Minneapolis to Chicago

[SYMbionic Duo]

Have a stock '04 stella with 4k on the clock.

Looking to drive down to Slaughterhouse.

will 250 mi/day be too hard on the bike?

looking at stopping about every 1-1.5 hrs.



-duo

[Robbie]

IMO,

You should be fine.....keep speeds at 50 or less indicated......long WOT does not a happy Stella make.

Look at the remaining tread on the tires......if they are original you may find yourself replacing them in the middle of your trip.

I operate my stock Stella like this often.....just finished a 150 mile ride two hours ago......happy motorscoot, resting in the garage.

I tend to top off every 100 miles, since my 62 year old bladder is looking for relief about that time.....works out just fine for both of us.

Have fun!

Rob

[xTomBx]

Hey Robbie, tell me more about this WOT unhappy stella scenario.
I took about an hour ride yesterday not at WOT, but on my ride home IF i went near WOT for a minute or so my scoot would "chug" and lose speed and then eventually stall.
I was just about to post a new thread about it, but your comment intrigued me.

[GeorgeP1111]

Yes, I would like to hear your comments on this also.

I have heard this all of my 2-wheeling life (or at least most of the last 50 years or so) and never really heard the reason behind it. Some claim the dangers of Overreving at WOT, probably not going to happen unless your going down hill (a big long hill). Overheating due to excessive engine load, ya I can see that, it's giving all it can... there ain't no more and the cooling system can't keep up with it because it's no longer running in it's efficiency range. Overheating due to a lean fuel condition, yup this would do it, that's why it's usually best to maybe jet up one size and see how it runs there. I can see that at WOT you are probably not metering the fuel based on current conditions like you would when on the needle at less than WOT.

I have only owned two scooters in my life, a 60's vintage Lambreta and a 80's vintage Honda Elite 80. Both of these I would just open up to WOT and let it them run where ever they could. I have had (and still do have) small motorcycles and basically drive them the same way. That being said, I never did go for any long distances at WOT (20-30 miles?) so maybe I have just been lucky and dodged the bullet.

Anyhow, I've always wondered about this. I would think with all the small engines out there now that most folks do run them at WOT just to keep from being run over by the cager behind them.


George
1967 Honda S90

[Lokky]

When going on long trips I just throw in a colder plug and she rides WOT all day long.

The only thing I would be afraid of since its an early model is the crank. Heard too many stories of exploding cranks and a trip like this would be pretty harsh on it. But on the other hand it may be just fine, we'll never know unless you try.

Mine isn't stock (pinasco 177 kit, mazzucchelli crank, sito+, cosa clutch) but I rode her from Virginia to Wisconsin (900 miles each way) loaded down with camping gear, clothes and tools and she handled the 450 miles a day WOT just perfectly. Only issue I encountered was a crack in the pipe (which had 11k miles and two winters in it so I should have replaced it before leaving).

Also beware of the extra strain on our tiny tires. I inflated mine with nitrogen so they were just peachy on the way, however I had to install a new pipe when I got to Wisconsin and deflated the rear tire to get to the bolt.
The tire was refilled with air instead of nitrogen and as a result it was seriously squared off after the first day.

[Maximus53]

When going on long trips I just throw in a colder plug and she rides WOT all day long.

The only thing I would be afraid of since its an early model is the crank. Heard too many stories of exploding cranks and a trip like this would be pretty harsh on it. But on the other hand it may be just fine, we'll never know unless you try.

Mine isn't stock (pinasco 177 kit, mazzucchelli crank, sito+, cosa clutch) but I rode her from Virginia to Wisconsin (900 miles each way) loaded down with camping gear, clothes and tools and she handled the 450 miles a day WOT just perfectly. Only issue I encountered was a crack in the pipe (which had 11k miles and two winters in it so I should have replaced it before leaving).

Also beware of the extra strain on our tiny tires. I inflated mine with nitrogen so they were just peachy on the way, however I had to install a new pipe when I got to Wisconsin and deflated the rear tire to get to the bolt.
The tire was refilled with air instead of nitrogen and as a result it was seriously squared off after the first day.

What does "1plug colder" mean? is this similar on 4T?

[Lokky]

What does "1plug colder" mean? is this similar on 4T?

The number in the sparkplug indicates the heat range, or operating temperature of the spark plug. A low number indicates that the plug is a good heat insulator, while a high number that it is a good heat conductor.

What this boils down to is that the lower the number the higher the operating temperature and thus the hotter your engine runs.

A stock 2T stella uses a number 7. During the summer and for long WOT trips I switch to a number 8 in order to keep the temperature low.

I do not know what spark plug the 4T uses but the concept is identical.

[Robbie]

George,
Your Honda S-90 can run all day long at WOT....in high gear.
This because the engine, being loaded, cannot reach a RPM that exceeds its mechanical limits and the airflow through the carburetor and intake port are not allowing the engine to exceed 10k RPM.
If, however, you were to drop it into 3rd while at maximum speed in 4th, you would exceed its limits, the valves would hit the piston and damage would ensue.
BTW.....I still operate my 1967 Honda S-50 and, like your 90, it pretty much must live at WOT to maintain any speed and has so for hours on end.
This is the plus of a four stroke......a power stroke every other revolution tends to keep them from ever getting destructivly hot.

xTomBx,

I read your post and it sounds like the tank venting is compromised....either by a recent overfill or a cannister vent problem resulting in a fuel tank developing a vacuum, effectivly causing the carburetor to run out of fuel.
Since you have a 4t, my resonses above apply to you as well.

The Stella 4t, as best as I can tell, appears to have a rev limiter built into the electronic control module so it cannot be overreved under its own power......that and venturi size and mild valve timing all should keep it living a long healthy life.

BTW, you can induce a overrev by downshifting at too high a road speed...the wheel will be driving the engine once you release the clutch and this will cause the engine to mechanically ovverev.

Rob

[SYMbionic Duo]

Well i made it there and back. No problems except a headwind most of the way down and a little grass nap on the way back. Thankfully i carried a spare plug and got the correct size plug socket while in Chicago.

Took me 13hrs to get home, but she ran like a champ.


-duo

[larrylarry75]

Well i made it there and back. No problems except a headwind most of the way down and a little grass nap on the way back. Thankfully i carried a spare plug and got the correct size plug socket while in Chicago.

Took me 13hrs to get home, but she ran like a champ.


-duo

Glad to hear you made it home without mishap so I have a question for you. In your first post you asked if running 250 miles per day would be hard on your scoot. I'm not familiar with how far you were each way from home and now wonder what the mileage was on your last day; 13 hours is way more than what I've ever spent riding in one day. I've done lots of high mileage days [For me that means 500-600+] on bikes but Stellas are new to me.

Thanks for sharing,

LL75

[SYMbionic Duo]

Well I wouldn't say i didn't have a mishap...the grass nap was me running off the road, and having to work on the bike in the dark.

ride down was 450 miles broken up between 2 days.

ride back was 410 miles. On bike time was closer to 11hrs, but i stopped for dinner, went looking for some decent 2T oil, cuz i like to have a spare just in case, a nite time repair, and a wrong turn.

The long hours were mostly due to low speed. Going down i had a head wind, so was doing 50 indicated max, 40 on uphills, occasionally on steep grades i'd have to drop into 3rd and would be able to do 35-40.

The way back i had a new plug and a little bit of tail wind and was doing 55-60 most of the way.