Me and Stella. Special thanks to my Honey for taking the photograph for me.
To make a rather long story short, the new scooter that I bought in June gave me more trouble than it was worth. I had to bring the bike to the shop twice for 4 separate issues. Shifting was a bother in L.A. traffic, and I decided that it was time to get a different scooter before I was turned off of them completely. I had my eyes on the Buddy 170i by Genuine Scooters and I decided that this bike would be a better choice. Fortunately the scooter shop where I got the Stella was able to do a trade-in for the Buddy.
Now, I’m sure many other people have very different views on either bike, but this is the list that I made to help me decide what to do. Most of the pros for the Stella were because of her great looks. But I know that if I had gotten the Buddy in the first place, I would have wondered what it would like to own the Stella…I guess I figured that out
Pros: * Beautiful bike * great fuel economy: 140 mpg * easy access to engine, wheels, shifter cables, etc. for repairs * 90% metal body * Beautiful Bike *same body as a Vespa P series, interchangeable parts and extras * you can get a sidecar for the Stella…I could ride with my cats or future dog! *
Cons: * MANUAL TRANSMISSION: Shifting difficult in L.A. traffic * high maintenance: there’s a reason they made everything so easy access… * qwirky to drive * seat height a little too high for me. Made driving and stopping on an incline difficult. *
Pros: *Cute bike * good fuel economy: 90 mpg * apparently built like a little tank: some riders have over 30K miles on their Buddy * AUTOMATIC transmission: I can pay full attention to the road, not which gear I’m in * 170 cc engine means a speedy bike (once I break the engine in) * great suspension and shocks *
Cons: *fuel injected engine means that battery and spark plugs must be carefully maintained * plastic body * NO kick start…if I can’t get the electric start to work, I’m out of luck *some people have talked about getting gremlins (but not as many as the Stella) *
Both bikes come with Genuine Scooters‘ amazing 2 year warranty and roadside assistance, so that is a BIG reason to buy their brand. So far I’ve used the towing on my Stella, and I even had to use the manufacture’s warranty for the repairs that needed to be done when I first bought her (some stuff was out of whack from the factory).
In the future, when having two bikes might be an option, I would be interested in getting a Stella (or similar shifter bike) for my “number two” bike, but for now I think that the Buddy and I will be getting along nicely.
Buddy is pretty cute, don’t you say?
I am sad to say goodbye to the Stella, but I think that the Buddy will be a better choice. I guess time will tell!
Page Redford 