The LML Star (also known as Star De Luxe in Europe or Stella in United States) is a model

motor scooter A scooter (motor scooter) is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, a transmission that shifts without the operator having to operate a clutch lever, a platform for their feet, and with a method of operation that emph ...

manufactured by

Lohia Machinery Limited LML (formerly Lohia Machines Ltd) was an Indian scooter and motorcycle manufacturer formerly based in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. History and overview Incorporated as Lohia Machines Private Limited in 1972, the company was engaged in manufacture ...

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

, India between 1999 and 2017 and based on the Italian Piaggio Vespa PX.

History

In 1986, LML began a joint venture with scooter manufacturer

Piaggio Piaggio Group () is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under five brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Derbi. Its corporate headquarters are ...

, through which the Italian company sold its

Vespa PX The Vespa P/PX Series is a range of scooters manufactured by Piaggio under the Vespa brand. History The Vespa PX was first presented in 1977 in Milan as the ''nuova linea'' model (new line). The Vespa was built with two drum brakes, a single ...

model to the Indian market. This model lacks an

automatic lubrication Automatic lubrication (also called autolube or auto-lube) refers to a lubrication system on a two-stroke engine, in which the oil is automatically mixed with fuel and manua ...

system thus

two-stroke oil Two-stroke oil (also referred to as two-cycle oil, 2-cycle oil, 2T oil, or 2-stroke oil) is a type of motor oil intended for use in crankcase compression two-stroke engines, typical of small gasoline-powered engines. Use Unlike a four-stroke en ...

must be pre-mixed with petrol. An upgraded version of this scooter was called the LML Select 2. Production of the LML NV and LML Select 2 ended in 2004. Up until 2004,

Bajaj Chetak The Bajaj Chetak is a motor Scooter (motorcycle), scooter produced by the Indian company Bajaj Auto. Past models were petrol powered (either 2 or 4-stroke). The modern version is electric vehicle, electric (known as the Chetak Electric), is powe ...

was its chief competitor in its segment (''150'' cc, 2 stroke scooter) in the Indian market. The company revised production in 2007 and subsequently sold two-stroke and four-stroke models. There was another model produced by LML, called Vespa A1; unlike other vespas it features split seating. The driver's seat had a spring beneath it and another separate seat for pillion. The Stella and Vespa P-series scooters share much of their design and engineering and many of their parts are

interchangeable Interchangeability can refer to: *Interchangeable parts, the ability to select components for assembly at random and fit them together within proper tolerances *Interchangeability (computer science) In computer science, an interchangeability algor ...

. Genuine Scooters was formed to import the scooter to the United States market. Production was interrupted by a

labor strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became co ...

from 2005 to mid-2006 but resumed once the dispute was settled. Genuine Scooter stopped importing in June 2017 after LML hit financial trouble.

Characteristics

The Stella features a

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...

. Like "vintage" European scooters, it operates with a four-speed "

twist-grip A twistgrip is a handle that can be twisted to operate a control. It is commonly found as a motorcycle's right Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar grip to control the throttle, but is sometimes found elsewhere, such as on a bicycle as a gearshift, and ...

" manual transmission. Other traditional features include a steel frame, spare tire, and styling. The 2007 and 2008 models include better quality paint, grips, and a redesigned headlight. The two-stroke version of the scooter is authorized through Genuine Scooters dealers throughout most of the United States, but not in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

due to state regulations. In 2011, Genuine developed a

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

version of the Stella which meets

California emission standards California () is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the sout ...

References

{{Two wheelers in India Indian motor scooters Motorcycles introduced in 1986 Two-stroke motorcycles