Modern Buddy

Was talking to a friend of mine who has a 2t stella. He said I should not get a 4 stroke because he is worried that parts may be harder to find now that LML is out of business. Do you think has has a point? Also, is the 2t easier to work on? Is one considered better (more reliable?). Thoughts?

if your buying a stella the only choice is a 2t. you will always be able to find parts. working on one is not hard if you go slow and use the manual.

Would a 4 stroke be more difficult to work on though? Do you think parts will be hard to come by? I ask because I have my sights on one

working on one is going to depend on your background in wrenching on stuff. If you don't have any experience working on stuff your going to have problems and become frustrated or you will be looking for someplace to work on it for you. A 4t is a more complex engine with more moving parts than a 2t. the 4t stella was only made for a few years. the 2 stroke engine has been used for more than 30 years.

2t parts market is more robust than the 4t.

Anybody with a 4t regret getting it and wish they got the 2t?

With LML out of business, 4T parts are going to dry up, if you can find them at all right now.

Skip the Stella and find yourself a Vespa P-Series. Right now the pricing is the same and the Vespa is a step above the LML in quality. Just have a friend who knows what they're looking at give it a look before you buy. Hell, I've had my nice P200 for sale for $1500 for a while and nobody has bit. The market has completely tanked.

Jaywillforget wrote:Anybody with a 4t regret getting it and wish they got the 2t?

The 4T Stella is a good bike, but your friend is right. Parts will begin to get scarce. Parts for the 2T Stella will always be easier to come by because the 2T Stella shares so many parts with the P/PX Vespa. Dasscooter has a point. You could go directly to a good P/PX Vespa. About as genuine a classic as there is, and they will be supported forever.

I have had a couple of 2tStella's, and a first year 4t Stella. I didn't have the 4t long enough for it to present any problems but I gotta rid of it cuz it was too damn slow. It was a putter it ran good but it was just way too slow. & I bought a wrecked 2t stella and still in put a p-200 Inn it and it was cool. Kickstart only. I traded that off and now I have settled on a 78 vespa P200 and it runs like a scaulded dog and I've had it for 5 years now and having put only a 226 pipe and jets in it.. It is rock solid.

Seems overwhelmingly unanimous. I’m convinced. Thanks for all the input. I’ll let you know when I (finally) find one.

For what it's worth, I love my 4T. Just shy of 18,000 miles, and has traveled through the Adirondack, Rocky, and Sierra-Nevada Mountains, as well as many, many country road miles in Indiana.

I would also like to ad that your decision could also depend on how long youde like to keep the bike.
Like everyone says, that the parts will dry up at some point.
If you plan on keeping it for over 5 years, it may start requiring maintenance. Especially oil filters.
Some have had very few problems with them, not counting the EVAP issues and vapor lock.
I had mine for about 2k miles and never had an issue.
A 2t is better for longer term ownership due to its simplicity, and youll get plenty of opportunity to wrench on it.
Good luck

So the search is finally over. Was able to find an 05 vespa PX150. So far I love it (although I haven’t ridden it much as I just got my learners permit and getting plates tomorrow. It is a very different experience than my buddy 50. A little intimidating. Need a lot of practice. Thanks for all the advise.

good deal! lets see some photos,
Congrats on your new ride[/code]

Not letting me post a pic. Don’t know how. At least not from my phone.

Jaywillforget wrote:Not letting me post a pic. Don’t know how. At least not from my phone.

posted with my Android Galaxy Note 4
When you are typing a reply. ....
below this text box is a tab called 'choose file'
tap that, then choose 'documents'
navigate to your photo,
tap your photo,
your attachment file name will appear in the attachment box.
tap 'add attachment'
then tap 'preveiw' to see if it works.
then tap 'submit'.
good luck.
_youll find that the wiring and the rubber bits will last longer on that Vespa than on the Stellas

Nice Score!

Welcome to the club! I sold my 4t for a 2005 PX150 because I knew the parts issue was looming. Dial it in with the right exhaust (SIP road) and carb jetting, and you will have a quick, reliable and fun bike.

Yes I got it from a friend of a friend. He did some beautiful mods to it. New top end - pinesco 177 cc and a 24mm carb as well as an sip exhaust. It’s pretty incredible. Road my buddy 50 (first time in two weeks) after riding this and it feels like a toy.
He also did all new seals and bearings. I love this thing. The learning curve wasn’t bad. Not 100% with first gear from a full stop but close.

me and my 05 Vespa PX150

a couple more.

Looks fantastic! Silver is really nice on the PX. I'm going to do the Pinasco cylinder eventually, but already it is so much quicker than the Stella I can hardly believe it. Yours must be super quick. I have the same rear rack, but I've added a milkcrate because mine is a DD (pics to come).

The key to 1st gear is shifting to neutral just before you come to a stop. She doesn't like to shift when stationary. I tend to leave in in neutral at lights and drop it into 1st when he light turns green.

Thanks. It is very quick. I’m curious to ride a stock stella to compare.
Been educating myself a ton on maintenance. Question - how often do clutch and gear cables brake? Does everyone carry a spare cable with them? How long generally do they last?

I always carry an extra clutch cable and nipple, and learning how to fix one on the fly is a good skill (4th hand tool and/or pliers are not included with the tool kit, but you should carry them- they are necessary). The life they give varies wildly in my experience depending on how well they were done in the first place, lubrication, adjustment etc. I've gotten as few as 800 miles and as much as 5000+. You can usually tell when it's gonna break soon- the clutch starts to lose feel and it requires more input on the lever to use.

I've never replaced a brake cable, although the one on my PX is probably due. Never had one break on the Stella.

your new ride looks great and youve got a front disc brake too.
very nice.
I keep a pre-greased clutch cable inner in a baggie and extra clamp too.

Need to order a good wrench/spaner set. What is the smallest one I need? Is it 6mm?

I ordered this one from SIP. Everything you need except 4th hand tool/pliers (the wrench is a double-sided 7/8mm)

https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/prod ... +_90982000

And here's pics of mine. I replaced the 2005 PX stencil badge with the old-style badge that's on the Euro 2011-2017 PX150, replaced the grips with old-school P-style grips and added the milk crate.

Nice. A clean machine. How many miles on it?

It's just about to hit 8000 miles. The previous owner really babied it. It does have some touch-up paint from a drop on one of the cowls and the fender, but it's done really well. She runs great!

It has to have at least 7500 miles to register in California since it's a 49-state vehicle, and I found this one two months ago on ebay with 7460 miles. I've been adding miles ever since, although I still haven't been able to register it (my DMV appt is next week).