Stella Survival

[despurvoa]

A couple of Stella questions for the more experienced

1) Is it a sin to start from 2nd gear? Do you run the risk of hurting anything?

2) If you could have had parts on hand for your Stella's first issue, what would those parts be?

[jmkjr72]

its not a sin but starting in second gear can cause premature clutch failure

as for parts on hand when you have the wiring issues you raly cant keep parts on hand you just have to sort them out

and as for predicting a crank failure and the parts to fix it if you want to keep 600 bucks in goodies laying around i would put them on

what do i keep with me a bit of extra oil spare plug and tire repair kit some people like to keep some spare cables with them too

[BuddyRaton]

A couple of Stella questions for the more experienced

1) Is it a sin to start from 2nd gear? Do you run the risk of hurting anything?

It is pretty hard on the cruciform which is a sacrificial part to begin with. Unless your in a hardcore drag race just use first to get started.

[lmyers]

I keep the tool kit that comes with the scooter, 2T oil (I use full synth), a little roll of electrical tape, spare cables, spare plugs, needle-nose pliers, an 11 & 13mm socket and the ratchet to use them. And a small first aid kit And a couple of shop towels. And a flashlight (with a spare battery) I can hold in my mouth because I'm usually alone in the dark when I break down/blow a bulb.

[BuddyRaton]

A couple of Stella questions for the more experienced


2) If you could have had parts on hand for your Stella's first issue, what would those parts be?

Clutch cable, spare plug, clutch cable, spare bulbs, clutch cable, spare fuse, and a clutch cable

[despurvoa]

Wow! So the key words are "clutch cable." Are they that sketchy?! I already feel paranoid about shifting the gears because I hear noises and feel things when I do. I wish someone posted a healthy gear shifting sound on Youtube so I knew all was well.
You'll be happy to know that I purchase a cable set from scooterwest.com.
As for bulbs and electrical things, that's on my future shopping list!

[Lovelandstella]

Clutch cable, spare plug, clutch cable, spare bulbs, clutch cable, spare fuse, and a clutch cable

Wow! So the key words are "clutch cable." Are they that sketchy?! ...

can you replair/replace a clutch cable on the side of the road?
where do I go/look to learn how to do that?
maybe like a stella emergency roadside repair for dummies- kind of thing?

[lmyers]

Wow! So the key words are "clutch cable." Are they that sketchy?! I already feel paranoid about shifting the gears because I hear noises and feel things when I do. I wish someone posted a healthy gear shifting sound on Youtube so I knew all was well.
You'll be happy to know that I purchase a cable set from scooterwest.com.
As for bulbs and electrical things, that's on my future shopping list!

Phonetically, Ker-chunk, ker-pow, pretty much all the ker-sounds are fine.

[BuddyRaton]

Clutch cables don't break THAT often, but more often than any other cable.

Pretty easy to change anywhere. You just need a screwdriver, combination wrench and a small crescent wrench. Wrenches are to take off the clutch lever and loosen and tighten the pinch bolt. I also carry a fourth hand tool in my pouch.

You CAN shift without the clutch in a pinch but it is tricky.

[Lovelandstella]

...Pretty easy to change anywhere. You just need a screwdriver, combination wrench and a small crescent wrench. Wrenches are to take off the clutch lever and loosen and tighten the pinch bolt. I also carry a fourth hand tool in my pouch. ...

4th hand tool- thats what I was thinking.
so when you do this replacement: [note- for hands on stuff on a stella, I'm definitely a newbie] its my understanding the clutch cable is inside the cable "sleeve" (sorry, I don't know the real term),
so when the cable breaks- you just pull it out and slide in a new one?
or do you pull out the cable and the sleeve and then try to replace them both?
replacing the cable sleeve would require what seems like a delacate "threading through the chassis"- like a funky long wierd needle to thread- and would be a pretty tough thing to do in a workshop let alone on the side of the road- am I correct on any of this?
either way the 4th hand would be a necessity to get it right.
and another thing- how would one tell if they got the clutch cable "calibrated" right (or whatever the right term is)
I'm guessing the feel would be not too loose or not too tight? or maybe loose is okay or maybe tight is the way to be?

sorry for all the questions- I just like this topic and am excited to know how to take care of this if/when the problem arises in the next 10 years. [because I will be keeping the scooter forever- this is not a jab at the EPA delays- I am actually trying to keep my mind off that and manteanance of the stella and correct spelling of the word mantenance is a good place to spend some time]
Thanks!
p.s. if these anwers are already on some other topic - please lemmie know- no need to repeat yourself!

[Rippinyarn]

I like to replace the inner (the wire) only if it's a "on the road" type repair. If it happens in the workshop (I had a throttle cable rust once) I like to replace the whole shebang. You simply use the old cable to pull a new one through. I wired them together and covered the wire with some handy duct tape and gently pulled it through (I did back to front). I seriously doubt that you could even "thread the needle" through the scoot without a little help. It sure wouldn't be easy

[BuddyRaton]

When it breaks it is the inner that breaks.

A quick how to

Remove the clutch lever

Down by the clutch arm remove the pinch bolt, don't lose the little insert

Pull out the old (broken) inner

coat the new inner with a little 2 stroke oil (you always have some of thet right?)

Thread the new cable through the outer starting from the lever

Thread the cable through the adjuster and the clutch arm. I usually set the adjuster almost all the way in.

Reinstall the lever, don't forget the washer!

OK..here is the trick part. You need to have some tension on the clutch arm. How much? Just enough. Some people will use a bungie cord I like to use the fourth hand tool. Keep putting tension on the arm until there is just a little play in the lever. If you can get the rear wheel up off the ground you can put it in gear and feel the "play" in the lever.

Snug up and tighten the pinch bolt and you're good to go!

On the side of the road it takes me maybe 10 minutes to change a clutch cable, YMMV!

[BuddyRaton]

Here is a good walk through from Scooterhelp!

http://www.scooterhelp.com/genmaintain/ ... cable.html

[illnoise]

Yep, you should have ALL cables, fuses and bulbs on hand all the time. It's maybe overkill for a new Stella, but you've got space for them, why not have 'em. If nothing else, you might make a new friend on a ride when someone elses' breaks.

Tools, obv. Look what's in the kit and replace it all with higher quality tools, the kit that comes with bikes is always dangerously crappy. They'll strip a bolt or gouge a screw every time.

Definitely an extra plug.

And for the love of all that is holy, keep your spare tire in good shape and inflated. You're riding just about the only two-wheeled vehicle ever made that carried it's own spare, take advantage of it! Once I was in Niagara Falls riding an 8" Vespa with four people on P-series (like stellas). One of them got a flat, and none of the four had a good spare.

Otherwise, nothing's gonna go wrong that you're gonna be able to fix along the road. And as far as just stocking up on other parts, if you buy a set of turn-signal lenses, you'll guarantee yourself that you'll never break a turn signal lens. If you don't, you'll break two of them and they'll be out of stock. You can't win with stuff like that. : )

[despurvoa]

Too funny!
Yes, I am rapidly purchasing everything I think I will need, so much so that I think the UPS deliveryman thanks I've enrolled in Mechanic's school.
Keep in mind I'm not sure I even know where the clutch cable actually is, and the words "cable nipple clamp" still make me blush.
I suppose I too feel that if I have everything I could should something go wrong, nothing will go wrong.
I have the Haynes manual, but there are very strange words in there! I won't even start about how intimidating the wiring diagram looks! The only way to describe it is "busy."
Anyway, I think this should be a bit of an adventure, and attitude has always been key for me! Here goes!

[lmyers]

I won't even start about how intimidating the wiring diagram looks! The only way to describe it is "busy."

Wait til you remove the headset and actually look at the wires.

[despurvoa]

E-E-E-I-I-I-I-I-I-K-K-K-K-K!!!!!!!

[illnoise]

the cables are all fairly easy to change, as far as cables go, especially since you've got fresh outers. When you're doing an old bike and you've got outers that are unravelling or rusty or bent, it's tough. Getting them adjusted right is a bit tricky sometimes, make sure you have all those 'top hats' and pinch bolts and stuff. note there's a little copper disc inside the pinch bolt that needs to be there, if it gets lost, it won't pinch properly.

Also remember to carry a little grease or silicon powder or whatever your mechanic recommends. If you keep the ends lubricated and adjusted properly, they'll last for ages. And again, there's no better way to make sure they'll snap than to NOT have a spare on hand.

[Anachronism]

One thing I will add to this thread is that there is a lot of value to adjusting the shift and clutch cables in your driveway so you can get a feel for how it is done.

It will be a lot more fun to readjust them when you need to out on the road somewhere if you have already done it a few times.

[JNV]

I have the habit of changing my gear shift cables and clutch cable once a year whether I need to or not. That way I never worry about a cable snapping in the middle of a good ride or a commute to work. I keep the a few more tools than the basic kit just in case. The first time I got a flat I did not have a good spare. The second time I had all brand new tires including the spare and no tools. lesson learned, I learned it slow but I learned.

[despurvoa]

So BuddyRaton mentioned the cruciform being a "sacrificial part," so my question is, "How long do they typically last, and how can you keep from abusing them?"

Keep in mind that I assume I am shifting correctly. I accelerate to the required speed, say 12 mph in 2nd, lift up on the gas as I pull the clutch handle and shift into 3rd ( I hear the sound of shifting) and then release the clutch handle and apply the gas.

I looked at what was involved in replacing one! Yikes! I'm at 134 miles and wonder when I should wait for all those videos I've been watching to pay off!

[cmac]

I'm sure someone has probbaly given you enough info but I'll share what I ride with. I'm not a scooter mechanic by any means so it's pretty limited so if something goes bad I'll call someone to pick me up. I carry some 2t oil, gear oil, frogg toggs, small bike pump, everything the stella came with, a couple of hospital rags for messes, tire patch kit, extra plug (if not two), going to get cables soon, bag with all my info in it like insurance along with some emergency money in case my card doesn't work somewhere and I'm stranded for gas (best thing to do in my opinion), a small battery powered 99cent flashing bicycle light (Freakin awesome!), and a flashlight that straps to your head in case you gotta work in the dark. Oh yeah and some extra wrenches and sockets for stuff...I think an 11 and 13m are the ones I have?
Also I keep some latex gloves to slip over my riding gloves if it's pouring down rain, they don't dry very well so I try to keep em dry. And I have a couple of plastic bags in there too (for your feet when it rains OR to hold stuff you may pick up at the store or something).

Oh and possibly a headlight bulb would be good to carry. My highbeam went out once at night while riding and scared the shit out of me. Luckily the low beam worked still, but I think most people on here know that the low beam sucks d***.

[tbonestone]

One of the things i did for my spare tire was to ditch that plastic cover and rotate it around so the air valve was sticking out from the cowl. Then when it came time to check tire pressure, i'd check the spare too. I learned my lesson from experience of installing a flat-spare tire...

[lmyers]

One of the things i did for my spare tire was to ditch that plastic cover and rotate it around so the air valve was sticking out from the cowl. Then when it came time to check tire pressure, i'd check the spare too. I learned my lesson from experience of installing a flat-spare tire...

+1

[despurvoa]

Bike pump is a good idea, Cmac!
And TboneStone, what a good idea about aligning the air stem!
I guess experience is the best teacher! Thank you all for sharing your experiences/insights!