[deep_bang]

If you have an option to keep your existing scooter, do keep it and it will be the cheapest option.

As an Ola S1 owner, whose running is quite small for now, I can tell you one thing. The fun of an EV is something different. But, after riding it for a few hours, when I get back to my Thunderbird 350, the noise seems so much different and unrefined and that's a completely different thrill.

So, point being, as tbhpians, a lot of us are driven by our experiences (heart) and not solely by cost(mind). So, since you seem to have the thought of buying an EV, I would say go ahead and buy and it's a good time to junk your old ice scooter once it gets to 15 years. Remember it won't be very cheap to get it renewed.. may cost about 5 to 10k or so. Instead, invest about a lakh and get another 15 years out of it. Today you get subsidies over 50k which may stop over time. So I don't buy the argument that you should wait till they get matured. As the EV space matures you will also see prices rise...

[LBWKjesko]

My father was in a similar dilemma last year. He used his 2011 honda activa for around 300-400 kms per month but it had aged very badly and was delivering around 20 kmpl. So the scooter wasn't very sound mechanically. My father decided to give it away and buy a new scooter around 1-1.5 lakh range. We booked a test ride for the ola s1 pro (it was the only E scooter with respectable specs available in our city) and he wasn't very impressed with the build and finish. And also the fact that it was around 1.7 lakhs on road here didn't make it that good of a deal. We looked at some other ICE scooters but then decided to go with one of the suzukis 125cc trio (access, avenis or burgman) as my father liked them best. Finally he bought an avenis (Definitely not because I influenced him) and has been happy ever since. It delivers around 50-55 kmpl when rode strictly in eco range.

So, I think if you do not care for the gimmicks of a new EV getting a suzuki 125cc should be the best choice for your relatively low usage.

[Piyush Kanthak]

Can someone advice me on how to restore an old scooter? We have a 2013 Access and has done 55,000 KM, dad used to use it for daily office runs, after covid he has switched to driving car for work.

The Access is in rough shape but is mechanically sound, the engine was on the verge of seizing due to low oil, the mechanic has said that this damaged the engine, but it will run another 5-6 years, as of now the scooter runs fine. There are a few scratches on the side panels, other than that everything is in working order.

I also wanted to get the suspension changed, I want a more comfortable ride, planning on getting the one used in Jupiter 125.

[amolathalye]

Hi AshKamath ,

I too have a 16 years old Honda Activa which is almost trouble-free till date. But since the roads in Mumbai are too bad , I feel the suspension should be improved , do you know anything about it like how it can be done etc.

[ICE_Swift]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

So, what I did was got my Activa stripped and painted (INR 6K) changed the belt, a bearing and a full service (around INR 2K) and got the FC done for another 5 years.

Can You Share the Name Place and /or Contact Number of your painter/Service Centre?
Also did you replace any parts that were corroded?

I'm looking to restore my Activa too and I live in Goa as well.

[sridhga]

Originally Posted by pradeepkc

You will have an option of converting your scooter to EV soon. A few startups are going through ARAI certification or are in the process of going for certification soon. These kits will give you about 50 km of real world range and a top speed of about 50 kmph. Ideal for users like you. I would recommend to wait and evaluate this option.

Any idea when it is going to happen. Any leads for such companies? And will that not kill the existing ev business from the Government's point of view?

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by ICE_Swift

Can You Share the Name Place and /or Contact Number of your painter/Service Centre?
Also did you replace any parts that were corroded?

I'm looking to restore my Activa too and I live in Goa as well.

I reside in Vasco and the painter's name is Prem. His garage is right next to the Vaddem Lake. It's visible on the main road as soon as you pass the vaddem lake on your right.

The whole scooter was stripped down to it's chassis and painted new. No parts were replaced. The original parts were repainted.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by amolathalye

Hi AshKamath, I feel the suspension should be improved , do you know anything about it like how it can be done etc.

I had some suspension issues too. My friendly neighborhood garage mechanic fixed it for me. It's not a big deal. Your mechanic should be able to solve this issue quite easily.

[ravradha]

Based on my calculation, an average of 14 Kms per day is the tipping point purely based on the cost, to switch from petrol to electric scooter.



Enclosed is the Excel where the configurable calculation is there. Please change the parameters to get your comparison.

Comparison Sheet.xlsx

[sushil_n79]

Hi Rahul bhai

Thanks for starting this thread I guess this is the same dilemma that I had also been going through as my bike's rc expires in November 2023. As we discussed in the past as people rightly say investing in an electric bike may not be a cost-effective or effective solution at the moment as the electric automobile is at an infant stage in India, I would suggest renewing the RC and using it for another couple of years till we have more options. Planning to do the same for my bike and follow in your footsteps. Moreover not sure if an electric bike is not used for a long time does the battery die or hold charge as far as I know the batteries are only effective when they go thru a cycle of charge and discharge.
experts pls comment.

regards
Sushil narayanan

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by sushil_n79

investing in an electric bike may not be a cost-effective or effective solution at the moment as the electric automobile is at an infant stage

Hi Sushil, As I had replied earlier in this thread, last year (July, 2022) I renewed my Honda Activa RC for a further 5 years. As of now I am good for another 4 years with my old Activa that's done 88000 + Kms on odo.

Electric bike could be an option if your daily ride distance is more or less fixed and within the vehicle's charge range. As a surveyor, there are many days when my running exceeds the full range of a fully charged EV ( say more than 100-120 Kms) and that's a primary reason for me to continue with my ICE scooter.

When I say the market maturing, I mean
1. Better battery with a 200+ Kms range on full charge for an anxiety free travel experience.
2. Hopefully the present petrol pumps will start a EV charging dock with fast charging options at an affordable price and that would allow me to ride long distance on an EV
3. Better battery technology leading to smaller more efficient and more safer battery ( which I see happening in foreseeable future)
4. The apartment complex where I reside now has no immediate plans to install an charging port in parking area ( infact many are vehemently against it after hearing some spontaneous fire incidents of parked EVs) So that's a bottle neck for apartment dwellers and not for people residing in an independent property.

So charging infrastructure at residence has to improve, the battery range has to improve (that's a personal opinion based on my usage), ease of charging anywhere anytime (like refueling an ICE vehicle) are some of factors that I am awaiting to improve and I believe in a couple of years, we will be there.


Further after say another 3-4 years, or when I believe that the time is right, I might perhaps retain the Activa scooter chassis and swap it's engine to a battery and convert it to an EV for a cost affective transformation and continue riding my trusted steed for many more years.

[vivek_lo]

When Ather was introduced in Chennai in 2019, I am among the first buyers with trust on the new initiative, though everyone around cautioned me. I was fascinated by Tarun Mehta and his team’s talk. Everything was fine till recently when the scooter stopped abruptly couple of times while running. It was scary, but I was able to restart again. I contacted the customer support which guided me to the service center for a check. They simply updated the software and said its ok. Again in July, the scooter did not start. It looked like an issue of the key. The key set was replaced, but did not solve the problem. It was towed to service center where they did not have a clue.
They changed the wiring harness but of no use. Then they said the problem may be with controller which needs to be changed which costs 40K! I did not agree and asked me to put to some technical people in Ather. They then said the controller can be repaired which may cost half of it. After some talk they said the repair cost will be given at concession. It has been sent to Bangalore.
Last two months, every time I contact customer support, there is no response or follow up. After few days, I get a call from service center reception asking what is the problem and where is the scooter. When I repeat all the story, she will say she will get back and then ..dead! Never ever I received a call from Ather even bothering to ask what is my complaint! I hope my scooter is still in their works and will return one day. I am highly disappointed with the lack of proper diagnosis and timely service of appropriate feedback. There is absolutely no respect for customer and I have not experienced such apathy even with mass manufacturers. If people are expecting electrical scooter to be trouble free and no running cost, be aware!

[am1m]

Might be considering an EV sometime this year. My trusty Pulsar 180 will turn 17 this year, and while it is showing no issues whatsoever, time for a new commuter bike and I think the time has come for a smooth, easy to ride, e-scooter. Also, I'd like my wife to (finally!) start using a 2-wheeler. She's been driving for decades, but flatly refused to learn how to ride a bike...till now. Now she needs to go in to work 3 times a week and the road traffic makes driving too much of a pain. She can use the Metro and so far she's been taking autos and buses to the Metro station, but I suspect that will prove unnecessarily tedious very soon. So I'm hoping she'll consider finally using an e-scooter.

So with that in mind, which one? Which of the escooters is easy to learn on? I really want an Ather 450X, but I don't think she'll be very comfortable starting on that. Ola is out because I still see too many issues and poor after-sales reports. Would like to stick with a reputed brand, so I guess it's between the Ather Ritza, TVS iQube, or the Bajaj eChetak. Usage pattern, for both/either of us will be the same, mainly home to Metro station and back (3-4 km one way).

(Thanks in advance for any thoughts!)

[bijims]

Originally Posted by am1m

Might be considering an EV sometime this year. My trusty Pulsar 180 will turn 17 this year, and while it is showing no issues whatsoever, time for a new commuter bike and I think the time has come for a smooth, easy to ride, e-scooter. Also, I'd like my wife to (finally!) start using a 2-wheeler. She's been driving for decades, but flatly refused to learn how to ride a bike...till now. Now she needs to go in to work 3 times a week and the road traffic makes driving too much of a pain. She can use the Metro and so far she's been taking autos and buses to the Metro station, but I suspect that will prove unnecessarily tedious very soon. So I'm hoping she'll consider finally using an e-scooter.

So with that in mind, which one? Which of the escooters is easy to learn on? I really want an Ather 450X, but I don't think she'll be very comfortable starting on that. Ola is out because I still see too many issues and poor after-sales reports. Would like to stick with a reputed brand, so I guess it's between the Ather Ritza, TVS iQube, or the Bajaj eChetak. Usage pattern, for both/either of us will be the same, mainly home to Metro station and back (3-4 km one way).

(Thanks in advance for any thoughts!)

Ola has drastically improved their sales and service network over the last couple of months, and their service has improved leaps and bounds with vehicles being received after service almost immediately or within a day. The number of issues in the 2nd Gen S1 Pro is also much less as compared to the 1st Gen and with the 3rd Gen, there should be ideally no issues at all owing to the less complex nature of the system, so I do recommend you getting an Ola S1 Pro or S1 Pro+ Gen 3 in the 4 kWh variant or if you want more range the 5.3 kWh variant will provide over 250 km of range too. The Ola is the most feature-laden scooter in the market with 34 litre under-seat storage, mobile app connectivity, touchscreen with maps, Bluetooth, speakers and a whole lot more, new chain drive mid-mounted motor system, disc brakes at both ends, brake-by-wire, better regen and a whole lot more.

Else, if Ola is a strict no, then do consider the Bajaj Chetak 35 series, i.e. 3501, 3502 and 3503, it is much more practical and has more range than the earlier Chetaks and offers a large underseat storage (35 litres) as well. Moreover, the seat (80 mm larger) and floorboard are much more practical with a 153 km IDC range alleviating most of the drawbacks of the earlier Chetak, the top speed is limited to 73 km/h though.

If you want something that looks like an ICE Scooter and has all the controls similar to one with good practicality, features and reliability, the TVS iQube is a good choice, the 3.4 kWh iQube variants in base, S or ST trims would be just enough with a 100 km true range, else if you want something with more range the 5.1 kWh ST provides certified 150 km+ range and is a good option, it comes with 32 litre under seat storage and most features are available on the top trims too, my only gripe with the iQube is that it still uses the cheaper hub-mounted motors which aren't the best when it comes to efficiency and are prone to damage if not driven carefully over potholes and bad roads.

The Ather Rizta follows the iQube formula with space and practicality being the major draw, it has the largest seat in the segment, a huge under-seat storage of 34 litres and many other options including a drunk as an accessory, it comes with a non-touch screen with controls on the handlebar, and has all the requisite features you require from an e-scooter, the range is in the range of 100 to 125 km depending on the variant.

With these in mind, I recommend you get a test ride of an Ola S1 Pro+ Gen 3 when it is available and then consider the other options if it still doesn't convince you.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by am1m

Might be considering an EV sometime this year. My trusty Pulsar 180 will turn 17 this year, and while it is showing no issues whatsoever, time for a new commuter bike and I think the time has come for a smooth, easy to ride, e-scooter. Also, I'd like my wife to (finally!) start using a 2-wheeler. She's been driving for decades, but flatly refused to learn how to ride a bike...till now. Now she needs to go in to work 3 times a week and the road traffic makes driving too much of a pain. She can use the Metro and so far she's been taking autos and buses to the Metro station, but I suspect that will prove unnecessarily tedious very soon. So I'm hoping she'll consider finally using an e-scooter.

So with that in mind, which one? Which of the escooters is easy to learn on? I really want an Ather 450X, but I don't think she'll be very comfortable starting on that. Ola is out because I still see too many issues and poor after-sales reports. Would like to stick with a reputed brand, so I guess it's between the Ather Ritza, TVS iQube, or the Bajaj eChetak. Usage pattern, for both/either of us will be the same, mainly home to Metro station and back (3-4 km one way).

(Thanks in advance for any thoughts!)

River Indie for me. Great style, lots of fun, super comfy, super storage. My mother too had a lot of fun test riding it. I don't know about easy to learn on but if everyone in Bangalore rode it, we would have much less traffic and we'd all be having so much fun while we are at it.