I think I made a mistake...trade Buddy on Stella 2T

kmrcstintn · Post by **kmrcstintn** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:05 am

I thought I was gonna do good by trading my '09 Buddy 125 on a leftover '09 Stella 2T...now I'm starting to think I made a mistake...

starter went on first day after using the killswitch; twice it bogged down and simply died after letting off the throttle; now it doesn't want to kickstart on the first or second kick; and there's a really annoying thing happening with the lights at idle...they flicker and this has me thinking that I have a shitty battery!!!

the list of adjustments, repairs, and corrections is growing and growing...my 300 mile service is gonna leave me without a scooter for at least 2 weeks with all the shit the shop is gonna have to address & waiting on parts is will add more downtime!

what the hell did I get myself into?!?

JohnKiniston · Post by **JohnKiniston** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:24 am

Take a breath and relax

Have you checked both fuses on the bike? That would take out your starter and mess with your lights if your running AC only.

Are you pulling out the choke when you kickstart the bike?

Do you know about the leaning trick? lean your bike to the right when you kick it over. It'll help.

vantage · Post by **vantage** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:10 pm

I would put in a new battery anyway. That battery has likely been in that bike since 09 or earlier.

kmrcstintn · Post by **kmrcstintn** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:02 pm

well...took it in today to BMA Cycles before work...

they did a great job checking the wires around the headlight & starter kill/turn signal module (tended to a few lightly pinched wires and re-routed to prevent it later on), checked the battery for electrolyte & voltage (everything OK), checked the starter (works good), and the main fuse...they found a blown 2 AMP fuse where the 8 AMP fuse should be (someone wasn't cognitive during final assembly at LML in India or didn't get checked during pre-delivery prep <---either way it was a simple problem and a simple repair); got a good ride as a reward for my aggravation...LOL

also, they checked the spark plug and did an idle adjustment since the engine was bogging down a bit...running better!!!

so now I have a 'bouncing Bettie' instead of a 'glitchy Gladys'

BTW...they keep the batteries stored dry until the scoots are prepped for sale, so I'm not sure how it'll hold up...I'll address that later if it's not holding a charge (now that my charging system has a complete curcuit to the battery)

SYMbionic Duo · Post by **SYMbionic Duo** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:28 pm

JohnKiniston wrote:Do you know about the leaning trick? lean your bike to the right when you kick it over. It'll help.

Is this to get more fuel into the carb? I usually lean to the left so that i can get extra extension on my leg when kicking.

I'll have to check for blown fuses, my starter will only fire once or twice before the battery runs down, and i thought it was normal for the lights to flicker on idle; latest refinement in 1950's technology and all.

-duo

JohnKiniston · Post by **JohnKiniston** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:43 pm

Yeah it dumps a little extra fuel down the intake when you do it and sorry it's lean it right before you lean left to kick it , It'd be hard to lean it while your kicking since you need the space for the stroke!

Stitch · Post by **Stitch** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:43 pm

Its a Stella. I hope you didn't buy it expecting it be be maintenance free like the buddy.

kmrcstintn · Post by **kmrcstintn** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:01 pm

Its a Stella. I hope you didn't buy it expecting it be be maintenance free like the buddy.

It's a Genuine Scooter Company product, and YES I did expect it to be on the same level as their other scooters!!!

to the person with a dying battery...if the main fuse is blown, the power system draws from the battery to augment the stator, but it doesn't allow the stator to charge the battery; I basically had to recharge the battery every night using a trickle charger/tender; also , with the fuse intact, the horn is more potent, the lights don't flicker nearly as much, the lights are brighter, the turn signals cycle faster, and the ignition system is much more efficient...

also, I dismounted the scoot and placed it on the centerstand to stand on the right side to kick start it...

Stitch · Post by **Stitch** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:46 pm

It's a Stella. It's a slightly improved version of a vintage Italian scooter. Made in India. Its not a "retro" modern design, it is a near exact copy of an almost antique scooter , built in a third world country. Genuine doesn't build scooters, they import them. They import PGO scooters from Taiwan , and LML scooters from India.
Your Stella will require constant tweaking, frequent parts, and many trips
to your dealer. It will never be "push button, twist throttle".

JohnKiniston · Post by **JohnKiniston** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:33 am

Stitch wrote:
Your Stella will require constant tweaking, frequent parts, and many trips
to your dealer. It will never be "push button, twist throttle".

I disagree with this, We put thousands of trouble free miles on my friend Howard's Stella with no issues even doing 500+ mile weekend trips to go to rallies.

My friend Sean has a P200 that has been equally reliable, His last repair was because he rode it so much the cork on the clutch plates wore out.

You can also as Lokky here about his Stella and the mileage he's put on it.

I have other friends with the same stories of years of trouble free service from their bikes.

Maintain your bike by changing your gear oil when your supposed to, Use a quality 2T oil and keep your bolts tight and a Stella can be fine.

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:32 am

JohnKiniston wrote: You can also as Lokky here about his Stella and the mileage he's put on it.

Yes, I have indeed put thousands of mechanically trouble free miles on my Stella... electrically it's a whole new deal.

The body I dropped the engine into was an 09 with 50 miles on it. I rode it about 2000 miles in the week after getting it and while the rebuilt engine was completely trouble free I had the following go bad: Killswitch, gas gauge, speedometer, odometer and tail light. I'm basically expecting the headlight switch to go bad anyday now from the wire getting pinched in the shifter and there is the whole ordeal about how despite the battery having a charge and my fuses looking fine, I can't get any running lights while the bike is off with the ignition on and I have no electric start.

I'm gonna have to join the "you can't expect to buy one of these and have it be as reliable as a buddy" camp

kmrcstintn · Post by **kmrcstintn** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:48 am

all in all, this initial experience was a P.I.T.A., but now that I am 'educated' to the quirkiness of modern-built, vintage 2T scoots I can accept that my Stella will require more attention than my previous Buddy...whether I grow to enjoy the quirks is another deal in itself...

Stitch · Post by **Stitch** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:59 pm

JohnKiniston wrote:
Stitch wrote:
Your Stella will require constant tweaking, frequent parts, and many trips
to your dealer. It will never be "push button, twist throttle".

Maintain your bike by changing your gear oil when your supposed to, Use a quality 2T oil and keep your bolts tight and a Stella can be fine.

Exactly. Not push button, twist throttle. Tighten bolts, adjust cables, fix wiring... Normal maintenance for this kinda bike, not quite like the modern 4t auto scooters (change oil, adjust valves occasionally).
Don't misunderstand me, I love the Stella , I just don't like to see it being put down for being exactly what it is supposed to be.

lempira · Post by **lempira** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:23 pm

jungle tim · Post by **jungle tim** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:27 pm

kmrcstintn wrote:Stella will require more attention than my previous Buddy...whether I grow to enjoy the quirks is another deal in itself...

Give it a some time and you will bond with it for its faults and its quirks, Name it and you will start to see its character

Just don't name it after your wife . . . .

kmrcstintn · Post by **kmrcstintn** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:11 am

consider this rant session over...