[shancz]

Originally Posted by condor

- It's meant for college kids and those just of college.
- Scooters not for folks as we gain in age.

- Thanks for your inputs, confirming my views and that's what I have seen on the roads too, mainly outside colleges

- True, while I appreciate the underseat and floorboard storage along with the CVT, I would still pick a motorcycle for its stability and comfort, FE as a welcome side effect.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

What are your thoughts and inputs?

Bravo, kudos to you for being a super son The love and care you feel for your father is very evident in your post. God Bless him with good health and may he keep his positive attitude always. Many people even half his age would think about giving up riding, especially due to or after the second accident.

Unfortunately on a two wheeler, it’s not only about stability of the bike or scooter or one’s own riding ability either. With the best riding ability and road awareness there can be bad times. Having said that, if that’s what he wants, it’s good on you to accept his wishes.

When you are home next, take him out on a scooter/bike shopping spree, am sure it will make him very happy. Chart out the day visiting various dealers, if possible call the dealers in advance and ask them to arrange a test ride of the vehicles so he is not disappointed.

After a shopping day (hopefully with a few test rides) between father and son, sit with him discuss the pros and cons of all the vehicles and make a tentative listing of preference. Let him decide which one he wants for himself and the next time you visit do the needful.

All the best!

Cheers

[hemanth.anand]

Bravo82in, two wheelers in general are not really "safe" but I completely understand your situation and can relate it well to my 70yr old father who prefers nothing but his scooter.

A friend of mine also was in the same situation when his father's scooty had reached it's end of life. After looking at all possible options he finally purchased the TVS XL 100. I'd suggest the same thing looking at your requirements.
expect in looks IMO, it ticks almost all boxes - Light weight, button start, load hauling capability, budget.

But whatever it is...let him test ride and find how comfortable he is.

[Mafia]

2-wheelers are innately dangerous.

TVS and Yamaha scooters seem to have a lower CG than Honda scooters in my experience. That helps in easier balance.

Yamaha scooters are lightweight and easier to balance.

Scooty Zest 110 or Yamaha Ray 125 should be tried as options.

[anjan_c2007]

I think that the Honda Street, a step-through is very ideal for the elderly and even for the ladies. The concept came in the mid- 1990's into India with the Hero Honda Street, Kinetic K-4 80 and Hero Winner trying to test the waters as the then auto magazines were repeatedly recommending introduction of step-throughs by 2 wheeler makers as new commuter bikes. Bajaj Auto also followed up with its souped-up version of the m80 as the Bajaj Rave. Very sadly, the sales of step-throughs were nowhere much encouraging as the initial euphoria vanished merely after some months. The three models went into oblivion and no manufacturer ever dared to step-in again into the world of step-throughs.

This is despite the fact that the Honda Cub (from August 1958) and several other of its Japanese made clones since the early 1960's, followed by Chinese and Taiwanese ones have been ruling the two wheeler markets in many countries in SE Asia since decades. It's a mystery as to how and why these failed here in India. The marketing was too bad as the advantages of such step-throughs for the elderly and for the ladies were eclipsed by all the three manufacturers.

A Honda Cub thread:-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ars-old-2.html (The Honda Cub is 50 Plus Years Old)

It's much like the fact that Station Wagon variants and two door models of even popular cars fail to take off in India, whereas these have their own markets in many countries.

After straying out of the main topic here and stepping back into the moot question asked by @bravo82in I would suggest that the Hero Honda Street will again be best suited for his ownership and if need be please get a touch-up job done on this step-through. A donor Honda Street bike or two procured by you and parked for posterity will do wonders to his ownership experience.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

It's a mystery as to how and why these failed here in India.

Thanks for the info, quite interesting

I can think of only one reason and its not marketing.
IMHO its our general preference to prioritise form over function and keep things in clear categories like Scooter/Scooty, Motorcycle, Car(Hatchback/Sedan), SUV, "Jeep" etc.
So there isn't much traction for concepts like a step-through, an estate or even a Crossover.
Just look at the sales of Brezza vs S-Cross. S-Cross being the better car here losing out on its "non-SUV" looks and even MSIL are trying to boost sales by marketing it as "the refined SUV" while having named it S-Cross

Specifically for the street it also had one issue, it just removed the clutch part of things with rotary gears but couldn't replace the ease and utility of a scooter nor could it replace the bikes.
The two wheeler market was highly polarized then than it is now. Anything which wasn't a bike or a scooter(LML and Bajaj) was considered "girly" and then the same idiotic concept bled into bikes themselves with "real men ride Bullet" idea. Illogical and stupid but that's what it was.
IMHO I find it similar to the "road presence" of an SUV thought process.

For the OP, without further hijacking this well intentioned thread, I would still suggest to give something like a Star City+ a try and wish him good luck in his attempt.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Very sadly, the sales of step-throughs were nowhere much encouraging as the initial euphoria vanished merely after some months. The three models went into oblivion and no manufacturer ever dared to step-in again into the world of step-throughs

Reasons being...
1. M80 - This was undisputed leader of two wheeler load vehicles which was favorite of most milk vendors; primarily because of it's ultra low cost maintenance. Although Kinetic Honda could still cater to the needs, M80 was popular due to its low ownership cost benefits.

2. Street could not survive due to M80's 2S power + low cost of maintenance & an effort for rural folks to reskill their efforts (no clutch, gears at leg that is rotary)

3. Besides, M80 catering to a very niche segment, the competition was else where so no one dared to venture here

M80 faded off the scene in early 2000s due to environmental regulation & when Activa rolled out which was easier to ride, low on maintenance & (now) became de-facto load carrier replacing M80. Although Bajaj attempted M80 again with 4S, it was half baked attempt & the vehicle went out of streets soon as the expectation set by 2S M80 was way too high that 4S M80 didn't live up to.

Personally, I don't see an use for step through in India; for carrying loads in two wheeler, there're automatic scooters; for comfort there're plethora of motorcycles. Even the TVS Max4R that was specifically designed for loads didn't see much number in sales either. No wonder step thru's caters to a niche segment.

Although I can gracefully accept Aerox 155 & SR160 in my garage, if I could have that extra cash, they're more of nice to have rather than a crave satiating a motorcycle rider.

[ashwinprakas]

For me this is a no-brainer, there is only one option out there that can properly replace the Street, which is the TVS XL100, provided you're fine with forgoing the dogma associated with your father riding it, again I might be wrong in presuming, just said so since you mentioned the Gazetted Officer part, we have one at home who cannot for the love of me drive but would take a dig at the Alto and Bolero for being sub-par everytime she hops in.

Jokes apart, the TVS XL100 is the closest option to the Street, both even come with a Centrifugal Clutch, XL100 is a single speed whereas the Street was a 4 Speed IIRC but they are both mechanically simple and you won't have to be bothered with either cost or complexity of ownership.

A step through is relatively safer than a typical scooter for the single fact that it sports a larger front wheel, I've flown off a scooter due to its front wheel going over an unscientific speed breaker at an offset angle, since I was carrying some speed the scooter ended up being a total loss. The reason is a motorcycle tyre can only roll over anything that is below the height of its axle.

On a different note I'm trying to pick one up for the wife but she is hell-bent on not riding one due to its fisher-mans ride immage in these parts, at times perceptions do trump over utilitarianism.

Anyhow do keep us posted.

Regards,
A.P.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

This post is about my father who is in his late 70s.... His earlier ride was a Hero Honda Street. His reliable companion for 20 years.

If two-wheeler is mandatory, it might be better to go for one with larger wheels. After driving Street for 20 years, it might be difficult for him to adjust to driving one with smaller wheels, especially at this age. The dynamics of handling a bike with larger wheels is different compared to one with smaller wheels.

But, the best option would be to use autos as others have suggested, or just take a walk if it is feasible.

[Aravind_M92]

For people with 70+ age, weight of the scooter also becomes a constraint. I have a aged relative, who used a Access 125 then moved to scooty Pep plus because of the scooters weight. I truly believe heavy scooter take a toll on the knee. Any light weight chassis should do. If weight isn't the issue, I would suggest you to go for scooters with bigger diameter tyres. Of the budget scooters, TVS Ntorq and if you consider performance, you can very well go for Aprilia SR or the SXR series.
You can also consider the Ather or Ola scooter given the capability of reverse assist

[darkfantasy]

I would suggest you to look at simple, easy to drive cars like S-Presso. Two-wheelers are inherently more dangerous no matter how you drive. You can drive at the extreme left very slowly and still can get rear ended or worse get hit by wrong side drivers.
I am still trying to convince my Dad to take the S Presso, so I can understand if your Dad is reluctant.
If he is set on two-wheelers a scooty pep or zest makes sense.

[Emvi]

First things first, no two wheelers are safe on our roads, Period.

Since your father is unwilling to shift to cars, may I suggest you to have a look at Ampere(by Greaves) Reo Series E-Scooters.

https://amperevehicles.com/electric-scooter/reo-elite/

I believe the scooters are light, low slung with ample ground clearance and not typically pacy as other electric scooters are.

[VW2010]

Once a speeding bike hit him from left side leaving him with multiple abrasions. Second time he lost balance over a pot hole, ending up with multiple rib fracture.

In both cases, only a 3 wheeler can try to reduce the impact by minimizing the chances of a person falling down. But the 3 wheeler will dent anyone's ego and at 70 you do not want to hurt his mental strength. No matter what scooter you chose the above two situations will continue to exist and no scooter will help anyone. There is no point in buying a new model unless the current one is mechanically falling apart. My advice is to stick to Activa and get him a good helmet.

[White Aviator]

I understand your concern with the Activa and I too have found it unstable. The products from TVS like the Jupiter and Ntorq have been much more stable in my experience so they are worth considering along with the upcoming Jupiter 125. The Ntorq while stable, is not very comfortable as it's a sports oriented scooter.

The Aerox is a good scooter. I found it very stable while taking a TD and the ABS works well but it is heavier than most scooters which could pose as an issue for your father. I would recommend taking a nice long TD and see if he finds it comfortable. Check out the Fascino as well as I was surprised how smooth and easy it was to ride while still feeling sure footed.

You can even check out the Aprilia SXR 125/160 as they too are very stable and comfortable but again the weight could be an issue. Some of the new electric scooters like the Aether, Chetak and Iqube are also worth considering.

Ultimately it will come down to what your father likes and finds comfortable while riding. You can take a TD of all the above mentioned scooters along with your father to find out what suits you the best.

[Sudarshan42]

Try the new TVS Jupiter 125, comes with a lot of practical features and a nice low centre of gravity thanks to the innovative fuel tank placement.

Another option would be the TVS NTorq, primarily for its 12 inch 100 + 110 tyre size distribution, which coupled with telescopic suspension and good disc brakes should help with stability and safety.