Why no Stella Forum?

The original 2-stroke Genuine scooter and its 4-stroke manual and automatic offspring

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Eazy
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Why no Stella Forum?

Post by Eazy »

Just curious, why is their a forum for all the other scooters Genuine sells except the stella.

I know there aren't many Stella riders on here but their might be more if there was a forum that was for the metal bodied, manual transmissioned beauty of the Genuine line up.
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Post by ericalm »

There was already a forum for Stellas when this site was founded, stellaspeed.com. Originally, the Buddy and Blur were the only scoots in the new Genuine lineup. Stella production had stopped due to the LML strike and it was unknown if it would return.

The PGO Genuines are very different scoots than the Stellas. When the Stella returned to production, it just didn't make sense to set up a competing forum.

If the rumor of a 4-stroke auto Stella comes true, well... we'll look into this again then.
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Post by ScooterTrash »

And we hate you all :lol:
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Post by ericalm »

Are you a Stellaspeed member, Eazy? I'm registered but haven't spent much time there. Just curious if you think there's a need for another Stella forum.
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Post by Eazy »

ericalm wrote:Are you a Stellaspeed member, Eazy? I'm registered but haven't spent much time there. Just curious if you think there's a need for another Stella forum.
Maybe.

I'll PM you.
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Post by AxeYrCat »

As someone who just joined on StellaSpeed, I found the moderators to be lock-happy... :(


I asked for recommended, reliable tuning recommendations, just a simple put-this-pipe-on and tweak-carb-like-so and then some this-suspension-works-great-with-these-brakes-and-these-tires sort of response.

Instead, I got a link to a hefty FAQ that I'd already read through, but it offered little assistance in answering my questions. I just wanted to know what worked reliably and provided decent gains.


Was that too much to ask? :( :?


I got that one response, and then my thread got locked. Rad. :roll:
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Post by jmazza »

AxeYrCat wrote: I got that one response, and then my thread got locked. Rad. :roll:
This thread is out of hand. I respectfully request that a mod lock it.


:P
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Post by Kurzer »

ScooterTrash wrote:And we hate you all :lol:
AHHHHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Image
I don't do much modding on the scoot anymore, just riding :-)
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Post by alienmeatsack »

You hit on the very same problem I have had there as well.

You ask for help, and instead of help, you get a link to that one thread with lots of chaos, links to all kinds of discussions and no real help most of the time.

The atmosphere here is so much more "adult", so a stella section would be welcomed by myself for sure.
AxeYrCat wrote:As someone who just joined on StellaSpeed, I found the moderators to be lock-happy... :(


I asked for recommended, reliable tuning recommendations, just a simple put-this-pipe-on and tweak-carb-like-so and then some this-suspension-works-great-with-these-brakes-and-these-tires sort of response.

Instead, I got a link to a hefty FAQ that I'd already read through, but it offered little assistance in answering my questions. I just wanted to know what worked reliably and provided decent gains.


Was that too much to ask? :( :?


I got that one response, and then my thread got locked. Rad. :roll:
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Post by AxeYrCat »

I also want to ask if the revised headlamp for the '08s can be retro-fitted to the previous models with only minimal expenses (assuming the parts are there to be purchased)...

But I'm scared.



Oh, and their search function SUCKS!!! :(
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Post by Shane Wilson »

I'm two weeks into a new stella purchase myself and find quite a few folks over at stellaspeed to be less than helpful.

So i respond with a resounding YES that there is a need for a stella forum with folks as friendly and helpful as the MB crowd.
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Post by MarsR »

Sounds like it might be helpful to some folks to just have a "Stella Discussion" section in the MB forum, just like the "Blur Discussion" section, etc. Is that what you are talking about? Would that help solve the problem? It wouldn't be difficult would it?
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Post by Eazy »

MarsR wrote:Sounds like it might be helpful to some folks to just have a "Stella Discussion" section in the MB forum, just like the "Blur Discussion" section, etc. Is that what you are talking about? Would that help solve the problem? It wouldn't be difficult would it?
yes, thats what i was referring too
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Post by Johnny »

As a somewhat active member on Stellaspeed, I think what some of you new folks may be experiencing is a bit of frustration from some of the more seasoned members who see the same questions asked repeatedly.

It's not necessarily that they are unfriendly or unwilling to help, they just expect that someone perform a basic search prior to posting a question that's been answered previously - just as you would expect on this forum (premium vs. non-premium gas anyone?)

Stellaspeed contains a wealth of valuable information and Zac has done a fantastic job maintaining it (mostly at his own expense).

Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to a Stella forum on here but seriously - Stellaspeed is VERY comprehensive if you take the time to look around.
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Post by ericalm »

MarsR wrote:Sounds like it might be helpful to some folks to just have a "Stella Discussion" section in the MB forum, just like the "Blur Discussion" section, etc. Is that what you are talking about? Would that help solve the problem? It wouldn't be difficult would it?
Wellll... i usually put a lot of consideration into adding a section to the forum. The concern is that the forum becomes too fragmented, members will stick to their own areas, and a lot of salient, interesting or important stuff posted to General Discussions will be missed. We already have a little of this going in our Blur Discussion, where there are members who are rarely seen outside that area. On one the the car forums I belong to, it's so fragmented that I usually go straight to the Southern California owners section and that's it.

One of my other concerns with the Stella is that our base of knowledge here is so much smaller. Questions posed may go unanswered because we (collectively) don't have the expertise of the folks at Stellaspeed. It would help a lot if I had a Stella or two. ;)

The ModernBuddy/Stella demographic (as it is) is largely people who either also own automatic Genuines or used to, or people who joined MB before they owned a scooter, like it here, and stuck around after buying a Stella because we're much nicer. It's still a fairly small group—I'd say a dozen or so members. And while the Buddy is selling like hotcakes, Stella supply (and demand) still isn't high enough for me to think this number would grow rapidly. I don't know if this forum would appeal to any frustrated StellaSpeed members considering our focus on the PGO automatics.

But this thread and all your comments have given me some things to gnaw on. We shall see...
Last edited by ericalm on Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kazoo

Post by kazoo »

I completely, but respectfully disagree with the idea that we don't have enough knowledge here to warrant a Stella category. It seems to me that based on what others are reporting above me that the more experienced folks are not up to rehashing the same old same old. So why not begin here, where we can maybe learn together. And who knows, after a while maybe someday we'll be called snobs too. Genuine Stella Snobs. :o
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Post by bunny »

OT, but valuable nonetheless: Whether or not a question has been asked a million times before, when someone asks, the polite thing to do would be to answer it. Even if there are searches and the like, it's quite possible the keywords weren't picking anything up.

I am blessed to be a member of several communities who understand that newbies get excited...and veterans remember the excitement of discovery, so they give newbies a little nudge and a welcome and move on.

There have been quite a few communities I have left due to the attitudes of the veterans. I'm here because I DON'T know and would kindly ask that you help me figure it out. I guess the best way I can compare it is what a guy said in another community: "Would your grandpa have ignored you or pointed you to reference books when you asked the same question or would he have patiently re-explained?"

FWIW, *I* was the poster on premium vs. regular and I have to say the responses were the MOST gracious I have ever encountered in the face of my inability to search correctly. That alone encouraged me to explore and ask and read.

You are a veteran because once you asked those same questions and were answered...pass along your knowledge, no matter how tedious it may seem. That will make you wise and kind. Frustrating or not, if no one stays in your community, where would that leave your community?
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Post by Eazy »

Johnny wrote:As a somewhat active member on Stellaspeed, I think what some of you new folks may be experiencing is a bit of frustration from some of the more seasoned members who see the same questions asked repeatedly.

It's not necessarily that they are unfriendly or unwilling to help, they just expect that someone perform a basic search prior to posting a question that's been answered previously - just as you would expect on this forum (premium vs. non-premium gas anyone?)

Stellaspeed contains a wealth of valuable information and Zac has done a fantastic job maintaining it (mostly at his own expense).

Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to a Stella forum on here but seriously - Stellaspeed is VERY comprehensive if you take the time to look around.
I don't disagree with you about the wealth of knowledge.

The problem is sorting through all the "F**k you" threads and other nonsense to find what you need.

And god forbid you ask a question.
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Post by kazoo »

I don't think anyone here is suggesting that Stellaspeed folk couldnt participate.
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Post by AxeYrCat »

Johnny wrote:As a somewhat active member on Stellaspeed, I think what some of you new folks may be experiencing is a bit of frustration from some of the more seasoned members who see the same questions asked repeatedly.

It's not necessarily that they are unfriendly or unwilling to help, they just expect that someone perform a basic search prior to posting a question that's been answered previously - just as you would expect on this forum (premium vs. non-premium gas anyone?)

Stellaspeed contains a wealth of valuable information and Zac has done a fantastic job maintaining it (mostly at his own expense).

Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to a Stella forum on here but seriously - Stellaspeed is VERY comprehensive if you take the time to look around.

I don't have an issue with any of that whatsoever, but if I were on an Audi forum, and someone asked 'what are good, reliable, tested combinations of performance parts for my daily driver?', I'd be happy to rattle off what works: This chip, that exhaust, these springs with these shocks, etc. I sure as hell wouldn't just give someone a link to a bunch of specs, and as an administrator on a forum myself, I definitely wouldn't lock it.

Not only was my question one that I thought was asked quite humbly, but I sent a message to a Moderator, and I haven't heard a peep back almost 12 hours later. :? :roll:


Am I being unnecessarily bitchy? Perhaps, but that's some seriously heavy-handed moderating. The search function isn't particularly useful to find what I asked for (I know, I tried), and it ultimately took me to thread that the ONE member who was able to respond to my post linked me to (but I'd already seen it, and I knew it wasn't what I was after).

Based on the actions of the Moderating staff, I really don't have any interest in asking any more questions there, and that sucks, because I'm sure it'd be a fantastic resource if people were willing to help a brotha' out. :(
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Post by illnoise »

If we build it, they will come, that's not a problem. There's enough knowledge and other people with more knowlege will jump in. And as a Blur list snob, I don't see any problem with people watching one subgroup and not participating in the forum at large.

But I'm with Eric, I don't know if it's a good idea, give him time to think, he's going to have to moderate it and run it and put out fires, so it's his choice. I think most of his reasoning against it is pretty sound, but maybe he'll come around.

As far as civility and friendliness, as a moderator it does get pretty frustrating just seeing the same topics and arguments coming up again and again. Eric's trying to add more faqs and guides to prevent that, but few new posters actually look for stuff before posting about it, and, yes, search isn't as useful as we'd like, especially if you don't know what to search for. Newbies keep the board going, and we love you, and we were all newbies once, but at some point, when you read the list every day, the "My scooter's on the way" and "what's the difference between the 125 and 150" posts start to get old. It's nothing personal, really. Maybe we're nicer than them, maybe we're more patient, but at some point, we'll get tired of it too, and people will be joining Modern Qingqui talking about how stuck up we are. (Remember that Modern Vespa started up because the BBS was snobby, and Modern Buddy split off, to some degree, because the Modern Vespisti were starting to get snobby themselves. It happens on all lists. I bet Adventure Rider Forums people think we're snobby. This list hasn't been around quite as long as Stellaspeed, it's all just about the life cycle of the list and the moderators and such. I don't read Stellaspeed, but I bet it's not as bad as you make it sound, and a concerted effort to talk to the moderators and work things out over there would do more good than confusing things by adding another receptacle of Stella knowledge here. Offer to read through old posts and make digests of good information for FAQs, try to be helpful and find new ways to keep the list hopping and informative.

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Post by Johnny »

I couldn't have said it better!
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Post by paige »

Modern Buddy split off from Modern Vespa because they both became so popular that the work had to be spread around.
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Post by Scro »

I'm noticing quite a few dual Buddy/Stella families on the board -- not to mention people considering it. A more social Stella board would probably do very well.

Stellaspeed has a wealth of information. It has taken a *lot* of searching and wading through posts; but I've already found enough to keep me busy for at least a year.

It would be nice to have a place to just shoot the bull.
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Post by ericalm »

Scro wrote:It would be nice to have a place to just shoot the bull.
See, we let owners of all scoots—or even no scoots—come here for that!
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Post by Scro »

Would you be okay with some Stella tech in the GD forum?
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Post by ericalm »

Scro wrote:Would you be okay with some Stella tech in the GD forum?
Sure. You'd be surprised at how many vintage questions wind up in the ModernVespa forums.

I'm giving this issue a lot of thought...
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Post by StL_Stadtroller »

My opinion:
The name of the site is ModernBuddy, not ModernStella.

They are 2 entirely different animals, made by entirely different companies, in 2 entirely different countries.

Just because they both get a "Genuine" badge slapped on them in Chicago doesn't mean discussion of the 2 nessesarily go together on the same forum. Especially when there is already an established, well-informed monster of a community forum for them out there. Why re-invent the wheel?

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Post by illnoise »

Stadtroller was one of the vintage dudes I was figuring would be all for it, ha.

I've also got no problems with posting Stella content in the main forum, but it'd be helpful to label it "Stella" so people who aren't interested won't read it.

Maybe a preponderance (I wasn't sure if that was a word, but spell-check ok'ed it) of Stella posts will make up Eric's mind for him, ha.

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Post by kazoo »

Bring on the bull
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Post by AxeYrCat »

So... Is the '08 headlight something that can be retrofit to the earlier Stellas?

I've seen posts for headlight upgrades, but I'm not sure if that's it or if it's a different assembly...
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Post by PressureDrop »

kazoo wrote:the more experienced folks are not up to rehashing the same old same old
Rehashing is welcome at StellaSpeed. But when it is already there to be rehashed, making a new subject that already exists is not rehashing, but starting a new. I am sorry that seems rude to many people when they are new to StellaSpeed. My goal has always been for StellaSpeed to be useful, and if there are 50 threads with 50 different angles of information (instead of 1 thread with all 50 answers) that is a lot less helpful for those that actually want to search for their answer. I will try to get the merge features more heavily in use and when someone makes a new thread, it can just be merged with the one that already existed that they should have posted in. Is that not reasonable, fair and just? The other thing is that having run StellaSpeed with all its info and all its members for a while now, anytime anything needs to be done with the DB it is a chore. Please understand that keeping things neat and in the right place makes it a lot less of a chore :)

I am not out to be an arsehole (though many think I am anyway :? ) I am just out to run a good, efficient, helpful, free, forum for scooters! (StellaSpeed is not just for Stellas).

-Zac-
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