[deadman]

Originally Posted by avi550m

Hi everybody
< 1. TVS Wego:

2. Honda Twister:
3. Yamaha SS125:
4. TVS Jive:
+ Comfortable bike
+ Best of both worlds (FE of bike + No clutch)
- FE lower than 100cc bikes
- Still not as practical as a scooter
.

I had Aviator, so wego having just less height than aviator. ride quality may be almost same. I have test driven Twister and Jive. Twister is good looking bike, gear shift made me sick. If you are keeping bike for 5 years plus, I recommend Jive because it don't have clutch + you can use brake and stop bike anytime when u are in top gear, bike will not turn off! I felt it almost like automatic bike. just take a test drive. You will not see other bike or scooter

[avi550m]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

First off, you have not yet told if you know how to ride a bicycle or not. If yes, you can learn to ride any motorcycle (geared or not) in a couple of days. If not, then its better to go for a gearless vehicle first.

Just my 2 cents...

I have ridden bicycles before, but not in the last 4-5 years. Am out of practice that way. But have got some free time in the early mornings to practice when I get my new scoot/bike. So learning is not an issue.

[five46]

As many have said, I'm just underlining their recommendation - the HONDA ACTIVA.

Its worth every penny of its waiting period. No wonder that it commands a queue even after being around a decade in our markets.

[creative420]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

Men riding scooter to me is, typical family men!!!
.

Being a bachelor myself, I don't quite agree this generalisation, Sam. You know how many youngsters are using Honda Dios and Activas in this city. I think they'll outnumber the amount of gearless scooters owned by "Family men". (Not counting ladies and girls here)

In the past 12 years I've owned a Bajaj Super, Kinetic Honda, Suzuki Samurai, KB 100, Bajaj Pulsar and Honda Activa. Activa is awesome from Mon-Fri, then it's Pulsar time on the weekend. (I LIKE MY BIKE!)

Anyways, avi550m, since you're a newbie to the world of two-wheeler, my vote goes out to Activa and Aviator. These two are absolutely no-nonsense two wheelers in this B2B traffic city. When it pours (which happens here very often), you can just put your valuable items (Mobile, wallet, Ipod etc) in the under-seat storage space. You can put your rain-coat, umbrella in it too which I believe everyone here will agree is quite useful.

Someone who suggested a less than 2 years used Activa/Access has a point. Use it, get your license, get used to the two wheel driving and then decide if you need to graduate to a Bike.

[vina]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

.... And since u r 25 i expect u to be a bachelor and hence no question of weekend shopping! then y the heck do u need a scooter? Men riding scooter to me is, typical family men!!! ...

real men don't need toys to prove their manhood - they have the God-given toy to prove it.

[avi550m]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback. I will try and get to grips with a bike first before I go for a TD (most likely for a scoot), only issue, the only friend I know around here has an RX100, which I think might be a bit too much for a first-time rider to handle, correct

Otherwise, problem is that most showrooms are closed on Sunday in Bangalore, and I've got a 6-day workweek. Need to find some time somewhere. Will also try for 2 year old Activa's and see whether any good deals are available.

[ron_9191]

@avi - i think "justwheels" is absolutely spot on and I completely agree what he says. See, I ride a Royal Enfield in Bangalore's crazy stop and go traffic and I feel the pain everyday. If I had the funds immediately, I would park my Bullet at home and I would go for the options justwheels has mentioned.

But I am surprised I dont see Honda Dio in here. Why is that so? Isn't that a decent scooter?

[ajman28]

I have no idea about the bikes you have mentioned in your list, but just thought I will pitch in with my view on a few basic requirements for a 2 wheeler in a city.

1. It should have a electric self start. This comes in very handy at the signals.
2. The bike should be as light as possible. This helps a lot while parking. Very often you are in a situation where you have to lift the rear side for parking in tight spots.
3. An automatic gear would be perfect. It comes in very handy when you are stuck in one of those "dead slow" traffic jams.
4. A nice horn (even though I am against using horns, it's a necessary evil in our country).

[dreamz91]

Originally Posted by DevilsOwn

avi: Get a used Activa (2 years old with low kms on the clock should set you back by about 30k). It will save you money and the heartache of nicking a new bike while parking or while learning to ride.

Once confident (asy in 3-6 months), sell it (Activas have good resale value, you may lose 2-3 k while gaining ownership/riding experience) and get yourself a new motoscoot (you can explore the market then).

Let me know if you need help procuring one.

All the best!

+1 to that. You should buy a used Activa first and buy a new one after a few months. Hondas are generally very durable with very little degradation. So, you shouldn't face any issues in riding an used vehicle or even while selling it. My sister owns an Activa. It is her first two-wheeler (she learnt riding on it) and commutes on messy roads with really testing traffic conditions. And even after 3 years, the vehicle remains just as smooth as new.

[Skye1592]

Originally Posted by avi550m

I have ridden bicycles before, but not in the last 4-5 years. Am out of practice that way. But have got some free time in the early mornings to practice when I get my new scoot/bike. So learning is not an issue.

Yeah, driving a bike is fairly simple. You can get the hang of it in a few days.
It's my suggestion that you start off with a bike. Once you are used to driving it around, it is much more reliable than a scooter due to one very simple reason. No reserve fuel in the Activa. In my personal experience, this was a major con in scooters which many might have not experienced, but I had to walk with my Activa for about 5 kms to the petrol bunk. You can obviously avoid this problem by fuelling up early but just in case of such dire situations a scooter can prove useless.

So, I never underestimate the presence of a reserve fuel. Just my opinion.
Good luck with the hunt!

[avi550m]

After coming back in heavy rush hour traffic today, I must say, the appeal of a scoot has gone up 10-fold. Will most likely be trying out the TVS Wego tomorrow. Problem is, I have work, and these showrooms don't seem to be open on Sundays

[theexperthand]

@avi550m: I think a scooter will be the best option for you. though I love the Honda build quality, and have extensively used Activa and Dio and occasionally Aviator in the past, currently, my pics are Mahindra Rodeo, TVS wego and Suzuki Access.

All these three are very good scooters, and among these, Rodeo is the most nimble one. My FIL was in the same dilemma few months back, and after some extensive TD, I suggested him the Rodeo. I have taken the scooter in highways of kerala and it is a breeze to ride - peppy, nimble and stable under breaking too.

Honda showrooms used to be good - when I brought my Unicorn five years back, they were almost cordial, and I was happy to do business with them. Over these years, I have been a part of many of my friends bike\scooter buying process and have seen that the quality\customer orientation of honda showrooms are declining (my most of the personal experience are based on Haiku Honda - Domlur). Now a days, when you walk in to the showroom, they do not even bother to acknowledge you.

I agree with many others that Honda makes good scooters - there is no doubt. But that does not means the other two wheelers are not worth considering. Do a TD of all the scooters, and then decide.

Happy hunting and happy riding. Please buy a good quality helmet and jacket, and a pair of gloves (not that cheap knighthood one) and enjoy riding.

[VeluM]

If you're not interested in a second hand Activa (which I wouldn't recommend despite the economic sense, pure for the potential hassles of registration & maintenance), then my suggestion:

TVS Wego

TVS has really improved the quality of their vehicles over the last few years, and the Wego is exceptionally well built.

There is an ownership review here with the pros n cons, and apart from being Very Slightly lower powered, the Wego equals the Activa for comfort.

12" alloys. Though the alloys don't really matter, their size does. Larger wheels = smoother ride as they don't go as much into potholes n stuff. Alloys look good as a bonus.

TVS A.S.S. is good and there are lots of options. Having owned a Scooty Pep Plus for 4 years here, I haven't had any bad experience at any of the service centres I've visited.

My 2c. As you'd also mentioned, the lack of a waiting list at TVS is also a big plus. To be honest I feel Honda's just workin perceptions and creating a hyped demand on the Activa with the waiting list. Not that it isn't selling well, but how long really does it take to increase output?

[drdeepudev]

Dear avi, I use a honda unicorn and tvs wego for my daily commute. Unicorn is for a 60km (2 way ) commute in the forenoon (highway riding )and the wego is for a 10km (2 way) commute in the afternoon (city riding). The pleasure im getting from wego in city is just wordless. Wego is a practical scooter and you can expect a mileage above 40kmpl. As few of us has pointed out, going in for a good second hand scooterett can also work fine for you. I vouch for wego than a new generation honda activa (i have one in my family and was using that before wego).

[sunsivj]

My Brother recently bought a TVS WEGO just because of the long waiting period of Honda Activa. WEGO has some issues while running. It switches of automatically and is really a pain sometimes in the middle of the traffic to goto a corner and start again. Hence it has some issues. I think if waiting period was not there for ACTIVA, sales of any other two wheeler similar to it would just be very less. There are some cosmetic benefits better than ACTIVA with WEGO. But when it is on the engine its Honda that wins.