[pogo0120]

Visited KTM showroom and saw the scooter in person.

Good things: Nice scooter, good looking, feels good, build quality well above average, Not a Chinese rip off. Looks well, feels well, real scooter, not a cycle or anything looking like a scooter but a proper scooter. People may call it Retro looking, BUT FEELS GOOD. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

Bad things: Too much automation. To unlock and lock, press a button, wait for some time. To put it in reverse mode, press one more button, hold it for some time and so on. Well, I miss the key and ignition sound of starting a scooter. Well, everything now a days is wireless and remote and so on. OK, cannot help it. Even the front storage opens upon pressing a button. I miss the key lock for front storage.

Not completely all metal, you will find cheap plastics!
Speedometer or dash board is not as advanced as Ather.


Test drive was not given. Sales guys says can give test drive in 1st week of Feb. Around 1000 scooters are booked he claims, Not sure.

Regarding technical details, same old, same old. The sales person does not know technical details may be because Bajaj has not told him. But that's how things run in this country anyway.

Besides, I have one question, is white light officially allowed in Karnataka? Last time when I checked with RTO, they said only yellow lights.

[saisree]

@Mods, Can we expect an official Review of this Scooter? Very much interested in the new Chetak and I really need an expert review.

[PraNeel]

The first ride reviews are in. Bajaj has worked on a scooter which is not a head on fight against Ather. They have tried to distinguish it by banking on practicality, styling and fit and finish.
Key Points:

1. No fast charging. To keep the costs low and longer battery life (perhaps). 0-100% charge time is 5 hours.
2. Battery from Bosch, which claims battery will perform like new till 75000 kms.
3. Scooter will go in limp mode once the battery drops to 10% with 20 kmph speed. Will stop once the battery reaches 5%. This is done to ensure essential functions like opening the seat and glove box can happen.
4. No charging network planned. Chargers will be installed at buyers home.
5. Key will be paired to the charging point. This will help to open the charging point lid.
6. Charging will only start once the charging point lid and scooter seat are closed.
7. The seat on premium variant is imported.
8. The scooter beeps once the seat is opened and it holds it's position.
9. There is an auxiliary battery in the foot board to power the lights and electricals.
10. The motor is not hub mounted like the typical electrical scooters.
11. Weight is left and rear biased.
12. Performance is not as strong as Ather. 6bhp max power.
13. Top speed 60 to 70 kmph.
14. Goes to sport mode automatically if more than 85% throttle is engaged and disengages as well automatically.
15. 3 years 50k warranty.
16. Service Interval of 12k kms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T0baLUr1qs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACBE0Xg0g3Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X4ioplXnfM

[hemanth.anand]

Took a Test ride of the Chetak today afternoon.

What I liked:

• Good retro looks in nice colours
• Centre stand and less leaning side stand
• Side step for people wanting to sit one side.
• Intuitive kickdown mode is nice. Irrespective of the mode, turn the throttle fully and it shifts to sports mode. Helpful in overtaking
• Metal body in the rear half
• Very Silent
• Keyless entry

What I didn't like:

• Plastics on the front half are average and not put together well and inconsistent panel gaps.
• Boot not deep enough. can fit a half face helmet at best.
• No fast charging
• There is a lag in acceleration when the throttle is turned.
• Imbalanced ride at slow speeds.
• No user controlled regenerative braking.
• Top speed of 60kmph. enough for crowded city roads but in Bengaluru, on roads like the 2 elevated roads and NICE road it will be boring and may even be dangerous.
• Right indicator button on right side and left indicator on left side. Very confusing and takes time to get used to.
• Buttons for everything and buttons don't give good tactile feedback.
• Almost all buttons have 2 or 3 functions.
• Sales guys mostly know nothing.

I had scheduled the test ride at 4PM and went there at 2PM. There was a display vehicle and 2 customers looking at it. Test ride vehicle had gone out and I was told to wait. By this time, the sales guy was asking me many questions of my Ather 450 I gave him a short demo

I also took a look at the display scooter and it looks like a fatter Vespa in general. I liked it because they've not overdone and spoilt it like a faschino. One thing in the design is that there are Chetak logos literally everywhere. inside the headlamp, on the mirrors (mirror is also shaped like it), on the handle bar, on the hook in the seat, inside the instrument cluster, on the Engine cover...everywhere!


Side view


Rear View


Headlamp - Chetak logo


Handle bar - Chetak logo


Mirror - Chetak logo and Chetak logo shape mirrors


Seat hook - Chetak logo. Press to pop out, press to lock in


Motor cover...notice the Chetak logos

In 10 minutes my turn came and I sat on the vehicle. On asking, the sales guy quickly told what all the buttons do. Then I asked him to show me the key and he took it out of his pocket. That's when the person who went for a test ride before me, the sales guy and I understood that even without the key, the scooter can be driven. He told it can't be started though. I took the key and pressed the start button. It switched on in Neutral mode. I pressed the D button and a small beep told me that the scooter is on. It starts in Eco mode by default. D also toggles between the Eco and Sports modes. I pressed the D button to change to sports mode. I took out the scooter in reverse mode (Long pressing R button) and it works well as it is supposed to. there is a continuous beep during the reverse move. Pressing D will switch to forward gear.

There is a traffic signal immediately after the showroom. After the signal turned green, I gave it a twist and the scooter accelerated well. No sudden jerks like the crappy Okinawa (not as smooth and linear as my 450 either). It was quicker than all the 100cc scooters around me. It reached a top speed of 60kmph in good time. The scooter is very silent but at higher speeds, it does have a feeble humming sound.

In stop and go traffic, there was a lag/delay before torque delivery starts. When the throttle is rotated 5-10 degrees, there is no response and then afterwards it starts to accelerate with a small jerk. It is not a well balanced vehicle because of which it is not good to ride at slow speeds in city traffic. However it was not too bad either. It was similar to the Scooty pep that my wife once had. This is mainly because most of the weight is on the left side of the scooter (motor, brakes etc). Ather has spoilt me in this point. Also the ride overall is too bouncy - blame the single shocks in both front and rear suspension setup which are very soft.


Swingarm mounted Motor


Single suspension like the activa

I changed the modes but the differences between the 2 are very less IMO. Intuitive kickdown mode is nice. Irrespective of the mode, turn the throttle fully and it shifts to sports mode..helpful in overtaking. This is also indicated by a beep.

Midway into the ride, I stopped for some pictures. pressed the power button and it switched to neutral. Pressed again and nothing happened. Long pressed it and I got a warning triangle light on the cluster. I didn't understand how to completely switch off but because of the warning light, I didn't try anything else. pressed the seat opening button and the front storage cover opened up. this is where the charging cable is placed and a first aid kit and USB port is located. I closed it and long pressed it to open the seat. Again there is a continuous beep when the seat is opened. It could just about take in my half face-helmet. A full face helmet won't fit for sure. The charging plug is below the seat.


Front view


Rear view


Side view


Instrument cluster


Boot...notice charging cable and scooter side charging socket (PC power socket like)

Pressed the D button and the neutral turned off and the vehicle started in the Eco mode. Eveytime we turn off and turn on, the scooter starts in Eco mode by default. Not a good logic I felt. Anyway, back on the road, I returned to the showroom. The indicator switches are really confusing with left direction switch on the left hand controls and right one on the right. It has auto cutoff but to turn off manually, we have to press the same direction again. The auto cutoff via a simple a mechanical switch on the handle probably. I found this out by turning the handle when the scooter was stationary. In Ather it doesn't work when it is stationary as it works using an IMU sensor and software. Interestingly there is no beep sound for indicators considering they have beeps for everything else. The rear indicators light up sequentially the front one blink normally

The dash gives out all the necessary items and the layout is nice. Side stand warning is also displayed. On the downside, it is not bright enough during daytime and the glossy glass cover further spoils it by lot of reflections. One good thing I observed was when the headlight is switched on, the cluster dims down. The M button toggles between displaying the Odo, Time and Trip meter.

I came back and just 100mtrs before the showroom, the sales guy called my phone (which he could see from my licence copy that he had taken before starting the test ride). Probably he thought I ran away with the scooter!!

I asked him about that warning triangle lamp and he told told some error might be there. He didn't know the actual reason which I later found out. It came because I was long pressing the power button with the handle straight. It couldn't lock the scooter with the handle in that position and hence it was throwing a warning symbol. It also confirmed that the scooter can't be turned off without locking the handle. good in some situations but bad in others.

Brakes have brake locks like a button which was nice unlike the Activa's lever kind of lock. Mirrors are easy to adjust it's a little too small for my liking. doesn't cover too much.


Brake lock

I asked him what was the number on the front storage lid and he told. "Sorry sir , no idea, I am seeing it for the first time". Another guy also told the same and told "some logic will be there sir, we don't know". I had thought it was a unique numbering plate, but it was 2403 on both the display and the test ride scooter. I then moved on to the display vehicle and they have made a nice stage for that...moving the tab form left to right shows images of the scooter like it is scanned and features of components inside the scooter are explained. In the regenerative braking section it showed that the throttle can be rotated backwards to start regeneration (just like Ather). On the scooters however, the throttle couldn't be rotated backwards. The sales personnel couldn't explain that and he told just letting go of the accelerator or applying the brakes will regenerate energy.
He showed the "locate my scooter" feature in the key. Long pressing the button switches on all the indicators and beeps. helps in locating the scooter in a parking lot.
I asked him that I wanted to look at the app and he told I can download from the website. He told me that it's not yet available though.


Display vehicle. Move that tab and it will show all features of the scooter.


Battery Cooling


Batter cooling in detail


Direct Drive


Regeneration


Steel Chassis


2403

He asked me if I wanted to book it there itself and I told that I'll do it online. I asked when the deliveries will start and he told that Premium variant will be delivered in February itself but the cheaper Urbane variant may start from March. I asked him what range they are getting and he told they are getting 5kms less that claimed..i.e., 90kms in eco and 80kms in sports mode. He told they got the scooter last week and they were riding it since then to check this. Test rides only started today and the scooter I rode was nearing 4000kms on the ODO. I took my licence and started back home.

Verdict:
It is a decent scooter with average performance. A functional commuter scooter. Nothing that can wow you apart from the Vespa-ish looks. It doesn't disappoint you either. People who don't care about or enjoy riding will not complain. It'll best suit to someone like my father for whom a scooter is just a means of transport and nothing else. Enthusiasts will be disappointed though. There is no fun, no happy feeling, no emotions, nothing. It is more comparable to a 100cc scooter. with BS6, 100cc scooters will come to around 80k rupees and this is 120k which doesn't make it really cheap. It does make up with the low running cost. A rough calculation shows that it'll break even at around 30000kms. Chetak Should sell well...for Nostalgia, for Brand, for practicality over pleasure etc.

Many people ask me how does it compare to the 450. I love my Ather all the more now, considering that I got it at around the same price point. As regards to the upcoming 450x...If Chetak can demand 120K, the 450x can definitely demand 160k. If I've to draw an analogy, I'd compare the Chetak to our Alto K10 AMT and the 450 to my GTTSI.

[aim120]

Nice honest review, hemanth. So the ride is more bumpy then Ather, I suspected that because of the single suspension. Too bad they don't use the under floor space for battery.

Do you plan to do a mini review of the TVS IQube, I think it has twin shocks at the rear.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by aim120

Do you plan to do a mini review of the TVS IQube.

I called up a TVS showroom a day after iQube was launched...he told next week. If time permits tomorrow, I'll do it. Else in the next days.

I think it has twin shocks at the rear.

Only 1 one the left side (not a centre monoshock too). It is fixed just above the motor. Right side doesn't have anything

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Took a Test ride of the Chetak today afternoon.

As regards to the upcoming 450x...If Chetak can demand 120K, the 450x can definitely demand 160k.

Thanks a lot for the detailed review.

450X is not just 1.6 lakhs though. While Chetak price is on road price which includes insurance, Ather 450X price of 1.6 lakhs doesn’t include insurance which will be another ~ Rs8,000 to 9,000 extra. In addition, Ather mandates “Ather Connect” plan which costs Rs 3,600 per year extra.

Also, in states where the road tax is not waived for EVs, the higher ex showroom price of 450X will make on road price even higher.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

450X is not just 1.6 lakhs though. While Chetak price is on road price which includes insurance, Ather 450X price of 1.6 lakhs doesn’t include insurance which will be another ~ Rs8,000 to 9,000 extra. In addition, Ather mandates “Ather Connect” plan which costs Rs 3,600 per year extra.

Agreed. Ather connect is not mandatory by the way. I know that that's what they told in the launch event in Delhi and must still be the same on thier website. But in Yesterday's open house, they told that it is not Mandatory but only recommended. (Of course will loose out on navigation without that)

Also, in states where the road tax is not waived for EVs, the higher ex showroom price of 450X will make on road price even higher.

True.

There are no two thoughts that both the scooters are expensive (forget these two scooters...owning any vehicle is getting expensive by the day). If we take the value for money, both provide the same level of value IMO. Both cater to different set of customers. All comes down to what you want from your vehicle. The 450 at it's current price of 113k is a steal and had both performance advantage and cost advantage on it's side. But the 450x with it's higher price tag has lost one of those advantages. Because of that, Ather's market has shrunk no doubt but if they've decided to make a performance vehicle than being just a commuter scooter, it's their decision and they've done a good job with the scooter.

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

There are no two thoughts that both the scooters are expensive (forget these two scooters...owning any vehicle is getting expensive by the day). If we take the value for money, both provide the same level of value IMO. Both cater to different set of customers. All comes down to what you want from your vehicle. The 450 at it's current price of 113k is a steal and had both performance advantage and cost advantage on it's side. But the 450x with it's higher price tag has lost one of those advantages. Because of that, Ather's market has shrunk no doubt but if they've decided to make a performance vehicle than being just a commuter scooter, it's their decision and they've done a good job with the scooter.

I wonder how many people who want a performance 2-wheeler will go for scooter form factor. Even if they are OK with scooter but wouldn't they want more top speed than just 80 kmph? Also, maybe its just me but I am never comfortable with scooters at high speeds as I am with motorcycles.

Chetak is definitely for those who want to replace their petrol scooters with electric one and save money in the process in long term. Also, urbane variant with at just Rs 1.04 lakhs is an even better option for such people.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Only 1 one the left side (not a centre monoshock too). It is fixed just above the motor. Right side doesn't have anything

I was talking about tvs which has twin shocks at the rear and telescopic suspension in front.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

I wonder how many people who want a performance 2-wheeler will go for scooter form factor. Even if they are OK with scooter but wouldn't they want more top speed than just 80 kmph?

There is a market for sure. First Dio, then Aprilia, such a scooter has got a market for sure...smaller however

Chetak is definitely for those who want to replace their petrol scooters with electric one and save money in the process in long term. Also, urbane variant with at just Rs 1.04 lakhs is an even better option for such

as a mass market commuter scooter, Chetak will surely sell. It has all the things needed for that. Don't hold me for this but someone else was saying... Chetak is good but has got that "uncle wali feeling"

Originally Posted by aim120

I was talking about tvs which has twin shocks at the rear and telescopic suspension in front.

ok...The problem with TVS is there are only 3 showrooms in Bengaluru offering test rides...KRPuram, Marathahalli and Haralur. All of them are quite far from my home and involve crossing Silkboard. So couldn't do it today. Frankly speaking I wasn't as keen on that as I was on the Chetak. But someone told me that it's actually better than Chetak and hence I want to check it out now.

[drsingh]

Is the price ex-showroom price? Or is it on Road price? Anybody have insight into nationwide launch? Would like to purchase an electric two wheeler instead of an Activa.I am based at Ludhiana, Punjab.

Chetak is emerging as the practical mass market choice.Now only if they could come up with an exciting finance option. Which they are best placed to do in partnership with Bajaj finance.

The focus on practicality and reliability can help them target the Activa market if the engineering is robust.

[goswami.j]

The deliveries were supposed to begin from Jan20 end. I have not seen even one Bajaj Electric Cheetak on the streets of the 3 metros I visited recently.
Whats up with Bajaj, they had so many bookings ? Are they are having the same problem as Ather in scaling up ? I wonder

[pogo0120]

https://www.rushlane.com/bajaj-cheta...-12354256.html

Launched back in Jan 2020, sales of new Bajaj Chetak electric scooter is 21 units for the first month. Total production of the Chetak e-scooter for Jan 2020 was 197 units.

I am sure this is something to do with China dependent raw materials. Corona virus, lunar holiday and China shutdown. Battery and motors are from China, so are the display LCD, BMS boards. Unless government takes China capabilities seriously, India will lose even the automotive manufacturing base to China

[am1m]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

I wonder how many people who want a performance 2-wheeler will go for scooter form factor.

Totally read my mind!

If I want something exciting on 2-wheels, almost ANY 200cc+ ICE-driven bike in the market will be a better choice than the e-scooters available today. Am sure more exciting e-vehicles and bikes are going to come in the future, but right now all I'd look for in an e-scooter is a commuter vehicle.