I gave the garage a chance to fix it, in fact gave them two chances and they had it for 3 weeks and fitted thousands of pounds worth of new parts and yet, they couldn't fix it. Found out at that point that hundreds of theses brand new VAG group cars all had the same problems with engines and gearboxes and were largely unfixable at that time. Got money back and compensation from VW. Still had to push them though but in the end that act fully protected me.
Probably not ugly enough for the 'Ugly Bunch'! :lol:

Been riding for 54 years & owned too many bikes to list here...

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Data
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by Data »

MrGrumpy wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 5:58 am
Data wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 5:31 am I've done the exhaust after the winter ravages, but can't stand the site of a messy stand. Ok I'm a bit anul about it, I admit! :o
Oh - well here's a tip for you then - never buy a Tmax! Yamaha seem to have forgotten how to make centrestands - its as if they make them out of mild steel and slap a bit of emulsion paint on them - rust appears within months!!! I'm not the most anal person maintenance and fettling wise, but I'm always on the floor putting various stuff on the stand trying to prevent rust!
I tend to think that most makes of bike these days don't have a good quality finish on the centre stands, but then most never did I suppose. And the stand is in a very vulnerable place and regularly gets 'stoned' and hit with salty water. I might try an anti-stone chip finish paint on it in the summer. I'll let you know how that goes. After 5 years the centre stand is the only bit of the bike that has any rust whatsoever on it. :shock:
Probably not ugly enough for the 'Ugly Bunch'! :lol:

Been riding for 54 years & owned too many bikes to list here...

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Bingo
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by Bingo »

Thanks again and for the link to the sale of goods act. I am hoping it wont come to having to reject the bike but for sure this problem was well within the 30 days anyway. I do of course want the dealer to sort it as I do like the bike. It is in very good condition so hopefully they can get it sorted but I dont think I should have to deliver it to them again this time. I really think the onus should be on them to pick it up and keep it until they are 100% sure its fixed.

DTO
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by DTO »

As posted before the mystery coolant leak was the main reason I traded my 2013 Beverly 350 in for another scooter , But the crappy centre stand was also a pain in the butt , It went very loose and scooter would wobble from side to side on the stand , Ok I thought tighten it up a bit then but this made it seize up , Ok needs striping & greasing up like most scooters need now and again .
Problem with the Beverly is it has O-rings on the end of the engine tube where main stand bolt goes through ( to keep it water tight ) , These wear hence the wobble and doing the bolt up tightly makes it stick . Solutions fit new O-rings ( mine was 3 years old ) or some kind nylon washer instead ?

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Bingo
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by Bingo »

DTO wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 9:36 am As posted before the mystery coolant leak was the main reason I traded my 2013 Beverly 350 in for another scooter , But the crappy centre stand was also a pain in the butt , It went very loose and scooter would wobble from side to side on the stand , Ok I thought tighten it up a bit then but this made it seize up , Ok needs striping & greasing up like most scooters need now and again .
Problem with the Beverly is it has O-rings on the end of the engine tube where main stand bolt goes through ( to keep it water tight ) , These wear hence the wobble and doing the bolt up tightly makes it stick . Solutions fit new O-rings ( mine was 3 years old ) or some kind nylon washer instead ?
Thanks. I just went back and looked at your post and video. On the video its just pouring out though. You said in your post after that "This had a leak from that plug near exhaust was very small and sometimes nothing showed , but you could smell burning coolant sometimes ." Are we talking about the core plug there? I think they checked that and it was fine.

This is the puddle today after over 24 hours sat in the garage. :cry: Here's me thinking I would have a summer of freedom scootering the Dales. Instead its freezing cold, raining and my daily delight is checking me puddle! :x

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DTO
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by DTO »

I think it was the core plug as looked damp sometimes ?. I never fully found the cause of the leak as it was random and left no trace apart from drips on the floor .

Great scooter but got feed up with it in the end , plus the main dealer was pretty useless in regards to the centre stand wobble problem .

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Bingo
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by Bingo »

DTO wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 2:37 pm I think it was the core plug as looked damp sometimes ?. I never fully found the cause of the leak as it was random and left no trace apart from drips on the floor .

Great scooter but got feed up with it in the end , plus the main dealer was pretty useless in regards to the centre stand wobble problem .
Oh dear. Lets hope its not that. I reckon it needs to be run around, then stripped down completely and left overnight with everything exposed. Then hopefully they will find the source. Should it really be this complicated?

wightegi
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by wightegi »

Cover the area around the core plug with talcum powder and leave it to see if any drips occur , then look for tracks in the talc.

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roadster
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Re: My Piaggio BV350 has a leak!

Post by roadster »

Another thought on the leak is that the system should be pressurized when at running temperature and, because I don't think there is a pressure cap on the radiator, pressure must be maintained by the reservoir cap which should have a good seal. These caps can sometimes bind on the thread so they are not actually tight and then there will be some leakage which will be fluid when the system sloshes around on the move. This may only be evident when stopped although it should not continue to leak when not in use. You can check that the system is holding pressure by squeezing one of the fatter hoses after everything is hot. This may also be a way of provoking more leakage to spot where it is from. Also check the thermostat housing area where there is a bleed screw. I have an idea that these are some kind of plastic composite and have been know to crack if the bleed screw is overtightened.
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