When you work in a 6 day/week- 12 hours/day job, everything needs to be planned. Luckily, the ASC is open on Sundays.

BHPian Castro Gunner recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

First service update:

Odometer reading- 950 kms

Recommended service interval:

The Plan:
"When you work in a 6 day/week- 12 hours/day job, everything needs to be planned.
Add to that, the nearest ASC is 15kms away from home.
Luckily, the ASC is open on Sundays."

The service:

Reached the ASC around 9.30 am so that can collect the vehicle and reach Home by lunch.
As expected, the floor manager said they can deliver the vehicle only by 5pm.
Tried waiting till 11.30 am, with no progress tried to make use of my only day off.

The test ride:

1.5km walk away from ASC, there are- KTM, Bajaj, TVS and Aprilia showrooms!
Went to Bajaj to test the NS 400Z. The showroom guy was professional and gave me the keys after few forms.
About the ride, of course I felt the increase in power from my SF 250 but there was no "upgraded" feeling. And the buzz from tank is definitely a let off.
Eagerly went to KTM, only to be disappointed by rejection for the lack of shoes for a test ride.

The lunch:

On one side losing your valuable day off is a bummer, the other side it is time for a peaceful, solo outside lunch (My kid being a toddler, peaceful meal is a luxury nowadays ).
Found a newly opened Domino's outlet and I generally don't miss the newly inaugurated Domino's outlets as they are liberal with the "cheese they put on their pizza"
Happily, me being the only customer, the pizza was delicious and full.

The service:

Coming back to the ASC, my vehicle was yet to be taken for service!
After some whining, finally the technician took the vehicle for a test ride in a trademark "full throttle mechanic style"
Vehicle was washed and again was waiting for the technician. Took a nap and half hour later, the vehicle was ready. God knows what "servicing" they did.

Took another 30 mins for billing and finally was about to leave, instinct telling something is wrong- checked the boot to find that my charger was missing!.
5 mins later, left along with charger.

Tata bye bye, see you @ 5000 kms.

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I can sometimes start and run the electric scooter without the key. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when this issue happens, but it’s a significant concern.

BHPian shb19 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

My Experience with Hero Vida V1 Plus - Need Feedback from Fellow Owners

I recently purchased the Vida V1 Plus and got it delivered in Bangalore yesterday. While I understand that new-age startups like Ola have faced a lot of criticism for focusing on sales over product quality and after-sales service, I was hoping for a better experience with a well-established player like Hero. However, it seems some of the issues from the launch vehicles persist, even two years later. Here are a few problems I've encountered right out of the gate:

• Water Leakage: Water is still entering the under-seat luggage compartment, including the battery area, despite this being a known issue since launch.
• Switchgear Issue: The right-side switchgear has some play, an issue that Autocar India pointed out during their test drive, and it's still not resolved.
• Rear Brake Ineffectiveness: The rear brake has very little stopping power and requires full force to engage properly, forcing me to rely more on the front brake.
• Vida App Issues: The app only works about 50% of the time, which is frustrating.

Additionally, I've faced a couple of other issues within just 2 days of ownership:

• Charger Malfunction on Delivery: The charger wasn’t working at delivery, and I tried to convince them that the AC charger only charges the bike to 90%. After insisting, the dealer replaced the faulty charger.
• Starting the Bike Without a Key: I've noticed that I can sometimes start and run the bike without the key. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when this issue happens, but it’s a significant concern. The service team couldn’t reproduce the issue during their test rides and said they’d send a technician if it happened again.

I haven’t seen much mention of the second issue online. Has anyone else experienced this or any similar issues with their Vida? I'd really appreciate any insights from other Vida owners!

Here's what BHPian Castro Gunner replied:

I have been riding a V1 Plus for the past 2.5 months with 1500kms on Odo.

• Water Leakage- Yes, it is a problem and Hero is just selling with the same design. Actually, they have some other plan with the rear design- even in one of their ad it was seen that the rear plastic was removed for additional storage. However, for the current customers, the Hero's way of compensating is by giving them a waterproof bag.
• Switch gear- I don't face that issue. Yes, the switches are bad, but not an issue. So you can fight with ASC.
• Rear brake ineffectiveness- The brakes are CBS units and pressing only the rear brake doesn't work very well. Actually, the left lever is not a rear brake but a CBS brake (you can see that in the manual as well). Using both the brakes works well.
• Vida App- 50%!! For me, it opens once in a blue moon. Can't do anything about it.

• Starting the bike without a key?!! This is scary! It should be checked out.

Here's what BHPian Funny replied:

I have a Vida Pro with 2K+ kms on the ODO. Here are my observations:

Water Leakage: It cannot be fixed since it's a design fault. Hero is providing a waterproof bag to new customers which fits in the rear storage area. Lame solution, I must say. For me, the battery compartment remains relatively dry whereas anything kept in the main storage area will be soaking wet after a downpour.

Switchgear Issue: Known and widespread issue. Even my switchgears are not easy to operate, sometimes you need to press really hard for certain switches to work and it gets even more difficult to operate once it gets wet from rain or washing. Once it dries up, it starts working again so I haven't thought about getting it replaced since I believe Hero doesn't have a new/fixed version of it, it will be the same defective replacement.

Vida App: For me, it mostly works but sometimes when it doesn't then restarting the app mostly fixes it. But the app experience itself is bad, it's ultra slow and some features don't work/load at all. They had revamped the app this year but I think it needs another revamp to become properly useable.

Rear Brakes: The real let-down of this EV. It's almost non-existent and feels wooden-like, you will have to rely 90% on the front brakes and the other 10% will be the combination of forced-regen + rear brakes. I don't find much difference between the stopping capabilities of forced-regen (opposite throttle) and applying rear brakes, it's that bad.

Starting without Key: I also faced this issue initially but I figured out why it was happening. One fine day when I went to clean the scooter without taking the key fob, I accidentally pressed the unlock button and surprisingly the scooter got unlocked, I checked my phone to see if the App had opened or was running in the background but that wasn't the case. I tried starting the scooter and it did get started which was confusing and scary. Then I went up to my house to check if the key was present in its place or not and it was there. That made me think, I tried moving the key a little farther inside the house and went to check the scooter. As expected, the scooter didn't unlock this time. The smart key works within a meter radius of the EV. I had my Vida parked in the Ground floor parking of my house and I stayed on the 1st Floor. My room is just above the parking area and I used to keep my key in a wardrobe which is exactly above the place where the scooter was parked. So now, I started keeping the key-fob in a different area of the house which solved the mysterious unlock issue for me.

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The Hero V1 Plus was available at 97000/- incl road tax and registration. Considering the credit card- cash back, the on road price was 1L. Immediately I've booked the scooter.

BHPian Castro Gunner recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Disclaimer:
"These are purely my take on the scooter which is relative to my motorcycling experience.
My total mileage with scooters are- Activa- 1500kms, Ola S1- 0.5Kms. And mileage with motorcycles- Yamaha crux- 10k kms, Yamaha Saluto 125- 28K kms, RE Bullet 350- 7k kms, Gixxer SF 250- 52k kms and n number of borrowed rides"

Backstory:

I own a Gixxer SF 250 for the past 4.5 years clocking 50000+ kms. While there is no problem with the motorcycle I believe that it will start showing its age from now on (Bore piston kit changed at 35k kms under warranty). True to that for the past 4 months I am observing a drop in fuel economy(from 35kmpl earlier to 32kmpl now) without any issue with the bike itself. With my current situation continuing, I want to keep the bike for at least 5 more years without an upgrade.

The Solution:

I should give my SF 250 a rest(plan to use it only for touring{if any}/weekend ride) to prolong its life. Now considering cost as a main factor, EV came into the picture. And being a recent father, scooter made more sense.

Requirements:

Should be reliable, decent top speed, with a minimum true range of 60kms, On road price 1.2L max

Expectations:

The observations of my research was that any EV motorcycle will have niggles and when it fails it is going to take some time for the repair. It was common with all the brands. So mind was groomed to brace any problems if may come

The selection:

In a pursuit of relishing a hassle free ownership, shortlisted only the major manufacturers.
i.e., Ola, Ather, TVS, Bajaj and Hero"

Ola: Ola S1X seemed perfect. It had everything I wanted at a cheap price.
But the user reviews were horrible. I have never seen a product selling this much and has these many issues. With my friends it was either hit or miss, just as good as tossing a coin. And one more thing that I observed was that the probability of issues were higher on S1X compared to S1pro.
So, rejected."

Ather Rizta: The perfect scooter with a price on it.
Hands down the best scooter brand from what I understood of the reviews. But 1.4L on road. So rejected"

Chetak: The top speed is 65kmph. That's it, rejected.

Vida: Perfect for my need and the niggles reported by owners were okay for me but pricing it equal to ather was a bummer. Rejected.

i Qube: This one is a perfect family scooter. But 1.46L on road, so rejected.

So, finally the plan was put off, may be after an year. But then I've received a brochure from a Hero Dealer about an offer in flipkart. The Hero V1 Plus was available at 97000/- incl road tax and registration. Considering the credit card- cash back, the on road price was 1L. Immediately I've booked the scooter.

Delivery:

The vehicle with HSRP number plate was delivered in a week from the date of booking. Throughout the process, the representatives were very helpful and considerate

The vehicle was delivered in a decorated background with a photo session and a patiently explained tutorial and PDI. This was so special, because this was the first time I'm getting this experience in buying a motorcycle. Ironically this was my cheapest (inflation adjusted) motorcycle purchase.

The package:

1 scooter, 1 portable charger, 1 medical kit, 1 Tool kit, 1 Helmet, 2 Mechanical keys(For under storage), 1 Electronic key

The freebies:

1 Vida waterproof bag of good quality, few key chains

Experience with the scooter so far:

New addition

Meanwhile, preparing for less usage

The positives:

1. "FEEL": The biggest fear I had about EV is their "lifelessness". And I am pleasantly surprised in the way they ride.
This motor driven vehicle gives a slight buzz to feel the "life" and combined with the regen, there is a good fee back between the rider and the ""engine"""

2. Engine/Motor- Absolute strength of the vehicle. This made me to miss my petrol engine less.

3. Performance- I've never expected this much performance from a commuting scooter. Honestly at speeds less than 50kmph this is more fun than my SF 250.
In sports mode on an offroad surface, whack open the throttle and a wheel spin is guaranteed!! If it were front heavy like a sports bike I'm sure even Asphalt roads will struggle for grip.

4. Riding modes- There are 3 modes- Eco, Ride, Sport- And all of them are useful.
Eco- First and foremost this mode is ""useable"". I remember in Ola it is absolutely useless. Top speed limited to 47kmph and has enough torque to make short(in traffic) commutes enjoyable
Ride: This is the GO-TO mode for me. Gives enough range, peppy. Top speed limited to 70kmph
Sport: The UTOPIA mode.

5. Throttle response- When I say E scooter, the thing that comes to my mind is the "Bounce" scooters which were available in Bangalore till 2 years ago.
These are basically the "Yulu scooter" of that time, and that throttle response- ughh. I still remember that vividly because of its irritability.
With such memories, this modern EV gave me a pleasant surprise! And it is not just relatively good, but is as good as a premium sports bike.

6. Value for money- Considering my main requirement as reliability, this is definitely a value for money purchase at 1 L on road

7. Handling- Again I never thought that a scooter could handle this well (I have not ridden Ather).

The Negatives:

1(a). Built quality: Actually most of the vehicle is well built but there are areas like around dash board, above foot board, below the rear seat... It is an absolute college product.
I have absoultely no clue how a listed firm had the guts to do such thing in a production model."
The plastic in this area is very good and the paint quality is superior.

The gaps and the poor plastic

1(b). Switch gears: Pathetic it is. Starting from the power button, multiple presses are required.

2. App: One word- useless. Most of the day it doesn’t even open

3. Electronics & attention to detail- In relative to the competition this department lacks

4. Service network:- No! The vehicle will not be serviced in every Hero showroom! There is a cold war between the sub dealers and the main dealers/company.
So either sales or service, most of the showroom is not interested to hear the name Vida.
Even in Bangalore I have to travel 15 kms to service my vehicle.

Mean while me trying to get maximum savings

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