Genuine, or The Genuine Scooter Company is a
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
-based manufacturer of
motorscooters, notably the
Stella
Stella or STELLA may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Stella'' (1921 film), directed by Edwin J. Collins
* ''Stella'' (1943 film), with Zully Moreno
* ''Stella'' (1950 film), with Ann Sheridan and Victor Mature
* ''Stella'' (1955 ...
and
Buddy models. The company markets scooters and accessories through a network of over 240 dealers in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
In 2018 it began selling a 400cc air-cooled, single-cylinder motorcycle, under a sister brand
'Genuine Motorcycles'.
History
The company was founded in 2002 as an extension of Scooterworks USA, a vintage scooter business that sold vintage
Vespa
Vespa () is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy, to a ...
and
Lambretta
Lambretta () was a brand of motor scooters, manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.
The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and where the factory was locat ...
scooters via a
mail-order catalog
Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as:
* Sending an order form in the mail
* Placing an order by telephone call
...
. The catalog also featured scooter parts and accessories. Today,
Scooterworks USA continues to specialize in aftermarket parts and accessories for Genuine, Vespa, Honda, Yamaha, and other scooter brands, including Chinese scooters.
Genuine Scooters' first model was a 4-speed manual, two-stroke 150CC "Stella" model, manufactured by
LML in India in 2002. The Stella was successful, and in 2006 the company began a relationship with
PGO Scooters, a Taiwanese manufacturer. Genuine developed the "Buddy", an automatic scooter with a
CVT. The Buddy features several engine sizes and versions ranging from 49cc, licensed as a
moped
A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...
in many US states, to 170cc with fuel injection. Later introductions were the Rattler 110 (discontinued), the Roughhouse 50, designed more aggressively than the previous classic designs, and the Blur 220i (discontinued), a scooter with a higher-powered fuel-injected engine capable of maintaining expressway speeds.
[Motorcycle.com overview](_blank)
/ref> In 2010, Genuine introduced a version of the Stella with a redesigned 150cc four-stroke engine compliant with California emissions standards, and a 170cc version of the Buddy with fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All c ...
instead of a carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter)
is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...
. Following these introductions, and as a result of the economic crash of 2008, it received additional capitalization through investment banker Livingstone Partners.Atomic Fireball
The Ferrara Candy Company is an American candy manufacturer, based in Chicago, Illinois, and owned by the Ferrero Group.
The company was formed from a 2012 merger of the Illinois-based Ferrara Pan Candy Company and Minnesota-based Farley's & ...
Stella and a Lemonhead Buddy 50. In late 2015 they introduced the special diamond edition 10-Year Anniversary Buddy 50 & 125, celebrating ten years of Buddy.
In 2015, a second sister scooter company was created, Chicago Scooter Company'' to offer a value-based line of scooters to compete with the lower-priced Chinese scooters in the market. As of 2019, their two models are the "Go." and "Go. MAX", both 50cc 4 T-based scooters.
Products
Genuine Scooters features the following scooters in its product line as of January 2025:
* Buddy 50 (50 cc, 2T)
* Buddy 125 (125 cc, 4T)
* Buddy 170i (170 cc, 4T, fuel-injected)
* Buddy KICK (125 cc, 4T, fuel-injected)
* Hooligan 170i (170cc, 4T fuel-injected)
* Roughhouse 50 (50 cc, 2T)
* Roughhouse 50 SPORT (50 cc, 2T)
* Rattler 125 (125 cc, 4T)
* Rattler 200 (169 cc, 4T)
* Brio 50 (50cc, 4T)
* Urbano 50i (50cc, 4T)
* Urbano 125 (125cc, 4T)
* Urbano 200i (169cc) 4T)
Genuine Motorcycles as of January 2019:
* G400C (400 cc, single-cylinder, fuel-injected)
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.genuinescooters.com
feature about the Genuine Buddy "Blackjack" model
on ''Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...
's Garage''
Scooter manufacturers
Companies based in Chicago
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2002
American companies established in 2002
2002 establishments in Illinois