Modern Buddy

I am looking at getting a 2T+ sidecar. I want to be able to cart around my young kids a little on the side streets and run short errands. As well as fab up a bike rack.

Right now I have two motorcycles so speed is not a big deal but better ability to take the kids is.

I am a little leery of a 2 cycle as I don't have a lot of experience with them beyond my yard machines. I do understand that motorcycles have used them forever.

My (ignorant) questions:

How long/miles can one expect these to go without a top end rebuild?
How much smoke do these produce in everyday riding?
Are they a pain to keep running well?
Are they leaky? gas/oil
Are any years better (I see a 2004 and 2005 right now)
How are they in hot weather
How are they in cold weather
Is the Carb easy to get to?
Is periodic maintenance harder than a 4t?

Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate the help and eduction.

I know that earlier models had a lot of cranks failing. This was supposedly better with the 08 and 09 batches.

Honestly I would not attach a sidecar to a 2T stella unless I had at least replaced the crank with a mazzucchelli.

Carb is easy to get to, but once you put the sidecar on it'll be a pain in the ass to do a lot of the things that were easy otherwise.

Being a 2T it loves cold weather, bogs down in hot summer weather without rejetting.

Personally I would go with a 4T with sidecar, the 4T engine behaves better under load than the 2T, it has more oomph out the box and it doesn't vibrate which I feel would be a big deal while you are already struggling to wrestle the steering. Also do not rely on the collar for a steering damper, get a heavy duty steering damper and weld it to the fork and the sidecar's crashbars.

Thank you very much Lokky. I would prefer a 4T for sure but it is a lot harder to find a 4T with a sidecar already and I have seen several 2T's for a lot less than A 4T.

Maybe get a 2T + sidecar, sell the scoot and get a 4T.

I haven't experienced the 2T, but I do love my 4T and having ridden many different 4 stroke and 2 stroke dirt bikes in my life, I think the 4 stroke will be far better suited to the extra weight. That said, this seems like a pretty killer deal and it's fairly close to you, but you have to go 2T.

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/3550970149.html

Yes that is one I saw and another for even less.

You do also see used Cozy sidecars and mounting brackets for sale. It would be practical to purchase a used sidecar and 4T Stelle - then mate them up. My impression is that the 4T would make a better sidecar tug.

Thanks Dooglas. I am a starting to get a little leery with the Stella 2t/4t from a reliability standpoint. Perhaps the older vespa was better from that standpoint?

stephenmarklay wrote:Thanks Dooglas. I am a starting to get a little leery with the Stella 2t/4t from a reliability standpoint. Perhaps the older vespa was better from that standpoint?

Honestly if you are basing yourself on this forum for reliability do remember that most people post here to look for help with their issues. Hat you don't see are the many happy people who don't have any serious issues happening to them.

All you get from buying an old vespa is a little better material quality for certain components. The advantages from that are unlikely to top the fact that you are buying a 30 years old machine. I have a guy who bought a P series and he is on his third engine rebuild since October.

Thanks Lokky for that insight. I do believe you are correct to some extent.

stephenmarklay wrote: How long/miles can one expect these to go without a top end rebuild?
How much smoke do these produce in everyday riding?
Are they a pain to keep running well?
Are they leaky? gas/oil
Are any years better (I see a 2004 and 2005 right now)
How are they in hot weather
How are they in cold weather
Is the Carb easy to get to?
Is periodic maintenance harder than a 4t?

Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate the help and eduction.

I'm late to this party, but to answer some questions:

I have 37k on my 02 and all I've done is decoke it at 30k. Original crank, too.
Lots.
No.
Yes.
I have an 02, 04 & 05. The 04 has a horrid fuel leak but I've had few mechanical issues otherwise. The wiring on all models is a nightmare.
I live in Oklahoma and ride year round. 20° to 120° and I never dick with the jetting.
The carb is fairly easy to get to, you just have to finesse the airbox back on.
Maintenance is stupid easy. Because I have a terrible memory and gear oil is cheap, I change the oil every 1000 miles. Once a month on the vespas since the speedos don't work. Tires are easy to change, brakes aren't a big thing either. Keep oil in it and ride it like you stole it.
I really like two strokes.

As soon as the weather warms some and I can get my 012 Stella broken in
I plan to take my Cozy sidecar off my TGB R9 and put it on the Stella. The
Cozy is a good fit for for the Stella 4T. From what I have read the 08/09 2T
would be the better choice if you could find one set up. Remember that you don't ride a sidecar set up, you drive it.

lmyers says it well. The ONLY thing I disagree with is how much they smoke. Run a high end 2T oil and you get VERY little smoke. I run Spectro scooter 2T ( which has european level smoke levels, which means low smoke) and the thing only has visible smoke on start up and pulling hills hard.

Oh, and I have a 2T with a sidecar

I remember Amerivespa Chattanooga...about 300 2T scooters fired up at one time.

The mushroom cloud of two stroke smoke was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!