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, and a platform for the rider's feet, emphasizing comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles ...

manufactured by

Lohia Machinery Limited LML (formerly Lohia Machines Ltd) is a defunct 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 manuf ...

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...

, 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 & C. SpA (Piaggio ) is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under seven brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Derbi, and Scarabeo. Its ...

, 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-c ...

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 manual ...

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 special type of motor oil intended for use in crankcase compression two-stroke engines, typical of small gasoline-powered engines. Use Unlike a four-s ...

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 an Indian-made motor scooter produced by the Bajaj Auto company from 1972 to 2006. The Chetak is named after Chetak, the legendary horse of the Great Indian Warrior Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I, popularly known as ...

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. 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, 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 common during the I ...

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 power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

. 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 handlebar grip to control the throttle, but is sometimes found elsewhere, such as on a bicycle as a gearshift, and in helicopters. Hi ...

" 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, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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 United States vehicle emission standards are set through a combination of legislative mandates enacted by Congress through Clean Air Act (CAA) amendments from 1970 onwards, and executive regulations managed nationally by the Environmental Protec ...

References

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