Modern Vespa

Hello everyone,
this is my first ever post, I hope there is someone who will guide me in the right direction.
My scooter model is Vespa PX 125 E FL (ZAPM09302, 2001-) and I need some electrical help.

I want to convert my bike's electrical system from AC to DC.
In the future I will be installing LED headlights and new REV counter and other bells and whistles so that is why I want to convert it it DC.

I have found a lot of videos, guides, SIP products and so on and so forth, but there is no-one I can ask questions and for some guidance.

List of questions:

-First of all: Realistically how har is this conversion to do? I have some knowledge and understanding how this works and how it should work but do I need a professional to do it for me or is it possible to do at home?

-Did anyone do whole AC-DC conversion on a bike that is mine or very similar to mine so I could copy his parts order from SIP? I tried searching on my own but there are a lot of things still confusing me and I don't want to spend 500+Euros on parts that won't fit😅

-I want to retain electric start if possible, is this possible?

To some these may be stupid and very basic things but I am losing my mind trying to piece out all the info, parts and knowledge to do this and if there is someone who has done this on a similar bike, please guide me in the right direction.

I'm sorry for my English, it's not my main language.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
V

Dobar dan --

I managed to do that conversion with a *batteryless* Vespa by way of adding a SIP Vape ignition and a battery and a whooooole bunch of kludgy wiring, fuses, a junction box for farkles, etc. It was an education.

Converting *your* system to all-DC would be far less of a hassle, given that you've already got a battery inline, and a DC horn, which means there's nothing to screw around with the right-hand handlebar switches. Just install the SIP Vape according to the instructions. Voila. Your lighting circuit stops being AC from the stator, and becomes nice steady DC. Then the bulk of the remaining effort is installing some junction box to power the extra stuff (beyond the fancy speedo and the LED lamp, which isn't too much of a headache.)

If you're not interested in the VAPE approach, you can do it lower-cost, but it involves floating the ground on the stator, and installing a rectifier/regulator (Trailtech's probably the best bet), and probably some more trial and error than you'd expect. Unless you're really good with electrics already. From the sounds of it, you're about on par with where I was, which was just knowledgeable enough to make a mess. Just keep in mind that this DIY approach, while cheaper than the Vape, is riskier. You're more likely to screw something up. Also, the Vape stuff is all ruggedized and purpose-built for this. I've been running mine for 2 years now with no hiccups at all.

Also: I don't see any reason why the electric start wouldn't continue to function, with either of the approaches above.

Another thing you'll need with any of the above approaches is a 3-pin digital flasher relay. The stock flasher relay won't work at all once everything coming from the stator is regulated DC. That'll set you back 5-10 euros.

I'm sure others on this forum have done the straight Vape install on a with-battery setup, and also the Trailtech DC conversion, so I'll leave it to them.

Dear Jim,
Thank you very much for your response. It is much appreciated. I will probably go with SIP's VAPE option as I value more hassle-less install and reliability than spending days in garage for some janky install I would probably do with going DIY.

Also, thanks for pointing out the flasher relay, I would definitely forget about that and scratch my head why indicators aren't working.

Safe scooting and best regards,
V

No problem, my pleasure. Lord knows plenty of other folks from this forum have walked me through this and other complicated things.

About the VAPE, you'd have to get the one with the E-Start gear ring, if you want to retain the electric start. Apart from that, it's pretty much plug-and-play.

What LED lamp are you getting? I've got the SIP Performance running in my setup. Fitment was a bit tricky -- you have to *very* securely bolt it down in all three spots (including the one at the bottom, that adjuster slot) otherwise that aluminum mounting ring breaks. Though your 125 that I assume's stock will probably be way less shaky than my bike, so that might not be such an issue. The only other beef I have with the SIP lamp (and I'm not sure if it's the lamp's fault) is that with the main light on, it's enough to deplete the battery to <11V in 10-15 hours of riding. The stator can't keep up. With only the daytime running light on, it charges up again, nema problema. But for all I know this excessive draw could be due to my wiring job.

As for a speedo, I can recommend the Karacho Tacho from SIP. Looks great and has great legibility. And the temperature / AFR reading is bigger and brighter than on the earlier SIP speedos.