Help - New Stella seems to have lots of issues

[mgermano]

I just bought my Stella this past Monday, and I absolutely love it. The purpose was to use it to commute (~5 miles each way) but I've been looking for any reason to ride; However, there are some issues. I wanted to get the thoughts of the members on how common these problems are, and any advice/thoughts you all may have.

1) On the second day the left turn signal stopped working. Right one works fine. When the left one is engaged the rear left turn signal lights up and stays lit, the front left light doesn't come on.

2) I'm not sure the choke is working. When I start the engine in the morning, even with the Choke pulled out, the engine stops unless I'm revving the throttle. Is this normal?

3) Sometimes when I'm shifting between 3rd and 4th gear I end up in neutral. I read on the forums that this "phantom neutral" should be a simple fix by the dealer.

4) The "Stella" logo on the engine side of the scooter is loose, I think because the engine heat loosened the glue that holds it on. It ended up tilting down, and when I straightened it there was a pretty large gash.

5) The touch-up paint that came with the scooter was wrapped in plastic and tape, but the paint exploded within the plastic and tape, so it's not really useful.


Of course, I called the dealership, and have a service appointment scheduled for Tuesday 5/29. In the groups experience, should I expect that this will all be remedied? I was thinking of e-mailing Genuine regarding the touch-up paint, as I assume it will have to come from them. What do you think?

I posted some pictures, hopefully they work.

[Maximus53]

Sounds exactly like the same issues I had with my Stella (I have the exact same one!)

1)Check for a loose wire to your front turn signal (in the glove box). The fitting is loose and easily knocked off by stuff in the glove box. I used pliers to compress the fitting a bit and it has not come off since.

2)On my scoot, the choke was not fully engaging, check out this video at http://vimeo.com/20618680 (39 seconds in)
I brought mine back to the dealer who had someone from Genuine come take a look and the outer sheath of the choke cable is just too short and they ended up pulling the metal fitting on the engine end of the choke cable out of the clamp and then closing the clamp so the metal end pushes against the clamp rather than being held inside it. I have had no problems with this either since this "fix". I am not really happy with the solution, but working for now and will probably see if there is a better fix in the future.

3)This is probably more of a user error issue. I think you are just not shifting far enough. I sometimes end up there when i overshoot 3rd.

4)I was curious about this too. All of my Stellas are loose. My fender reflector practically fell off on its own... no big loss there since it is ugly anyway. My guess is insufficient glue? Too bad they didnt use the glue they used on the compliance stickers instead! I still am working on getting those off.

5)Dealer told me the touch up paint is basically shot when the bikes arrive to the dealership and it is what it is....

One more issue I had that you might want to watch for is condensation/fog inside the speedo.

Hope this helps.

[vwgrl1999]

I just bought my Stella this past Monday, and I absolutely love it. The purpose was to use it to commute (~5 miles each way) but I've been looking for any reason to ride; However, there are some issues. I wanted to get the thoughts of the members on how common these problems are, and any advice/thoughts you all may have.

1) On the second day the left turn signal stopped working. Right one works fine. When the left one is engaged the rear left turn signal lights up and stays lit, the front left light doesn't come on.

2) I'm not sure the choke is working. When I start the engine in the morning, even with the Choke pulled out, the engine stops unless I'm revving the throttle. Is this normal?

3) Sometimes when I'm shifting between 3rd and 4th gear I end up in neutral. I read on the forums that this "phantom neutral" should be a simple fix by the dealer.

4) The "Stella" logo on the engine side of the scooter is loose, I think because the engine heat loosened the glue that holds it on. It ended up tilting down, and when I straightened it there was a pretty large gash.

5) The touch-up paint that came with the scooter was wrapped in plastic and tape, but the paint exploded within the plastic and tape, so it's not really useful.


Of course, I called the dealership, and have a service appointment scheduled for Tuesday 5/29. In the groups experience, should I expect that this will all be remedied? I was thinking of e-mailing Genuine regarding the touch-up paint, as I assume it will have to come from them. What do you think?

I posted some pictures, hopefully they work.

I've had my Stella for a little over a month now.

1. Haven't had the turn signal issue yet. But, on an electrical note, I do have a recurring problem w/my tail light/plate light which has me a bit miffed.

2. Don't have any problems w/my choke either.

3. I just noticed the 'phantom neutral' on mine last night on my ride home from work. Has only happened that once.

4. The 'Stella' logo on mine is loose too, same side. Pretty sure it's from the engine heat. I plan on holding it in place w/some painters' tape for a day or two when I know I won't be riding (i.e. the next time it rains), hopefully that will do some good. Also I discovered that one of the reflectors on mine was missing the day I bought it. That doesn't really bother me since I planned on taking them both off due to their ugliness!

5. The touch up paint/dried flakes of paint in the bottom of a cheapa$$ plastic bottle. When was that stuff put into those bottles? 1976? I mean really!?! If you do email Genuine to inquire about getting some usable touch up paint, would you please post w/your results? I know there are alot of us that could make use of the info on how to go about getting some. (paintscratch.com maybe? You'd have to have the paint code from the manufacturer)

I've got a few other issues as well, but they are mostly dealer related (i.e. I didn't get an owners' manual and getting in for a service appointment is like pulling teeth).

All in all, I am a bit disappointed in the overall 'finish' of my Stella (and it sounds like others have the same 'issues.'). So far I have tried 2 different tire cleaning products in an attempt to get the blue protective whatever off of my whitewalls. Also having a hell of a time getting the protective 'grease' off of the wheels themselves (I'm thinking these are things that the dealer should've done before selling the scoot). Last night when I discovered that the intermittant tail light problem w/mine had returned, I rode home mentally kicking myself for not buying another Honda scooter. But, the thing is.....Stella is just so sexy! I am trying very hard to fall back in love w/this scooter but it's not making it easy.

[Tam Tam]

oddly, on my 09, the battery side 'Stella' logo lost only the 'S'...

[Keith]

Interesting this issue has come up on the forum. I've been pretty much passively reading the postings to bring back the excitement that we all felt when the 2t Stellas came out in 2003. There were some issues with those scooters that were more engine related and could be dealt with. My 2005 falls into that category but once I had dealt with the bearings and crank it has been a reliable trouble free ride for the last 17,000 miles. I could be all wrong on this but it seems the current generation of Stellas have a myriad of problems that consumers should not have to deal with. Am I making a poor observation or has quality control dropped off for the Stella Scooters being sold today?

[viney266]

They are an Indian made version of a 50 year old Italian design...any more questions?

I love my 09, but have had problems with the turnsignals as well. The bike is really built like it was in the 60's. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not that old, but I do have a collection of antique bikes ranging from 1927 up. The stuff back then was junk, amazing it even ran sometimes...I can just imagine if you guys had to deal with points ignitions ...

That being said, if you want reliable everyday appliance type use? A buddy 125 is bulletproof. The Stella, wellll, she is like owning a fine Italian sportcar....made in Indian

A GOOD dealer can work out most of these little issues for you with adjustments and lube in the right places. The Stella does take more care and feeding than a "modern" bike. The shifting issue? it gets better as the gear parts and shifter pawls wear in. After the first 1,000 miles of break -in the Stellas become much smoother better tempered rides. Just hang in there.

And yeah, my touch up paint was dried up ,too. I just added some thinner and reconstituted a small batch and it worked fine for me.

[Lokky]

They are an Indian made version of a 50 year old Italian design...any more questions?

To be honest it's really not the 'indian made' that's the issue. The PX line used to be made in the very same factory for Piaggio. It's more a matter of cutting corners with the finish and material quality in order to be competitive with Piaggio. Remember that the US market is pretty much negligible in terms of sale, the real battle is fought in Europe where Piaggio is still selling the PX.

[jmer1234]

Just picked up the exact same scooter yesterday, and am experiencing exactly the same issues. The turn signal was flaky at the dealership, so they fidgeted and fixed it there. I was planning on monitoring the choke issue, and ask them about it at the 500 mile service. I will say that after having the engine just stop in idle at the beginning of my ride last night, I began to wonder at every stop if the engine was stalled again; it is so quiet with my helmet on. I was planning on looking up idle speed adjustment here, but if others are having the same problem I probably just need to take it in.

My badges are loose, and the leg shield one is gone. The dealer broke it while wiping down the leg shield before I bought it. He offered to order another one, but we both agreed, "Meh."

I was wondering what the little bottle was, because the AG written on it meant nothing to me, and the color through the closed and wrapped bottle did not look like either of the two tones my Stella is painted in.

[jmer1234]

So far I have tried 2 different tire cleaning products in an attempt to get the blue protective whatever off of my whitewalls. Also having a hell of a time getting the protective 'grease' off of the wheels themselves (I'm thinking these are things that the dealer should've done before selling the scoot).

Yes, that is what the ~$300 destination/dealer prep fee is supposed to cover. That and overall ensuring that it is properly assembled and road ready.

[TBarreiros]

Congrats for your bicolore

Unfortunate I have the some problem lolololo or no ... It's the personality of the LML lololololol

I talk to my dealer and they fix everything Perfect

[Maximus53]

I was planning on monitoring the choke issue, and ask them about it at the 500 mile service. I will say that after having the engine just stop in idle at the beginning of my ride last night, I began to wonder at every stop if the engine was stalled again; it is so quiet with my helmet on. I was planning on looking up idle speed adjustment here, but if others are having the same problem I probably just need to take it in.

The choke engagment should go all the way to the stop on the engine end to be fully open. My dealer told me the way it was was correct where it was about 1/2 inch short of hitting the stop. When warmed up pulling the choke to that point made no difference (the engine should have stalled) If i moved the lever all the way to the stop, the engine would sputter which is what should happen.

[viney266]

wesleys bleach white will clean the tires blue off...but yeah. The number one problem I see with Stellas is dealers not spending the time on set-up they should.

[jmer1234]

My dealer told me the way it was was correct where it was about 1/2 inch short of hitting the stop.

According to the Genuine prep video, the choke is supposed to be fully engaged when it hits the peg, not 1/2" short as your dealer told you. Mine was only rotating the choke mechanism 1/2 to 2/3 of its full amount. I ended up having to make a couple of adjustments to both ends of the choke cable.

First, I removed the wire retaining clip at the choke lever end, where it goes through the body of the scooter. I pulled the cable out and reset the clip around the metal end of the cable housing. It had originally been set about 1/8" past the metal housing on the plastic/vinyl jacket.

Next I pulled the choke lever out completely, loosened the screw holding the cable at the choke body, and pulled the cable housing back until the choke was fully engaged, and re-tightened the cable retaining screw.

Now the choke rotates completely and is fully engaged.

[listless]

For the record, my Stella 4T that I got last fall has been trouble free, aside from the FRONT Stella logo splitting into a "S" and a "tella" and sagging, and that touch up paint was a joke.

No electrical issues, choke works fine, shifting is smooth.

Only 1000 miles and 8 months in so far, but no complaints.

[lempira]

I'd be curious to know how much Genuine spends on average per scooter honoring Stella warranties.

I'd be willing to bet it would be a lot cheaper to improve quality control in India.

Just sayin'.

[Lokky]

I'd be willing to bet it would be a lot cheaper to improve quality control in India.

That's not exactly something they can control sadly.

Interestingly enough LML Italy imports its bikes without a paintjob and then does the paintjob in Italy to be able to deliver the same quality finish as Piaggio.

[Robbie]

My experience, so far, has been similar to the above.

Some issues could have been avoided at set up time.
For example, the Stella trim labels coming off.
This is something that IMO the factory could/should resolve and it isn't that difficult.
Mine were lifting off the cowls as well.
This points to one of two/three shortcomings.
1. Poor preparation of the panel were the nameplate is applied.....I believe the factory is not cleaning the surface properly for the adhesive tape to 'grab' on.
2. I believe the two sided tape is of substandard quality......seems the warmer the ambient temperature, the easier it is for the adhesive to fail.
3. The emblem should be molded with a slight 'bow' to follow the panel it is applied to.

The emblems were coming off both of the cowls....the one on the legshield, so far, is hanging in there.

The dealer got me two replacement emblems but I chose to exchange them myself.
First, I removed the old emblems.....as I suspected, the adhesive tape did no fight me at all.....I cut the tape using dental floss and simply rolled the remains off the finish with thumb pressure.
From friends at the body shop, I aquired 2 3M Adhesive promoter pads.
I wiped the area with rubbing alcohol to remove any traces of silicone, possibly there from the factory polishing the finish after it was painted.
Then I wiped the area with the adhesive promoter and dried it off.

The prep work was successful as the moment the tape on the emblem touched the panel it was there for good.....fortunatly I had used a few strips of painters tape to act as locators to position the emblem.
So, once it was pressed in position it was a solid bond.

Although it is doing fine after 3 weeks of rather warm weather and sitting out in the sun, I can tell that the adhesive is somewhat distressed at the S and the end of tha a....as in StellA.
It is evident the emblem would rather be on a flat, rather than curved surface......hence the 'bow' suggestion.

What surprises me is the factory continues to do it the same way, year after year.....one would think they would get tired of buying emblems under warranty.

Lets just say no other automotive manufacturer would allow that year after year.

The dealer admitted that most of the Stellas have this shortcoming.

The ground wire falling off the light housing is a simple fix at the factory but could be just as simple at set up time.....remove the female end from the strap, close it down slightly with a pliers, re-install.....viola.....customer complaint won't happen.
IMO....knowing of this issue for years, the dealers should make it part of their set up proceedure.

As far as cable adjustments go, the dealer has to set them a bit on the tight side as cable stretch is anticipated.
The hope is the cable play will become unacceptable prior to the first service.

For now, just make a list of concerns so the dealer can address them all at the first service.

Beyond the emblem thing, my new/old 09 2T has been flawless (said at risk of jinxing myself) for what now is just over 600 miles in three weeks.

I did the ground wire tightening based on forum members experience and mine were, indeed, just barely hanging on.

I have done a couple of cable adjustments and changed the trans oil once already......exumed a few rattles and buzzes as well but thats cause I'm a bit OCD.

Been a fine little machine so far and shows no signs of developing concerns.

I think I look at the overall machine as new, 1985, PX150.
This bit of quality inattentiveness was the norm 20 some odd years ago.
I find it a bit shocking that quality shortcomings of such a small and fixable nature exist in this day and age.
If the folks producing these machines want India to be considered a industial player in the world market, a bit more attention to detail will be required.

The Japanese did it......I still have a Honda Sport 50 I bought new in 1967....it remains a fine little machine but its quality, specifically the execution of the final product, is not unlike my Stella.
A bit crude....but not unusable.....compared to a current small displacement Honda you would think it came from another planet.

Honda learned its lessons well.....hopefully LML will get on the ball and strive to be 'World Class' as well.
Fortunatly for them, the customer base is open minded, but the 'It's made in India, what do you expect?' excuse will only play out just so long.

My thoughts and experience,

Rob

[dwnthehatch]

I recently brought home a '12 4T with less than 5 miles on it. I cannot get the right turn signal to work no matter how hard I try. The wires are tight, the bulbs are good. The cowl is on correctly, The front bulb barely glows when it is flashing, nothing in the rear. I used a multitester and everything seems good. Has anyone had a bad relay? I hate to make a 3 hr drive to and from the dealer for a turn signal problem.

[Drum Pro]

Surprisingly mine has been trouble free except for the dealer breaking the kick starter which he replaced. I got mine last April and so far it's been great. I think a lot has to do with dealer prep of the bike but anyways I'm sorry you have so many problems with your Stella. The badges will fall off eventually anyway cos the glue is poor....

[Maximus53]

I recently brought home a '12 4T with less than 5 miles on it. I cannot get the right turn signal to work no matter how hard I try. The wires are tight, the bulbs are good. The cowl is on correctly, The front bulb barely glows when it is flashing, nothing in the rear. I used a multitester and everything seems good. Has anyone had a bad relay? I hate to make a 3 hr drive to and from the dealer for a turn signal problem.

When i got my stella i had to use a screwdriver to pull the metal piece at the bottom of the bulb socket up a bit so it made better contact with the bulb itself. This was for the front turn signal.

[dwnthehatch]

Thanks. I found the problem(s). The wire was pinched between the glovebox and leg shield. It was also being pinched between the headset and headset cover.