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Ola S1 Pro e-scooter ride impressions by multiple BHPians

29th November 2021, 14:00 by Rahul Nagaraj

My Honda Activa 6G doesn't come anywhere close to the experience offered by the S1 Pro.

BHPian Dieselite recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Went in for the test ride with low expectations due to all the glitchy reviews, but was completely blown away. My current 2-wheel ride is a Honda Activa 6G and it does not come anywhere close to the experience of this Rockstar!

My first impressions of the Ola S1 Pro are:

Build Quality: par for the course
Ride Quality: Excellent (seat does help the ride)
Powertrain: Outstanding performance. Beta Software and Laggy ride by wire configuration apart
Styling: Excellent and appealing
Sales and After Sales: Remains a mystery

Looking forward to the delivery of my Midnight Blue S1 Pro in Jan/Feb 2022! Definitely excited!

Here's what BHPian Gansan had to say on the matter:

I went for the test ride as planned today. In one word, I am sold on it.
It rides and handles as good as any scooter, actually better in my opinion. The ride was good for the road I took it on (Bangalore highway). I had to ride slow and negotiate a few speed breakers while exiting the hotel to the highway. It handled them good enough. I was given an S1 Pro scooter and all modes - Normal/Sports/Hyper - worked. Sports mode itself is addictive. Braking is good. It felt almost like a finished product, not like a beta version.
The "throttle going dead when the brake is pressed" is not as big an issue as I thought. After the first few minutes, I got adjusted to it and hardly noticed it thereafter. It might be an issue if one stops and starts on an incline, but that is where the hill hold might come in. The lag between letting go of the brake, twisting the throttle and the motor responding is hardly a second in my opinion. After the initial weird feeling, one hardly notices it. It is not a deal-breaker. Apart from the feeling that my folded knees were higher up when compared to riding a Suzuki Access, and the slightly weird side stand, I did not notice anything amiss. The seat is like a sofa! The storage space is big enough, it does accommodate two full-face helmets. They said if you want to carry the charger, then one helmet and one charger. The reverse gear is fun to use, but is it really necessary in a scooter! They said something about the hill hold being functional now, but I could not check it anywhere. Cruise control is not yet functional, but another unnecessary gimmick in a scooter. I was told a centre stand and side footrest will be offered as accessories.
The distance allowed was a U-turn immediately after exiting the hotel, go till the second signal from there, take a U-turn again and come back to the hotel - about 4 km. The road was free and I was hitting 70-80 in no time. It won't be an understatement to say the ride is exhilarating!
My BIL and his wife had done the test ride an hour before me. His opinion was pretty much the same as mine. But his wife who is 5'2", did say that she uses brake/throttle together during U-turns and found it uncomfortable with the throttle not responding while braking. And the side stands are uncomfortable to use. But they are not deal breakers for her either.
I would rate the build quality as good, though it seems to be FRP. The paintwork is excellent. The scooter looks attractive and at the same time mature, instead of the (IMO) toy-like look of Ather. It somehow reminds me of a Vespa. Also, the front suspension is not a single down rod as I thought. There is some additional linkage connected to the chassis behind that rod. Anyone going for a test ride, please bend down, take a photo behind the front mudguard and post it here! Also, despite many people taking test rides continuously one after the other, none of the TD scooters seemed to have any heating issues, like what some Bangalore BHPians felt after their test ride.
I am not cancelling my booking. I am not buying it immediately either. I will wait for a month after the first deliveries take place and user reports come in.

Here's what BHPian shortbread had to say on the matter:

Went to see the Ola scooter in person with my dad, he's the ultimate beneficiary.
We're very impressed and going ahead with our purchase. They were quite stubborn on the limited test drives, so only one of us could do it. My dad took the honours and myself pillion.
Pros:
Well built and put together. Some flimsy plastic bits and panel gaps. But no creaks and rattles, scooter felt solid.
Liked the ride. Slightly stiff, but a decent balance between ride & handling
Good under-seat storage
Superb touchscreen display, intuitive
Impressive features list, albeit some gimmicky
Looks even better in person, attractive design
Good horn
Great brakes
Easy to replace wheels, amateur-friendly
Terrific VFM
Spacious seats
Cons:
Beta testing comments by staff are not exactly confidence-inspiring. The staff were unsure about many things like accessories, side footrest etc.
Brake throttle cut off feature, will take time to get used to, especially for elderly riders
Wide rear seats mean that even tall pillion passengers can't touch feet on the ground
Heavy scooter, although not an issue when the scooter is moving
Power port flap is not lockable
Side stand feels flimsy
Could be a challenging ownership experience for the not soo tech-savvy, the younger generation will find it a breeze.
Risks related to new manufacturer and product.
We have a considerable solar power production capacity, saving us easily 20k every year on fuel alone, it's sort of a no brainer. An electric scooter was always going to join the family garage, we'll check out the Ather again tomorrow.
So far OLA S1 pro is the primary candidate.

Here's what BHPian nkrishnap had to say on the matter:

Had a chance to test ride the OLA S1 Pro today. Most points are covered and will point out only what I felt. My friend has booked the scooter.
Design-wise it is pretty unique and will catch eyeballs
Good range of colours unlike Ather
Brisk Acceleration, however, the part-throttle response is not to my liking. Of course, they can/may improve this. Ather feels well sorted in this department
Brakes are good, but Ather has a better feel and bite.
Build quality, fit and finish has a long way to go.
Switchgear has too much of a rubbery feel to my liking
Good boot space.
Love the headlight design
Usable rearview mirrors unlike the pathetic ones on the Ather.
Good range advertised, Real life usage needs to be seen
No flat board footwell. The hump in the middle can be a deal-breaker if you intend to use the scooter to carry luggage of varying sizes n shapes.
Primary user (more like admin) and secondary users feature. Secondary user features can be restricted by the admin.
Charging time for the pro variant is around 6.5 hours (as per the person giving the demo). No fast chargers or grid-like Ather currently.
I felt the handlebar is placed a little too high to my liking.
A few pics that I took when I visited the place: