Genuine Stella?

I've had an on-and-off desire to get on 2 wheels. My 6.5 mile commute is 100% flat, on 45 mph roads, so a 50cc scooter is right out. Besides, I like a clutch.

The Genuine Scooter Company makes the Stella 150. It's a licensed copy of the original Vespa, made in India. It has a clutch!

They list for $3500, but there's a dealer 100 miles away that has leftover, 0-miles 2013's for $1799. I would have to borrow/rent a truck or trailer to get it home, but that's fine.

Anybody know anything about these?

Word on the street is that they are great little scoots. I would take an extended test ride though, but for 1800$ you can get out of it for next to nothing in the long run.

No, except that you can buy a lot of motorcycle for $3500 and quite a bit for $1800. You can use said motorcycle on 70mph highways, twisties, etc. They have clutches too. Plus... it's not some sort of indian made contraption of death. You can get parts. You can ride them home from wherever you buy them.

don't get me wrong - a realold Vespa would be cool... but not a copy that is selling at half price with 0 miles and will go for a lot less than that when you try to sell it with 500mi.

You can replace all the "Stella" badges with "Vespa" badges. They bolt right in. Just sayin'.

Hell, I'm considering a minty fresh low milage GPZ900R for that asking price....and I could use Top Gun references all the time as an added bonus.

In reply to yamaha:

I know right... totally cool:

versus a scooter pride parade:

(for the record... both passengers in the images above are possibly dudes)

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: No, except that you can buy a lot of motorcycle for $3500 and quite a bit for $1800. You can use said motorcycle on 70mph highways, twisties, etc. They have clutches too. Plus... it's not some sort of indian made contraption of death. You can get parts. You can ride them home from wherever you buy them. don't get me wrong - a realold Vespa would be cool... but not a copy that is selling at half price with 0 miles and will go for a lot less than that when you try to sell it with 500mi.

I don't know enough about motorcycle repair to buy a used bike. I don't know any new bikes under $3500. Perhaps I'm not grassroots enough.

Pay no attention to the tired old stereotypical responses about scooters. If you like it, buy it - they're a lot of fun.

I paid $1800 for an 09 Yamaha XV250 2 years ago. It was adult owned with 2667 miles on it and nearly perfect in appearance. It averages mid 70mpg and will cruise all day @ 55 mph. It has a clutch and a 5 speed. I would have preferred to have a standard design bike but I've enjoyed it immensely.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: don't get me wrong - a realold Vespa would be cool... but not a copy that is selling at half price with 0 miles and will go for a lot less than that when you try to sell it with 500mi.

have you priced used Stellas? $1800 wouldn't get you a running one around here. They are also more than just a Vespa knockoff, The Indian company that builds them started with actual Vespa tooling (honestly, I'm not sure if that's a plus or minus as far as quality goes), but they are in-fact, fairly genuine, especially the early models with 2 cycle engines.

when I was young and insecure, I used to mock scooters, I know better now. I'm not saying that they are better than "real motorcycles", but they can be the exact right tool for certain jobs. BTW: don't many members of this forum habitually tell people to drive an under powered cutesy hair dresser's car? Glass houses.....

In conclusion, some cool scooter hot linked pics.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

The one on the back of the scooter is Kelly McGillis, right?

In reply to Appleseed:

Yes.

Stella list is $3500. For $3900 list you could by a SYM Wolf Classic 150:

Same great economy, Taiwan built (arguably better than India and way better than Chinese stuff) and it's a proper motorcycle you can clamp your knees around. I don't like scooters because I don't feel safe with the step-through design. I wonder what kind of deal you could get on a leftover?

My sister-in-law bought a Stella new several years ago and it's been decent but not bulletproof. Sits in a garage when not in use and the cosmetics haven't aged gracefully. I think they are a case of "you get what you pay for". Ok, but not great.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

The only downside is the GPZ I'm looking at isn't that black/red.....but instead red, white, & blue. But, minty fresh means I might forgive that difference. I'd like to have the first sport bike and the first hyper bike sitting side by side.

for 6 and a half miles and dead flat, I'd spend the money on a bicycle. $1800 buys a hell of a lot of bike and gear, it's not much slower than a scooter, gets better mileage, and it puts you in shape.

Having said that, listen to the reviews on quality and ignore the reviews on cool.

Overall tire diameter is my main reasoning against a scooter. They just don't have the stability and handling of a motorcycle.

Hey guys....the stella is a grip shifter 4 speed. And yes it has a clutch. Buy a scooter, own it at least once. I have a 1000cc FZ1 and a scooter might be the same if not more fun. Its a different kind of fun but still fun.

Is this the 2 stroke or 4 stroke? 4 stroke got a bit porky and feels weird to me. The 2 stroke is generally the favorite round here ( i think its cause it feels more vintafe)

Good luck.

Post pics when you buy it

In reply to Graefin10 :

If someone has done more than change the oil on a car, and can't work on something like that, they should probably go ahead and sell their tools. 
Motorcycles are actually easier to maintain than scooters. 
The 250 helix I had for a bit, was quite comfortable, but not what I'd call dependable. 

Zombie thread

ddavidv said:

Zombie thread

Ouch! I surely missed that!!!