hey there y'all! i don't even have a scooter yet, but i've taken the plunge to the point where i've signed up for motorcycle safety course, and soon after that...

the stella!

yes, i've known what scoot i'd get for months now, it just required a little savings on my part. i'm ready. i can do it. i just have one huge conundrum ahead of me: what color?

black? would look good with lotsa lotsa chrome!

pink? awww...

ice mint green? would look amazing with chrome, and lots of band stickers. downside: would i look too much like i was trying to imitate a vespa? i mean, vespas are great and all, but i'm plenty pleased with all i've found out about the stella, and don't want to appear that i'm trying to emulate their style...

Julie Beth, you are going to love your Stella!
I got a Fireball (#5) about 2 months ago and its been great!

Having ridden T&G scooters for years... It took a few weeks to get used to driving a manual. But hell.. My car is manual.. So reason my scooter isn't!
Shifting is almost second nature to me now


Welcome to the forum and keep us informed on your scooter progress

thanks, ellen! i'm excited. now, i've never driven a motorcycle or scooter or anything like that before...but i'm still really excited about this. it'll be so good...practical AND fun!

okay, my motorcycle safety class, scheduled for this weekend, was cancelled because of the hurricane. not because of the weather, but because the high school where it was scheduled has filled up with refugees from the coast.

so. a couple more weeks, and THEN i'll be good to go.

Hi Julie...

Were you able to take the Motorcyle Safety class yet? How did it go? Are you still thinking about the Stella?

~ Shellee

motorcycle class is this coming thursday/weekend. and yes! stella! still saving up for that, too. i did, at least, get myself a good quality helmet and some pretty motorcycle gloves...so i'm on my way to being a scooterist. just not quite there yet...

sweet. just made it through day 2 of the MSF course (the first day with riding!), and i survived! they've got us on teensy-weensy little (ie.: MY size) little 125 cc motorcycles, and i'm not doin' so bad! i'm very excited about tomorrow, when there's going to be more riding, less technical stuff, so they say.

anyhow, my plan is to go get my M on my drivers license sometime this week, and then go get a bank loan for the scoot next weekend! i'll be be-stella'd any second.

i still don't know what color i wanna get. that's half the fun!

Finally saw a pink Stella today. Its reallyyyyyyyy pink!

Once you get your Stella you're going to have to think about adding the bling bling! Chrome, Roman Holiday basket, Windshield, etc

aw yeah!

hey, guess what? i just passed the MSF test! sweet! no riding test on the DMV application then. this week: M class drivers licence; next week: scooter! (hopefully!)

also, i've pretty much decided:

I love that color!. Is a Stella hard to drive?

i don't know yet if a stella is hard to drive. but i *did* just now get my motorcycle license! so i'm ready to go down and find me a scooter! that's going to be happening on friday...after the weekend, i'll let ya know about the driveability.

Driving a manual isn't that hard. Though it does help a lot if you know how to drive a manual car.

When I picked my my Stella , the dealer gave me a 5 minute lesson in the parking lot. I then spent the next 15-20 minutes driving around the parking lot by myself. (It's a lot easier in the beginning when no one is looking ) I stalled a lot in the beginning. Especially when starting off in first gear. Thank God the Stellas have an electric start. Once you master getting into first. going to second, third and forth is no problem.
Just start out slow and don't expect to be able to peel out right way.
Oh, also in the beginning you learn to avoid hills like the plague
By the time you reach 500 miles it will be second nature.

well, since i took the MSF class, i have an idea how the thing'll work...but i have a question for another stella owner (yes, you, ellen ) from pics and seeing them in person it appears to me that you shift by moving the left handle *laterally*...is that right? or does one twist the handle/grip to change gears?

also, i'm sure i'll get the 5-minute lesson as well. so long as i can keep the salespeople from pestering me to get a motorcycle instead (here in austin it's a ducati dealer that also sells the stella...my husband and i have been in there plenty of times to gaze at both the bikes AND the scooters. heh).

To shift you release the throttle. Pull in the left handle which is the clutch. As you hold in the clutch, you turn the left grip out to move up though the gears, or towards you to downshift. (Neutral is the dot between 1st and 2nd gear.)

Here is some info on of the Bajaj web site. Bajaj, Stella and Vespa's all shift the same way.

http://www.bajajusa.com/how%20to%20shift.htm