[powerdrive]

I happen to own couple of the options that you've mentioned. I own a Ather 450, Hero Pleasure(2008 model) and an TVS wego (2016). Here're my takes.

Hero Pleausre:
- I will not buy it again,
- Engine is super smooth, even after 12 years, but suspension is pathetic.
- Fuel efficiency is moderate.
- Service cost is on the medium to higher side.
- Plastic panels rattle so much after 5 years itself.

TVS Wego.
- I liked this scooter till I got Ather450.
- Value for money with tubeless/Alloy wheels, simple design, 110cc.
- Fuel is efficiency is ok, Suspension is better than most of the other scooters I've driven (especially Activa, Pleasure).
- Maintenance is better than Hero, cost is on the lower side, TVS service folks don't rip you off (atleast the service center I deal with).
- After 3 years of usage (same km usage as 10 years old pleasure ), it has been solid. No rattling, less issues compared to Pleasure.
- If you ask me , will I buy it again, I may (or I will pick a scooter from TVS ).

Ather 450:
- In sports mode, mad accelaration and pick-up. You'll love it.
- Running cost is cheap, if you drive an average of 8000-10000km per year, ownership costs will work-out same as a normal scooter . Fuel cost is ~8-10 times cheaper,
- Suspension is good, but since there's not much rear weight, you can't drive it fast over a small bump like how I used to in TVS wego. Wego was better for that.
- Lesser mechanical parts, once in 6 months maintenance schedule, service cost should be lesser. Ather offers first year electricity free(they reimburse), Ather one plan of Rs.7000/year should take care of most of the maintenance/electricity cost.
- Range is about 65km to 70km. For a daily use of 30km, you'll have to charge after 2 up/down trips. Range anxiety will kick-in if not driven properly of i driven rashly towards the last leg of the trip.
- There're few very good features: Dual Disc, Reverse mode, Map, Over the Air update, etc...
- Few cons: Only side stand, foot-rest for rear passenger.
- Will I buy it again? If Extended Range version is available, I will trade-off the existing one.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

I am really tempted to get the Ather 450 even though it is way out of my budget ( I get to ride over weekends ), but one issue back of my mind is the charger installation. Considering we might relocate in a year or two maximum, will installation be required from Ather once again? I really wish they had a provision to remove battery and charge at home !

If you are in Chennai or Bangalore now, then the Ather 450 is a serious contender. there is a small waiting period of 1-2 months but it's way better than how much we had to wait.
Relocation will be taken care by Ather. not sure but 1600 or something is the relocation charges. If you are sure of relocating soon, you can buy the optional portable charger at an additional cost and keep charging and then get the home charger installed directly in the new location.

Originally Posted by Sk8r

As much as I love to own an Electric vehicle, reliability is one thing that is stopping me from owning one. I am yet to come across any ownership review in any off the platforms

You seem to have missed my ownership review here

I've had the scooter for 6 months and have crossed 4000 kms. Although there are minor issues here and there, the build quality looks good to last long.

The initial cost of Ather 450 is on the higher side but over a period of 3 years it will work out equal or cheaper than a petrol 125cc scooter

If you decide against an EV, Ntorq is the best choice out there IMO.

[omar]

I have a Access 125 and Vespa S125 in the family. In terms of riding and handling the Access feels very bulky and unstable while the vespa feels nimble and easier to handle.

I would suggest a Vespa, or a similar narrower body scooter like the Ray, Dio which would be much more easier to manoeuvre.

[LeoChakraborthy]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Requirements :

1) Budget - 65 to 75 K
2) Mileage - 40 to 45 KMPL
3) ABS - Desirable
4) Daily commute : 30 KM
5) Height - 5'4". Legs should be reachable ?

I've been driving a Jupiter'16 (Wife's) and an Access'17 (Friend's) for the past couple of years. Access felt smoother than the Jupiter. It is narrower than Jupiter as well and the should help in maneuvering. You can test drive both and get a feel for them, to decide in comparison.

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Should I go Electric ? I am really tempted to get the Ather 450 even though it is way out of my budget ( I get to ride over weekends ), but one issue back of my mind is the charger installation. Considering we might relocate in a year or two maximum, will installation be required from Ather once again? I really wish they had a provision to remove battery and charge at home !

Ather 450 feld good when I tested one (of the three!) in my apartment. Ride felt butter smooth. If you can spare the additional ~50K, you can go for this!

[null]

Lot of suggestions & confusion I presume. Even I am on a lookout for a scooter for my wife which is small & light considering her height & strength.

- The big & bulky guys (Activa, Jupiter, Maestro & likes) are out.
- Electric bikes are ruled out considering the limited usage - hardly 5km a day / 250km a month.
- scooty Pep is an option but not considering it may be the zest variant may suit, but I hardly see them on the streets.
- Suzuki ones are good, but she feels they zip ahead too quickly when you open the throttle.

So, my current shortlist includes
- Hero Pleasure: her choice as she has used it earlier (but not my favourite)
- TVS Wego: My preference, but she has no clue. Yet to try it out with her though. I have ridden it briefly and I am pretty happy with it.

I think it will be one of the above. Just holding back the finalization until there is a pressing need (and not just a want) for it.

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by null

Lot of suggestions & confusion I presume. Even I am on a lookout for a scooter for my wife which is small & light considering her height & strength.

Don't forget the Yamaha Ray Z. Small Frame with a small footboard, makes it a very controllable scooty. Using it since 2014 and no complaints from me or my wife, who just a few months back, learnt to ride a scooty.
She is 5.4 and very comfortable with using it, as well as putting it on the main stand, which normally female riders don't use because of the weight of heavy scooters.

[RijuC]

This is a different territory altogether for me. Since I do not know riding a two wheeler, need some suggestions for one of my family member. Looking for an easy to ride and low seat height scooter for a girl of 5 ft height.
She will be using the scooter/ scooty for daily commute in kolkata (10+10 km for to and fro). Out of this 5+5 km will be in BT road (a congested state highway).
Is TVS scooty Pep plus /zest a good option?

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by RijuC

This is a different territory altogether for me. Since I do not know riding a two wheeler, need some suggestions for one of my family member. Looking for an easy to ride and low seat height scooter for a girl of 5 ft height.
She will be using the scooter/ scooty for daily commute in kolkata (10+10 km for to and fro). Out of this 5+5 km will be in BT road (a congested state highway).
Is TVS scooty Pep plus /zest a good option?

Scooty pep/zest will be a good choice. It is a proven vehicle selling for decades now. Scooty has lower seat and has lesser width hence accommodating shorter/avg riders as well.

I could have suggested you Jupiter as well but it has higher seat. Please see if she is comfortable handling it. It will be a better option with better stability due to bigger wheels.

[RijuC]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Scooty pep/zest will be a good choice. It is a proven vehicle selling for decades now. Scooty has lower seat and has lesser width hence accommodating shorter/avg riders as well.

Thanks Rajshenoy for the help. TVS scooty Pep plus has been finalized. My cousin is not comfortable in any other bigger scooters like TVS zest or Jupiter or any other Honda or Suzuki (though I would have been happier if she picked up Honda Activa/ Suzuki Access/ Vespa). She is of small frame and her feets do not touch ground. She is not able to handle the higher weight of those scooters.
Now coming to the registration and insurance part, in Kolkata city all dealers are quoting registration+ insurance for 5 years including third party cover. And the total amount is exorbitant Rs.13452/-.
1. Is the 5 years third party insurance a mandatory clause in West Bengal/ Kolkata?
2. Or we can take only one year comprehensive insurance instead? And renew insurance policy on yearly basis as we do for our cars?
3. Can we buy insurance from outside (in order to reduce the cost)? If yes, what are the pre-requisites required for buying insurance from outside? Like VIN, Engine number, Chasis number, invoice number, road tax challan? The TVS showroom says it will take more than a month to get the registration number (it may actually take more than 2 months in kolkata due to festival season. I have bad experience of 3 months waiting for registration number for my first Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo).
Can someone from Kolkata may please help?

[RijuC]

Update: all TVS showrooms in northern part of kolkata are asking for about 3000 rupees as a brokerage for the scooty Pep plus. The RTO/Road tax+ registration+Insurance (1 year OD+4 years TP) quoted as Rs. 13452/- includes about 3000 rupees brokerage, god knows why.
Pathetic dada-giri of TVS motors dealerships. It seems they hardly sell scooters to normal educated people.
I have the constraint of choosing suitable scooty for short height girl. Otherwise I would have dumped this TVS!
I have one more query. Almost all gearless scooters have saddle height/seat height between 760 mm to 770 mm. Still why short height users find it suitable for TVS scooty Pep plus and difficult to ride the others? Is it due to wider body structure of Activa/ Jupiter/ Access?

[RijuC]

Update: We dumped TVS altogether due to their unfair pricing policy and charging brokerage amount more than 5% of the scooter ex-show room prices in Kolkata. I know nothing moves in kolkata without brokerage. But brokerage in the order of 6-7% of product value is insane.
Today we visited Honda 2 wheelers, Yamaha, Suzuki 2 wheelers showrooms in kolkata (all 3 showrooms were within 3 kms in northern suburbs) with my cousin. Though she is little less than 5' in height, she could touch the ground on feet while sitting at the front edge for Activa 6G, Grazia, Fascino, Access SE etc. She was not comfortable in Activa 125 because of wide body perhaps, and the Access base model (drum brake, steel wheel), though she was OK with Access SE and Access alloy wheel+Disc brake model (there could be slight~5-10 mm difference in saddle height).
Yamaha showroom (Aquad Yamaha - Mobility, BT Road) sales executive (a lady SA) behaved irrationally (her statements and demands in order to secure the booking were incoherent). So we thought Yamaha may not be a good choice. Our hard earned money may get struck there. We dumped Yamaha also.
Finally she feels more comfortable with Activa 6G due to the sitting position, and within maximum stretched budget. Access Alloy wheel+disc brake is a good scooter, but 10k more in price. Honda Grazia front portion looks too big, and she is not confident for this reason. Also, Grazia is again 10k+ than maximum budget.
Hence we decided Activa 6G would be a good option as an entry level scooter for the short height first time user.