[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by narayan

Nice review. I wonder why TVS is the only player in the segment.

Bajaj had the M80 model which used to do similar duties as the TVS 50/XL. In fact, I think it had a higher load bearing capacity. They even had a Boxer motorbike with a single seat and a load carrier at the rear. I guess, Bajaj re-jigged their portfolio for better profitability.

Wonder why Hero Motocorp hasn't ventured into this segment ? They too had a bare bones version of the CD100 long back. Not to forget the Hero Puch ( if I got the spelling right ) - used to be an aspirational vehicle for teens. But could have been modified to do load bearing duties.

I guess you're missing out the Honda Navi, as you can see Vishnu Nair offroading with luggage and a jerrycan inside the compartment beneath the tank. If this doesnt prove the Navi's load bearing capabilities then I doubt what will.

Other than marketing strategy and the marginal price difference theres nothing substantial differentiating the Navi from the XL. Not sure if anyone else feels the same.

[rrnsss]

Finally bought my dream bike. The XL 100 with self start. Our family has always owned TVS mopeds from my grandfather's time. This is the fourth TVS in our familial history. Tvs 50. Tvs champ. Tvs sport and now Tvs xl 100 .

A perfect bike for the farm to run errands. The bigger sized front brake drum is what I was waiting for. With the bigger front brakes and self start, this product has reached maturity.

I love this moped. Beautiful things need not be complicated or costly.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by rrnsss

I love this moped. Beautiful things need not be complicated or costly.

Well said, and congratulations on this very practical purchase!

Do you know what is the difference between the XL100, XL100 Comfort variants and XL100 HD variants? The info given on the website is not very detailed, and the differences that come out on the "compare products" page somehow don't seem to justify the price gap between these variants. Also, which of these would you recommend to just putter around the neighbourhood, within a (max) radius of 2-3 kms?

Cheers,
Vikram

[rrnsss]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Also, which of these would you recommend to just putter around the neighbourhood, within a (max) radius of 2-3 kms?

Cheers,
Vikram

Sir,

Comfort has softer front and rear shock absorbers. Like their 100 cc bikes. Hydraulic shock absorbers. XL and XL HD have coil spring in the front (hence the rubber bellows). Also comfort has a single seat while XL has double seats with detachable rear seat.

XL Vs XL HD : HD has thicker spokes for the rear wheel, Bigger rear sprocket and a heaver rear shock absorber.

I would always go with XL HD because (a) Much wider seat compared to the banana seat in the comfort (b) Detachable rear seat in case you have to move something big (c) More takers when trying to sell (d) I think self start comes only in XL HD and comfort not in XL (but I may be wrong). (e) You have dual colour option in XL HD if you want that

[EPMV]

Originally Posted by rrnsss

Finally bought my dream bike. The XL 100 with self start.

Congrats for the purchase of your dream vehicle. This indeed a dream vehicle for many as it reminds a lot of memories.


Good to see that with a self-start, missing that option in mine.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by EPMV

Presenting my local workhorse TVS XL 100 to the keen eyes of BHPians

Congrats.

Originally Posted by rrnsss

Finally bought my dream bike.

Congratulations.

Even today it is a beautiful no nonsense commuter. This bike does yeoman service like no other gearless scooter does in south India. Shockingly there is no proper review on any other websites as we have in this forum's thread. Kudos to you and other owners here for bringing up such a nice review. I had learnt riding in our XL Super - Blue colour (Single seat not the heavy duty one). Now with 100cc it is definitely a good bike (but will miss that moped noise in 100cc). The stability of this bike owing to bigger wheels is commendable compared to puny ones in modern scooters. Thanks to TVS for all the things that they are providing with XL series.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by EPMV

Good to see that with a self-start, missing that option in mine.

The iTouch varian't doesn't have a self-starter per say.

I had watched the video of a XL100's engine being stripped down to the crank and put back together.

From my observation the electrical's seems to be the only difference amongst the variants.

When current is passed through the alternator it causes it to spin and that motion is what helps get things moving.

Hope that's something to think about.

Regards,
A.P.

[sabsubs]

Very nice review. I am planning to buy this for my father. We have TVS XL that we had brought in 2006 and still we use this for running errands. It makes all kinds of noise that one can imagine but it still runs without any problem. Yesterday I visited the showroom and they quoted 62k on road for the heavy duty with self start. I thought 62k is too much for this moped. I went during the lunch time hence couldn't get a chance to talk to the manager for some discounts. Anyhow I will be booking the heavy duty in the next couple of weeks. Your review is very helpful. Thank you very much.

[sabsubs]

Originally Posted by rrnsss

Finally bought my dream bike. The XL 100 with self start. Our family has always owned TVS mopeds from my grandfather's time. This is the fourth TVS in our familial history. Tvs 50. Tvs champ. Tvs sport and now Tvs xl 100 .

A perfect bike for the farm to run errands. The bigger sized front brake drum is what I was waiting for. With the bigger front brakes and self start, this product has reached maturity.

I love this moped. Beautiful things need not be complicated or costly.

Could you please let me know the on road that you paid for this. I am from Salem and the dealer is quoting 62k.

[EPMV]

Originally Posted by sabsubs

Could you please let me know the on road that you paid for this. I am from Salem and the dealer is quoting 62k.

Seriously? I paid 39K totally for my moped which is 3 years old. OMG, it's almost doubled now.

[playingpossum]

Originally Posted by EPMV

Seriously? I paid 39K totally for my moped which is 3 years old. OMG, it's almost doubled now.

Probably because of BS6 changes. It had to get a FI system and cat changes to meet BS6.



Looks like around 10k increase overall.

[Akilan1597]

Just to confirm, the xl100 doesn't need 2T oil along with petrol? I've seen some people still using it.

[Gansan]

^^ It became a four stroke quite sometime back. Why would it need 2T oil?

[am1m]

Always loved the XL! Though surprised to see that the on-road price for the cheapest version is almost 60K! Times have changed.

Any disadvantages to this as a pure city commuter? Seriously thinking of picking up one for the city to replace my ageing commuter bike. Planning to use it in a town that has some steep slopes- tarred and proper roads, but short steep inclines. Does this have enough power to take two adults up such slopes?

[am1m]

Sorry Mods for the back-to-back posts, but am really looking for some guidance on this vehicle.

Need to buy a bike in the next month or so. 90% of the usage will be in the town. <3-5km rides, moderate traffic, but some roads with steep inclines. Occasionally I'd also like to take the bike out for 20-30km rides to nearby places, perhaps once or twice a month.

The main reasons for considering the XL (Heavy Duty) are nostalgia and because a smaller bike will make it more likely that 2 other (very reluctant) people at home will also be convinced to use the bike instead of the car for short trips. Not likely in the case of a bigger bike or an Activa. Plus I'm really keen to get an XL!

So any guidance will be most welcome. Does TVS sell the XL in bigger towns/cities, or is it just for the rural market? Does the XL have enough power for the usage pattern described? Or should I just buy a regular commuter bike? Thanks in advance for any information.