Modern Buddy

Has anyone had their starter button fail?

On electric starts (the battery is good), I am getting no response from my starter button unless I give it a push or two or twenty, then it will fire. I'm going to pull the headset and check the wiring (I tried pulling the switch but the leads aren't long enough to pull it far enough out to check things out, but is there anything else I should be checking before I drop bucks on a new switch? For example, where and what disconnects the ignition when the clutch isn't pulled in?

BTW, I don't suspect the kill switch. I repeatedly function tested it and (amazingly) it is working as intended.

And yeah I know I can always kickstart, but my return spring is going wonky and I'd like to get through the warm weather before cracking the case to address that issue.

Thanks.

Spray some electric contact cleaner in there (Radio Shack), then some WD 40 before you pull everything apart.

What year is your bike? Is it parked indoors or outdoors?

I had that same problem, drove me crazy. I realized that my clutch lever was not fully engaging the neutral start switch. I removed the one screw going through the lever, greased it up real good and solved my problem. It's worth a try, nothing to loose.

MOD MIKE wrote:I had that same problem, drove me crazy. I realized that my clutch lever was not fully engaging the neutral start switch. I removed the one screw going through the lever, greased it up real good and solved my problem. It's worth a try, nothing to loose.

+1

Happened to me twice. Finally had someone point this out to me, and it totally did the trick.

Thanks! I'll clean the switch contacts and grease the lever and complain no more. Thanks again.

Follow-up. Problem gone. Don't know whether cleaning the contacts or re-greasing the clutch did the trick, but both are so quick and easy I took the 5 minutes to do both. Thanks again, folks.

Please forgive me but Im not so mechanically inclined.Are you talking about removing the screw on the clutch lever on the left handle bar? What is this neutral start switch? It looks like there's grease around it, but I'm having problems with my starter switch too. Just wondering.

Despurvoa, the good news is that with a 2T you will become mechanically inclined.

The neutral start switch is located behind the clutch lever. When you pull the clutch in, it presses the switch in and allows you to start the scoot. To access the switch, you need to remove the single pivot screw securing the clutch lever. Take a look underneath and you will see there is a locking nut on the bottom of the screw; you will want to remove that before removing the screw. Once the screw is removed, you may or may not have enough play to ease the clutch lever out - remember, the clutch cable is attached to the lever. In my case, I installed an adjustable lever which allows me to adjust cable tension on the fly, so I just loosen that up to get enough slack to pull the lever out. In your case, you may need to pull the lever out a bit against the tension of the cable - you're okay if you don't overdo it - the slack will be coming from the clutch arm on the bottom of the scoot pivoting against a spring.

Alternatively, you could loosen the pinch bolt adjacent to the swing arm to get all the play you want, but readjusting tension while tightening that pinch bolt back up is easiest with a third-hand tool (which you may want to consider acquiring anyway for the day that WILL come when you break your clutch cable). Another tip here - when you purchase a spare clutch cable (which you should) make sure to purchase a spare pinch bolt or two. First time I broke my clutch cable, I smugly pulled out the spare cable all set for a quick roadside repair and realized that the pinch bolt was lost when the old cable snapped. Duh.

Anyway, back to the task at hand. When you ease the clutch lever out, be careful not to lose the three washers that the pivot screw passes through (if I recall correctly, 1 on top and 2 on the bottom). Once those are safe and sound, I ran a q-tip around to remove the old grease - you will easily see the switch - regreased and reassembled. Don't forget the washers, and test fit them on the screw before you reinstall it. You will see that the inner diameter of the washers is different. The top one(s) is (are) slightly larger. If you put the smaller one on top by mistake, you won't be able to get the screw back in. Tighten it up, then replace the lock nut. Unless you go crazy, you can't over tighten the screw.

The starter button itself is even easier. It is secured with two screws. Remove them and gently pull the starter button down - there was just enough slack on mine to expose the contacts of the switch. Cast your eyeballs on the inner workings of the switch and it will make immediate sense to you how it works. Clean the contacts with a shot of contact cleaner followed by a shot of WD-40, or you might try just WD-40. Test press the button a few times, reassemble, and you should be good to go. If you still get intermittent starts, I would suspect the contacts weren't thoroughly cleaned. Resort to contact cleaner if you didn't the first time. Or give the WD-40 and repeated button pushing time to clear the contacts.

I'm feeling long-winded today. Probably sounds like gobble-de-goop, but honestly, it is simple. Best thing to do is just give it a shot and it will all make sense.

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I don't think this is long-winded at all. Quite the contrary, the directions answer most questions I would have, and it helps me to avoid doing irreparable damage to my scooter.
Just curious, did most of your experience dealing with these issues come from working with the Stella, or do you have prior mechanical experience with small engines and such?
It seems that many on this forum are quite fearless when it comes to tackling big or small issues with their scoots.
Thanks again for all the instruction! Have a great day!

-David

despurvoa wrote:Thanks for the detailed explanation! I don't think this is long-winded at all. Quite the contrary, the directions answer most questions I would have, and it helps me to avoid doing irreparable damage to my scooter.
Just curious, did most of your experience dealing with these issues come from working with the Stella, or do you have prior mechanical experience with small engines and such?
It seems that many on this forum are quite fearless when it comes to tackling big or small issues with their scoots.
Thanks again for all the instruction! Have a great day!

-David

Actually, Stellas are quite simple machines and you'll be surprised with how well you'll get to know it. Soon, things like carb re-jetting, cable replacement and all other sorts of activities will become second nature These are very forgiving bikes and you'll soon look forward to a bit of "tinkering time" on the scoot.

We've been programmed to think that all machines are "complex" and required "trained professionals" to even touch. It is what many companies want: Consumer only populations who are willing to shell out thousands of bucks for machines we cannot work on ourselves that are dependent on the dealer network or that are disposable. It's why you can't even change the oil on many new cars without setting off a "Check Engine" light requiring a trip to the dealer to use their $30k diagnostic system to reset it, else you will "void your warranty". Then again, people who are attracted to bikes like the Stella already have it in them a sense of mechanical wonder. They WANT to know how the thing works, and enjoy mechanical fun!

Careful though: This kind of thing emboldens people. Soon you'll start wanting to "improve" things. Perhaps a different set of mirrors, or the desire to remove that ANNOYING turn signal buzzer. Soon you'll have a spare bored-out engine with performance exhaust and upfitted carburetor waiting in the garage and a Stella with crazy body and paint work that is never truly finished. It's an addiction

Good point, Neotrotsky!
I guess that's was part of my fascination with that whole 2-stroke retro thing in the first place. I thought I would be learning a lot, but when It came to actually looking under the cowling I was like, "Boy, does this look busy under here!"
Then I began reading everyone's postings and there was terminology that would make a Frank Herbert aficionado scratch his head. I need a crash course in shop or something.
YouTube videos like Scootervillian help on some issues, but there are so many that could come up it can easily seem daunting.
Thanks for the encouragement and I will buy me some actual tools that didn't come from IKEA and take this issue on! Go Stella!!!!

despurvoa wrote:Good point, Neotrotsky!
I guess that's was part of my fascination with that whole 2-stroke retro thing in the first place. I thought I would be learning a lot, but when It came to actually looking under the cowling I was like, "Boy, does this look busy under here!"
Then I began reading everyone's postings and there was terminology that would make a Frank Herbert aficionado scratch his head. I need a crash course in shop or something.
YouTube videos like Scootervillian help on some issues, but there are so many that could come up it can easily seem daunting.
Thanks for the encouragement and I will buy me some actual tools that didn't come from IKEA and take this issue on! Go Stella!!!!

Actually, the Stella's engine is quite simple. The trick is to approach it in parts like a math equation. Anytime it doesn't start you know it is one of three things: Spark, Fuel, or Air. Then, you just have to look at each system separately. When you think of it that way, taking one chunk at a time, it's really quite simple. It's just easy to get overwhelmed with all the wiring and mechanical bits that people are used to being told to ignore that scares many away. If you're methodical you'll find that you'll be able to diagnose and repair just about anything.

The funny thing is that the Carburetor is probably the most complex thing on the bike. Figure out the workings on that, and the rest of the systems on the bike are quite simple. Electrics are even more so because they are dictated by mathematical formulas, and with a simple multimeter you can get anything to work on there. The trick is to not try to take EVERYTHING in at once. Break the job into little bits and you'll have the entire bike down in no time

I have to jump in this conversation, not because I've had a starter button issue, but because you brought up a part of Stella's anatomy that I can't find much about.

Today I noticed that the screw on the clutch lever was so loose that I could unscrew it with my fingers. I've read though all the instructions about the clutch cables (a little advanced for me at this point, I'll do it when I have to), but I'm curious about this single screw in the left lever--what is it for?? Tightening seems to (surprise) secure the clutch lever. Can one of you tell me when this screw is adjusted and for what purpose? Also, if it's so loose just from riding, should it have a nut?

Thanks for letting me hijack the post.

Hi monkeycat. The clutch lever screw never needs adjustment, it just needs to be tight. Snug it up, and then snug up the locking nut on the bottom. If you are missing that nut, then you should pick one up - that's probably why your screw came loose in the first place (I was born that way).

Oh good, I'm glad it does what it seemed to do! Most things are never that simple and straightforward. The good thing is that I pop wheelies less often now that it's nice and snug. I was starting to feel like maybe I had an inner Evel Knievel trying to get out.

Thanks!

One last question: should this be a pivot screw rather than a normal screw? Now that I'm aware of it coming loose, I watch as each time I clutch, it twists a quarter turn. I have yet to find a nut that fits from all those loose nuts in my toolbox...