I want to come back

2 two go · Post by **2 two go** » Sun May 19, 2013 8:10 am

Hi fellow scooter riders

I have been following this form for some time now and I wanted to say hello to all and to see if you can give me some pointers about getting back into scooters. I have had a few scooters but I have been away from them for about 8 years now. my last scoot was a Stella 2003. but I have had a lot in my youth, Honda, Vespa, and Yamaha I would like to get a new scoot with a sidecar. I have seen some with the new auto Vespa's, and mostly with older P200 and Stella's which one to go for is my question?any advice will be greatly welcome. has anyone seen this set up on a auto scooter while riding around?

J.S
2 two go

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sun May 19, 2013 3:41 pm

Well, yes. I own an auto scooter and sidecar setup

. I have a GTS Vespa with a Texas Sidecar. I went this route after being dissatisfied with the low power of a Stella with Cozy Sidecar setup. I have attached a link below about the Texas Sidecar. Texas Sidecars also makes setups for some maxiscooters. At this point no one (in the US) commercially sells an appropriate mount to put a Cozy Sidecar on a CVT Vespa, but I understand a couple of shops are doing custom mounts. There was one report of a Cozy Sidecar mounted on a Buddy, but information on this site said the balance and steering of the rig was unacceptable. PM me if you have other questions about the GTS setup.

http://www.texassidecars.com/via_for_vespa.htm

2 two go · Post by **2 two go** » Sun May 19, 2013 9:47 pm

I saw that set up and it looks very nice. then I saw one on line at Motoretta Vespa. I'm waiting for a reply from them now. They have a Vespa lx150 and a Vespa gts on their Facebook page and they use the cozy rocket sidecar.
I am not looking for a lot of speed just to get around town. I want the 3 wheels as I to have a few medical issues. I have carpal tunnel and Melorhestosis in my left arm, so I may have some trouble driving a scooter alone, but with the side car helping it to stay up right and not having to shift I feel I should be ok. I can get around on my Ebike, but some time I want to go across town and the battery just don't make it.

Your GTS has more than enough power, is it hard to steer? did you have to add a stabilizer?

J.S.
2 two go

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon May 20, 2013 4:02 am

2 two go wrote:Your GTS has more than enough power, is it hard to steer? did you have to add a stabilizer?

The GTS has both the power and the weight to handle a sidecar well. No, it is not difficult to steer. That is a good question as I have also owned a Ural and a larger and heavier set-up can require a fair amount of upper body and arm strength. I tightened the steering a litttle and increased the bar end weights but have not added a hydraulic stabilizer on my GTS sidecar. For those who think a hydraulic stabilizer is a must - "Birdsnest" on MV has developed a left side hydraulic mount and "Richard H Lemmon" on MV is putting together a right side mount for a hydraulic damper.

lovemysan · Post by **lovemysan** » Mon May 20, 2013 12:51 pm

I rode in a stella side car. At 250lbs sitting in the side car it was scary. It wasn't nice to the clutch either. It didn't help the stella was piped and the midrange needed some tuning. It felt like it was over jetted or the needle was to fat.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon May 20, 2013 2:23 pm

lovemysan wrote:I rode in a stella side car. At 250lbs sitting in the side car it was scary. It wasn't nice to the clutch either.

Well, actually riding in a small sidecar such as the Cozy is always an experience

! The main point of a sidecar on a small bike is stability. The engine really struggles with the weight of the sidecar plus rider and passenger. Now, a dog as a passenger

.

2 two go · Post by **2 two go** » Tue May 21, 2013 1:51 am

I will be going to the dealer tomorrow, I have to say that I was not sure if a Stella was strong enough for the sidecar, I have seen them riding by me on my bicycle and thought I would like to have one. but I'm not one to change jet's and pipes so I was thinking about a Vespa Gts 300. My old Stella was fine, (2003 model) it was all stock. but I am not looking for speed, with a new
Stella (2012-2013) still be to small? If the dealer here can't help me the Dealer in Ga. can. Motoretta Vespa has made a 2012 Vespa LXI and a 2012 Vespa GTS. I'll talk to them on Tuesday. and both of them were useing a cozy sidecar.

thanks
2 two go
J.S.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Tue May 21, 2013 3:39 pm

My understanding is that the 4T Stella has a bit more torque than the 2T which would be a plus for a sidecar rig. The LX Vespa is fairly similar in weight and acceleration to the Stella so I'm not sure that is a step up. Any of the large body Vespas GT200/GTS250/GTS300 have substantially more power. You are also talking about manual shift and CVT scooters here which present different advantages and disadvantages.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Tue May 21, 2013 8:53 pm

Dooglas wrote:My understanding is that the 4T Stella has a bit more torque than the 2T which would be a plus for a sidecar rig.

Another perk of the 4T is that they come with the larger 7-spring clutch that was fitted to the old 2T 200er Vespas and the Atomic Fireball Stella. More friction area would help when toting a sidecar.

Wolfhound · Post by **Wolfhound** » Wed May 22, 2013 10:22 am

The Stella and the Cozy sidecar seem made for each other, my dealer recently sold a new one that is going to be used for local delivery.
I have arthritus in my left wrist and had to trade my Stella in because
shifting was too uncomfortable(I still miss the Stella). I have a TGB R9i
with a Cozy side car. Works well, not very fast, had to design floor plate
for the match up. If you have a left arm problem you might find the sidecar
more than you want to handle, sidecars give your left arm a real workout.
If you can find one set up ride it first to be sure your left arm can handle it.

Modern Buddy

I want to come back

I want to come back

Vespa with side car

cozy ride