Modern Vespa

... when they designed the battery access for the clock on the LX?!?

It's totally nuts! I had my headset opened up today anyway to convert my front turn signals to the European setup and to install a higher color-temperature headlight lamp, so I decided to change the clock battery while I was in there. Gotta say... it would have been impossible to design a more convoluted configuration for something that should be a straightforward, user-serviceable, routine maintenance procedure.

God forbid that you would decide that you need to change the battery without having your headset open anyway. First you need to remove BOTH the front and back halves of the headset (requiring removal of the mirrors, and the windscreen if you have one), then you need to disconnect the speedometer cable and completely remove the instrument panel from the rear half of the headset, and then you have to unplug one of the main connectors to the instrument panel just to expose the battery location!

If you know where to look, you'll then find the battery at the bottom of a sort of well in the circuit board. The well is plugged by a plastic cap to waterproof it, so that must be pulled out. You then see at the bottom a tiny clear plastic plate with a screwdriver slot molded into the top. Turning this plate counterclockwise with a tiny screwdriver releases it so that it can be removed with very slender tweezers IF you are dexterous enough. Once you've fiddled with fishing that out of the bottom of the hole, you are presented with a tiny, delicate metal contact spring plate. Be REALLY careful removing this, because it is perhaps only a few thousandths of an inch thick. Then you should finally be able to see the battery (a button type), which also must be fished out of the bottom of the hole with tweezers.

Replacing all the fiddly bits in the bottom of the well is also problematic, as they tend to want to flip over as you drop them in... requiring you to fish them back out. I'm a musical instrument builder by trade, and am fairly dexterous. Those of you who are at all ham-handed should not undertake this task.

Being a retired electrical engineer, I recognize bad design when I see it. I can think of dozens of ways a battery can be made easily accessible by a total klutz, and still be weatherproof. And why didn't they just power the clock off the 12V electrical system like every other motor vehicle on the planet?

You can add the clock battery access to the list of the other things that were obviously designed by Piaggio's crack engineering team on the Friday afternoon before a holiday: the spark plug access and the kickstart.

The same applies to every bike they've produced since the '80's with internal clock batteries. They last two years if you are lucky. Perhaps Piaggio is just fine with that, as that is the statutory time they must provide warranty in the EU. It does seem very silly - because it's such a small thing that makes a far bigger impression on the disappointed customer than it warrants (do you not wear a watch?).

Better to have left the clock out altogether than make a problem with its batteries FFS.

Yeah, I do wear a watch, and I rely on the clock very little. However, I tend to be a bit anal about things in general... so I like any feature that is on my vehicles to ACTUALLY WORK, even if I don't use it much.

It would have been such an easy thing to get right, and it speaks badly of their competence.

Obviously you did not read my cry for help reagarding same...if you did you would have never tried to replace the clock battery...

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic49022

At least you didn't drop the front handlebar cover screen down between the glove box panel! (I don't like getting into the glove box panel!!!!). Took me ~ 1+ hour(s) to find the screw...it was actually lodged in a recess of the left knee panel...so I didn't have to remove the panel!

I'll give it another try sometime later.

FYI. I was a surgical instrument repair specialist and #1 the access the the clock battery is flawed. #2 you should have loops (magnifiers) and a set of micro instruments (i.e. forceps, picks, etc.) before you even think about taking this on.

I'll contiune to wear my wrist watch over the sleeve of my armor...

I rely on the clock all the time. I hate wearing a watch.

I wear a watch constantly, but since I generally can't safely get under my armor jacket sleeve to check it while riding...

Ha... no, I missed that one.

It probably wouldn't have deterred me, though... I'm a determined SOB.

i replaced mine once. never again. luckily, it's still working 3 years on...

Mine is still working after three years but I don"t relie on it. It seams to

be so hard to set in the first place. I guess I won't attempt to change

batterys when it dumps.

Paul

That the clock is actually powered by it's own battery in the first place, as opposed to getting it's power from the 12v on board battery is reason enough to think of it as a half-assed design.

I understand, however what I have is a simple Timex Ironman watch (analog and digital). Analog works for me at a quick glance. The wrist strap is a velcro fastener and can be adjusted to fit around (over) the sleeve of your armor. If worn knuckle side up and you're covering the brake levers...a quick glance will give you the time...virtually same as looking down at instrument panel.

Note: Will probably still attempt to replace battery.

Install a voltage regulator and tie to the 12Volt supply going to the dash.

I doubt it needs a regulator - a simple resistor ladder would do, as the clock only draws a few hundred pA. A 1MΩ-200kΩ ladder from 12V to ground would provide 2V to the clock. Thinking some more, feeding the clock from that via a diode with a large electrolytic across the clock itself would keep the clock going for a long time when the battery was disconnected.

I was just going to say that... Speaking of, I need a new battery in my ET4.

Shane

Shane...good luck and be careful about dropping screws where you don't want them to not go! If you end up wiring the clock to the scoot's battery
provide use pics (don't use those electrical diagrams...I'm not astute in that area) and how you got it done...if I'm going back in there I'd rather have it hooked up to the 12V battery than having to worry about the clock battery going out again.

Center one of these puppies over the old clock and drill through the dash.


Then drop one of these in with a bead of glue. Problem solved. LOL!

WARNING! This is a gag! Don't do it!

Another way of approaching this would be to wire in a remote battery case in an accessible spot, say the glovebox.

Just a thought. cheers

Clock with easily replaceable battery, and an accurate speedometer as a bonus!



Regards
Harvey

WHAT???

are you all crazy???
don't you know about the clock battery access point right under the horncover??

Step away from the drill, big guy.....

Tell me your tongue is jammed against the inside of your cheek.

That is true. I like regulators because they are fairly cheap and handle some spikes.