Modern Buddy

Hi, folks.

I just bought a 4 year old 2-stroke Stella with 3000 miles on it. So far, I love it! It took me a short while to get used manual shifting, but there is something so cool about this little thing going tut-tut-tut behind me (it's got a Sito pipe, so it's loud, too!), about how ridiculously light and quick the steering is, and how even the most grizzled Harley riders cannot help but smile when I ride by.

So, while I get used to this new toy, I got some questions for you Stella pros.

1. The headlight seems so dim... should I try a different bulb? Or run with high-beam on?
2. It's surprising how well I can see into the gas tank, and how flat it is... there is no fuel filler neck at all. It's just a metal can with a hole. Makes me wonder how far I should fill up. How high do you guys go, usually?
3. On a related note, should I trust the gas gauge at all? I filled up today because the needle was deep in red. Opened the gas tank to find it about half full. I filled it to the brim and only got 0.8 gallon in there.
4. The front brake lever has almost no play at all... it feels tight as drum. Is this normal?
5. Will I ever get used to the "turn signal on the right handle bar" thing?
6. The turn signal beeper... oh the miserable beeper. Not loud enough to remind me to turn it off, but just loud enough to get on my nerve. I read the MV thread on the RadioShack buzzer mod. And the post about Audicators. Any other tips or mods anyone care to share? Has anyone been successful in transplanting Buddy clicker on another bike?
7. Does anyone run tubeless tire on his/her Stella? I read the thing about SIP rim causing the offset issue. Did anyone try it, or the ScootRS one? What are impressions? Pros and Cons?

Sorry, I'm just starting with this Stella, so I'm dumping a lot of questions here. Any little nugget or advice will be appreicated!

Thanks!

Welcome to the family! Let me answer a few of your questions.

The bulb does indeed seem dim at standing, but it becomes brighter when throttle is applied!
That said I always run the high beam during the day just to be a little more visible.

You can get pretty close to the top of the tank, but remember that you need to leave some space for the bulk of your cap to go in. Since the cap is vented if you overfill the pressure will be relieved by your gas cap pissing gas up like a mini-geyser

The gas gauge is not to be trusted and is known to die quickly even on the original PX line which the stella is a clone of. The best way to go about mileage is to figure out approximately how many miles you can cover before hitting reserve with a fill up. After installing the Sito I could do maybe 90-100 miles before needing to open the reserve. With time you will master the skill of opening the reserve as soon as you run out without having to pull over! The most I ever put in my tank was 1.8x gallons, and that was after a ride in the middle of nowhere and covering about 25 miles on my reserve, I was literally riding on fumes by the time i pulled into a gas station!

The front brake should have the smallest amount of play in my experience but it should engage pretty soon. Perhaps the brake pads have just been replaced and need a little while to break in?

You'll get used to the right-hand-side turn signals. In fact it took me a while to get used back to the left hand side ones after all the time on my stella!

The beeper is indeed miserable, especially with a sito pipe as, like you noticed, it gets drowned out. I run a 177cc kit so that's even worse and I was just going to disconnect mine altogether before my poor stella was totaled.

I mentioned this before, but a guy in our local big-scoot club put together a circuit that seemed pretty smart to me - he upgraded to a louder piezo beeper/buzzer but it beeps only when the brakes are off, rather than annoying you and surrounding drivers when sitting at a light. How smart is that??

Here's a link: http://stlphins.com/slsc/index.php?topic=5395.0

I'm contemplating this on my Buddy, even, as my full-face has enough rim padding that sounds from the engine / 'lower' areas don't always filter through.

I just saw someone post pictures of a Stella that looks eerily like mine, so I thought I'd share mine as well. Here it is, my new toy:





The racks are new... I just added them. For the rear "Wrap-around" rack, the front half didn't fit properly, so I'm going with just the back half for now.

Remaining projects on this bike:

1. Fix some of the scratches.
2. Fit the front half of the Cuppini "Vespa PX Wrap-around Rack" somehow.
3. Electric starter button is currently disconnected. Reconnect and test the starter motor.
4. Get SIP tubeless rims (when the current tires begin to wear out).
5. Dog-leg levers? I want to reduce the lever reach distance a little bit.
6. Take out the wimpy turn-signal buzzer and replace with something better.

I honestly don't see the driving need to go tubeless. Yes, a blowout with tube can really suck hard, but if you have a blowout on two wheels, you're in for a ride anyways. I think the HUGE push to get rid of such "dangerous" tech is pretty much driven by new-riders who haven't dealt with tube tires day to day. I've ridden several bikes as daily drivers for years with tubes in all sorts of terrain: No problems. I just see it as another "upgrade" I don't really need.

The turn signal buzzer? Just RIP IT OUT!!! Freaking useless bit of junk.

Gas gauge? Yeah... kind of worthless. It's ok: A stock Stella is pretty predictable on MPG. Besides, as you said, you can open the cap and shake it to see just how much you have. P-series and older bikes ran for decades without a gauge. So having a "suggestion" is only an improvement but you hardly need it

The racks are always a good thing in my opinion... awesome bike!

neotrotsky wrote:I honestly don't see the driving need to go tubeless. Yes, a blowout with tube can really suck hard, but if you have a blowout on two wheels, you're in for a ride anyways. I think the HUGE push to get rid of such "dangerous" tech is pretty much driven by new-riders who haven't dealt with tube tires day to day.

I disagree...I know many long time vintage riders that have gone tubeless. I will admit that most who have are hardcore gearheads and tuners.

BuddyRaton wrote:

neotrotsky wrote:I honestly don't see the driving need to go tubeless. Yes, a blowout with tube can really suck hard, but if you have a blowout on two wheels, you're in for a ride anyways. I think the HUGE push to get rid of such "dangerous" tech is pretty much driven by new-riders who haven't dealt with tube tires day to day.

I disagree...I know many long time vintage riders that have gone tubeless. I will admit that most who have are hardcore gearheads and tuners.

I just don't see the driving need on a Stella/P-series. I'm not anti-safety and all, I just think it's part of the bike and really has not affected my riding up until this point. Just me.

From my experience I just didn't agree that it is a push for new riders. I generally run tubed on my vintage scooters...except for the heavily modified and very fast ones.

neotrotsky wrote:

BuddyRaton wrote:

neotrotsky wrote:I honestly don't see the driving need to go tubeless. Yes, a blowout with tube can really suck hard, but if you have a blowout on two wheels, you're in for a ride anyways. I think the HUGE push to get rid of such "dangerous" tech is pretty much driven by new-riders who haven't dealt with tube tires day to day.

I disagree...I know many long time vintage riders that have gone tubeless. I will admit that most who have are hardcore gearheads and tuners.

I just don't see the driving need on a Stella/P-series. I'm not anti-safety and all, I just think it's part of the bike and really has not affected my riding up until this point. Just me.

Yeah, I hear you. It's a low priority for me. But when I wear out my current set of tires, I'd like to give it some thought. I like carrying plug kit in my long distance bag (it's already there anyway, for my other scoot), so I don't want to carry tube repair kit as well. Also, I'd have the option of Sliming it, if I'm a hurry.

Another factor I will consider is the selection of available tires. If I have wider selection of tubeless to choose from, then I'll go tubeless.

A patch kit is actually very small. A little chunk of rubber, something to rough up the tube and glue. Personally if I'm not carrying a spare I just bring a spare tube along.

BuddyRaton wrote:A patch kit is actually very small. A little chunk of rubber, something to rough up the tube and glue. Personally if I'm not carrying a spare I just bring a spare tube along.

Hmm. Come to think of it... my Stella has a spare, so I don't need to be too worried about road-side tire repair, huh.

Question......why is it the vast majority of tires are tubeless??

Keith wrote:Question......why is it the vast majority of tires are tubeless??

I'm no expert but as I've always read, it's a safety thing. Same with cars as well, a tubeless tire when it receives a puncture, will in most cases just leak out air, usually at a rate that will let you maintain control of the vehicle. A tubed tire, blam like a balloon, flat all at once!!
At speed the tire can come off the rim and the hope of a controlled stop is a fleeting thought, especially on two wheels.....

Tire technology has come a long way. I can remember when I was a kid that if you got 8K miles on a set of tires you were doing pretty good...and then came radials....and steel belts....and runflats...I wonder what is next?

..I wonder what is next?

I heard/read several years ago that they would start making carbon fiber tires that would not go flat, last for more miles, quieter, etc., etc. -- but haven't heard much since.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet scooter dbt. I'm picking up what your laying down about riding a shifty -- I prefer the Stella, myself.

Regarding #3, practice flipping that fuel cock to reserve while still riding.

And about that turn signal switch [#6], I have shut off my Fly a couple of times thinking it was the turn signal.

T'Pring wrote: Sweet scooter dbt. I'm picking up what your laying down about riding a shifty -- I prefer the Stella, myself.

Regarding #3, practice flipping that fuel cock to reserve while still riding.

And about that turn signal switch [#6], I have shut off my Fly a couple of times thinking it was the turn signal.

Yeah, in the 3 weeks since I've had the Stella, I've now gotten very used to shifting. First week, I stalled it on hills in traffic a couple times, which was doubly embarrasing, since my electric start button is disconnected, so I have to get off, set it on center stand, and hit the kick start.

And, I kept hitting neutral while going from first to second. A few times, this meant that I am now reving the engine free-load in neutral because my right wrist thought that I'd be in second... and then I actually drop into second, which results in the gearbox going Crunch! Even more embarrassingly, I did this one time while on a red light start up a steep hill, and actually popped a big wheelie, with a stranger on a Vino in the next lane glancing over worriedly.

Now going from first to second without ending up in neutral is like second nature to me now. I downshift to overtake like a pro. I don't bother with the gas gauge anymore and I just count the miles since the last fill up. And my kick-start leg is starting get some nice muscle definition.

Yeah, I can get used to this.

And my kick-start leg is starting get some nice muscle definition.

Be careful. If one leg gets overly developed you may have a tendency to run in circles!

deathbytray wrote: First week, I stalled it on hills in traffic a couple times, which was doubly embarrasing, since my electric start button is disconnected, so I have to get off, set it on center stand, and hit the kick start.

You don't have to get off the bike and put it on the stand to start it, You should be able to lean the bike to the left slightly and then kick it over while on two wheels.

JohnKiniston wrote:

deathbytray wrote: First week, I stalled it on hills in traffic a couple times, which was doubly embarrasing, since my electric start button is disconnected, so I have to get off, set it on center stand, and hit the kick start.

You don't have to get off the bike and put it on the stand to start it, You should be able to lean the bike to the left slightly and then kick it over while on two wheels.

I have not been successful at this manuever so far... tried a few times, but couldn't get proper leverage on the kick lever.

Hmm.. I should practice this tonight...