Fly Scooters, il Bello 150 retro!

[nickiemcnichols]

Thanks for this really cool scooter review. Our Lance/Fly dealer has a brand new 2008 Fly Bella in pink, and the seat is white with pink piping, just lovely! I think the price is 1899.00. I am saving my $$$ now! There is no rear trunk, but I am planning to put a wicker basket on the rear rack...

[BenWaB3]

Hey Brian,

Yes, I'm shopping at Bradfield Motors also. They seem very nice + reputable to me. I was up there yesterday but the only 150 il Bello they had is already sold. I did take out a la Vie & a Qlink Siena for a quick try. I'm still leaning towards the il Bello, but need to test drive it to make sure it isn't too small body-wise. They're supposed to get one in next week & possibly a Cadenza too. The only other dealers around here are Trans-Am in Lititz - they have 1st. & 2nd tier stuff - Suzuki, Kawasaki & Kymco, a place at the corner of Manor Ave. & E. Knig St. - 5th. tier stuff - Yamati & of course Pep-Boys, which has the 5th. tier Baja scoots. For the combination of budget restraints & quality of product Bradfield seems the best choice. Apologies to other memberes of the forum for taking this to info that only has meaning to a Lancaster person. "We now return control of your television set to you".

Ben

["Big Guy"]

Jun 6, 2008 14:04:31 GMT -5 nickiemcnichols said:

Thanks for this really cool scooter review...

No Problem! You're gonna love this il Bello!

Something interesting about it, it looks better than the Joker, the scoot is cloned from! I was at rally recently and the il Bello was parked side by side to the Joker...people were admiring the il Bello, thinking the JOKER was the clone... hehe.


-Rich

["Big Guy"]

Here's a quick update:

This is Carrie from Austin, she borrowed the il Bello while she was here in New Orleans for Jazz Fest... I don't think she wanted to give it back!



Here are her comments after she got back to Austin:
"A friend lent me his sweet silver il Bello, and what a perfect way to see New Orleans!! I got many looks of admiration from people on the street, and I love getting attention, so that worked.

The body style is similar to that of a Vespa, which I am attracted to, especially given the pricing is considerably less. I would never pay Vespa prices.

It handled well--turned easily, stopped on a dime, and had all the speed I needed. The accelerator was great- it had enough resistance on the handle, so I didn't fear speeding up too quickly. If I would change anything on the il Bello, I would want a wider tire. All in all, it's a wonderful scooter!"

Carrie A.

["Big Guy"]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the il Bello sold the first day it was for sale! I put it on Craigslist with a bunch of pictures and the phone rang off the wall! People were actually wanting the address so they could get here before anyone else... comments like, "I have cash in hand an I'll leave right now". Well anyway, I'm a man of my word, and I promised to hold it for the first caller, a Judge's assistant, so I knew I might be able to believe her!

Long story short, below is the proud new owner, Wilma from New Orleans. In this picture, she's signing Peter's scooter from the now defunct Vespadition.



-Rich

[vonnyvoo]

New to all this scooter business, but me and my partner just purchased to iL Bello scooters that will be delivered tomorrow morning. We have never ridden a scooter/motorcycle. We are anxious to get on, learn and be free.

[jimh]

With the Il Bello 50cc and 150cc being the same frame, would the 150 engine fit in place of the 50cc? Hope this is asked in the proper section.

[oldfartscooter]

Ben:

There's also a place in Ephrata selling Wildfire (3rd tier?) scooters. Bradfield definitely seems on the up and up, though they didn't know what differentiates the Siena and La Vie. I may be buying the latter as early as this week. I wish there was a local Sym, TNG or Lance dealer. Do you know of any local scoot clubs? Local scooter mechanics?

I'm also sorry to the rest of you non-locals for this Lancaster PA jabber! As you were ...

--Brian

[BenWaB3]

Hey Brian,

I sent you a PM for contacting me off-list. The Siena & La Vie are practically the same machines. I rode both last week Surprisingly the Siena seemed to handle a bit better & had a little more acceleration. There is a thread somewhere on the forums comparing the 2. I haven't been able to find it again or I would put the comment on there. The general concensus is that the La Vie is supposed to be a little better. That's why I was surprised about the Siena. Of course there will be a few differences between individual units of the same model.

Ben

[Scoot'n Blues]

BigGuy, It seems you have deviated from your PDI. Did you dump all the fluids on this? And it seems you waited a little before doing an oil change, why?

[mrgene13]

Hey "BigGuy," I know you don't have the iL Bello anymore, but I thought you'd be the best person to ask this question. In your opinion what are you thoughts on the quality of the fuel and vacuum hoses on the Fly iL Bello? I've read the reviews on the Lance Vintage (pretty much identical to the iL Bello) and everyone seems to agree that replacement is necessary. I guess the quality of the hoses on some Chinese scoots is of very low quality.

Did Fly have Zhen use better quality hoses? The reason I ask is I just ordered a iL Bello and I want to be prepared for a full PDI.

Thanks!

["Big Guy"]

Hi,

No, I didn't deviate from the PDI, I just didn't do it! The point of the review was to get on it and ride as any customer would. I did however do the dealer prep, so the scoot was as if it were picked up from the local dealer.

All I did was drop the oil and gear oil, attach the front wheel, charge the battery and tighten/check all screws/bolts. After that, it was all riding!

Yes mrgene13, it did indeed look like the hoses were of better quality, in fact, compared to the Lowboy, they looked like two different scoots under the hood.

FYI, the owner of the scoot uses it as a daily driver/commuter and now has a little over 1500 miles on her... no complaints form the her and nothing but praise on the oil change last week.


-Rich

["Big Guy"]

Jun 9, 2008 14:07:00 GMT -5 jimh said:

With the Il Bello 50cc and 150cc being the same frame, would the 150 engine fit in place of the 50cc? Hope this is asked in the proper section.

You'll have ask this question to [e-mail]. I'm not sure that the 50 & 150 use the same frame, but it would make sense.


-Rich

[mrgene13]

Jul 18, 2008 8:49:30 GMT -5 "Big Guy" said:

Hi,

No, I didn't deviate from the PDI, I just didn't do it! The point of the review was to get on it and ride as any customer would. I did however do the dealer prep, so the scoot was as if it were picked up from the local dealer.

All I did was drop the oil and gear oil, attach the front wheel, charge the battery and tighten/check all screws/bolts. After that, it was all riding!

Yes mrgene13, it did indeed look like the hoses were of better quality, in fact, compared to the Lowboy, they looked like two different scoots under the hood.

FYI, the owner of the scoot uses it as a daily driver/commuter and now has a little over 1500 miles on her... no complaints form the her and nothing but praise on the oil change last week.


-Rich

Thanks Big Guy!

Sweet, less down time before my first ride!

[Danny]

I just picked up an S.E. IL-Bello recently, 50 miles ago and I can't stop riding the darn thing.
It's quick off the line and tops out at 60mph on the flat.
I've yet to switch to Synth in the engine and tranny. Today perhaps!
I have noticed an occasional loud thunk when I hit a severe dip in the road. I'm not sure if the muffler is hitting the bodywork or ??.
I cant seem to find it when looking with the bike in the shop even when full suspension travel check is done.
Any one find this or it's source or is it just mine?
Danny

[Danny]

FYI.
It was the muffler hitting the body during complete suspension travel. I used a small round sanding barrel and a dremel tool to remove some plastic where the two meet.

[fs8gbe]

so i went to the dealer to take a look at the cadenza. i'm not quite ready to buy yet, i still have to sell my vespa et2 so it will be a couple of weeks but man, the il bello won't leave my head. i may end up getting this scooter instead.

i didn't like how high my knees came up (well over the speedo, but i am 6'1) but it was just a stylish little bike.

i suppose my final verdict will be when i get a chance to do the test rides...

any thoughts on how the cadenza and the il bello compare?

oh, fyi, i went and looked at a lance dealer as well, and i really dug the interceptor but, to be honest, i can tell there is a huge difference in the flyscooter and the lance. fit and finish alone were miles apart. if flyscooters came out with an interceptor style bike i'd be all over that sucker...

["Big Guy"]

Well, you can't really compare the il Bello and the Cadenza... they are two different animals. The Cadenza rides and drives like a motorcycle, is impervious to the wind gusts and outruns and out handles the il Bello. The il Bello is a cruiser and the Cadenza is more of a racer. My personal favorite is fast becoming the La Vie!


-Rich

[fs8gbe]

really? what about the la vie does it for you? my wife is looking at that one pretty heavy.

["Big Guy"]

It just FEELS good... super comfortable, feels like a substantial machine, rides beautifully, handles terrific, a lot of power through all ranges and looks absolutely beautiful. It has the feel of quality in the ride and the classic look.


-Rich

[mi17dy]

Extremely thorough review, keep it up! Thanks for the trick on lowering the blinker volume. That should be posted on the Tips and Tricks threads.

[dreadyjon]

Hey Big Guy, what more can you tell me about the La Vie? I went to Flyscooter's HQ here in Emeryville, CA today and met Leon and Mindy and several other of the people that work there. I also biked a grueling seven and a half miles to the dealership in Alameda.

So far, I've been leaning more toward the La Vie since I saw it in person, though the Cadenza caught my eye first online. The look and the feel of the scoot were just incredible. Unfortunately, I haven't got my motorcycle endorsement yet, so I'll be working on that come Monday. Hopefully I can ride along with one of the dealers in Alameda to get a feel for the bike.

But until these awful 48-ish hours are up, I've got no choice but to gobble up everything I can in the way of reviews on the La Vie, so any insight you may have would be awesome.

Thanks!
-dreadyjon

[nickiemcnichols]

I hope I am not out of line here, but the iL Bella by Flyscooters is just about the same scooter as the Lance Vintage. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to ride a brand new Lance Vintage. I was showing the new owner how to ride it. I won't go into the "lesson" here, just suffice it to say I don't want to teach any more riders for a while. But I did notice that the Vintage turned much sharper to the right than it did to the left. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon, or is it just on this scooter?

[dubs29]

OK Folks,
My wife is drooling over the Pink il Bello. Are there any trustworthy Texas dealers for these? I have emailed one out of Austin who did not have one in stock, but could order one but wanted almost $2700 OTD. I have emailed another guy in OK, that would get me it for $2000 OTD. What are your thoughts guys. I have talked with everyone here locally to try and get them to carry the Fly, but to no avail. They carry Roketa's, Peace, Bashan, and then the regular- Kymco, Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia, Piaggio, Vespa. NOTHING Else!

If I had the money I would look at opening a place here with Fly's, Genuine, and Stella's to offset these guys.

So back to my original question. Do any of you know folks that you trust in Texas (West Texas that is)?? The closest is 6 hours away and nobody here will touch it if problems occur. So I really need your expertise here folks, PLEASE Help.

[kathygnome]

Just a note that I saw one of these yesterday in Northampton and it's an absolutely beautiful scooter.

[bikerteecee]

Hi there,

I am surpised to find a Il Bello with a 150 cc engine here. In the Netherlands this model scooter is being called Bella 50 with a 50cc engine. Two version are available, one with max speed of 45 km/hr (wear a helmet wich is obliged) and one with a max speed limited tot 25 km/hr. This model is becoming rather popular. The engine is a 4 stroke. Te annual scooters are 2 stroke here.

See www.bella50club.nl/ click on the word "hier" on the bottum of the screen and then click on the "mijn Bella" button on top for quit a number of pictures. Those Chinese products are of a poor quality (not the engine though), but after having a few known errors being fixed they ride smoothly. The scooter exist for about 2 or 3 years now here.

See ya,
Ton

[mi17dy]

Bikerteecee, I see this is your first post.
Thanks for the info about Bella in Netherlands.

It does look a lot like the 2006 Il Bello. Although the names sound similar, I just wanted to let everyone out there know that Flyscooters and the Il Bello is not affiliated with Bella50 club, even though the name sounds strangely close.

[NashBill]

Thanks for all the fantastic information in this review. I had done a lot of research about Flyscooters, but this info really helped me make my decision. I am happy to report that I am the proud owner of a 2008 limited edition 150cc il Bello. I took it out for my first ride last night and I love it. I'm a big guy and it really had a lot of power. I bought it from Red Dog Scooters in Nashville if you are in that area and interested it's a great shop and Tommy is super helpful. He even personally delivered the scoot to my house! Anyway, I love this scooter. I also bought a helmet direct from Fly and they could not have been more friendly or helpful.

[mi17dy]

Cool bike nashbill, you've got good taste. That's the exact same special edition that celebs are going gaga over! It was on the Rachel Ray show and models are riding around Hollywood on it! I'm sure you get a lot of attention over it!

www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/renee-zellweger-harry-connick-jr/
getsatisfaction.com/flyscooters/topics/celebrities_love_flyscooters

[firstlast]

hi,

i've been researching the flyscooters, and reading up on the il bello in particular, and wanted to get feedback from any long term owners, people who have owned and ridden theirs for some time and have some real miles on it.

Any comments regarding quality and reliability, concerns ALL cons as well as the pros.

I am on a budget and i guess i am being a bit nervous bcuz this will also be my sole source of transportation and so will be using it quite a bit. (likely 26-35 miles a day approx 5 days a week, and then on weekends plus church) will pretty much be my daily commuter, work/school/groceries/going out.... everything.

I used to commute by bike (bicycle) and get rides, but due to funky knee and having to commute a bit further now, as well as wanting a level of independence have been looking at scooters, the il bello in particular, mainly because it just looks so good, and bcuz of the afforadability which is a big factor. i've looked at and considered other styles but prefer the 'vintage' look.

i actually started by looking at 50cc scoots, the honda metropltn, and ruckus which were both on sale for the same price at a dealer down the street for 08' models, and had actually decided on the ruckus..... then while surfing the internet just happened upon the il bello, and after reading the specs and viewing more pics of it decided that is what i would like.

Also after some reading up on the net i have seen several similar 'clones' i am leaning towards, actually pretty much decided to go in the direction of flyscooters version bcuz of what i've read so far.

dependability is also an area of concern bcuz the nearest dealer is approx an hour and a half away, so if i need any work done, i'd have to find someone w/ a truck that would want to drive me and my scoot for a 3 hour drive to drop off and again to pick up... so 6 hrs total i guess drop off and pick up.... so another reason i wanted some input on dependability... i am willing to do some of the simpler maintnc myself, as long as it wont void any warranty.

as for the kind of riding... mostly 40... maybe 45mph, maybe a stretch of a couple miles of 50-55, but i can and am willing to go around those areas and take the 'backroad' to stay w/in the scooter's performance envelope.

.... so i wanted to get some feedback hopefully from some people that have had theirs for some time and have also gotten some serious use from them. also if there is a different direction i should explore i'd appreciate all input.

thanks for your help