Modern Vespa

After watching this Robot video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maE9lRvU3Vs) I decided to try this on my Vespa. I ordered the parts from Scooterwest and when the backordered cable came I watched the video one more time and went for it.

There are the two parts - charger and cable

Start by removing the T25 fastener on top. For some reason my GTS had a bonus extra screw sitting loose in that little compartment. What was it from? Mystery #1.

Cut the 7 tabs on the plastic plate. I tried brute force with a utility knife for the first two. Wasn't particularly easy. I then tried tapping the knife with a plastic hammer. Much easier. I sanded the cut spots a bit so they were not jagged.











Last edited by joe register on Sun Feb 14, 2021 2:08 pm; edited 1 time in total

I looked inside and didn't see the connector that matched the kit. I did see a cut rubber band that was just hanging there. Mystery # 2.

I pulled up on the black wire and hey presto - there it was. Unclipping was hard as there was no slack in the line and my stubby sausage fingers didn't exactly fit well in that small space. But they came apart and I clipped the new cable in place. You can see by the connectors they only go in one way.

Cable successfully installed!









Last edited by joe register on Sun Feb 14, 2021 2:16 pm; edited 1 time in total

Next step is to make the hole for the charger. I decided to use a step bit like in the Robot video. I didn't have one so I picked up a set from Harbor Freight. It was a bit under $20 out the door.

Two things of note when drilling the hole. First, don't make it too big. I was eyeballing it and stopped when I thought it was a step to small. Turns out it was the exact size and one more step would have been larger than needed.

Second, while I tried to get it in the middle of the panel it made reinstallation of the panel difficult as the wires and feet of the charger were right at the lip of the plastic when I levered the panel back in place. A 1/4" or 1/2" lower would have made it easier. 1/4" higher and I would be buying a new panel.

Hole successfully drilled!











Last edited by joe register on Sun Feb 14, 2021 2:41 pm; edited 2 times in total

Slide the charger into the hole. There is a locking ring on the back side. I put it on hand tight and gave it a very slight turn with pliers. The video says hand tight is good.

Per the video red went to bronze positive and black to silver negative. At this point you can turn the key, press the power button on the charger, and verify it works.

Feed the wire into the opening behind the panel, put the panel back in place and tighten down the Torx screw. Again, the location I used almost didn't fit. A bit lower would have made reassembly easier.

Charger successfully mounted!











Last edited by joe register on Sun Feb 14, 2021 3:17 pm; edited 3 times in total

The display shows voltage in both off and running positions. Pictures don't do the display justice as the sun is washing out the pics but it looks nice.

Phone in mount, cable in charger, good to go! Now I don't have to try and close the glove box door on the cable if I need it while riding.

Success!

Nice job with the photos and descriptions!

Well done DIY! I like that it has a voltage indicator built in.

I added a traditional 12V Marine socket in same location. This give me the option to plug in non-USB items (like my Inflator) and I have a 12v to USB adaptor I keep in the glove box if I need to charge a USB based device.

Thank you for the post and the pictures. Nice job.

I picked one up front Scooter West as well, but I took the cheater way and just bought the knee pad with it already installed. I literally just unscrewed that one top screw, plugged in the new pad with USB charger, and then screwed it in to place.

My biggest hiccup was I did not realize you have to push the button to get it to charge... took me longer to figure that out than it did to actually install the thing. Haha!

This really has been one of the best improvements I’ve added to date. So nice to be able to use maps and still have battery on my phone when I get somewhere.

It's nice to see these updates as technology advances. I purchased the 12V 'cigarette lighter' accessory from Scooterwest years ago to power my Garmin GPS.

The USB direct to phone is much cleaner than the large 12V plug to USB converter, + USB cable.. and the volt meter is a nice little extra.

Maybe future iterations will include a Bluetooth transmitter or Qi charger.

'Bluetooth transmitter' transmit what to what?

Good point, I guess I was just thinking about technologies that eliminate the need for wires/cables as the evolution of the next accessory type.

Nice mod. I have the same on the GTS.

My question after installing was weather the voltmeter reading is accurate if it not attached directly to the battery?

Distance from the battery won’t affect the voltmeter reading as long as all the connections are good.

Thanks. Good and easy way to diagnose a bad regulator.

Mine is the slightly previous generation, with 2 USB connections, but no voltmeter. I had to get a different cable/connection to make it work for the 2020 HPE install. One other addition that has worked out slick is a USB coil cord...