Modern Buddy

I have an '09 Stella 2T that has 800ish miles on it. Yesterday after filling the tank I was headed down PCH, full throttle, everythings fine, then I felt a very very slight loss of power and noticed the gas gauge needle going from full to about a third indicated. My first thought was that the motor was about to seize then I thought maybe I was dumping gas from a leak somewhere. About ten seconds later just as I was about to pull over the needle started to rise back up and everything felt normal again. Arrived at my destination about five minutes later and there was no leakage that I could see. So any thoughts? Something electrical about to let loose?
thanks in advance for the help
Paul

put tape over gas gauge or just learn to ignore it. The fuel gauge on a stella is completely useless. It is there to make car people happy. The bike has a reserve petcock position...learn to use it ... My fuel gauge on my Stella has its own mind and frequently displays whatever it likes.

I realize that the gauge is fairly useless and flops around but thought that maybe it's fluctuation was indicative of an electrical issue of some sort especially when combined with a perceived drop in screaming raw power

Yes, the gas gauge is inaccurate, and for an experienced rider, unnecessary. But if it actually lost power, that would worry me. That happened to mine about 3 times. The third time it would no longer run. Turned out it had been soft seizing, and had finally done enough damage that it did not have enough compression to run. The Stella engine (the 2T anyway) is an oddball compared to modern engines. I have always broken in modern engines hard, and never had a problem. About the only thing they need is for the rings to be seated anyway. But the Stella engine requires a long, slow, careful break in. If you don't do it that way, it will likely seize, or something will break. I have about 8,000 miles on mine, and still ride with my left hand over the clutch, just in case.

viney266 wrote:put tape over gas gauge or just learn to ignore it. The fuel gauge on a stella is completely useless. It is there to make car people happy. The bike has a reserve petcock position...learn to use it ... My fuel gauge on my Stella has its own mind and frequently displays whatever it likes.

Any luck on switching the bike to reserve while in motion? On motorcycles, it's in an easy place to grabe while riding. Doesn't seem to be as easy here.

It's more of a stretch than is typical on a motorcycle, but I've managed the switch while riding a few times now. Just be mindful of the rear brake when you're leaning down to reach it. Accidentally stepping on the brake while reaching for the petcock could land you in a world of trouble.

I apologize; I read right over the loss of power part I guess. Yes, that would worry me a bit. Is everything stock?


I have no problems switching to reserve while rolling, but to be fair I have been riding a long time. I could probably brew tea and make eggs while riding . It is in kind of an awkward spot, just remember, look straight ahead and find it with hand. DON'T look for it.

I would suspect an electrical problem. Loss of volts can cause loss of spark and power for the gauge. Or it could be an unrelated coincidence.

As far as I know, the ignition is completely separate from the rest of the electrical system. It runs off a magneto, and is not connected to the battery. The magneto is a part of the same stator plate which does connect to the battery. I am waiting on a new stator plate right now, I have no output from the magneto, but the lights and instruments still work when it is kicked over.


The gauge is constantly changing. Going uphill, downhill, or leaned over in a curve will all affect the gauge reading. Mine shows empty with half a gallon still in it. I took some extra gas a few times and ran it out, just to see how far it would go. I made a note of this, and use the odometer for a gas gauge.

stASH wrote:It's more of a stretch than is typical on a motorcycle, but I've managed the switch while riding a few times now. Just be mindful of the rear brake when you're leaning down to reach it. Accidentally stepping on the brake while reaching for the petcock could land you in a world of trouble.

EXACTLY what I did. Leaned over, messenger bag swung off my shoulder and yanked it down, stomped on brake. Dump. Oops.