Stella Love/Hate

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 2:35 pm

I've had my Stella for a little over two months now and have experienced both love and hate for her.

My dealer was very straight up with me when I began to pursue the dream. He let me know that they require significantly more maintenance and repair than a modern 4T and he was right.

Currently she's in the shop with a headlight gremlin. No low beam, and when I shift into fourth gear i lose the high beam temporarily, or sometimes all together.

I'm on my Buddy today and find that I really do love both in very different ways.

I've considered selling my Buddy, but I've had at least a problem a month with Stella and it's nice to have another scooter to ride when Stella is down.

I've just turned over 1250 on Stella and am ready to deblue and upjet her.

I know that modification can lead to a less stable bike, but I figure, what the hell, she's already temperamental. I might as well make her fast and temperamental!

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 2:41 pm

You have the honor of being the first to post to our new Stella forum! Congrats!

I'm wondering if your experience is typical. What else has gone wrong with your Stella?

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:26 pm

Stella!!!!

Yes, this kind of experience can be typical for Stellas.

The problem with his 4th causing an electrical issue is common too. What's happening is the bundles of wires that are stuffed up through the handlebar/headlight/gauge cluster are in there so tight that things rub against each other. And in his case, the casing on the wires has probably rubbed off/gotten pinched. So when he shifts into 4th, it shorts the wire and no high beam.

It sucks, but this is how it goes with a vintage proven design even though it's proven and it's new.

The difference here is, even though they have issues from time to time, they are well built and hold their value very well.

The average PX150 (Vespa which the Stella is designed off of) from the 70s/80s sells for what a new Stella sells for. And most used Stellas in decent condition sell for near what a new one does.

With that said, I love my Stella. The way it rides, looks, sounds, all good to me.

And yes, I've had my share of issues too. But most of mine are because I am a tinkerer, and have done work to it to add some power, etc.

Shane, before you deblue/upjet/sito+, please please please learn EVERYTHING you can about the process. Learn what jets you need, and why, how they work, get an assortment of Main Jets suited to your elevation and upgrade parts, get yourself a handful of new plugs... and be prepared for some real frustrating trial and error. But, don't let it get you down when you can't get the mix dialed in or have other issues, just stick with it.

I am currently on my 2nd-3rd week of frustrating mix screw/idle problems/air leaks, oil leaks, etc. But I know once I get it all dialed in, I will be a happy camper.

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:58 pm

Thanks for the advice, AMS.

I've been lurking over at StellaSpeed for awhile and have planned my upgrades accordingly. Jets are on order.

I plan on doing the deblue and running with that for a bit.

Then i'll do the pipe.

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:01 pm

I had my upgrades planned, I knew what jets I needed, etc. And I still have run into all kinds of problems. It sucks because I keep telling myself the extra speed/power is worth it, and keep hoping I will get the right jet/mix settings soon.

Good luck on yours, the extra power is very nice...

Before, stock, I could get to 50-55 if I had no wind against me, and was patient. Now, I can hit 60 no problems and got plenty to go upwards.

It's nicest for hills and when it's windy on normal roads. No more "come on baby, you can hit 40 please!"

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:02 pm

What an honor, Eric.

Do I get a ribbon?

My other issue was about two weeks after I got her.

I went to a car wash (exactly like I do with my Buddy) and washed her.

About two blocks after the wash, she died and could not be brought back to life.

After much poking around (and a mile of pushing her in dreadful heat) it was discovered that her kill switch died.

Apparently a common problem.

I replaced it with a Vespa rocker switch instead of the standard Stella momentary contact and that problem has never resurfaced.

Aside from that I've had the occasional dirty jets and such. Definetly requires much more attention than the Buddy, but the riding experience is well worth it.

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:04 pm

Car wash? lol. Ok, let me give you some advice you already learned... no car washing for Stella!

She's small, and easy to hand wash/wipe. And then very gently rinse. You do not want to get water in her electrical and engine parts. Bad.

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:09 pm

I've heard it before at StellaSpeed, AMS.

Truth be told, I'm very careful, and it seems to me that if the bike is that troublesome after a carwash, then we sure as hell shouldn't ride in the rain.

I've been washing her since and that's been my only issue.

It just seems funny to me how much the folks over at SS seem to hate scooters like the Buddy and I've never had the Buddy in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance.

(and i've washed her at a carwash at least once every two weeks for over a year)

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:12 pm

It's kind of like the Vespa vs Stella crowd. I swear, nothing gets people more crazy and hating than a Stella in a Vespa thread. Sad really, because all scooters are fun and aside from the super cheap chinese ones, everyone should love their scooter brothers, period. Right?

I don't risk my Stella in the rain due to road conditions more than anything. I don't care to get wet anyway, and the risk of wrecking is greater.

And when I wash her, I always just do it all by hand with towels and such. I enjoy that more than power washing I guess.

Glad the Buddy stands up to powerwashing, would certainly suck if it had issues of getting wet too, ya know?

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:45 pm

Re: the kill switch... I've read of some people putting a rubber gasket on the whole starter/kill switch assembly. And then replacing the kill switch with one meant for jetskis (aka rubberized).

I considered trying this myself for kicks, but I need to work out my current set of issues first. lol

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 5:16 pm

Shane Wilson wrote:It just seems funny to me how much the folks over at SS seem to hate scooters like the Buddy and I've never had the Buddy in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance.

The members of ModernBuddy seem much more open to any scooter based on merit: quality, reliability, etc. That's one reason I took the plunge and opened a Stella space here.

In fact, the scooters that get bashed the most on MB (aside from Chinese imports) are Vespas. I frequently have to defend my LX!

The Stella/vintage Vespa, etc. snobs should realize that if they have a P200e, there's probably someone with a GS that'll look down their noses at something with an electronic ignition. Other people hate smallframes, hate largeframes, hate square headlights, hate anything with non-original parts, whatever. They need to get over it and go for a ride.

AxeYrCat · Post by **AxeYrCat** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 5:39 pm

I'm sure I'll be jinxing myself, but so far, my Stella has been very well-behaved. *knock on wood*

olhogrider · Post by **olhogrider** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:36 am

I debated getting a Stella for a long time before choosing the Buddy. Thanks for the forum. I want to learn as much as I can about these scoots. Who knows? Someday I may get one too!

crackhead · Post by **crackhead** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:47 am

Hey, I just saw over on MV that you guys started a Stella forum. Good work!

I've got a 2005 deblued, upjetted, sito+ Stella. Bought her new after crashing my ET4 in March '06.

Maintanance issues, you bet. If you're thinking of getting a Stella you'd better be mechanically inclined or willing to learn. Otherwise, you'll keep going back to the shop for many minor fix-its and put-rights.

Currently the speedo doesn't work due to the worm drive in the hub being stripped out. Gotta buy a new hub for that one. Gas gauge still isn't calibrated correctly so I literally have to look in the gas tank to see how much fuel is left.

Sito+ is a fantastic mod! Instant throttle response and much more torque. It may take a while for a newbie to Stella to get the carb dialed in just right after this mod but you'll eventually get it. No, adding a Sito+ does not make Stella less reliable. You've really got to get into kitting and changing gearing ratios to fly her apart.

I'm glad you guys started this. It's nice to have another forum along with Stella Speed.

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:53 am

That's a beautiful specimen, crackhead.

(somehow I'm betting the above sentence has only been used previously in prison).

I just deblued on Thursday and am dealing with my first round of carb tweaks. I went with Bald John's stack recommendation and I think it's too big for just the debluing. I'm going to try my stock idle jet and stack with a larger main and see what happens with that.

I really dig that chrome exhaust tip. Do you ever scrape it on anything?

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:33 pm

Nice scoot crackhead. We need a Show Us Your Stella thread!

crackhead · Post by **crackhead** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:37 pm

Thanks guys! I no longer have the chrome extension tip. It didn't fit with the Sito+. I did scrape it quite a bit, in fact I cut 2 inches off it to reduce that.

Bald John has some great recommendations. His main stack setup was a bit too much for me at my elevation. I ended up with the 98 main and it seems to work just fine.

Stella Speed has made some great badges to replace the "malt shop" looking ones that come stock. The used the Vespa font from the 80's. It looks great. You can still buy them from their forum I believe. Here is a crappy pic:

Another one with the Evel Knievel stripe:

Shane Wilson · Post by **Shane Wilson** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:53 pm

I'm loving the stripe.

I switched everything but my main jet back to stock this morning and she's purring like a kitten.

I ended up with a 99.

Now I've got the fever to go ahead and do the pipe.

crackhead · Post by **crackhead** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:15 pm

Just remember, it DOES void your warranty. I waited until mine was well out of warranty before changing pipes. It was well worth it when I did. Expect to start using more gas though.

Legend · Post by **Legend** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:13 pm

I have had my Stella for 7 months now and over 6000 miles. The nly issue I have had is my kill switch shorted and caused the bike to not be able to start. disconected it and not an issue since. I have et to do a tune up or change a filter. I have added gas and oil as needed but outside that...nada. Love it. Not a maintence freak like some say. Quick, agile and I can smoke buddys all day long.

alienmeatsack · Post by **alienmeatsack** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:16 pm

Smoke buddys? Which end do you light?

Seriously though, the Stella gets tromped from a light by buddies and in the top end so I either you have been racing Buddy 50s or your Stella has a bigger motor in it.

PeterC · Post by **PeterC** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:59 pm

My 2005 Ice Mint Green Stella (bought new in the summer of 2006) has been, so far, virtually problem-free. I had one ignition wire break (too short, must be a wire shortage in India), and I had ScootOver replace the stock exhaust with a Sito+ and the appropriate jetting. Stella has been my go-to vehicle for all local shopping and errands for the past two years. Super gas mileage, very adequate speed for local roads and an incredible chick magnet! Judging from what i've seen on this forum and StellaSpeed, the people with the most problems are the people with the most modifications.

Neducati · Post by **Neducati** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:01 am

Legend wrote:I have had my Stella for 7 months now and over 6000 miles. . . . Love it. Quick, agile and I can smoke buddys all day long.

I've had my 2005 Stella for about three weeks now and also love it. My girlfriend just got a 2006 Buddy 125 on Saturday, so we were able to compare the performance of the scooters today. We went for a 65 mile ride and discovered that the Buddy is quicker off the line, has a faster top speed and pulls MUCH better up hills, . . . much to my chagrin. Both of our scooters are stock, low mileage units.

Is your Stella completely stock? How big are the folks on the Buddys you're smoking on your Stella? I'm about 195 and she's probably at least 60 lbs lighter. I expected a 2-stroke 150 to outperform a 4-stroke 125, but the Buddy is a bit lighter than the all-metal Stella so that's got to have an effect on performance (along with the weight of the pilots).

So now I'm reading about the Sito Plus exhaust, jetting and de-bluing.

Modern Buddy

Stella Love/Hate

Stella Love/Hate

You can smoke Buddys all day long???