Modern Buddy

Posted: **Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:24 am**

is it ok to jump start my stella from a toyota?

Posted: **Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:55 am**

no

the amp difference in a car battery can fry stuff pretty quick.

use your kickstarter. and charge your battery

Posted: **Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:19 am**

Thanks, it did kick. Tried to start it for the first time in about two months the other morning and it wouldn't kick. Seems like I wasn't giving the kicker enough time in between kicks or something.

Posted: **Mon Feb 21, 2011 4:46 pm**

bosco wrote:no

the amp difference in a car battery can fry stuff pretty quick.

use your kickstarter. and charge your battery

Sorry, Bosco, but I've got to respectfully disagree with you here. As an electrical engineer, I can assure you that electricity doesn't work that way. The electrical parts in the scooter have no idea what kind of source they are connected to, as long as the voltage is in the normal range (and that range is identical for modern cars and modern scooters) and the source is capable of delivering the amount of current it needs. The scooter will only draw the amount of current (amps) it needs to turn the engine over, regardless of the size of the battery delivering it.

The only potential danger to the scooter (as long as proper polarity is observed when hooking up the jumper cables) in jump-starting from a car is the possibility of a voltage spike from the car IF THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.

In short, jump starting a scooter from a car that is switched off (there is no reason to have the car running) presents no danger whatsoever to the scooter as long as the cables are connected with the correct polarity.

I'm sure you've seen scooters with fried electricals because of improper jumping technique, but it was not because a high-capacity car battery was used.

Posted: **Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:29 pm**

What Silver Streak said.

Posted: **Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:49 pm**

yes

you can fry your bike. Dont jump with a car battery with it on.

I probably should have put that in the original statement, but I was hoping it was implied.

Ive still seen a car to bike jump aftermath and still am wary of the practice.

Posted: **Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:25 pm**

Kick start it!

Electric starters are for one legged pirates and wussies!

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:29 pm**

Well, enough has been said about this, but that's never stopped me from adding more.

Resting voltage of a healthy 12v battery is 12.7v. An automotive alternator will put out between 13.5 - 14.5 v., depending. If you measure your battery voltage immediately after turning off the scoot it may measure between 12.7 - 13.7v, depending.

So, it is unlikely that jump-starting from a car, even with the engine running, will damage anything. That said, it is always safer to jump-start (if you must) with the host vehicle turned off.

You saw what you saw, but there were likely other factors involved which contributed to the damage. Having too much current capacity available was not one of them. If the alternator of the host vehicle was out of spec, it could have supplied too much voltage.

John F

Posted: **Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:36 pm**

anyway-
the design of the stella is based on the PX, a kickstart bike only.

So the kickstarter is sufficient for daily use. The electric start is just a luxury.

Posted: **Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:51 pm**

If you can't kickstart it, something is either wrong with your method or the scooter.

Posted: **Thu Mar 10, 2011 7:29 pm**

spd122 wrote:Thanks, it did kick. Tried to start it for the first time in about two months the other morning and it wouldn't kick. Seems like I wasn't giving the kicker enough time in between kicks or something.

You don't have to give it any time between kicks. If it's not starting first make sure the fuel tap is on...and you have fuel (I know this from personal experience...don't ask)

Next would be to check for spark.

Posted: **Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:06 am**

if the scoot sat
turn the fuel on
key off kick it over 3 or 4 times(this will get some fuel to the carb and hopefullr oil to the cyl)
key off choke on full
kick her over and should start by the second kick

if it doesnt start pull the plug

is the plug wet if yes check for spark

if spark your flooded if dry you may have a fuel issue

Posted: **Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:54 am**

jmkjr72 wrote:if the scoot sat
turn the fuel on
key off kick it over 3 or 4 times(this will get some fuel to the carb and hopefullr oil to the cyl)
key on choke on full
kick her over and should start by the second kick

if it doesnt start pull the plug

is the plug wet if yes check for spark

if spark your flooded if dry you may have a fuel issue

Fixed it for you.