I wanna new Stella!!!

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:26 am

k1dude wrote:
neotrotsky wrote:And throwing words of "intolerance" and "prejudiced" around over a goddamed scooter is pretty petty and a dick move. If anything the trolling is a result of direct troll baiting for attention.
So I'm a dick and a baiting troll for stating I prefer automatics. Nice distorted logic there kettle.

And nice language. You should be proud.

Wow, you really got this 'professional victim' thing down huh? Who's the *real* troll around here?

I am done with your baiting. Obviously your only interest is to twist everything to a poor-little-me ploy. It's about a damned scooter. If you want to go vie for drama by throwing labels like bigot and prejudice around, go to YouTube or Facebook where the rest of the trolls live.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:41 am

neotrotsky wrote:Wow, you really got this 'professional victim' thing down huh? Who's the *real* troll around here?

I am done with your baiting. Obviously your only interest is to twist everything to a poor-little-me ploy. It's about a damned scooter. If you want to go vie for drama by throwing labels like bigot and prejudice around, go to YouTube or Facebook where the rest of the trolls live.

I suggest you read this whole thread from the start. You're the one with the victim complex. Once again, pot meet kettle.

Rusty J · Post by **Rusty J** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:43 am

Thanks for re-railing the topic, Wheelz.

Drum Pro:
The Stella 150 4T is a competent bike, and fun. And since it's going to be at least a year and a half (by my uninformed guess) until we see the 200cc version, get the one they're selling now, and when the engine upgrade kit Eric mentioned comes out, install that. The kit will probably cost less than the expense of trading the 150 for a 200, and in the meantime you still get to ride a shifty.

Lostmycage · Post by **Lostmycage** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:55 am

OK, OK. Everyone take a moment to breath, reach down, and unfurl the knotted undergarments and relax. There's absolutely no call for the attacks in this thread. Don't take this crap too seriously; seriously!

JohnKiniston · Post by **JohnKiniston** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:17 am

Rusty J wrote: and when the engine upgrade kit Eric mentioned comes out, install that. The kit will probably cost less than the expense of trading the 150 for a 200, and in the meantime you still get to ride a shifty.

There is a Polini kit out now for the 4T Engine, Looks like it's a 165.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/de/produ ... +_13000010

spr0k3t · Post by **spr0k3t** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:21 am

JohnKiniston wrote:There is a Polini kit out now for the 4T Engine, Looks like it's a 165.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/de/produ ... +_13000010

I got a chance to see that kit first hand. Talk about wafer thin wall. Granted it's a drop in jug mount, but it's definitely going to be interesting to hear how well it holds up. Knowing Polini and how they stand behind much of their stuff, it is probably going to do quite well.

Rusty J · Post by **Rusty J** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:36 am

JohnKiniston wrote:
Rusty J wrote: and when the engine upgrade kit Eric mentioned comes out, install that. The kit will probably cost less than the expense of trading the 150 for a 200, and in the meantime you still get to ride a shifty.
There is a Polini kit out now for the 4T Engine, Looks like it's a 165.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/de/produ ... +_13000010

Cool! Not unreasonably priced, even counting the necessary upgrades to the carb and pipe. Wonder how much extra power it provides?

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:39 am

Yeah Rusty I think your right... I do like that cream and blue one or a plain cream one would be nice. I just wanted the 200cc cos I perfer to keep it stock and was just whining about it...

Rusty J · Post by **Rusty J** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:54 am

Drum Pro wrote:Yeah Rusty I think your right... I do like that cream and blue one or a plain cream one would be nice. I just wanted the 200cc cos I prefer to keep it stock and was just whining about it...

Good call on the blue/white two-tone!
I liked the blue, but haven't seen the blue/white version in person. Looks like it'd be pretty sharp though.

And I do tend to keep my bikes pretty much stock. So far...

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:00 am

I've seen it in person and it's sweet but last time I was at NoHo it was already sold...

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 12:26 pm

talindsay wrote:Given that almost all motorcycles are manual, clearly people aren't afraid to shift two wheeled vehicles. And yet there's only one shifty scoot available on the us market. Why don't we have more shifting choices? I don't think less of people who ride automatics and that's not the point of the question; I personally choose to have a clutch and am curious why scooters don't have them, other than the Stella. After all, scooters are just small motorcycles with a step through frame. Opinions that don't involve flaming?

(Whatever their reasons) I think it's clear from their car purchases that people tend to prefer automatics. My guess is that if motorcycles were commonly available with automatic transmissions, they'd probably sell a lot of those instead. Of course they'd still sell a lot of manual cycles because there are lot of bikers out there are used to them and prefer them. But the scooter market in the US has been so small for so long that there's little established "base" that expects manual transmission... so manufacturers are free to give the new, developing scooter market what they prefer: automatics.

talindsay · Post by **talindsay** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:39 pm

TVB wrote:(Whatever their reasons) I think it's clear from their car purchases that people tend to prefer automatics. My guess is that if motorcycles were commonly available with automatic transmissions, they'd probably sell a lot of those instead. Of course they'd still sell a lot of manual cycles because there are lot of bikers out there are used to them and prefer them. But the scooter market in the US has been so small for so long that there's little established "base" that expects manual transmission... so manufacturers are free to give the new, developing scooter market what they prefer: automatics.

Really good point about expectations - motorcycles are manual, and everybody knows lots of motorcyclists and that's a bar that anyone riding a motorcycle is expected to clear. Scooters aren't considered "motorcycles" in many people's heads, there's a tiny base of people who rode them until recently, and there's no in-built expectation so that cvt can shape the expectation.

Interesting thought about motorcycles and automatics, but it's worth noting there have been some efforts to bring automatic motorcycles to market but they've all failed to penetrate the market in a meaningful way. Of course, perhaps an earlier poster's comment about "small displacement" is key - CVTs are super easy, cheap, and reliable on small engines but become a bigger issue on more powerful engines. The FJR attempted to do an automated manual, which is a pretty lousy transmission unless it's *REALLY* expensive (even Maserati couldn't get it right and have pulled many of their clutchless cars from the market to reconfigure the automated manual arrangement). Traditional automatics are too laggy for a bike, it seems. I suppose we won't really know the answer to that one until somebody makes a viable large-displacement automatic bike.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 12:44 am

Some of you have been around for far too long to need a reminder of the Posting Guidelines, but here it is: topic1.html

GENERAL BEHAVIOR
The purpose of Modern Buddy is to inform, educate, entertain and bring us together as a community. This is a forum where scooterists of all ranges of experience, backgrounds and knowledge levels could come and discuss things without feeling intimidated or assaulted by the hostility often found elsewhere. Be civil to one another. Treat everyone with respect. Keep it friendly and remember that not everyone shares your particular viewpoint, nor should anyone be ridiculed or patronized for not believing or behaving exactly as you do.

If you can't stop with the personal attacks and flaming, the thread will get locked and members will get banned. I don't care who said what first, who you think started it, how long you've been here or how well behaved you are in other threads. This is the kind of behavior we try to rise above here. If you can't, you need to know when to withdraw and STFU or simply go find a place with lower standards. There are many to choose from.

ankdworak · Post by **ankdworak** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:35 pm

Eric, thanks for your vigilant reminder. Great to have someone with a level head to help keep the peace.

illnoise · Post by **illnoise** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:24 pm

I'd like to beat the dead horse and point out that aside from the fracas, there is some really good speculation, opinion, and discussion going on in this thread, and I hope no one feels that debate and a variety of opinions are not welcome here.

We just ask that your opinions are differentiated from fact, and that they're presented politely and tactfully. Some might call this demand for civility a "nanny state" but the rest of us call it "human civilization."

2wheelNsanity · Post by **2wheelNsanity** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:42 pm

Initially I was going get a Stella. However, at the scooter shop the owner couldn't get it to start (after 15 minutes of trying). So, I looked around the shop and asked about the Buddy 170i I liked the look of the scooter, but thought the Stella was cooler (the retro factor for an old man), we went over and it started on the first try, SOLD!.
Now do not go hating on me for my choice, but at the time I had no clue mechanically on how to maintain or repair a scooter so initially seeing problems getting the Stella started in the middle of winter steered me away, but now that I know better, educated through having to maintian my 170, the idea of a 200cc Stella does sound fun.

Kitty wrote "There's certain things I've never really been able to tolerate, automatic transmissions being near the top of the list, possibly tied with poor grammar." I hope my grammar is tolerable, although my advising professor never thought so

.

stASH · Post by **stASH** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:29 pm

kitty wrote:There's certain things I've never really been able to tolerate, automatic transmissions being near the top of the list, possibly tied with poor grammar.

Oh, the irony!

hal888 · Post by **hal888** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:54 pm

TVB wrote:(Whatever their reasons) I think it's clear from their car purchases that people tend to prefer automatics. My guess is that if motorcycles were commonly available with automatic transmissions, they'd probably sell a lot of those instead. Of course they'd still sell a lot of manual cycles because there are lot of bikers out there are used to them and prefer them. But the scooter market in the US has been so small for so long that there's little established "base" that expects manual transmission... so manufacturers are free to give the new, developing scooter market what they prefer: automatics.

Aside from the mechanical disadvantages of an automatic on a larger bike, which makes sense to me, I thought that consumer preference for a scooter with a CVT was driven by their use as an urban transporter. Shifting in repeated stop-n-go situations can become tiresome to me, even cause hand fatigue if there is traffic and I need to clutch repeatedly for some time.

I've always had a manual transmission automobile, but every time I'm stuck in stop-n-go traffic and my left leg starts to ache from working the clutch for a long time, I wish for an automatic.