I was looking through some of the local papers and noticed someone had an '05 Stella up. As this will be my first scoot, I have to ask: just how often can I expect to be working on the stella instead of riding it?
I ask because I used to have a VW Jetta diesel that was a wonderful car, but was in the shop more than I was driving it.
I hear that keeping it running is part of the joy of vintage, but I'd like to know how deep (or shallow) the water is before I jump.
Mine has been laid down and then hit by a pickup on the engine side. Before that I put 700 miles on it in 3 weeks.
Starts everyday and rides like a champ even after everything.
On the inverse though a friend got his the same day as I got mine and he's had to replace the stator and the kill switch.
I say go for it though. I love mine to death. There's just an unexplainable joy when your riding a vintage style shifter. The few problems you may or may not have are all worth it in the end.
But be CAREFUL - shifting can tricky for a novice.
I really want a shifter... but this is pretty much my only concern (aside from finding one). Is it as hard to go to a shifty if you have riding twistie under control?
i just got my 82 passport from the shop, after having two 125 biddies. its not strictly a shifter, because it has no clutch, but you do have to shift with your left foot. the ride is a little jerky (could be from age) and i don't think it has the ability to shift really smoothly (could be age) and it gets 35mph full throttle on a straightaway. despite the colossal differences from my buddies i still love it to death. (and that death is a gas station miles down the road because somehow my reserve gas never gets reserved.)
its not that hard to shift, just a little more concentration and for some folks i think that could translate into a safety issue by focusing less on the things around you. probably really minor imho, but present.
First of all, I wouldn't worry about it breaking down too often. I've had a few gremlins to work out, but they were things that didn't keep me from riding, and that seems to be typical (e.g., speedo issues, gas tank readings, etc.). One other thought is that keeping it stock, while not the most popular thing to do, will also increase its reliability and decrease the probability that it will be broken down. Mine is stock, and while not as fast as the modified bikes, is still plenty quick off the line, will do 50-55 without much problem, and regularly gets 75-80mpg (in my work commute, which is 13 miles each direction and averages 25-35 mph).
Second, don't worry about the shifting - it's intuitive and comes quickly, especially if you've driven a manual car before (the friction point in the clutch is the same feeling, just that it's in your hand rather than your foot). I expected it to take days/weeks to get down. Instead, I was comfortable in about 15 minutes, and riding through the neighborhood the first day. Within a few days shifting became second nature. I no longer think about it at all when I'm driving - hand and brain make the connection as I drive, and it all happens in the background. That leaves me free to enjoy the ride!
I've got around 5000 miles on mine so far, I have a Buddy St. Tropez as well. Both have been excellent
Here's what I've dealt with so far:
Fuel sending unit - dealer repaired unit under warranty, took all of 15 minutes and he had me back on the road.
Kill Switch Shorted - Made engine cut out and would not restart. Turned out to be a bad switch, called him from the side of the road and he told me how to disconnect it to get me to the shop, same deal fixed under warranty and was only without the scooter for an hour.
Cable Adjustment at around 3000 miles - Took care of this on my own, talked through it by my scooter shop, 20 minutes had all the cables adjusted correctly. They did my first service at 600 miles.
I run .99 cent two-stroke oil and the cheapest gas I can find and it never misses a beat.
I absolutely LOVE this scooter, I've been riding the tar out of it. I originally bought a Buddy St. Tropez for my cabin and I was so blown away by the support I got from my dealer I let him talk me into a Stella. It's probably the best thing I've done recently. The Buddy stays at the Cabin and I've been using Stella for all of my work commuting. I leave my truck at the shop and use my Stella to quote jobs and do all of my running around. I've been averaging 92 miles per gallon on the cheap gas.
I've learned that your dealer makes all the difference. I've probably sent 20 people to pride of cleveland because of how great they've treated me since the first time I walked in there. I was a little pissed because now they're selling their Stellas for $400 off. Had I known they were going to do an end of season sale I might have held off buying mine until now, but then I wouldn't have been able to ride it for the past 5 months. I figure I'm saving around $120 / month by riding the scooters instead of driving the truck or the Suzuki.
