I decided to bring this old thread up in case others need to change their clock battery.
A few days ago, my 2017 Zero DSR clock battery totally crapped out. "EEE" on bootup and clock time was "00:00". But NBD, bike runs fine, and the error is only at startup.
Rainy here all day, so I decided to do the same modification I did to my Zero DS, since it's an indoor day.
The old stock 2032 battery measured less than 0.1VDC.
Those who have a 2018 or earlier Zero should consider doing this modification to make it very easy to replace the "non-replaceable" clock battery. You can bet it will crap out in the next year, if it hasn't already.
So I decided to check this old thread so I can remember how I did it. SR job is now all complete and works perfectly.
After the battery is replaced, the symptoms will NOT change until the clock time is set. All will be good from there.
There is a small switch on the battery holder that I linked to in a previous message in this thread. "on" is the slider toward the battery wires. I kept it off during installation and then turned it on.
The stock battery is a type CR2032. Its capacity is 225mAh. I could not find any in this house, so I used a CR2016, which is only good for 90mAh. So this battery will last less than one-third the time of the stock battery. I ordered the 2032's which will fit in the same holder, but they will be here tomorrow. I now do not care much how long the battery lasts, as from now on, it will only take a few minutes to change. Any 3-volt battery should work.
Expect the modification to take around two hours. Soldering wires to the PC board is required, and these wires probably should be longer than you expect. The leads on the battery holder are not long enough for this job. Then you need to cut to the correct length for the new battery location & splice to the battery holder wire.
-Don- Reno, NV