The Quest for a €60 Piaggio & Vespa Diagnostic Tool
There's a certain satisfaction in finishing a project. After getting my 2017 Piaggio Beverly 350 back in May, I'd been slowly getting it into shape, with the last big job being a new pair of Bitubo rear shocks. The bike felt sorted.
For a few weeks, I enjoyed riding it, especially on runs down to the beach in the unusually warm evenings we were getting in Northern Ireland. Then, one evening on the way home, it happened. The engine died, and the dreaded orange engine light lit up the dashboard. I had a hunch it was related to the ABS/ASR system, and thankfully, disabling the ASR got me home. Phew!
It wasn't a fix, though. I called a local mobile mechanic who plugged in his fancy diagnostics computer and confirmed my suspicion: the front wheel ABS sensor had failed.
Problem identified, but his visit highlighted a new one. The call-out and diagnosis cost upwards of £100. Surely, I thought, I could buy my own diagnostic tool for not much more than that?
A bit of research led me to a tool called the FXTul M3, recommended by "Robot" from the fantastic US-based Scooter West. Unfortunately, they don't ship to Europe. No matter. A quick Google led me to the official FXTul online store, selling the same kit for a bargain €60 with free shipping from China. Order placed.
I excitedly unboxed it, found the correct adapter for the Beverly 350, and connected it all up... Nothing. The reader would not communicate with the bike. My bargain-hunting confidence took a nosedive. An email to Scooter West confirmed the bad news: newer versions of the M3 have updated software that is no longer compatible with the older Beverly 350. Balls!
All was not lost, though. They said it would "almost definitely" work on my newer Beverly 400, which I use when I'm in Spain. So, I threw the tool into my suitcase.
Fast forward a month, and I'm back in Spain with my Beverly 400. The diagnostic port is completely different (it's a newer, Euro 5 machine), but thankfully, the M3 kit came with a connector that fit. I held my breath, hooked it all up, turned the key, and... bingo! The little screen flickered to life, correctly identifying the bike's ECU.
A quick browse through the menus showed options for viewing live data, running component tests, and, most importantly, reading and clearing fault codes. While my 400 has no faults to test, the tool works perfectly with it.
So, the conclusion of this long saga is: if you have a modern, Euro 5 compliant Piaggio or Vespa and want a diagnostic tool that won't break the bank, the FXTul M3 works!