Stella Cowl Removal and installation.

In May of 2010 me and my wife went to Paris and fell in love with all the Vespas and scooters we saw there. We fell in love with Paris as well, but that's a different blog. When we got back to the States I found a Stella on ebay for the "right" price. It is a 2003 model and is showing signs of wear but is generally in great shape and still lots of fun to ride.

Basic Stella Maintenance is a must for me since I live in a po-dunk town with no real Vespa repair shop.

My used Stella didn't come with any tools. I ordered a basic kit from scooter works and added a pair of needle nose pliers and a right angle screw driver to help me get to those tight spots.

How to remove the cowl:

To get the cowl off to access the engine I have to remove the cowl protector also known as the "chrome". The spark plug wrench in the tool kit fits the bolts.

After the chrome is off, lift the seat and pull the lever that releases the cowl latch.

The Cowl will come loose in the front and you just hinge it back in a sweeping motion; front to back. There's a pin in the back.

To reinstall just start here in the back and put the pin in the hole and swing it back to front and press the cowl against the scooter.

Press down and at the same time press in at the front of the cowl to force the pin in the front to go into the hole. I have to physically bend the cowl to get it to go into the hole.

Turn the lever back to lock the cowl. That's it! Notice the silver helmet hooks I added; a handy upgrade.