Stella 150 4t Won't Run

[strangelimey]

I got a new Stella 150 4t last year and it ran beautifully.
However, it started to have clutch issues. When I eased out the clutch lever, there was no friction point; it would just bite and the bike would jerk into motion. I figured the fact that it has a sidecar might be the cause so I took it to the local scooter shop and they installed a better quality clutch. Riding away from the shop was beautiful as it eased nicely into each gear.

Then it broke down half way home. It just stopped, as if it were out of gas.

So, I took it back to the shop where they insisted it was just a coincidence and the best thing to do was to bypass the silly evap system that Genuine had put on it so it could be sold in California. They did that and I rode off. It broke down on the way from the shop again. I called and they told me that they never wanted to see me again! I'd been polite the whole time so this was a bit of a shock.

Anyway, I took it to another shop and they spent 2 months and $500 trying to figure out why it would start up and run for about 30 seconds and then just die. Each subsequent attempt, it would run for less time before dying.

They gave up and gave me my bike back (but still changed me $500) and I took it home. Then I hired a local mechanic to come to my house once a week and diagnose it with me so I could learn.

We put in a Polini big bore kit, a Polini 22mm carburetor, changed the CDI, the battery, the spark plug and the coil.

Same result. It runs for a few seconds and then dies.

We took the sparkplug out, grounded it, turned the lights out and fired the starter up. We saw that the plug would spark for a few seconds and then just stop.

So, what could cause that? The only thing I can think at this point is that the regulator is shot or that the ignition is cutting out for some reason.

Anyone have any ideas? This was supposed to be a cheap ride for getting around town but I've spent lots of money on it and I still don't have a working vehicle...