[Sk8r]

My wife is in the market for a two wheeler for daily commute. Having never owned or purchased a gearless scooter, I have no clue of what I am looking for or what should I look out for. I just have the requirements and trust BHPians to provide me the answer. Also if current owners in this segment can give a heads up on recurring issues on certain models, it will be of great help ! Thanks in advance

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 ?

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 !

Handling Charges : We visited Honda showroom the other day and got a quotation for Activa 5G which included Handling Charges for INR 1600 and Accessories worth INR 5700. Is it legal to mandate these ? Have sent an email to honda, awaiting response

[Rajeevraj]

These scooters are like a commodity purchase now. Most of them would suit your need (doubtful on the ABS though) and fall in budget. So a lot depends on which one you like. The Ather is a good choice if you are ok to take the risk. TVS Ntorq is good with some basic connectivity features.

[ani_meher]

You can consider tried and tested Access or little costlier Burgman 125 as well. Ride all 125cc scooters and buy one that suits your driving style and goes above your budget a little.

[srvm]

One suggestion based on personal experience.
If going for Activa, go for the 125cc variant. The 110cc variant has pathetic front suspension (which has remained the same forever) and can lead to potential health/back problems during long-term usage.
The 125cc variant has disk brake at the front along with a much better telescopic front suspension.

[swissknife]

My suggestion would be to try out the Jupiter or Wego. I have found the ride on both these to be better than the rest.

[saisree]

I own a Suzuki Access and can vouch for its performance. A no-nonsense scooter. Comfort, great Pickup, good mileage and availability of sales and service across the length and breadth of the country. Other scooter I can recommend is TVS Wego.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

We visited Honda showroom the other day and got a quotation for Activa 5G which included Handling Charges for INR 1600 and Accessories worth INR 5700. Is it legal to mandate these ? Have sent an email to honda, awaiting response

You wont get any response even after buying. So, don't bother.

It's best to wait for a few more months, and wait for BS6 Fuel Injected Scooters.

Carb Honda Activas tend to give starting problems, due to their overtly lean tuning.

[AdityaDeane]

If you are okay with an electric scooter, I would rather suggest Okinawa Praise because of the awesome 170-200Km claimed mileage per charge. That should almost last for 3-4 days for her kind of usage.

The future is electric, and for intra-city use, I would suggest to go for an electric scooter, and Okinawa Praise is the only one which impressed me for it's awesome feature list.

Haven't driven it personally, but I am sure it'll be good for a place like Chennai.

[Sk8r]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

If you are okay with an electric scooter, I would rather suggest Okinawa Praise because of the awesome 170-200Km claimed mileage per charge. That should almost last for 3-4 days for her kind of usage.

The future is electric, and for intra-city use, I would suggest to go for an electric scooter, and Okinawa Praise is the only one which impressed me for it's awesome feature list.

Haven't driven it personally, but I am sure it'll be good for a place like Chennai.

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

[tj123]

In your budget range TVS Jupiter seems to be a good option. I am personally using it for past 1 year and so far no issues reported. I found the ride, handling and suspensions much better than the Activa. The only down side is the engine note, I don't like the way it sounds.
If you can wait then go for BS-6 compliant engine, I am sure all manufactures will be launching it during the festival season.

[Newpunter]

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 !

I was in the same boat as you and ended up buying the Ather 450, after checking scooters from TVS, Yamaha, Honda and Okinawa. So far, I'm enjoying it more than my wife, as I take it out whenever I get the chance .

Regarding the charger, Ather has an option of portable charger which you can connect to any normal plug point and charge your scooter. You can opt for this instead of the home charger, if you plan to move soon.

The only issue is that you might have to wait a couple of months to get your hands on one. People who ordered in July are getting it in September. Mine was ordered in Mar/Apr and I received it in July.

[ashwinprakas]

Get what your heart desires, all of them are more or less alike with the exception of a few namely the ones from TVS, Suzuki and Yamaha, as they run different to what is usually expected from a Scooter i.e us being accustomed to the Honda's(Hero Included).

Let me share some pointers from personal experience;

1. It's easier to find a magician of the black arts than find a scooter mechanic worth his salt and the ASC's don't do us any favours on this front, even if you're into DIY'ing the CVT and fueling part takes a bit of unlearning and learning. Patience is key.

2. Fiber over Metal panels, showroom would try to use the RE logic to sell you something with metal panels but they're a PITA, fiber panels are the way to go, easy to replace and since jugaad isn't an option(hopefully!) spare circulation is better.

3. Crash protection is underrated on scooters, the only ones that offer(optional) any are the TVS XL and Navi. It won't look dope but they'd ensure your better half stays safe, plus another advantage of the XL in specific is it's larger wheel size which ensures more stability and safety. I know this point won't be considered due to social status concerns but sets my mind at peace to have informed you of the options.

4. Stay as conventional as it gets, modernities don't fare well in the long run, the Mahindra Rodeo folk would be able to elaborate on this.

5. Replace consumables religiously!

That's all, hope you find what you're looking for.

Cheers,
A.P.

[aargee]

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 !

Not really!

You can lease the vehicle for 60K down payment & pay Rs 3K per month (covers maintenance, insurance & electricity charges) for 3 years & choose to return the vehicle or pay Rs 10K more to own the vehicle. Regarding the charger, you can get it fixed even with an electrician (or DIY), it isn't that hard

For a budget of 60K OTR, you can get Hero Pleasure, that's the reality. NTorque is Rs 84K OTR, Activa, Access, Maestro are all nearly 70K OTR in Chennai. That's the ground reality

[RD150]

Fascino is such an under rated scooter !! It fits in your budget, is economical and most importantly the ladies love this scooter for it's looks and flashy color options.

[IshaanIan]

Go for the Yamaha Ray ask your wife to test ride it, if she likes it then go for it because it is extremely reliable, has the perfect balance of comfort and handling and is super light and economical.