Quick Ride: Genuine Scooter Stella

By Scott Araujo

I'm Scott, a friend of Andy's who he has invited to contribute to the site. If you remember the 200,000 mile Honda Civic that was posted recently, that was mine. I'll be writing about small motorcycles. These have a lot in common with small cars: economical, tons of fun, and we never seem to get the really cool ones they have in Asia and Europe.



The Genuine Scooter Company Stella is made by LML in India and imported to the States by the Genuine Scooted Company, they are sold under different names in other countries. At first look you might think it's just a restored Vespa. It certainly has the look: stamped all steel frame and body, headlight and speedo blended into the handlebars, spare 10" tire tucked under the side cover with the battery. Wait, is that a front disc brake? Starting the engine dissolves the illusion entirely with a notable lack of 2-stroke blue haze. While lots about this bike is traditional it now has a clean burning 147.5cc 4-stroke engine. They are made under license from Piaggio and many parts are a direct swap with the Vespa PX150.


So how does it ride? I took one for a scoot through town and some local country roads. Simply put, it's a blast! With about 10hp in a light machine the bike easily keeps up with in town traffic. Handling is light and precise. You don't need to steer or even look, just think about where you want to go and the bike goes there. The brakes (front disc and drum rear) are more than adequate and give good feedback. Getting out to the twisty roads in the hills and I could open the bike up a bit. It had no trouble getting up to 45mph with my 220 lb. aboard, even going up the hills. At that speed the handling starts to get a bit squirrely so I didn't push it much farther. There's no instability or wobbling but with a short wheelbase and 10" wheels it's definitely sensitive to input. The Genuine website claims a 60+ MPH top speed and my mechanic rides his older two stroke on the freeway all the time, so it is possible if you're willing.

The twist grip shifter takes a little getting used to. The left side lever activates the clutch like any modern motorcycle but the shifting is indexed into the grip with neutral being straight out, first gear a twist down from there, and three more gears a twist up each. Due to this the clutch lever may be pointing at the ground, the sky, or straight ahead at any given time depending on what gear you're in. It's odd if you've never seen it before but quick and easy to master. The right side lever for the front brake points straight forward and due to the handlebar design is non-adjustable. I generally like the levers pointed down a bit for comfort but it's a small quibble. The turn signals were also a surprise in that there is an integrated beeper that sounds like a truck backing up when they're on. I'm sure you'd never forget it was on but if I bought one I'd probably cut the wire to it the first week.

Fit and finish is really quite good. Nothing rattles or buzzes and the panels all match up quite well. The paint is well done and all the bits and pieces bolt on cleanly. There's no denying the charm and style and though it looks small I had no trouble fitting my 6' frame on for the ride. It might get a bit crowded if I was taking a passenger, but then again how far would I really be going? This is an in town bike. Speaking of 'in town', this bike is EPA rated for 140MPG city. Astounding!

MSRP is currently $3699, plus a few hundred more for freight and prep. It's really quite a charming and capable little bike with a style second to none. If you mostly stay in town and close by areas it's about as cool as you can get for around $4000, and you get to thumb your nose at the oil companies with every twist of the wrist!