Completed my first service of the Ntorq after 2 months and ~290 kms.
Pros:
- Super smooth engine. Absolutely no vibrations upto 86 kmph. I haven't exceeded the speed beyond this
- Very manoeuvrable and masks its weight very well
- Stable at high speeds
- Mileage went up to 53 kmpl (mostly highway riding) from 36 kmpl (highway + city) after the first service. Have checked this via the tankful to tankful method. Will check again the next time I fill up
Cons:
- The seat could have been a tad longer to make it more comfortable with a pillion
- There is a hump in the storage area which prevents the entire space being used effectively
- Navigation is a hit or miss. Google maps should have been chosen over MapmyIndia. The turn by turn navigation instructions are sometimes delayed or not updated at all.
- Pathetic service centres are going to ruin the experience of an excellent product (see below)
- Very few service centres in Mumbai compared to the competition
All said and done, no complaints with the product. As mentioned earlier, the service centres are another story altogether.
Buying experience: The dealership hadn't done a pre delivery inspection and the brand new scoot had rust stains and scratches in several places. After pointing them out we were assured by the SA that they will be fixed after first service. We then proceeded to take delivery and after riding a short distance realized that when the throttle was released and the scooter came to idle, the engine would shut off. By this time the showroom had shut and the mechanics were unavailable (being a festival day, we couldn’t go earlier). Called the SA who showed up and rode the scoot back to the showroom. He tried calling a few mechanics back but couldn’t get anyone. He then finally had to open the storage area of the scooter himself and tune the rpm screw. Now this was something which should have been checked before delivery. It would have been fine until this point, except the SA started saying there is no problem (even before realizing the scooter was shutting down). At this point me and my family who had accompanied us lost it and gave him an earful. We then left the scooter there and asked him to rectify everything before we take the scooter back. This was duly over the next few days with a lot of back and forth.
First service (different dealership): This was a complete nightmare.
1. Promising to finish service in 1 hour but taking over 5 hours: When I booked my service over the phone I was told that an express service would be done in 1-1.5 h but upon reaching was told it would take 2-2.5 h. I agreed reluctantly and dropped off my vehicle. However, I didn't get a call from the service centre. I finally got in touch with them myself and was told the advisor would call me back in 2 minutes but there was no call back. I decided to go back to the service centre and upon asking why they did not even call me back, I was told curtly that service takes time and the technician did not call me back because the scooter was not ready. He could have at least had the decency to let me know of the same by calling me back. I dropped the scooter at 2 pm but found the scooter was not ready even at 6.30 pm.
2. Damage to number plate during service: When my scooter was got out after the service, I was shocked to see a number missing from the number plate. When I got this to the SA’s attention he said it came off during washing because it was a sticker. I asked him if that was so then do all the vehicles have their numbers removed during washing? He rudely said if it is a sticker then it will come off. Note that the number plate was provided by a TVS showroom during purchase. If the service centre is aware this is a problem then why are they pressure washing the number plate? They simply used a permanent marker and wrote the number on there and refused to accept any responsibility.
3. Race idling issue: After 5 hours, I was ready to take my scooter home at 7 pm. I took a short ride and found the scooter was shutting off. Basically, the idling rpm was incorrectly set (deja vu anyone?). If the service centre took so long for a basic service, they should have at least done these basic checks. I waited another 20 minutes for this to be resolved.
4. Display and ignition not turning on: I rode the scooter home and covered a distance of 10 kms. When I turned the scooter off and back on, the display would not come on. Turning the engine kill switch on and cranking the ignition did not do anything. The scooter was dead. I had to try turning the key on and off multiple times before the scooter would turn on. I also saw some code on the display before the screen came on. A day later the scooter was completely dead. Thankfully this happened at home and not somewhere in the middle of the road. Again, the service centre should have checked all connections before giving back the scooter.
I wrote a long email to TVS at
Customercare@tvsmotor.com. I got a call from the service manager the next day asking me to get the scooter towed by calling TVS road side assistance. I really wanted them to come home and fix the issues but decided to do as he asked. Turns out, no one was answering the phone despite multiple tries. Now this is advertised as a 24/7 service by TVS but is clearly not the case. I gave up after some time and told the manager that I am unable to get in touch with them. He then said he would get in touch with them and they would call me back. After an hour had passed there was still no call. The manager then agreed to come with a mechanic and check the scooter at home. Sure enough, a battery lead was loose. The manager said this happens when the scooter goes over bad roads (you can see a trend emerging here where they refuse to accept responsibility). He further said they do not check the battery after the first service (but the service manual mentions that all connections are to be checked). Anyway, at this point we were just grateful to be done and have the scooter up and running.
To summarize, love the Ntorq but hate dealing with the service guys.