Looking for a safe two-wheeler for my aged father

Although he owns a Nissan Micra, he prefers to ride a 2-wheeler for short trips for groceries, etc. I was wondering whether the Yamaha Aerox 155, which has 14-inch wheels, would be a safer option or not.

BHPian bravo82in recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear BHPians

This post is about my father who is in his late 70s. He is a retired gazetted officer and a sportsman for the most part of his life. He is healthy, physically and mentally fit for his age, without any lifestyle disorders. My mom passed away in 2019. He stays alone in a historic town of western UP. Being a small city, with congested streets he prefers to ride a two-wheeler for short trips for groceries, etc. He also owns a Nissan Micra for longer rides. His earlier ride was a Hero Honda Street, his reliable companion for 20 years.

He then shifted to Honda Activa. In the last year, he has met with 2 accidents. Once a speeding bike hit him from the left side leaving him with multiple abrasions. The second time he lost balance over a pothole, ending up with multiple rib fractures.

I tried my best to persuade him to shift to a car for even short trips, but all my requests have fallen to deaf ears. His only outing/social life is the daily visit to the vegetable markets and grocery shops, else it will be very depressing for him to stay all alone.

I recently moved to a neighbouring city 70kms/1.5 hrs from him. I should be able to visit him once a fortnight.

My concern is that is there a two-wheeler that is safer to ride than Activa?

I always found his beloved HH street to be inherently stable but there was no suitable alternative to it in the market then. The launch of Yamaha Aerox 155 with 14-inch wheels made me wonder if it can be a safer alternative to Activa?

What are your thoughts and inputs? Budget is never a concern unless someone suggests me a Honda Gold Wing Trike.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

Rather than the safety of the vehicle, check which one he feels comfortable on. Height, weight, manoeuvrability as per his comfort. Rest is secondary, IMO.

Here's what BHPian sanchari had to say about the matter:

My father who is around similar age drives a TVS Scooty pep+. It's perfect for his height, light enough for him and is basically maintenance-free.

Here's what BHPian 2000rpm had to say about the matter:

The Scooty Pep comes to mind, but no moped is safe from potholes and requires a firm grip to keep it in control.

Why don't you try getting him his favourite Hero street (though old), get it completely renovated and he will be happy I think. His comfort with the vehicle dynamics of that bike will be invaluable.

Basically - Last known good configuration (old techies will remember this hopefully).

Here's what BHPian Raghu M had to say about the matter:

The reasons you mentioned are not related to Activa's safety. He could be injured by another vehicle if he is driving a two-wheeler, to begin with. No bike will give protection against potholes. Bikes have 2 wheels and once the balance is off, a person falls and gets injured. I don't think any bike in the world can offer the protection of a car. Also, since the streets are very congested, I would suggest having a friendly auto wala who can ply your dad to wherever he wants to and you pay him on a monthly or per-trip basis (of course with a small premium). I have friends and relatives who have moved to this system during Covid and trust me, it's complete peace of mind. You don't need to worry about traffic or parking at all.

Here's what BHPian Vinod_nair had to say about the matter:

Dear Bravo,

A thoughtful caring son, doing what his father would have done for his son in his teens, etc.

I can understand your predicament, I'm 61, recovering from a Pacemaker implant, anyways let me think out-of-the-box here:

My garage consists of:

• Jupiter 2015
• Nano AMT 2016
• Nexon AMT 2018

I ride and drive all 3 regularly, but I enjoy my Nano the most, it's nimble, requires just a 2 bike space for parking in our crowded bazaar's, and is a hoot to drive.

Get him one, for both of yours peace of mind.

Regards

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