Nothing but the best will do for today’s new age Indian woman. So does the TVS Scooty Streak deliver? Bunny Punia finds out
Photography Sanjay Raikar
TVS Scooty is a name that has become a synonym for ungeared scooters in India. From the old, peppy two-stroke powered little scooterette, the brand has matured into four different variants now. The little two-stroke Scooty Teenz, the green electric Teenz, the Pep+ and the latest cosmetically changed avatar christened the Scooty Streak. In India, toying around with current products with a few cosmetic upgrades and in turn luring the customer into believing the new variant to be a much improved machine works and that is exactly what the Hosur-based manufacturer has done with this new Scooty. And while Sania Mirza was busy with her tennis practice, we decided to rope in our own model for the shoot, Vartika Pandey who incidentally owns the good old Scooty Pep.
The fairer sex is very picky about details and when it comes to a makeover, girls want a lot more. A majority of Scooty owners are college going damsels or young working women and in order to successfully entice them, TVS made the new Streak wear more than just new graphics. The entire design of the body is different, yet a single look at the scooter will immediately remind you of the Pep+. I must say the new design is clever and distinct yet it carries forward the design of the Scooty family. In short, the Streak carries on the Pep+ cutesy lines but with sharper angles. The speedometer console too is new with a snazzy background.
As compared to the cute smiling front of the Pep+, the Streak gets a savvier design. The combination of a new headlamp layout and a triangular slot for the indicator and pilot lamps in my opinion lends a mature look to the scooter. The colour combination and graphics of course are altered but the highlight here is the rear. Apart from the big twin deck grabrail, the first in India LED tail lamps on a scoot look smashing. With the parking lamps on and the brake depressed, the tail lamps lend a look reminiscent of a peacock with its feathers stretched out. No really! Vartika too shared the same opinion and admitted that the Streak easily overshadows the Pep when it comes to a more feminine look. Also worth a mention are the wider 90mm front and rear anti-skid tyres which are made from wet compound thereby aiding grip during rains.
Vartika, who has a liking for stunts (she has been doing stuff on bikes too!) was eager to have some fun with the Streak, and boy, did she make us eat dust in traffic! While I was aboard the new Honda Activa 110 (read Rohit’s take on the scooter elsewhere in the magazine), she managed to use the amazing handling of the Streak to lose me in the rear view mirror in no time. The Streak’s small 10-inch tyres and a diminutive size means a typical rider will be able to squeeze her way in traffic without a fuss. TVS boffins have left the engine largely untouched, however, there are a few tweaks done to enhance the fuel economy which remains above 50kmpl in a combined city and highway cycle. The 87.8cc LITECH engine develops 5PS of power with 5.8Nm of torque. This scooter always had a peppy throttle response and with a weight of just 96 kilos (one kilo more than the Pep+), the scoot manages a naught to 60km/h dash in a respectable 12 seconds. With a lightweight Vartika on board, the Streak managed to nudge the 80km/h mark on the speedometer thus matching the top speed of its sibling. The brakes work well and are responsive with enough bite. Seat comfort is very good – it’s soft yet has enough padding and doesn’t feel bottomed out with a heavy weight like me. The suspension though starts bouncing all over the road the moment you encounter the smallest of undulations if you have a 90odd kilo rider on board at anything above 65-70km/h.
For just over two big ones more than the Pep+, the Streak is a recommended buy. It looks snazzier and has enough lineaments to keep owners happy. The usual features like a mobile charging point, good underseat storage space and a new external fuel filler cap (located behind the seat, and gets somewhat hindered by the grabrail) are thoughtful details. Retailing at Rs 41,200 (on-road, Pune), this scooter is now a grand more than its direct competitor, the Hero Honda Pleasure. But is it the best set of two-wheels for the ladies? Watch out for our next issue then…
|
|
|
|
|
The Streak carries on the same 87.8cc engine from the Pep+. TVS claims to have made a few tweaks for better fuel economy though |
Most of us thought that the rear was overdone, but once it gets dark, the Streak’s tail lamps look the best in business |
The speedometer console has been designed keeping in mind the overall snazzier look of the Streak |
Leave a Reply