[.sushilkumar]

During my 2 Month in Tokyo, I experienced various scooters on the roads. Being a scooter person to the core and with so many options available in the 250 CC Segment, I think Manufacturers have abandoned the scooter segment completely with only Honda offering the Activa. With no competition except for LML (already in dust), the rest of the space is hogged by scooters targeting women.

I rode the Yamaha Majesty while I was in Tokyo & I ended up much in love with this scooter. Unfortunately, nobody is getting such scooters to India. I haven't even heard rumours, leave alone launch.

What do members think? Is it the lack of demand or some third party reason. With the 4 stroke engines, FE is more or less the same as bikes. In fact, from a common man's perspective, carrying capacity of the scooter is a major plus point in its favour.

Kindly pour in your thoughts.


Mods : - couldn't Find any thread discussing scooters . kindly Merge if any such thread exists .

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

I think Manufacturer's has abandoned the scooters segment completely with Only Honda Offering activa. With No competition except for LML ( already in dust )rest All the space is hogged by ladies scooters.

I dont think so, manufacturers are still betting big on scooters but this time its the gearless scooters which has found a market. Most the geared scooter manufacturers have shifted to gearless scooters which offers better margins and wider range. Gone are days when only men used to be the sole users of the scooters, now its manufactured for unisex. Also not all scooters can be labelled as for Ladies only.

I remember Kinetic Blaze was one macho looking scooter.

[vinair]

I am a scooter lover too and the very same question pops in my mind too! These super scooters are almost a alternative to a car in many countries, as they provide immense practicality coupled with rich features and riding comfort.

I strongly believe there is a market existing for these super scooters in India which just needs the right kick start!

[.sushilkumar]

Gear less scooters Will not make a cut with 70 % of the male population. Call it male ego or some thing else, many think that gear less scooters are for ladies. another point is these gear less scooters are useless if you wish to go on a Long distance.

Again What ever scooters getting sold are Under powered. if my memory goes correct, Max we have is 125 CC activa where as in Bikes segment, All the options are available. From a touring Perspective, I find scooters to be more apt given their luggage carrying capacity.

another Point is that all the gear less contraptions running on road cannot make it past 40. I think it;s high time now that we get a proper tourer scooter at least in 250 CC category. There is a demand for such machines in market, Only if manufacturer realize this demand and try to meet it.

I heard some rumors about Bajaj re entering scooter segment. Not sure how far it;s true .

My Understanding is that around 5-10 years back, there was a sudden spurt in demand for bikes. Better FE and Macho looks pushed the people towards bikes, the last nail in coffin was govt diktat against 2 stroke engines. with the technology advancing , i think OEM;s can launch a 4 stroke scooters. They surpass bikes in every department, FE included with the new 4 stroke engines.

[sumathindra]

Scooters have come a long way since their days of glory. Gone are the days when it was meant only for men, in today’s time women ride the Bullet and the 350cc+ bikes as well.

Coming back to the topic, if an effort is put in the right direction our country can also see a variety of scooters. I personally have been riding the DIO since a long time now for short runs and comfort is what I look at when it comes to scooters especially gearless ones.

Having owned the legendry “Bajaj Chetak”, I just cannot compare that with today’s generation scooters in terms of technology and features. Manufactures just need to focus on the right segment and come with the appropriate product is my 2 cents on this nostalgic topic.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

Gear less scooters Will not make a cut with 70 % of the male population.

Really? You are either not noticing or ignoring the fact that in metro cities, more than ladies you can find men (old, young and middle aged alike) riding gear less scooters. It is also a hit with the college going crowd (boys and girls both).

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

Again What ever scooters getting sold are Under powered. if my memory goes correct, Max we have is 125 CC activa...

Vespa and Suzuki Access are 125cc gearless scooters. Activa is 110cc. All gearless scooters are now 4 strokes barring the TVS XL which is the only 2 stroke IIRC.

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

another Point is that all the gear less contraptions running on road cannot make it past 40.

My friend, you have not experienced the latest generation of gearless scooters. Or you might be referring to the age old Scooty ES. Today's scooters can comfortably and quickly hit 80kmph after which its a struggle. But tell me where today can you go beyond 80kmph in the crowded cities.

In India, the selling point for scooters (gearless) is the convenience & comfort factor. It is equivalent to an automatic car. The market is not yet ready for bulky scooters like the one posted in your picture. Touring on bikes has still not matured enough where scooters are seen as an option. The bikes, specially the quarter litre ones rule the roost currently.

But seriously, touring on 2 wheels is not just about luggage carrying capacity. For that you have saddle bags, tank bags, tail bags, backpacks etc.

I am not sure of the statement in your post about the demand for 250cc+ scooters being high. Coz, if that were the case the mfgs, would not hold back and lose out on making money. At the end of the day they are here for the profit.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

I rode Yamaha majesty while i was in tokyo & I am very Much in Love with this scooter . Unfortunately nobody is getting such scooters to India . I hasn;t even heard rumors leave alone launch.

Hey, nice thread, well in fact I saw this scooter (Yamaha Majesty) on Sunday in Pune, near MG Road, it had a NL (guess Nagaland registration) and boy its got some serious tyres, I was very keen and inquisitive to take a closer look but could not manage to keep up due to traffic. If it is not available then I guess that must have been an import.

Regards,

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by sumathindra

Having owned the legendry “Bajaj Chetak”, I just cannot compare that with today’s generation scooters in terms of technology and features. Manufactures just need to focus on the right segment and come with the appropriate product is my 2 cents on this nostalgic topic.

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

I am not sure of the statement in your post about the demand for 250cc+ scooters being high. Coz, if that were the case the mfgs, would not hold back and lose out on making money. At the end of the day they are here for the profit.

No doubt the likes of "chetak" cannot be Compared with today's Technology loaded Gear less One's. Current crop is way ahead In terms of Technology and quality.

I feel I have Been mis quoted. My grouse is not against gear less scooters or bikes. My grouse is Simple..

" Where As bikes Segment is growing and growing itself and anything is available From 100 CC to a litre class Bikes, manufacturers Has Abandoned the Geared scooters segment completely".

I believe that there is a demand in market for geared scooters. It will be interesting to Know what Prompted "Bajaj Auto" to stop the production of scooters completely, when they have virtual monopoly in segment.

Originally Posted by Trojan

If it is not available then I guess that must have been an import.
Regards,

Interesting to know that you saw majesty in Pune. It was a private Import for Sure . Do try to take pic when you spot it next time.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

" Where As bikes Segment is growing and growing itself and anything is available From 100 CC to a litre class Bikes, manufacturers Has Abandoned the Geared scooters segment completely".

I believe that there is a demand in market for geared scooters. It will be interesting to Know what Prompted "Bajaj Auto" to stop the production of scooters completely, when they have virtual monopoly in segment.

I think you answered your own doubt. Now that bikes are offered across the entire spectrum, the demand for geared scooter automatically fell down. Also geared scooter were not finding any technical evolution as most of the manufacturers shifted their priorities to bikes with the advent of collaboration generation. Bajaj stuck to the age old Chetak design and did not upgrade it and LML stole a march over it with the new Vespa and then same happened to LML then. Bajaj found the bikes to be a niche market then and launched products aggressively.

[.sushilkumar]

^^^ Coming to demand, See the Below report in ET. Clearly there is a demand - supply mis match . Astonishingly Other than Honda / Yamaha , there is no body who is showing interest in Scooters.

and surprise, Honda is working on a high capacity scooter . Looks like my prayers are answered finally . To quote from statement

its Indian subsidiary HMSI is working on plans to develop high-power scooters besides strong focus by refreshing its flagship brands like 110-cc Activa and Dio to maintain its lead. "We changed the perception about scooters in India. Our current range of automatic scooters enjoys tremendous consumer confidence as a complete family vehicle with delivering high-fuel efficiency without compromising styling. With a consistently expanding demand we expect to cater to the Indian demand as we gradually ramp up production in our third plant coming in Karnataka next year," said YS Guleria. Vice-president (sales & marketing) HMSI.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/17093829.cms

[abybabykcc]

Long long ago, fuel efficiency was the only criteria the Indian buyer would look at when selecting a motorcycle. Those were the days of the 100-cc bikes. But the market has gradually matured, and performance bikes are now doing very good. Why has a similar performance-based market not been explored for automatic scooters (other than the half-hearted attempt by Kinetic with the Blaze)? Are any high-end scooters expected in the near future?

[Blue Thunder]

I remember seeing ADs for high-capacity scooters from Kinetic long back. They were branded Italjet. Dont know what happened to those launch plans.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...-scooters.html

http://www.indiabike.com/infobank/fi...ug05/index.htm

[21Archer84]

I was just thinking of this the other day. Glad you raised this topic.

I found this on the web.

http://www.autocarindia.com/News/329...w-scooter.aspx

but I would love to have something like this launched in India.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/pr.../gallery.aspx#

The Yamaha Zuma 125 though a scooter appears to give the rider an impression of riding a bike. Any idea if something similar(Yamaha BWS Fi??) will be launched for us?

[prajwalkashyap]

Heard it from a grapevine about the possibility of the PCX150 coming to India. That would be a terrific scoot to ride around.

Prajwal

[gsurya]

Eagerly waiting for a high-end scooter-bike too.. I drove a Suzuki when I traveled in Spain once & it was brilliant..

I would even buy the Vespa if they only they would release a 150cc version with disk brakes...