Modern Vespa

I'm currently looking for a 2 stroke vintage scooter (have owned 3 other 4 strokers), would like to have some input for my choice (new Genuine Stella, 70s Vespa and 90s Vespa PX). The price for the new Stella seems very attractive but how about the workmanship and reliability compare to the Italian made used Vespa? I've also owned a Royal Enfield motorcycle which is also made in India, the workmanship and quality somehow not quite up to the competition, but i like the vintage style and ease of maintenance, not so sure if this is the case for Stella scooter, thanks in advance for all your information.

Find a millennium edition P.

I dont know about the Stellas, but the very latest LMLs are extremely good quality compared to alot of MY pxs especially paint finish.

IMO: PX200, then a Stella and then a PX150.

Chad can tell ya how nice Stellas are as well.

You can get a lot more first hand posts about Stella at www.stellaspeed.com Of course, this is primarly a Stella owner's forum, so there might be some bias. But you will get more first hand info about Stella than you can find here.

As a Vespa shifty rider of 51 years and owner for 45 years, I have to warn you that we are a biased lot. Yes, it is possibly correct that LML (the Stella manufacturer) has not invested the quality into their scooters that Piaggio is alleged to have invested. However, they were considered, for quite some time, capable of building P series scooters for Piaggio, and those scooters did bear the Vespa/Piaggio badge. But to base your decision on the input from a biased group, many of whom, while they have years of Vespa experience, most probably lack significant experience with owning a Stella, is not optimal.

Will a brand new Stella provide more reliable srevice than a 90's P? All depends on how well the 90's P was ridden and maintained. The brand new Stella comes with a warranty, which, at least for it's duration, makes most reliability issues the manufacturer's problem. A used anything is 100% your problem.

Next question is that of your intended use. If it's a scooter you plan on riding hard, modifying and upgrading, then unless you wait until after the warranty period, you are also on your own with a brand new Stella. Then, the worry about the quality of components might steer you toward the more durable (?) Vespa. But if you are looking to ride the scooter as it was intended to be ridden, and maintain it as it is intended to be maintained, then you are looking at a different beast.

I have posted the following several times on the Not-So-Modern Forum, and I stand by it:


The majority of the "maintenance work" on a vintage (or shifty) Vespa is pure and simple voluntary tinkering. The majority of the remaining "maintenance work" is quite often a direct result of the aforementioned tinkering.

Just realize that any used Vespa shifty you buy may have been subject to the above and still carrying those results.

If you want a good dependable daily ride, there are indeed good, late model PX series Vespas out there. As with any used vehicle, they require a different type of pre-purchase scrutiny than a new vehicle.

Hope you find something really great, what ever it is.

Al