The Stella 4T: Delay, Frustration, Deposits, etc.

[JoshWED]

Yeah...so I had driven a manual transmission twice in my life before: once on a tractor/backhoe and once as an aborted attempt in Scotland (the whole opposite side + new skill yielded too much!).

But waiting for about 8 months on the 4t had manual shifting invading my dreams. No joke...it sounds crazy. But I'd dream about it. And after 8 months, I was "able" to ease out the clutch and shift handily in dreams. Apparently this mind conditioning helped.

I bought it from the owner at 7:00 pm, drove off within ten minutes...and then spent the rest of the night cruising around DC. Had a little trouble getting it back on after a dinner break...but got the choke going and it's been bliss. Two stalls over two hours? Lots of lights...and one tired/sore hand. Also one happy new 2t driver.

[Lovelandstella]

...But waiting for about 8 months on the 4t had manual shifting invading my dreams. No joke...it sounds crazy. But I'd dream about it. And after 8 months, I was "able" to ease out the clutch and shift handily in dreams. Apparently this mind conditioning helped.
...

+1 to that! I did the same thing then went and test drove a 2T and they were like - "that's your 1st time?" and I pulled up to them and said "yup"

and then I stalled it...

but my shifting was smooth!

[Lovelandstella]

My dealer emailed me last friday saying that Genuine is setting up some sort of "rewards" program for those that have kept their deposits in. Genuine was supposed to make an announcement today, according to the email.

anybody hear any word on this yet? its like a week overdue and I'd really like to hear genuine's rewards program.

[ericalm]

My dealer emailed me last friday saying that Genuine is setting up some sort of "rewards" program for those that have kept their deposits in. Genuine was supposed to make an announcement today, according to the email.

anybody hear any word on this yet? its like a week overdue and I'd really like to hear genuine's rewards program.

There will be an incentive or whatever you want to call it for those who already have deposits or payments in. Genuine is awaiting some info from dealers before making an official announcement.

[EvilTweety]

The email I saw gave the dealers until Aug 20th to get the names in...

If we don't have the names by Friday August 20th they will not qualify. No exceptions.

[EvilTweety]

Philip McCaleb just tweeted "it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS...and Stella is on a lot of people's list. Santa is in touch, we are connected." What the heck does that mean? That we won't have the Stella 4t until December? Can anyone help clarify?

[PeterC]

Philip McCaleb just tweeted "it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS...and Stella is on a lot of people's list. Santa is in touch, we are connected." What the heck does that mean? That we won't have the Stella 4t until December? Can anyone help clarify?

It means, clean your chimney or you're going to get one horribly sooty 4T Stella!

[ericalm]

Philip McCaleb just tweeted "it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS...and Stella is on a lot of people's list. Santa is in touch, we are connected." What the heck does that mean? That we won't have the Stella 4t until December? Can anyone help clarify?

I think it means that a lot of people want new Stellas for Christmas and that Genuine is helping Santa and his elves with supplying them.

[mattgordon]

Philip McCaleb just tweeted "it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS...and Stella is on a lot of people's list. Santa is in touch, we are connected." What the heck does that mean? That we won't have the Stella 4t until December? Can anyone help clarify?

I think it means that a lot of people want new Stellas for Christmas and that Genuine is helping Santa and his elves with supplying them.

Maybe the reindeer will get the year off, and Santa's sleigh will be powered by 8 shiny Stellas! That would be cool.

(IF I had Photochop skills would've illustrated with a picture....among the skills I don't possess, that's one of them!)

[jasondavis48108]

Philip McCaleb just tweeted "it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS...and Stella is on a lot of people's list. Santa is in touch, we are connected." What the heck does that mean? That we won't have the Stella 4t until December? Can anyone help clarify?

I think it means that a lot of people want new Stellas for Christmas and that Genuine is helping Santa and his elves with supplying them.

Maybe the reindeer will get the year off, and Santa's sleigh will be powered by 8 shiny Stellas! That would be cool.

(IF I had Photochop skills would've illustrated with a picture....among the skills I don't possess, that's one of them!)

maybe it means only eric and Santa will have a 4T stella by x-mass and santa will be too busy riding to bring anyone anything damn it I was really hoping for a big bore kit too

[mattgordon]

I think it means that a lot of people want new Stellas for Christmas and that Genuine is helping Santa and his elves with supplying them.

Maybe the reindeer will get the year off, and Santa's sleigh will be powered by 8 shiny Stellas! That would be cool.

(IF I had Photochop skills would've illustrated with a picture....among the skills I don't possess, that's one of them!)

maybe it means only eric and Santa will have a 4T stella by x-mass and santa will be too busy riding to bring anyone anything damn it I was really hoping for a big bore kit too

Oh, that lump of coal thing, then?

[EvilTweety]

I'm just frustrated that instead of getting real updates in a timely manner, we get vague statements that could mean anything.

[PeterC]

I'm just frustrated that instead of getting real updates in a timely manner, we get vague statements that could mean anything.

Rather like the Delphic Oracle.

[Halloweenie]

Quick, check with the augurs, the birds are flying south!

[polianarchy]

I think it means that a lot of people want new Stellas for Christmas and that Genuine is helping Santa and his elves with supplying them.

Maybe the reindeer will get the year off, and Santa's sleigh will be powered by 8 shiny Stellas! That would be cool.

(IF I had Photochop skills would've illustrated with a picture....among the skills I don't possess, that's one of them!)

maybe it means only eric and Santa will have a 4T stella by x-mass and santa will be too busy riding to bring anyone anything damn it I was really hoping for a big bore kit too

Maybe it means Philip McCaleb is the REAL Santa Claus?!

[DanteG]

I don't think so ... if he was, Christmas would be scheduled for November, pushed back to December, alluded to on Valentines Day, and celebrated at Easter.

[EvilTweety]

I don't think so ... if he was, Christmas would be scheduled for November, pushed back to December, alluded to on Valentines Day, and celebrated at Easter.

That, my friend, made me snort...

[EvilTweety]

As a follow up to the earlier vague tweet....

Philip McCaleb tweeted "I DO believe in Santa Claus, and he tells me that there is hope for Christmas presents this year! Some SHOULD get a stick and piece of coal!"

I wonder who he means...

[Wheelz]

I don't think so ... if he was, Christmas would be scheduled for November, pushed back to December, alluded to on Valentines Day, and celebrated at Easter.

That, my friend, made me snort...

[EvilTweety]

My dealer just forwarded to me an email from GSC on the Stella 4t. Of course no useful information on availability. I thought it was interesting that they said they will keep the dealers more regularly updated and in the very next sentence say that they will only let the dealers know when they are safely in their warehouse.

On an up note Eric was prominently mentioned!

Anyway read it for yourself...

October 28, 2010
Stella 4-Stroke Review

Dear Genuine Dealers,

You and your customers have been /extremely patient/ for the 4-Stroke Stellas to arrive. We 've struggled to keep our cool as well, but we know the 4-Stroke Stella will be well worth the wait.

But don't just take our word for it. The folks at Motorcycle-USA.com tested one of the 4-Stroke Stellas we displayed at the 2009 Indy Dealer Expo, and they had some very nice things to say. Most motorcycle-centric magazines and websites may find scooters endearing, but they often find plenty about scooters to nitpick. With that in mind, having such a positive review of the new Stella really shows what a wonderful and unique niche she "owns".

Read the review here or copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/715/8214/ ... eview.aspx

We will keep you up to date more regularly now as we get closer to the arrival date of the first batch of 4-Stroke Stellas. Given our recent experience over some very minor details, we will only let you know when they are safely in our warehouse. We hope you will all understand.

Eric Almendrahl, well-known scooterist in Los Angeles, is the first actual owner of a 2010 model. He offered us a few of his impressions.
• Few people get up in the morning looking forward to commuting through L.A. traffic. I get up and think, "Time to ride the Stella!"
• I like the low emissions and high gas mileage. I love that it's crazy fun to ride.
• In the months I've been riding the Stella 4T, it's become my daily commuter and more. I've ridden it through winding canyons, up and down the coast, and over the hills. And I've loved every minute of it.
• When I got my Stella 4T, I threw out my kid gloves. The performance and handling constantly impressed me and the scooter eagerly tackled every challenge.

We look forward to hearing from more happy 4-Stroke Stella owners soon!

Sincerely,
The Genuine Scooters Team

[ericalm]

I am humbled.

[BuddyLicious]

Crap why didnt someone think of this before now.Eric being the only Stella 4T owner should,needs to,set out on a nation wide showing and test ride of his Stella.The plan would be for Eric to visit the Dealers on set dates thus allowing all of us Stella fans a chance to see & ride this scoot in person. I'm sure Phil McCaleb would fund Eric for this event.What say you Eric?

[ericalm]

Crap why didnt someone think of this before now.Eric being the only Stella 4T owner should,needs to,set out on a nation wide showing and test ride of his Stella.The plan would be for Eric to visit the Dealers on set dates thus allowing all of us Stella fans a chance to see & ride this scoot in person. I'm sure Phil McCaleb would fund Eric for this event.What say you Eric?

That's actually what my Stella was doing in CA before I owned it.

The reason no one thought of it was that dealers were supposed to have the 4Ts in stock by now!

I love the idea but even if I got funding for the ride, I'd have to figure out what to do about not having a job when I was done!

[10gallonhat]

I cancelled my deposit on my Stella 4T after 6 1/2 months of waiting... I never pestered my dealer and I didn't go on any anti-Genuine tirades while I waited. I read the Modern Buddy posts daily and was continually let down after each new delay. I finally came to the conclusion that to me no consumer product is worth the amount of angst, arguing and conspiracy theorizing that has been going on for the last 7+ months.

I'm at peace with my decision and am happy to have my four figure deposit cash back. The riding season in MN is basically over, so there really is no point in getting it until next year. I won't be pre-ordering a scooter ever again, that much is for sure it's just too crazy of a process. If I buy a Stella it will be in the showroom next season after a test drive, like normal people do .

In my humble opinion, no consumer product is worth the amount of angst, arguing and conspiracy theorizing that has been going on for the last 7+ months.

Good luck to those still waiting.... hopefully they arrive soon.

[ericalm]

I cancelled my deposit on my Stella 4T after 6 1/2 months of waiting... I never pestered my dealer and I didn't go on any anti-Genuine tirades while I waited. I read the Modern Buddy posts daily and was continually let down after each new delay. I finally came to the conclusion that to me no consumer product is worth the amount of angst, arguing and conspiracy theorizing that has been going on for the last 7+ months.

I'm at peace with my decision and am happy to have my four figure deposit cash back. The riding season in MN is basically over, so there really is no point in getting it until next year. I won't be pre-ordering a scooter ever again, that much is for sure it's just too crazy of a process. If I buy a Stella it will be in the showroom next season after a test drive, like normal people do .

In my humble opinion, no consumer product is worth the amount of angst, arguing and conspiracy theorizing that has been going on for the last 7+ months.

Good luck to those still waiting.... hopefully they arrive soon.

[JunkyardDog]

I cancelled my deposit on my Stella 4T after 6 1/2 months of waiting... I never pestered my dealer and I didn't go on any anti-Genuine tirades while I waited. I read the Modern Buddy posts daily and was continually let down after each new delay. I finally came to the conclusion that to me no consumer product is worth the amount of angst, arguing and conspiracy theorizing that has been going on for the last 7+ months.

I'm at peace with my decision and am happy to have my four figure deposit cash back. The riding season in MN is basically over, so there really is no point in getting it until next year. I won't be pre-ordering a scooter ever again, that much is for sure it's just too crazy of a process. If I buy a Stella it will be in the showroom next season after a test drive, like normal people do .

In my humble opinion, no consumer product is worth the amount of angst, arguing and conspiracy theorizing that has been going on for the last 7+ months.

Good luck to those still waiting.... hopefully they arrive soon.

Remember this is the fault of the EPA (may they rot in hell) not Genuine Scooter Company. They had them here a long time ago. I think the EPA was pissed off about the 2T Stella, which makes riding it just that much sweeter. Did I mention I hate the EPA? Jerry.

[Silver Streak]

Remember this is the fault of the EPA (may they rot in hell) not Genuine Scooter Company. They had them here a long time ago. I think the EPA was pissed off about the 2T Stella, which makes riding it just that much sweeter. Did I mention I hate the EPA? Jerry.

Give me a break! This whole fiasco was not the "fault" of the EPA. While the EPA may have been guilty of selective enforcement, selective enforcement is nearly always necessary because there are simply not enough resources to enforce all the rules, all the time, across all companies' shipments. Your attitude is a lot like hating the cops because they pulled you over for speeding (when you were) because you don't like the speed limit and others were exceeding it as well. So this is the cop's fault? Even though one of those 4T Stellas was mine, I'm happy for for the enforcement.

The rules -- whether you like them or not -- are clear that production models of any vehicle imported must be exactly like the model that was tested. If they aren't, that's not EPA's fault. This was obviously a case of a foreign manufacturer not taking US law seriously, and Genuine not doing due diligence in making that manufacturer strictly toe the line.

While -- in this wonderful democracy of ours -- you are free to "hate the EPA," don't criticize them for doing their job. If these agencies don't do their jobs, your kids are going to be gnawing on a lot of lead paint and drinking baby formula full of melamine.

[JoshWED]

Junkyard dog only cares if lead is in coffee, since he obviously tossed the tea overboard.

[Keys]

I'm thinkin' the Junkyard Dog failed to received some freebie from the government he thought he was entitled to...

--Keys

[ericalm]

Folks, let's cut out the personal comments. Feel free to disagree with one another in a civil and respectful manner. I know it's not always easy…

[EvilTweety]

So next week, it will be three months without an official update (I don't count Mr McCaleb's vague tweets) from Genuine on the status of the LONG overdue 4t's. Am I the only one that still has a deposit down? I am seriously considering waiting now for a 200 CC injected stella...

[killbilly]

So next week, it will be three months without an official update (I don't count Mr McCaleb's vague tweets) from Genuine on the status of the LONG overdue 4t's. Am I the only one that still has a deposit down? I am seriously considering waiting now for a 200 CC injected stella...

Genuine does nothing quickly.

At the moment, I love my bike, but am regretting my purchase.

[rtaite]

So next week, it will be three months without an official update (I don't count Mr McCaleb's vague tweets) from Genuine on the status of the LONG overdue 4t's. Am I the only one that still has a deposit down? I am seriously considering waiting now for a 200 CC injected stella...

I bet Genuine'll make double damn sure that the 200cc injected scoots meet government muster before taking deposits.

At this point, I completely agree with you. I never wanted a carburetted scoot anyway. The injected 200cc will likely get the same fuel economy and I'm disappointed at how poorly Genuine handled the 150cc 4T importation.

Ralph

[jmkjr72]

So next week, it will be three months without an official update (I don't count Mr McCaleb's vague tweets) from Genuine on the status of the LONG overdue 4t's. Am I the only one that still has a deposit down? I am seriously considering waiting now for a 200 CC injected stella...

I bet Genuine'll make double damn sure that the 200cc injected scoots meet government muster before taking deposits.

At this point, I completely agree with you. I never wanted a carburetted scoot anyway. The injected 200cc will likely get the same fuel economy and I'm disappointed at how poorly Genuine handled the 150cc 4T importation.

Ralph

how could they have done it diffrently it sounds like lml put some diffrent parts on during the production

the sample that lml sent for all the inspections passed muster

and when they decided to inspect them they found a couple of things that the epa didnt like the wrong type of sticker for smog and the a/f scres were caped the wrong way all items that were diffrent from what was submited

now im sure the company that handled the inspections will get the hind end in the slam when all is said and done

but unfortantly they have had to crack down on imports due to all the cheap crap that was being brought into the country

so even though they are minor issues they were not allowed to fix them in this country by the goverment and had to ship them back to be corrected and im sure by the time they get back the new batch that was ordered would be ready as quick if not quicker then the first batch ebing fixed

[Silver Streak]

So next week, it will be three months without an official update (I don't count Mr McCaleb's vague tweets) from Genuine on the status of the LONG overdue 4t's. Am I the only one that still has a deposit down? I am seriously considering waiting now for a 200 CC injected stella...

I bet Genuine'll make double damn sure that the 200cc injected scoots meet government muster before taking deposits.

At this point, I completely agree with you. I never wanted a carburetted scoot anyway. The injected 200cc will likely get the same fuel economy and I'm disappointed at how poorly Genuine handled the 150cc 4T importation.

Ralph

how could they have done it diffrently it sounds like lml put some diffrent parts on during the production

Simply... by doing what most responsible companies do when importing complex or highly regulated products from developing countries: having someone on site at the factory to ensure quality control. Genuine was very naive to think they'd get a production model that was fully in compliance without such measures.

I'm still hanging in there with my deposit... although -- if the 150 4T is delayed much longer and they announce pending availability of the injected 200 -- I'll switch my deposit to that.

[ericalm]

Actually, Genuine did have people at the factory.

Remember, the EPA issues were with the glue on the back of the stickers and with the coating on the air/fuel screw. That's it. THAT's what this has all been about. It wasn't like LML was dropping different carbs in there or some crap like that that could have reasonably been detected. Of course, as minor as those things are, they still should have been to proper specs.

As is, Genuine needs to ensure that any future shipments of the 150 4Ts don't run into any further snags. They obviously know this and are working to do whatever they can to expedite the process.

Genuine hasn't said anything about the 200i Stars coming as Stellas and I'd be surprised if there was even a peep about them any time in the next year or so. That said, I want one.

[rtaite]

Actually, Genuine did have people at the factory.

Remember, the EPA issues were with the glue on the back of the stickers and with the coating on the air/fuel screw. That's it. THAT's what this has all been about. It wasn't like LML was dropping different carbs in there or some crap like that that could have reasonably been detected. Of course, as minor as those things are, they still should have been to proper specs.

As is, Genuine needs to ensure that any future shipments of the 150 4Ts don't run into any further snags. They obviously know this and are working to do whatever they can to expedite the process.

Genuine hasn't said anything about the 200i Stars coming as Stellas and I'd be surprised if there was even a peep about them any time in the next year or so. That said, I want one.

Eric, in our offline discussion regarding the scooter you received, you stated that the idle mixture screw was, in fact, set in correctly with Loctite per federal Clean Air Act regs.

Wouldn't that indicate to you that QC is, to put it bluntly, crap? Where there's smoke there's fire, right? Instead of this being about the government being overly intrusive and nit-picky, I think the inspectors did Genuine a favor by saying "hey fellas, uh, you might want to check the *whole* product you're shipping because we just happened to find the deficiencies related to US emissions law"

Ralph

[rtaite]

[quote="Silver Streak]

Simply... by doing what most responsible companies do when importing complex or highly regulated products from developing countries: having someone on site at the factory to ensure quality control. Genuine was very naive to think they'd get a production model that was fully in compliance without such measures.

I'm still hanging in there with my deposit... although -- if the 150 4T is delayed much longer and they announce pending availability of the injected 200 -- I'll switch my deposit to that.[/quote]

Silver Streak, you are right on about the importance of Western QC in Asian factories. I have read several reports about how multinationals who based themselves in China learning that when you are dealing with low wage labor you have to expect high rejection rate QC and an ever present Western staff onsite to ensure standards are met. That is the tradeoff. The total job cost per unit is lower but more of your factory output will end up being junked because of poor quality.

Ralph

[ericalm]

Actually, Genuine did have people at the factory.

Remember, the EPA issues were with the glue on the back of the stickers and with the coating on the air/fuel screw. That's it. THAT's what this has all been about. It wasn't like LML was dropping different carbs in there or some crap like that that could have reasonably been detected. Of course, as minor as those things are, they still should have been to proper specs.

As is, Genuine needs to ensure that any future shipments of the 150 4Ts don't run into any further snags. They obviously know this and are working to do whatever they can to expedite the process.

Genuine hasn't said anything about the 200i Stars coming as Stellas and I'd be surprised if there was even a peep about them any time in the next year or so. That said, I want one.

Eric, in our offline discussion regarding the scooter you received, you stated that the idle mixture screw was, in fact, set in correctly with Loctite per federal Clean Air Act regs.

Wouldn't that indicate to you that QC is, to put it bluntly, crap? Where there's smoke there's fire, right? Instead of this being about the government being overly intrusive and nit-picky, I think the inspectors did Genuine a favor by saying "hey fellas, uh, you might want to check the *whole* product you're shipping because we just happened to find the deficiencies related to US emissions law"

Ralph

As far as I know, the EPA issue was not with how screw's setting, it was solely with the tamper-proof coating on the screw. A coating that a lot of shops will likely remove because this is something that often needs adjustment to optimize performance regardless of EPA regs. It'll probably be the second thing most people jack on their Stella 4Ts, right after the useless CARB evap hoses.

I think it would be a stretch to extrapolate broader QC issues from the two minor ones that were found.

Inevitably, people will have problems with their new Stellas, just as occurs with every other model of scooter out there. Inevitably, any and every time an issue is reported, some habitual wolf-cryers and Chicken Littles will jump up to say, "See? They're crap!" But whether any future issues are truly is indicative of greater problems will depend on the severity and frequency of these problems.

[Forbush-Man]

And remember the first new model of ANYTHING, even autos from high end auto builders/importers, tend to suffer from little flaws and defects. By year two or three, they usually have most of those Gremlins sorted out. So everyone who has purchased one or is waiting, should take solace in knowing you are helping them perfect the 4T Stella for future buyers to come...

Forbush

[PeterC]

Wake me up when it's over.

[EvilTweety]

I'm done... If Genuine had made an effort to keep us up to date instead of going 3 months+ without any news I would have kept my deposit in. Requested my deposit back from my dealer... Good luck to those still waiting.

[Lovelandstella]

Rumor mill: I just heard "February".

[BrooktownGeezer]

Whatever happened to the "Santa" rumor?

[mattgordon]

Whatever happened to the "Santa" rumor?

Easter Bunny...

[whentheponydies]

I just got an email from the dealer and he said if all goes well, my Avocado Stella 4T will be here the third week in march. I. Can't. Friggin. Wait.

[Silver Streak]

I just got an email from the dealer and he said if all goes well, my Avocado Stella 4T will be here the third week in march. I. Can't. Friggin. Wait.

The spring thaw, perhaps?

[ericalm]

All we can do is hope, as we have been, that "all goes well."

[10gallonhat]

That will be a year from when I put down my deposit... I'm glad I have my money back. That's insane considering the original timeframe. Hopefully all goes well and not too many people with deposits down will have to celebrate the one year milestone.

Will it still be a 2010 Stella, even though it's March 2011?

[ericalm]

The "official" model year depends on the VIN. I think these are probably not the shipment held up by the EPA & Customs; they're probably a new production run. So it's possible they knew these wouldn't hit dealers until '11 and they're 2011 models. If so, I have to wonder what will happen with the 2010s. If they're sent back to LML then return to the US, they won't have new VIN numbers.

Can't really fault anyone for withdrawing their deposits on these. I have to wonder, though, how many went out and bought something else and how many will eventually wind up with Stella 4Ts. Hopefully, more of the latter.