Perpetual, buying a new scoot

[devonrs]

hey, i'd like to buy a new scooter... i'm looking seriously at stella, or the mojito 150... can anyone give me a recommendation? pros and cons of the two? or suggest another classic looking fast and reliable scooter? i currently ride a vino 50, stage one, and it's fast, but i'd like it to be faster and i fear for it's stability once it's stage three and i'm driving it to work and back every day....

also, what's up with the stella's for sale on this site? you buy it and get it shipped to you in a box all unassembled, i assume?

anyone?

thanks,
devon

[King Vino]

At this time we do not sell scooters online, and would have to set up delivery through TSL, our brick and mortar outfit in regards to scooter sales. And I'm not even sure how Dave handles that sicne I've never run in to that before.

[scooterconvert]

there's some obvious differences between the two like price and automatic transmission. I really like both bikes, but I think the Mojito 150 is much more bike than the stella. You'll probably pay around $1,000 more for the Aprilia. I can only assume that both bikes will give you much more stability than your current ride. The aprilia is a four stroke so there probably won't be many mods available but from what I've heard this bike really rides nice. I've got a friend who owns a Stella and it seems like a really nice bike too. Being a two stroke I think that there is a 180cc kit available for it. The stella has more steel on the body and it is a little more classic look. Either scoot will give you your money's worth in my opinion.

[Davey-boi]

ScooterConvert is right, both will give you your moneys worth. Heres the breakdown.....

STELLA

Manual transmission (if you commute through heavy traffic, expect to do alot of shifting)

150cc 2 stroke (Easily modded, less complex, but also "dirty" meaning a lot more smoke and smell, 60+ mph)

Vintage look (all metal body, nice and sturdy. Cool colors, except you needa pay more for "special addition" colors such as black and dark green.)

Disk brakes (front only)

Acessories (All the vintage crome trim can be bolted on, spare tire, you can even buy a side car!)

Quality ride (Never ridden a Stella, but it comes with gas shocks.)

Service? (Genuine isn't a big company, but I'm sure you can take it to a local scooter shop and they wouldn't have a problem fixing anything)

MSRP $2,899


MOJITO

Automatic transmission (Just twist and go)

150cc 4stroke (Clean and quiet. More complex than a 2 stroke. There are mods for this scoot, an aprilia site sells a 190cc 4 stroke kit, theres also all the other performance parts available such as exhaust and variator. 72mph top speed, but it's probably more like 65+mph.)

Very distinctive look (Unlike any scoot sold in the U.S., you'll turn heads... and not because of a loud exhaust pipe! But very plastic feeling.)

Disk brakes (front only)

Acessories (So far I've only found a larger rear rack, and thats 90 bucks!)

Quality ride (huge tires, comfy seat, giant shocks. Stabile, comfortable, and solid ride even at high speeds.)

Servise available (Aprilia does have a servise department and are pretty accesable, but I hear parts take forever to get.)

MSRP $5,699 :eek: (From Scoot! quarterly, but that seems a lil high. I bought mine used with 50miles in it for $3,800 :p )

Well thats a pretty complete list. Both are great scooters, but VERY different. I can't really recommend one over the other, it comes down to your personal tastes. If we were comparing a vespa to an aprilia then yeah, I can say. Or even a Stella to a Bajaj for that matter. I can tell you this, if your living in a city I'd buy the mojito, less shifting. Ohh and finally, both can go on the freeway (just thought I'd add that).

[Elliott]

150cc 4stroke (Clean and quiet. More complex than a 2 stroke.)

I think the 4stroke is better then the long run becuze The Oil is in the PAN Just Like a car you only have to change the Oil Every 6 months

with the 2stroke the cost of Refill is really up there, A small Bottle $4.96 :eek:

[scooterconvert]

There's an aprilia dealer in my town selling the Mojito 150 custom for $3899 so with tax and shipping and all that stuff it will probably come closer to $4500 or more.

[Elliott]

scooterconvert + DMV fees

your gonna order a bike scooterconvert

it will be low then that if you go pick it up... :)

[devonrs]

okay, thanks for the info guys, i went to ducati of seattle last night and looked at a stella, i want one in black but they stoped making them in black... for shame. anyway, i'm aware of all the pros and cons of the stella, and i am a little scared of it being manual, as i do drive my scoot a lot, and often do a lot of weaving through heavy traffic... but i'm sure i could get used to it... i do love the accesseries, and spare tire/tool kit, and all that... and the metal body is the best... though it seems like a 2-stroke going that fast wouldn't be so stable/reliable..? am i wrong? i don't know too much about it, but i could soup up my vino to go that fast, but then wouldn't trust it nearly as well as stock, i'd like to buy a faster bike that can more reliably carry a passenger so i don't have to worry about it as much...
i hardly know anything about the mojito, can't even find good pictures of one! (can anyone help me out here?) just the same pic of it from the back angle...
but i'm gonna look into it all more before making a purchase, also maybe a vespa? any other good vintage/classic looking brands out there?

[King Vino]

The manual is half the fun. It's the one thing I hate about the Vino.

[scooterconvert]

When I first started looking into scooters I didn't even consider Bajaj but for a bike with what I wanted I found it to be logical for what I wanted to pay. I've put 1200 miles on mine. I top out the speed (55 mph) every day and I haven't had any problems yet. Everywhere I go people think it's a Vespa and I'm still trying to figure out a short way to tell them the real deal. I've never owned another scoot but I feel that this bike has given me my money's worth. I weigh 235 and this bike carries me very well. So now I've probably made the choice harder for you by adding something else for you to consider :p The body is also steel.

[devonrs]

yeah, i've been trying to get more info on the bajas... anyone know of a good site?

[scooterconvert]

www.bajajusa.com or www.thescooterlounge.com. Dave at the Scooter Lounge was the one who gave me the idea of buying a Bajaj.

[Zuma88]

im looking in to buying a italjet Dragster 50 L.C. with Arrow Exhuast and 70cc kit top speed (85mph)

[scooterconvert]

Italjets are hard to find parts for because the scoots are no longer in production!

[Zuma88]

nah www.jollymoto.nl

[Toucan]

Just for consideration, both Ducati Seattle and Moto International are fine dealerships. I bought my Aprilia Tuono from MotoI. I have seriously looked at the Mojito Custom 150, in 2-tone black (gloss/satin). It was a beautiful scoot, and at $3799, a fair deal. IMO it seems a little better built than the Stella. I still ended up with 2 watercooled Derbis', and neither came from either dealer. Get'em where you can find'em I guess.

Enjoy

[King Vino]

www.bajajusa.com or www.thescooterlounge.com. Dave at the Scooter Lounge was the one who gave me the idea of buying a Bajaj.

Wow, wonder how Dave is doing these days? Been a while since we last saw him on here. Back in the days when The Scooter Lounge and Provoscooter were directly connected. I'm not sure where we stand these days. I did notice that the TSL site is still linked to us, but I guess I should ask James B about all that some time. (Note on the online store side of Provoscooter.com TSL Racing. TSL - The Scooter Lounge).

[mrklaw]

I bought my black Stella at The Scooter Lounge and I love it. I've driven almost 500 miles already and I am still on my first bottle of 2T oil.

When I was shopping for a scoot, I wanted something with a manual transmission (more control), a 2-stroke engine (more upgradeable) and a metal body. The Stella was the only one out there that had all those three things. I also liked the fact that the Stella had a spare tire, but that it was hidden under the cowl instead of being on the rear rack.

I also love that the Stella can use accessories and parts from P-series vespas so that there are TONS of parts available and lots of websites with instructions on doing your own repair. I haven't had to do anything but change an inner tube so far though.

Good luck on making your choice! They are all great scooters!

[Davey-boi]

If you basically want a metal scoot, go with a vintage vespa. A 60's vespa would rock! Great smoooooth curves, not all boxy like the stella and horrific looking bajaj che-crap. And when you look that good, who cares about how fast you can go? They are damn reliable too.

[scooterconvert]

easy on the Chetak buddy. :(

[devonrs]

yeah, i think the chetak looks alright, but i've been looking at all the rebuilt vespas and lambrettas for sale on ebay, not too expensive at all, cheaper than a new stella, but it's so damn hard to figure this all out...
there's a ton of these for sale:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4503519977&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

i mean... hot damn!

[Davey-boi]

Well, you shouldn't buy a scoot on e-bay unless it's local and you have a chance to see it in person. I suggest looking on craigslist, your newspaper adds, or you can even by one off scootrs.com. Even local scoot shops (theres gotta be a ton in Seattle) often buy, restore, and then sell vintage scoots. Anyway, I strongly suggest you buy LOCALLY.


***sorry about the chetak smack talking***

[marylandmark]

Item location: Jakarta, INDONESIA.
Indonesia


Without a doubt read and use this!!!

http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/escrow.html


eBay Recommends Escrow for Transactions Over $500

Escrow.com protects both buyer and seller by acting as a trusted third-party during the transaction and managing the payment process from start to finish.

Escrow is ideal for transactions over $500 because it provides added protection.

Services are provided by Escrow.com, a fully-licensed escrow provider.


p.s.- NICE scoot for sale there!!

[devonrs]

yeah if i bought one online it would definitely be one that i could go pick up... there aren't a ton of scooter shops in seattle... there's ...some. so i'm looking at portland and vancouver as well.

[King Vino]

I'd do something through SCOOT RS (www.scootrs.com) myself, where you can control every aspect of the restoration yourself and not pay much more than you would for a new Vespa or Stella. But don't let them fool you with how simple they make customs sound.

[scootinforlife247]

hey, i'd like to buy a new scooter... i'm looking seriously at stella, or the mojito 150... can anyone give me a recommendation? pros and cons of the two? or suggest another classic looking fast and reliable scooter? i currently ride a vino 50, stage one, and it's fast, but i'd like it to be faster and i fear for it's stability once it's stage three and i'm driving it to work and back every day....

also, what's up with the stella's for sale on this site? you buy it and get it shipped to you in a box all unassembled, i assume?

anyone?

thanks,
devon
BUY A ZUMA

[devonrs]

NEVER!

those things are U-G-L-Y


sorry...

[devonrs]

I'd do something through SCOOT RS (www.scootrs.com) myself, where you can control every aspect of the restoration yourself and not pay much more than you would for a new Vespa or Stella. But don't let them fool you with how simple they make customs sound.

do you know much about scootrs.com and their quality? people are saying things about their scooters breaking in half off of a bump in the road?!??!

i would absolutely LOVE to buy one from them, it wouldn't be cheap, but getting a perfectly restored, beautiful vintage vespa or lambretta with a modern, 5 port, engine, reed valves, tuned carb/exhaust, etc etc, and a custom paint job to boot, oh my god!

all the pictures on their site of past customers scooters are freakin' orgasmic, i mean check this ***EDITED*** out:

http://www.scootrs.com/library.cfm?sku=TV175

[King Vino]

I know half of the vintage scooters you see in group rides, half are posted in Scoot! Quarterly have come from them. Also half the vintage scooter stores import from them, only thing is that during the winter months they have a three month plus wait, because of the order volume. (Faster turn around in summer!)

[devonrs]

really? why are people ordering them so much during the winter???? i thought everyone buys scooters in the summer, which is why i thought it would be smart to buy one during the winter... ?