[rascalangel]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

It looked like over engineered, the scooter is tough and well built.

According to River guys, this is a no gimmick scooter, no OTA, no speakers, no maps, no mobile lock and unlock.

Cant express how much I appreciate this!

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Then comes along a new company with a new product. The ex-showroom price is near about the same, and if you want to add the accessories - which you'd really want to, because they're actually that cool - it'll be extra. How much extra, we don't know yet. But let's assume 20-25k for the entire suite?

The question one would ask is - is this premium worth the cool features, especially since it brings along the risk of being an early adopter of a new brand?

Pricing and perception of value-for-money are ultimately subjective, and depend on a lot of factors that aren't science. River have hit it out of the park with the product, they could have been aggressive with the pricing to bring it home!

When they first announced the price I personally coudnt believe it! All that for just 1.25? I mean given where the inflation is (See Alto / Duke price nowadays), even 1.6 ex. showroom is kinda sweet.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

Those who pre-order before 15th Sept can get it for 1.25 lakhs as informed to me by the River sales guys, not sure if they have any booking period(for full payment) to get the scooter at this price.

This seems to contradict with what we were told during the media event; do take these terms in writing.

They told us, they got about 6k bookings after which they've stopped taking any more; if you check their website, you'll see the "Add to Waitlist" option. Of the 6k, 4k are "pre-launch" customers who will get the 1.25 lakh pricing.

Things could have changed, or the sales guy might have provided incorrect info. As I said, ensure you have the price terms in writing. Do check about warranty (3 or 5 years) as well.

Originally Posted by Venky03

Any info about the battery pack voltage?

Also did they explain why they chose the proprietary port instead of the two standard ones? This scooter, along with the Ather open-source port would have been a perfect electric 2W.

No info on the voltage.

Regarding the proprietary port, I had the exact question / observation. Had they chosen an open-source or industry standard port, ease of use would have gone up significantly. Carrying the charger around won't mean the end of the world, but is a hassle nevertheless.

[SKC-auto]

Forgot to mention, the River Indie staff were super helpful, they were very eager to talk about the product with the customers.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Things could have changed, or the sales guy might have provided incorrect info. As I said, ensure you have the price terms in written. Do check about warranty (3 or 5 years) as well.

There is also some confusion which customers will get the 2years additional warranty( 3 years standard warranty).

[PreethamNag]

Originally Posted by Venky03

Any info about the battery pack voltage?

Had a chance to interact with the River engineers, it's 60V.

[AK_812]

I got a chance to check out and test ride the Indie this Sunday at their R&D facility in Whitefield. I must say that it looks really good in person and is a definite head turner.

The River folks initially gave me a tour around the scooter and explained all the features of it. Certain elements on the scooter seem very robust and feels like it is built to last.

The massive storage box under the seat is quite breathtaking. It just swallowed up my full face MT helmet and still had space for more!

Then came the test ride. The throttle and mode calibration feels excellent. I believe that the Eco mode has been done quite well and would help a lot in saving up some juice while stuck in peak Bengaluru traffic. Ride mode seems to be the most usable for daily use with enough power and range for my daily commute. The top mode (Rush) doesn't have the massive surge of acceleration like other EVs, but I believe that it is not required on an EV scooter especially on Indian roads. On the other hand, Rush mode is adequate enough and gives a decent adrenaline rush while overtaking.

Ride comfort is top notch and handling is way beyond expectations for a scooter which weighs 140kgs.

Another thing which I wanted to touch upon is the Adaptive Regen capabilities. During the walkaround, they explained about off-throttle regen and braking regen which works based on the amount of brake pressure applied onto the levers. During the ride, the feel when I went off-throttle and while braking was really really close to an IC-engine scooter. It felt like there was engine braking kicking in when I went off-throttle and that really did put a smile on my face!

Once my ride was done, I had an extensive sit down with one of their sales representatives since I had a lot of doubts regarding the price and availability.

I'll also try addressing some doubts which a few people had in the above discussion.

- Pre-booking is currently closed for everyone and if anyone wants to book now, you'll have to join the waitlist.
- For all pre-ordered customers in Bengaluru, River is sticking to the original announced price of 1.25 lakh ex-showroom. They will be opening a payment window (I think it is on 15th of Sept) for only the pre-booked customers from Bengaluru. Only those who make a payment during this window will be eligible for the introductory price of 1.25 lakh.
- Deliveries are expected to start by the end of this month from their R&D facility and their first experience center along with the service center is being setup in JP Nagar (expected to open by November).

River is yet to announce the final price for all other customers.

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

There is also some confusion which customers will get the 2years additional warranty( 3 years standard warranty).

For all pre-ordered customers, they are offering a warranty of 5 years/50,000kms. For all other customers, they will be offering 3 years/30,000kms with an option to upgrade to 5 years/50,000kms.

Eagerly waiting for the payment window to open to book the Indie!

Originally Posted by pogo0120

Can you elaborate? Is this before September 15th? I am still waiting for test ride. I prebooked during launch.

Really? Are you from Bengaluru? I think they had reached out to all pre-ordered customers in Bengaluru for the test ride. One of my mutual friends also got a call for the ride.

Would suggest reaching out to their customer care soon since the payment window is nearing.

[mukeshannamalai]

I took my test drive this past Sunday at their R&D facility in Whitefield. I was quite impressed with the design, particularly the large tires and unique dual-headlight setup. I had been searching for an EV scooter with ample storage, and the River fits the bill perfectly. Here are some of its notable features:

1. Instantaneous throttle response with zero lag - a key one for me.
2. Excellent braking performance.
3. Spacious and lockable storage, reminiscent of the old Chetak.
4. A wide footboard.
5. Exceptional seat comfort in terms of width, length, and height.
6. Ideal riding posture for daily commuting. Long drives are easy.
7. Confident handling even over potholes.
8. The youthful River team displayed remarkable passion and commitment. I had the opportunity to engage with several River team members during the initial vehicle production launch in Hoskote and the test drive in Whitefield. They were always ready and willing to address all my inquiries. I sincerely hope that their enthusiasm and dedication extend to their after-sales support as well.
9. Low motor whine noise, it has slight noise but not much unlike the current best EV scooter.


However, I do have some suggestions for improvement:

1. Revise the charging cover mechanism; the current pull lever inside the lockable front storage is not very practical. Consider an electronic release with a button on the handlebar switch gear.
2. Enhance the quality of the plastic used for the front lockable storage. It needs to be sturdy.
3. Upgrade the quality of the key, something different than a conventional key.
4. Overall, work on improving the switch quality.
5. Include a rear grab handle as a standard feature.
6. Offer a wider range of color options to cater to different preferences.
7. I prefer the DRL than a glowing single headlight during daytime but cant help if its due to regulation.
8. How about an artificial engine sound with different ride levels with option of ON/OFF, i think its too much to ask.

[Gansan]

This EV scooter too misses out on the pillion side footrest. They will have to design it as an accessory now, why not just integrate it at the design stage like the Icube did? I can understand a European designed scooter missing it, but not an Indian one. Ather did the same mistake. It is a very important accessory. There is a demography whose spouses predominantly wear saris and will only ride pillion sideways; yours truly will not be allowed to buy any scooter without it!

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Gansan

This EV scooter too misses out on the pillion side footrest. They will have to design it as an accessory now, why not just integrate it

They already have the pillion side step as an accessory (see # 8 in my list).

[pogo0120]

Got message on whatsup saying River will open booking window soon. But I have not seen the link yet. Message says, customer must make down payment. I asked them how much and if we make down payment, can we cancel later. No answer yet.

Following was the message.
"For all the Bangalore pre-booked customers, We will be opening a payment window soon so that you can make the initial down payment to secure the launch price (ex showroom-1,25,000/-).We will send a communication alteast 24-48 hours before the payment window opens via email and whatsapp. Post the payment we will update the delivery schedule for your pre-booking in your River account."


I am interested in this scooter. It has all the features present I like and bad features not present, which I hate like keyless, touch screen etc. However, I am particularly concerned about front storage panel, rattling after some time and the fact that we need to open this door to open charging port. Also, biggest concern is someone told me that these charging pins are non standard. I thought India had put guidelines on standard ports for charging for all manufacturers. If not, I am not sure what these FAME -2 FAME-1 people were doing!

I intend to make down payment, only if there is an option to cancel order even after making down payment. I make some payment and then I start reading bad things on team bhp, I donot want to hit a wall with my head!

[fordday]

Got a whatsapp message from them about opening of paying slots for pre booked customers from 23 Sep onwards.

Need to pay non refundable 25k.

[pogo0120]

This is really bad.

NON REFUNDABLE.

I am not sure how this company is thinking.

1. I am interested to buy. Yes.
2. I would like to support a startup. Yes.

But the questions is, how can I invest around 1.35 lakhs on a product, untested, unknown, unproven - practically. They should give free hand and say, look, you can cancel if you donot like. Especially, with people like us who supported them with early booking..

I am willing to put 25k down payment, no issues. But company says non refundable. This is really bad. I am thinking of not going for this product.

Even though, I like everything about this product (Except switch quality, front door, access to charging port and non standard charging port), I still have to make myself courageous enough to invest on unknow product (Yes, Unknown to me, unknown to my friends and unknown to everyone except youtubers and instagram and few news writers/reviewers).

Hope they change this policy from non refundable to refundable. I will go with then to next level.

[fordday]

When I logged in to my account saw that expected delivery date for my scooter is April 2024. So much for all the hype and non refundable payments.

They didn't even send any details like what all they are going to provide before asking for a non refundable payment.

[pogo0120]

I am not sure why this company is behaving like this. I wanted to support Bangalore based company. I logged in to just check. It specifically says amount is non refundable. OLA was not like that. I just don't know. May be they are running short of money or something. Even if the refunding issues are related to ccavenue or rarorpay, they can still say, refundable with 1.5% processing fee. Not a big deal. Something is not right here.

I had lot of hopes on Bounce infinity. I booked in advance. When I saw the product in person, I was like " Why even wasted time on this". All YouTube and review sites stated the product as "great and everything you need". When I saw in person, it was not what I expected.

Same case here. I wanted to test ride this scooter. I log in, I donot see any slot. Website says, no slots available for whole September. I thought, ok. I will put down a down payment and continue. Now, non refundable clause. I say just forget it. Thinking of taking back my booking.

My advice to anyone reading here. Donot just go by what youtube says or what reviewers say. See in person, test ride, ask people who own it and then buy. You will not regret your decision. One lakh + rupees is not a small amount, unless you are rich. And yes, support Indian companies, not chinese imports!

[mukeshannamalai]

I'm disheartened; I had faith in this team. I canceled my SimpleOne booking due to unclear delivery dates. Atleast River announced a delivery date and it depends on the date of prebooking, but now it's been pushed to March 2024 for me, Prebooked customers have been patient, but this delivery date is frustrating. While it's a great product, I require a vehicle now, cant wait anymore, and I'm canceling my prebooking and go for TVS iQube or Ola.

[fordday]

Originally Posted by pogo0120

Same case here. I wanted to test ride this scooter. I log in, I donot see any slot. Website says, no slots available for whole September.

Funny thing is we cannot go to October dates for test rides. There is no such provision in that page. This is adding mystery to River everyday.