Stella vs. Znen

Rail 50 · Post by **Rail 50** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 3:27 am

So I went for a ride today on a coworker's Il Bella, and my question is why?
What is the point of buying a 150 that only goes 50 mph? I really couldn't compare it with the Stella, because his scooter is below par in every category. Are people buying these because they see a cheap price? What are the sales people doing/saying about these units that has people plunking down the money? Are any of these buyers happy? Are there owners who frequent this forum? I guess it looks nice with the chrome accents, but my Stella was faster, and more comfortable.

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 5:17 am

People buy them cuz they are dirt cheap, and that's all they pay attention to.

PeterC · Post by **PeterC** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:58 pm

My Dad once told me that you could always buy oats cheaper if they'd already been through the horse.

Rail 50 · Post by **Rail 50** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:46 pm

well, I got one, and I'll run a comparo on them soon. Might as well get some training wheels for the wife, and she can eventually move up into something better, after she gets more comfortable.
First thing I noticed, the turning radius is about 4 foot larger than the Stella.
and it's got a name already... the Plastic Fantastic.
Second, this looks like a DIY bike, but the dealer is only 2.2 miles away, so if it breaks, I can always push it over there.

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:55 pm

I saw one of those at one of the Genuine dealers here (although I think they are getting out of the scooter business from the looks of their showroom. No '12 Buddy scooter listed on their website). Sat on it and it creaked worse than a set of faux-tupperware from the dollar store! Craptastic China-clone GY6 with body panels thinner than a butter tub. I would not pay $500 for one of those junkers. Yes, from a VERY long distance they sort of look like a GS. But, they are banking on the ignorance of the consumer to sell as many of these before the dealerships go belly up. Totally disposable bike in my first impressions.

I will be surprised if you get past 1500 miles without a major failure. Keep us posted!

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:54 am

PeterC wrote:My Dad once told me that you could always buy oats cheaper if they'd already been through the horse.

^^^ I like that, and will use it in the future...Thank you sir.

JohnnyScoots · Post by **JohnnyScoots** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 2:27 am

We actually bought my wife a Lance Vintage (same as Il Bello) and it wasn't too bad of a scoot. I will maintain the view that in certain circumstances, a good dealer makes more of a difference than a manufacturer. Mechanically, it was sound (GY6) but the body panels do tend to loosen up somewhat. They always took care of the tightening for her when she took it in for an oil change.

Not to say that if we were to get the exact same scoot on the internet and had it shipped, it wouldn't have lasted 1k miles before problems.

We did sell it, though.. and I think a Buddy is next on the list for her.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:45 pm

Rail 50 wrote:So I went for a ride today on a coworker's Il Bella, and my question is why? What is the point of buying a 150 that only goes 50 mph? I really couldn't compare it with the Stella, because his scooter is below par in every category. Are people buying these because they see a cheap price?

Rail 50 wrote:well, I got one, and I'll run a comparo on them soon. Might as well get some training wheels for the wife, and she can eventually move up into something better, after she gets more comfortable.

Strange post. I guess you answerered your own question - in a backhanded way. I would not put my SO or another family member on one of these - very much a personal decision I realize and I don't intend to give advice to you or others. I honestly question their safety as much as their reliability.

Rail 50 · Post by **Rail 50** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:59 am

Dooglas wrote:
Rail 50 wrote:So I went for a ride today on a coworker's Il Bella, and my question is why? What is the point of buying a 150 that only goes 50 mph? I really couldn't compare it with the Stella, because his scooter is below par in every category. Are people buying these because they see a cheap price?
Rail 50 wrote:well, I got one, and I'll run a comparo on them soon. Might as well get some training wheels for the wife, and she can eventually move up into something better, after she gets more comfortable.
Strange post. I guess you answerered your own question - in a backhanded way. I would not put my SO or another family member on one of these - very much a personal decision I realize and I don't intend to give advice to you or others. I honestly question their safety as much as their reliability.

What I have discovered along the way: The dealer is willing and able to support the bike. I did a very intense post delivery repair list, put a new carb on it, and changed the oil at 300 miles. My Stella dealer has closed. It will be interesting to see how both of these units compare with my 1993 Riva 125, which has 11250 miles on it, and just went it for a valve adjustment, and belt change. Now please don't flame me for enjoying a Chinascoot. My proof will be in the actual cost of ownership. Time will tell.

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:47 am

Rail 50 wrote:
Dooglas wrote:
Rail 50 wrote:So I went for a ride today on a coworker's Il Bella, and my question is why? What is the point of buying a 150 that only goes 50 mph? I really couldn't compare it with the Stella, because his scooter is below par in every category. Are people buying these because they see a cheap price?
Rail 50 wrote:well, I got one, and I'll run a comparo on them soon. Might as well get some training wheels for the wife, and she can eventually move up into something better, after she gets more comfortable.
Strange post. I guess you answerered your own question - in a backhanded way. I would not put my SO or another family member on one of these - very much a personal decision I realize and I don't intend to give advice to you or others. I honestly question their safety as much as their reliability.
What I have discovered along the way: The dealer is willing and able to support the bike. I did a very intense post delivery repair list, put a new carb on it, and changed the oil at 300 miles. My Stella dealer has closed. It will be interesting to see how both of these units compare with my 1993 Riva 125, which has 11250 miles on it, and just went it for a valve adjustment, and belt change. Now please don't flame me for enjoying a Chinascoot. My proof will be in the actual cost of ownership. Time will tell.

Come back in a year and see how many parts you can find for that bike. Not parts that "sorta" fit, or parts that can be "modified" to "work". I can still pick up main bearings for the Stella for about $25. Cowls for $100 to $400 depending on what I want on them. Heck, just about anything. The Riva, even with it being so old, is still easy to find factory fit parts for. A dealership does not a good bike make. And, it's my understanding that they aren't even making this scooter anymore, unless I heard wrong. Have to find the link where I read that...

The long and the short of it is that just because one shop may be nice enough to you to support it, it doesn't make a poorly built bike a good bike. It's slapped together like a Wal-Mart microwave, and there's no doubt about that. The REAL question is can I go to Vancouver, London, South Africa and Mumbai and find the exact same bike for sale with parts that will fit my bike back home? You can with the Stella/PX, the Riva and even the Buddy.

Rail 50 · Post by **Rail 50** » Thu Nov 24, 2011 6:25 am

The figures are in (sort of)... After 6 months of riding, with 401 miles* on each bike, here is the update.
Stella Znen
cost new (tax lic. int on 36 mo) $4437 Paid cash and lic. $1137
cost per mile gas $0.037 $0.045
$ spend on gas $14.23 $17.90
total gas used 3.57 gal 4.72 gal
cost per tank to fill up $2.37 $2.98
Insurance $105.80 $100.80
repairs 500 mile svc due 1000 mile svc due
mpg 107.9 85.0
*Stella bought new with 009 miles, Znen bought used with 580 miles.
The Stella shop is closed, so it will have to be trucked to the nearest town for factory service, can't ride it on the interstate. Znen dealer is 2.2 miles from home.
Other money spent: a small Prima bag, and disc lock for the Znen. $77 Chrome racks front/rear and flyscreen for for the Stella. $315
this didn't preview the way I wanted it to show up so my apologies... Hope you can understand it.

Silver Streak · Post by **Silver Streak** » Fri Nov 25, 2011 4:26 pm

Rail 50 wrote: The Stella shop is closed, so it will have to be trucked to the nearest town for factory service, can't ride it on the interstate.

Why do you have to truck it just because you can't ride it on the interstate (you can, BTW -- it just takes balls)? My dealer is 53 miles away on the other side of Baltimore, and I often ride there on secondary roads and city streets.

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:36 pm

Neotrotsky speaks words of wisdom!

PeterC · Post by **PeterC** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:57 pm

You can always buy oats cheaper if they've already been through the horse.

bigbropgo · Post by **bigbropgo** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:28 pm

what the heck?

Modern Buddy

Stella vs. Znen

Stella vs. Znen

Re: Stella vs. Znen

Re: Stella vs. Znen

Re: Stella vs. Znen

Update

Re: Update