Increasing MPG on Stella

srbbnd · Post by **srbbnd** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:31 am

Hello everyone, I have always wanted a scooter since I saw Roman Holiday when I was young, and finally got one, a 2013 Stella 4 Stroke and glad I did. I am curious if any veteran Stella owners have any suggestions on improving MPG? I do mostly city driving and I am nowhere near the estimated MPG. I am hovering around 50 mpg. I am also curious if anyone coasts? For example, does anyone hold in the clutch and coast downhill or to lights in order to increase MPG, and if people do has it damaged their scooter in any way?

Thanks,

Mantis_Shrimp

EvilNerdLord · Post by **EvilNerdLord** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:24 am

My last top off cost $2.75 and the fuelly apt calculaded 90.3x mpg....i had been doing 72.5-76 mpg when i first got it....I'm approaching my first service and the only mods done are a vented gas cap and a carb tune by the dealer so it isnt so damn C.A.R.B lean.

pesce · Post by **pesce** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:23 am

my mpg is in my signature... last I checked it was about 75mpg...

never been any better

Wild Handyman · Post by **Wild Handyman** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:15 am

I am curious... does anyone know how the scooter is ridden/tested to get those crazily inflated mileage numbers that Genuine advertises? Does the rider or test dummy weigh like 80 pounds? The government test can't possibly have anything to do with real world driving. In stop and go traffic I have found that my 2012 Stella 4T works best if I get in and out of 1st and 2nd gear ASAP but the mileage I am getting is nowhere near advertised.

Stilts · Post by **Stilts** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:55 pm

I've watched my MPG go down over the year I've owned my bike. I started with 70ish in the city and 90ish while riding for an extended period of time on the open straight road, WOT in 4th gear. Now I'm hovering around 50ish in the city for my commute (about 8 miles each way). My last fillup I had 47.5 and I was not amused. I have not changed my riding style at all and always fill up to the same spot in the tank. Everything is stock. Weight has stayed the same throughout.

srbbnd · Post by **srbbnd** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:03 pm

I try to get into the high gears as quick as possible, which leads to a slow acceleration. Lately I have been coasting with the clutch pulled in when I know I have a red light coming up and avoid breaks and the engine slowing it down. That has helped me quite a bit improve my mpg. It looks like quite a few people get over 100 mpg, so I guess I will try to achieve that one day. Maybe it has to do with the assembly and RPM settings. Who knows, my Stella can get on it, if I want it to, maybe the mechanics at the shop did a few things when they assembled it. It appears according to the manual they can be adjusted somehow. Thanks for the info.

slotrod65 · Post by **slotrod65** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:20 am

I have been getting 80-90mpg with my Stella, and I am 200lb.

JPL · Post by **JPL** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:32 pm

I've had mine for a couple years now and I'm still right up there near 90-100mpg, so I'm pretty happy with it. I'm surprised to hear casesof 40-50mpg.

slotrod65 · Post by **slotrod65** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 1:05 pm

I would suggest having your dealer check out your Stella. Something does not sound right with 40-50mpg. Could your choke be stuck?

fisher1 · Post by **fisher1** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 5:38 pm

I've watched my MPG go down over the year I've owned my bike

Did you up-jet to accommodate a new exhaust?

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 7:46 pm

Tire pressure......makes a huge difference in mileage.
Remember as a kid how easy you could pedal after putting air in the tires?
Same applies to your scoot.
And, tube type tires need a touch up about once a month.....the nature of a tube.
Also, shift at a lower RPM...just like you did when you first got it.

These two things make a huge impact on potental mpg.

Regarding the EPA mileage numbers......on a scooter or motorcycle, the high number is a result of 35 mph performed on a dyno with a roller load similar to what the bike would experience at that speed.

A near impossible number to achieve.

Rob

misterbrackets · Post by **misterbrackets** » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:03 pm

A windshield will help mpg a little and, as someone else mentioned, not having the tires under-inflated. Quickly accelerating from one stoplight to the next will definitely lower mpg.

stASH · Post by **stASH** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 3:18 pm

I was getting around 75 mpg for the first 2000 miles, then it started to improve a little. The scooter developed some kind of intermittent sputtering/misfiring problem that took 3 service visits to resolve (ultimately it was an ignition system issue). In the first 2 attempts to fix it, my shop focused on the fuel system, and knowing that the bike is set very lean from the factory, they rejetted it, up on size I believe. After that, my mileage jumped way up and I have been getting high 80s to mid 90s mpg since, with a few fill ups that got 100 mpg. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense that giving the engine more fuel would improve gas mileage, but that's what happened. Maybe the engine is just working more efficiently, not having to work as hard to move the scoot or something.

srbbnd · Post by **srbbnd** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:59 am

My last fill up I was at 70mpg city driving mostly and most of the rides I had my girlfriend on. So I am pleased with that, hopefully that number will keep going up.

EvilNerdLord · Post by **EvilNerdLord** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:23 am

Nobody mentionsd the gas it self, I found there is a difference between low-budget swill and brand name, as well as between brands.

And if your area is like California, there is a unique blend each season.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:10 am

Tire inflation (as mentioned) is very important, and so are engine break-in, maintenance, how you ride, the weather and a few dozen other variables. Small engines like these are pretty sensitive to anything that affects performance.

The ways to maximize your MPGs are all pretty common sense: good maintenance, good gas, ride sensibly and not too aggressively.

MPGs will usually increase as the scooter breaks in, over the first 1000+ miles or so. If it drops, there are a lot of possible causes. I'd wait a couple months and see if the loss is consistent over time.

rondothemidget · Post by **rondothemidget** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:11 am

From all the comments, I'm now amazed I've consistently had around 100 mpg for over 10,000 miles on my 4T. And with the published 140, I thought 100 was crappy. I'm sure it can mostly be attributed to weighing 150, skinny legs and all.

djp4059 · Post by **djp4059** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:26 pm

I still get over 100 mpg city driving, and around 90 mpg with sidecar attached.
I use Royal Purple synthetic oil and keep an eye on the tire pressure all the time. I do have a windshield which helps but I am thinking about taking the windshield off of the sidecar.

Also, adjust your valve clearance routinely. Its not that hard to do if you have the tappet tool. I do it every time I change the oil.

EvilNerdLord · Post by **EvilNerdLord** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:58 am

Not to shill for the big glass companies...
But I've notice the 'top teir' gas (shell, chevron, etc...) and using the 87 octane the SOM recommended does make a difference.

srbbnd · Post by **srbbnd** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:10 pm

Been a little while since I posted, but FYI I have been getting much better performance and MPG. The culprit for the problem was the needle clip plate was stuck in a strange position increasing the amount of gas connected to the carburetor. The reason I found this problem was occasionally when I would hit a bump the scooter would go full throttle. I thought it was the throttle cable, but low and behold all the problems were from the throttle valve. Anyone having significant MPG problems might give a quick look to make sure it is correct.

Post by **ericalm** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:02 am

Wild Handyman wrote:I am curious... does anyone know how the scooter is ridden/tested to get those crazily inflated mileage numbers that Genuine advertises? Does the rider or test dummy weigh like 80 pounds? The government test can't possibly have anything to do with real world driving. In stop and go traffic I have found that my 2012 Stella 4T works best if I get in and out of 1st and 2nd gear ASAP but the mileage I am getting is nowhere near advertised.

MPG ratings are based on EPA testing under Federally-mandated conditions. The test conditions have changed a couple times over the years. Few people actually realize the MPGs quoted for cars or other vehicles. Many get 90MPG or over on the Stellas, though. I was getting about 100MPG last time I tracked it, which was quite a while ago.

Raputtak · Post by **Raputtak** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:23 pm

My 4T x 4 is brand new (400miles) and on Tina's long ride ( 170 +/- miles NOLA to Abita Springs) I got 91 - 106. That was trying to baby it as it was not quite broken in, but still trying to keep up with the pack (Which it did famously).

(Sorry about all the (parentheses))!

Post by **ericalm** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:23 am

Raputtak wrote:My 4T x 4 is brand new (400miles) and on Tina's long ride ( 170 +/- miles NOLA to Abita Springs) I got 91 - 106. That was trying to baby it as it was not quite broken in, but still trying to keep up with the pack (Which it did famously).

(Sorry about all the (parentheses))!

I didn't even see you were on a 4T this year!

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:19 am

srbbnd wrote:Been a little while since I posted, but FYI I have been getting much better performance and MPG. The culprit for the problem was the needle clip plate was stuck in a strange position increasing the amount of gas connected to the carburetor. The reason I found this problem was occasionally when I would hit a bump the scooter would go full throttle. I thought it was the throttle cable, but low and behold all the problems were from the throttle valve. Anyone having significant MPG problems might give a quick look to make sure it is correct.

So... exactly which part was stuck?? Was one part # getting hung up on another part#???
And if so.. which ones?
Can you explain what you did to correct this sticking??
Thanks alot.

Neurotic-Hapi-Snak · Post by **Neurotic-Hapi-Snak** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:51 am

He's talking about part # 6, "needle clip plate", which is an omega shaped flat spring that that is inserted into the throttle slide to prevent the jet needle from moving inside the slide. You just push it all the way down the inside of the slide until it's up against the needle clip. On his carb, it wasn't pushed all the way down, allowing the needle to move upwards, feeding in more fuel, when he hit a bump.

srbbnd · Post by **srbbnd** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 6:09 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KNISUKuQwY

^^The Part is a little different looking but it was the needle clip plate #6 in my original post. It was bent and at an angle. The video above is what I used to figure it out.

srbbnd · Post by **srbbnd** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:21 am

Up to 87 MPG now with two people riding. Quite satisfied.

Modern Buddy

Increasing MPG on Stella

Increasing MPG on Stella

MPG Increase

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