What the heck? I can't find chains for my stella!!!!

izark47 · Post by **izark47** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 4:49 pm

here in PA it is a beautiful sunny day and I cannot ride

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:36 pm

izark47 wrote:here in PA it is a beautiful sunny day and I cannot ride

Maybe you can find snow tires for scooters.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:41 pm

k1dude wrote:
izark47 wrote:here in PA it is a beautiful sunny day and I cannot ride
Maybe you can find snow tires for scooters.

Lokky has a Stella and just ordered some Heindau's (sp?). He looked at a bunch of different weather tires before ordering them. They are suppose to be a top-rated company when it comes to snow and rain.

As for chains- I don't have a Stella I have a Buddy but if anybody knows about chains lead me to them. I have to drive to work even if it snows this year, so... yeah.

synaps3 · Post by **synaps3** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:34 am

I'd avoid riding in that kind of weather, last time I rode when there was any snow, I had to lay down the motorcycle I was riding (a 700lb+ Honda PC800), to avoid playing pinball down the hill.

The bike was too heavy for me to walk down the hill, so I had to ask someone to help me. Being Atlanta, nothing is free, and homeless people are everywhere. With my luck, of course I had no cash on me, so I ended up giving a hobo my gloves in exchange for him to help me keep the bike upright as we walked it down the black-ice covered hill.

The bike had no damage. I managed to slow down to less than 5mph before I lost traction completely. The Ford Explorer that went down before me wasn't as lucky. The street was a one-way with cars parked down both sides, and I think he hit just about every one while spinning out going down the hill.

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:43 am

Haha at first I thought you meant a transmission chain and was very confused

Chains for scooter tires do exist, however the Stella does not have enough clearance around the wheel to use them since the motor is bolted right by it.

I ordered some Heidenau K58 tires after checking out the compound of a similar tire in person. These bad boys seem to be the end-be all for wet weather riding.
Now, as far as snow however, the K58 is also available in a proprietary snowtex compound which has great grip over the snow. This compound however is NOT made for normal weather conditions, driving over dry asphalt WILL cause the tire to fail since it is super soft in order to provide traction on snow. Driving over wet asphalt for short durations with a snowtex tire is doable but will wear it out fairly fast. These tires must be mounted only when the roads are actually covered in snow, so if you live in a city and the snow is going to get plowed/melted away while you are out, you will be in trouble.

A step up from snowtex heidenau is the iceman spike tire.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/node/2017
The compound isn't as soft so it can be used for normal asphalt in the winter months but the studs provide traction on snow and ice. At 150+$ per tire this can be an expensive solution, and many people only install them on their rear tire since that's what provides forward motion, however if this is done care must be taken to NEVER touch the front brake while on snow/ice.

Personally I am considering keeping my old tire when I swap it out for the heidenau and apply wood screws from within in order to create a homemade snow tire. I do not plan to make this a permanent solution for snow, but if it snows at all you can bet that I will be putting it onto my stella just to say I did, maybe take a video of it too!

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:35 am

I noticed Vee Rubber has a winter tire this year (that I don't remember seeing on Scooterworks last year) for $53.

http://www.scooterworks.com/Vee-Rubber- ... P9927.aspx

Haven't tried this personally, but I know Aerostich carries self-tapping carbide studs. In addition to their motorcycle studs, they have 2 scooter-specific options: one goes 6mm into the tire, the other 7.8mm. I'd think these could be used successfully on a non-sport tread, assuming the tires are thick enough. I've never thought to ask or measure thickness before.[/url]

izark47 · Post by **izark47** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:40 am

Actually I was joking, Ice and 2 wheels no good. Just whining, lol

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:42 am

synaps3 wrote:I'd avoid riding in that kind of weather, last time I rode when there was any snow, I had to lay down the motorcycle I was riding (a 700lb+ Honda PC800), to avoid playing pinball down the hill.

The bike was too heavy for me to walk down the hill, so I had to ask someone to help me. Being Atlanta, nothing is free, and homeless people are everywhere. With my luck, of course I had no cash on me, so I ended up giving a hobo my gloves in exchange for him to help me keep the bike upright as we walked it down the black-ice covered hill.

The bike had no damage. I managed to slow down to less than 5mph before I lost traction completely. The Ford Explorer that went down before me wasn't as lucky. The street was a one-way with cars parked down both sides, and I think he hit just about every one while spinning out going down the hill.

That sucks, but it's a pretty funny story

I work at a small gas station, so we only have 4 employees- and our new owners don't like to shut down for anything- I learned that during the hurricane

My plan for winter is keep a close eye on the weather and if I need to, stay at a friend's who lives 5 min from my work, with no hills between. Usually when it snows here, it just amounts to a little slush on the roads, and the roads don't really ice unless that stuff manages to make it through the day without melting.

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:52 am

Cheshire wrote:I noticed Vee Rubber has a winter tire this year (that I don't remember seeing on Scooterworks last year) for $53.
http://www.scooterworks.com/Vee-Rubber- ... P9927.aspx

Haven't tried this personally, but I know Aerostich carries self-tapping carbide studs. In addition to their motorcycle studs, they have 2 scooter-specific options: one goes 6mm into the tire, the other 7.8mm. I'd think these could be used successfully on a non-sport tread, assuming the tires are thick enough. I've never thought to ask or measure thickness before.[/url]

I have talked with my dealer about the vee rubber tires. Besides the fact that they copy the thread from other brands, they basically try to deliver a tire that looks good for the purpose while keeping the price down. So while the thread looks awesome for snow, the compound isn't up to par, there is cheaper and better alternatives to be had. For 50$ you can get an actual heidenau winter tire which will serve you much better (I felt the compound of both with my own hands, the vee rubber was much harder) and probably last you longer due to higher build quality.

I will have to look into the self tapping studs, they sound better than the woodscrews option... now to only leave enough thread on my old tires so that I can do that

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:59 am

Studs are wonderful. I <3 studs.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:10 am

AWinn6889 wrote:Studs are wonderful. I <3 studs.

Ooooooo. You just had to loft that one up there didn't you? But if I take a swing, I'll be banned for being inappropriate.

Must.....not....type!

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:52 pm

Lokky: just pointing out some of the other options. I'd have to travel 2 hours to get a set of heidenaus, for example. Vee is carried by scooterworks, which any genuine dealer can get, and I like keeping my business with my local shop.
I loved the sport-tread vees I ran up until I sold my scooter and would recommend them. If others have had bad experiences with vees, I've missed the review. The vid and reviews on the scooterworks page made them sound like good tires.

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:59 pm

izark47 wrote: Just whining, lol

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:12 pm

Cheshire wrote:Lokky: just pointing out some of the other options. I'd have to travel 2 hours to get a set of heidenaus, for example. Vee is carried by scooterworks, which any genuine dealer can get, and I like keeping my business with my local shop.
I loved the sport-tread vees I ran up until I sold my scooter and would recommend them. If others have had bad experiences with vees, I've missed the review. The vid and reviews on the scooterworks page made them sound like good tires.

Sorry if i came out a bit strong about that, I was just trying to emphatize how one can get the real deal for about the same price, so no point in getting the knockoff. I ordered my heidenau from moto a more for 51 each plus $12 shipping. I suspect many reviews on tires are from people who only used the one set and the stock, so after suggestion of my dealer and the fame of heidenau I went with them, can't wait to mount them (my dealer wants to have her mechanics teach me how to fit them myself so i won't have to pay someone for mounting in the future

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:07 pm

k1dude wrote:
AWinn6889 wrote:Studs are wonderful. I <3 studs.
Ooooooo. You just had to loft that one up there didn't you? But if I take a swing, I'll be banned for being inappropriate.

Must.....not....type!

lol, I have studded tires for my car in the winter, hakkapelitas, very nice for the horrible weather we have up here... when everyone else is going 30 on the highway, I am perfectly safe at 50+.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:40 pm

I have the VRM 351's. I actually just got them about a month ago, did 2 multi-hundred miles on them, got a laceration on the rear, and had to order a new rear. I saved a lot by taking the wheel off myself, which was easy enough to do. So far, they feel good. But like noted above, I've only dealt with stock tires and these, so no base of comparison. My wife's had the Heidenau (58's??) I believe, they were good as well, but that was a while ago and her scooter was ripped off about a month into them. I hope the Vee Rubbers don't let me down, I'm done with tires for the next few months!

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:17 pm

Lokky: No worries.

One of my frustrations last winter was that the only winter tires I could find for the scooter were the heidenaus...the local place that carries the brand doesn't carry stock, he just orders them when requested and had a long turnaround. I'm always happy when I have options for when one source goes on back order.

Now, if the variety would start opening up for the Blur 220...

I haven't noticed a winter tire in a 13" yet, but I did find a knobby dual-sport 130/60-13. I wonder if it would fit? Looks like it'd be pretty easy to stud.
http://www.parts-unlimited.com/product/ ... 30%2F60-13

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:17 pm

Its melting !!!!!

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:41 pm

From riders I know with a lot of K58 experience, it's great in the cold and wet, not so good on the warm and dry (too hard and rough). Many cold weather riders swear by them as their seasonal tire, though!

There are some knobby 3.5 x 10 tires that will fit a 2T Stella and a Buddy. The 4T has a tighter fit, so I'm not sure they'll work or even how they'll do on water or snow compared to offroad/dirt.

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:59 am

Link, please?

Or at least drop the name of the manufacturer. I looked for knobbies for the Buddy to no avail.

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:33 am

Dirt and slush maybe, but snow?... I have ridden 38 years and can tell you that is way harder than you think... On a street bike or a scoot with street tires its almost impossible. No matter how skilled the rider.

A dual sport bike like I was on with knobbies makes it doable, but still waaaayyyy far from a beginner undertaking. Its an all-skate party...I do have to wonder how a scooter with its low CG would do....Hmmmmm, NOPE, just talked myself out of it...

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 3:50 pm

Cheshire wrote:Link, please? Or at least drop the name of the manufacturer. I looked for knobbies for the Buddy to no avail.

Vee makes some.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:02 pm

Didn't someone post a picture here a couple years ago with a scooter that had the rear wheel removed and replaced with tracks like a snowmobile? I think it had a ski for the front wheel too.

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:40 pm

There is video of a Honda on youtube with tracks and a ski...lemme see

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:45 pm

Not the right video , but you get the idea!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfvy9Fj_PiA

Modern Buddy

What the heck? I can't find chains for my stella!!!!

What the heck? I can't find chains for my stella!!!!

Re: What the heck? I can't find chains for my stella!!!!

Re: What the heck? I can't find chains for my stella!!!!