New 2012 Stella Owner Needs Guidance

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

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Groovgal
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Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2018 2:24 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

New 2012 Stella Owner Needs Guidance

Post by Groovgal »

I ran a search for this topic in the forum but I didn’t find any information. I’m positive this has been discussed at some point so please accept my apology.

I am the new owner of a 2012 Stella 4T. I have two concerns. First, I am 5’0 in height and I have searched for ways to lower the scooter. I know that I can purchase an adjustable shock, however, I would also like to purchase a low profile seat. Can anyone tell me where I might find one?

The second concern I have is the stand or lack of a kick stand. Due to my height and lack of strength, I’m intimated by the stand. I have seen a video of someone replacing the standard stand with a kickstand. Has anyone tried this and is it safe to do so?

Lastly, from what I have read it appears there are several other scooter parts that are interchangeable with the 2012 Stella 4T. Can anyone tell me which models of Vespa, or LML are interchangeable?

Thank you for lending me your knowledge!
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johnk
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Post by johnk »

Hi Groovgal—I have the same scooter!

If I were you, I would keep the centerstand, as it's much more stable than a kickstand, and it will allow you to easily work on the front wheel if necessary.

Here's my own method for using it without knocking the scooter over: To engage the centerstand, stand astride the bike in front of the seat and hold the handlebars. Push down on the centerstand boot with your left toe while pulling the bike backwards. To get off the centerstand, stand astride the bike in the same way and push it forward. In both cases, you should move your body along with the scooter, which might result in your landing on the seat.

As for interchangeability: the Stella 4T = LML Star 4T (Stella is just the American name, sold by Genuine, for the same model). Most likely, though, you'll be interested in the interchangeability between a Stella 4T and either a Stella 2T or a Vespa PX, because parts for the latter two are more common. (The Vespa PX is a two-stroke and roughly equivalent to the Stella 2T.)

I'm not aware of any full list of the exact differences between the 4T and 2T Stellas. As far as I know, only the parts that involve oil or fuel are different, although I think there are a few slight size differences around the body. My approach has just been to try to pick the necessary details up along the way. When you reach that bridge, this forum is a good place to seek help crossing it. And when in doubt, a good scooter shop like scooterwest.com can confirm whether a given part is compatible.

Here are two seat options for you (black & brown). However, a bit of forewarning: if you're anything like me and several other 4T riders here, you might find yourself with a gas-tank vacuum problem (where the engine stops receiving fuel while riding because no air is flowing into the gas tank), which will require you to replace your stock gas cap with a vented gas cap, and low-profile seats might interfere with the the airflow you need to provide your new vented gas cap. You might never encounter this problem, and if you do it might be far in the future for you, and you can probably figure out a fix for it, but it's worth keeping in mind if you replace your seat.

Overall, the hard lesson I have learned in the time I've owned my Stella as a mechanical novice is: if you're not VERY confident it's broken, DON'T try to fix it. I have caused my poor scooter plenty of negligent damage at significant expense by being overeager to tinker and modify. In other words, I advise making the smallest possible adjustments one at a time, working methodically and carefully. And plenty of people are here to help!
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jimmbomb
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Location: St Louis

Post by jimmbomb »

Ive owned a 2010 4t Stella and managed to fit a side-stand underneath the centerstand mounts and have them both.
It took some finagelling, but worked out great in the end.
Good luck
J H
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