Modern Vespa

I'm considering buying a new Stella so I rode one yesterday at my local dealer, I enjoyed the experience but was dissappointed in the lack of power the scooter had, I'm used to my et4 and couldn't help but compare it to that, the dealer told me that the exhaust is quite restricted with the catalytic converter and recommended a after market exhaust system. He didn't know how much that would help, they are motorcycle oriented and took on scooters recently.

I would like to know how much a after market exhaust system would help and which one would be recommended. Also I have read on line that the Stella engine has some weak areas as it is the Indian version. So any help and info would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to hear from some Stella owners about their experience owning a Stella.

Try the StellaSpeed website. You will find a lot more Stella specific info there.

If an aftermarket exhaust would be without catalytic converter, it wouldn't help at all (the environment, that is).

Don't you care?

I had a similar experience with a newer Stella. Their marketing tag that they are they fastest stock 150cc scoots on the market is BS.

the sito plus and new jet make a HUGE difference.

that being said, i haven't done it to mine, as i prefer highly reliable over highly fast

Genuine said that? I must have missed that ad.

Anyway, I put a Sito Plus on my Stella and it made a world of difference. Gives it that great throaty sound too.

How well built and bullet proof are the Stella engines?

Ooops - Genuine says that the Buddy scooter is the fastest 150cc scoot. Their exact words are "Fastest stock 150cc Scooter anywhere". Still I disagree. Here is the ad on the back of Scoot May '08.

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I know that the Buddy is a nice ride, but to me, it is just fugly.

Before you buy a Stella, you should be sure to read the mechanical/maintencance topics and FAQs on stellaspeed.com. It seems this year's crop of Stellas has a variety of known issues, such as the rear brake pedal breaking off, among other things. Better be ready for it to be in the shop for warranty work.

great.

Don't be fooled...
A free flowing exhaust & more fuel don't equal less reliable.
Actually the opposite.


My PX had one of those shitty Catalytic converters & was underjetted.......It was unrideable for me....

Just by putting a stock 150 / Shito + exhaust on it & upjetting changed the bike immensely. (The stock 150 barrel was still a slug...but at least it was a little quicker slug.)


The Pinasco kit I have on there now makes it a completely different bike.

I hope you're right. I recently put a Sito + on and upjetted to a 98 and the power difference is HUGE! So far no probs either.

I just bought a 2005 Stella that already had the Sito + and upjet installed. It doesn't seem sluggish at all and I highly recommend that upgrade. I've never ridden a stock Stella but from what I've heard, this is one of the best initial upgrades you can do.

Mmm - what a completely lame advert. The Europeans who are made in China and then exported to America!

I suppose it is a genuine scooter, that's about true.

hello? pictures???

I'll post some soon! I'm making some additions to it this week and will post pics once those are done.

agreed. especially the new ketchup/mayo color combo. ew!

I did that exact same upgrade to my PX150 (sito+ upjet)

Then I decided to go further with the Polini 177cc kit, larger carbs - rejetted , cut cranks..., kept the sito+ this way the scooter still looks stock...

You will be fine.
They seemed to detune the bikes to pass whatever they needed to get them in the states anyway. (Just a guess after all I read initially a few years ago about the Stella).



Also there is that thing you twist on the Right side of the handlebars?....

Ya don't need to be wide open ALL the time



Just paying attention & using a little common sense will keep a bike going for days.



The best upgrade you can ever do to a Stella or PX 150?

Buy a PX200 or even better......a T5!!!!! (when you can find one)

I thought about getting a Stella for its classic looks but also the ability to stick a sidecar on it. My dog would have been happy. Too bad it didn't meet environmental standards in CA.

So did you approve or disapprove of the "Atomic Fireball Stella" they put out a few years ago?

i disapprove of anything with flames on it!

I disapprove of your cross-the-board flame disapproval!


I thought the bike itself was ok... the yellow rims on a red bike made it look like Ronald Mcdonald should be riding it, though.

hahahaha

i always wanted to get an atomic fireball, and then fill up the glovebox with those little $0.25 ferra dan fireball candy packs. i would ride around and throw them to people like in a parade.

I think that they called that model the "Richard Pryor" model.

The atomic fireball was only eclipsed in ugliness by the "Joe Boxer P200" that Bobby at Moto P had a few years ago.


Black with White Polka Dots & Yellow rims......It was a glorious vision of ugly.
(The leather seat kicked ass though)


The fact that he would make his friend....supersport 600cc Motorcycle racer/Nascar driver Mike Hale ride it when he was in town visiting all the time made it funnier.

(It was actually a perfect low mileage P200...but that paint job?.....blech)

I only skimmed through the responses, so bear with me if you've already got an answer.

The LML pseudo-5-port engine is impressive when unrestricted, but unfortunately they had to seriously restrict its output in order to meet emissions requirements. The air filter has a restrictive outer layer, the carb is jetted extremely lean, and the exhaust contains a catalytic converter.

As soon as you take delivery, you can remove the blue cover from the air filter and install an uncatalyzed exhaust. The Sito+ is nice, but there's also an uncatalyzed version of the stock exhaust. When you do this, you'll also need to upjet the carb a few points. Installing an aftermarket exhaust has warranty implications, so check with Genuine or your dealer first.

Be mindful that there is some environmental impact in operating any 2-stroke scooter, and that said impact is increased by removing the emissions controls. It's a decision only you can make, don't let anyone bully you.

If my Stella already has a Sito + and upjet, would removing the blue cover on the filter require any further modifications?

You might need to upjet if you deblue. Though, usually de-bluing goes hand in hand with adding the Sito+, so are you sure you have a blue filter?

wow - that is a whole lotta stupid ugly going on - it's got measles. it *does* showcase how ugly the p's design truly is though. were the wheels powdercoated yellow too?

No, I just assumed it was still there but will take a look tonight!

I'll bite re: the Joe Boxer P200

You all know i'm a sucker for original paint, but i really enjoy it when people mix it up and do something crazy on their bike. One of my favorite bikes at amerivespa was a slightly modded out P200 with a whole "Wales" theme going on flags hanging behind it and painted on the cowls. Loved it.

Someone else in the US has a Doc Martens themed bike, that's completely oxblood red with yellow accents and big bootprints on it. That thing rules.

I'd like to make a Campari-themed lambretta.

Campari AND Lambretta.

Yum.

I'll vote for that!

I just can't get past the looks and I think that "Buddy" is one of the worst possible names. I keep remembering the god-awful jingle from "My Buddy" boy doll commercials of the 80's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuinqB9z3JI&NR=1

I remember a verse from my youth that went:

Buddys true, through and through
F**k your buddy before he f**ks you

Oh yeah Val....It had the most hideous yellow wheels known to man.
I am certain you would look cute as a button on it all polka dotty & whatnot....
It ran absolutely perfect though.....clean,clean,clean.....

The paint job was excellent quality work just ugly & goofy...

That leather seat I wanted so bad as it was way more comfy than a stock T5 seat or even a new PX seat.


From what we learned about the thing:

It was a Neiman Marcus or some such stores exclusive offering & I believe the original cost was around $10,000.00
There were a few of them built & painted at First Kick. (Decadron from Sportique knows their history if I recall correctly....probably a little more info than me.....we just pieced together various stories of its history as the interweb scooter realm wasn't as clogged with info and awesome misinformation as it is today.)

It was also a raffle item as some have claimed to won them?

Funny little bike that might still be in Ojai? As that is where the owner lived...
She had it on consignment for $5000.00 & it just sat there forever.......

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