In our last 110-cc comparison the TVS Scooty Zest came out with flying colours, and for a good reason too. Now Yamaha have a new entrant in this segment, after the Ray and Ray Z, in the form of the Fascino. It was only natural that we should pit it against the reigning leader
Story: Aniruddha Mulgund
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
For a wide-eyed, enthusiastic motorcycling greenhorn, the 110-cc scooter is nothing short of a pocket-rocket. And most newbies here in India tend to swing a leg over this hassle-free two-wheeler before getting into the complexities of a geared motorcycle. Given the fact that the segment has matured over the past decade, most manufacturers have covered, if not perfected, the basics of each of their offerings. With its utilitarian combination of storage space along with the simplicity and user-friendliness of its automatic powertrain, the 110-cc scooter is one of the best means of pottering around town.
TVS have for long been a competitor in this segment and, following the launch of the Scooty Zest 110 last year, they took the market by storm. The Zest borrows its engine from the Wego, which is a more family-friendly, unisex offering from TVS. The Zest, however, has found favour with both the sexes alike despite its product placement strategy targeted at the college-going girl with its implicit #collegewaaligaadi. Although Yamaha have had their finger in the 110-cc pie in the form of the Ray and Ray Z for quite some time, a fresher and trendier design that attracted the younger college-going audience was needed. And that is how the Fascino with an ambiguous #fascniofy came into being. Both the scooters have been derived from the platform of their older siblings and are targeted at the younger audience. Let’s find out if the Zest fits the demanding bill of the collegewaali gaadi and if the Fascino manages to er… well, fascinate us.
