New Bike Road Test in India

Honda plays it safe with a new powerplant for the Aviator. Adhish Alawani answers the questions ‘why’ and ‘how’

The Indian automobile market has some peculiar characteristics. When Honda entered the Indian market more than two decades ago (along with Kinetic), the company’s intention was to study the customer, his requirements, his mentality and the market behaviour apart from making a name for themselves. The Japanese manufacturer did its job flawlessly and got out of the venture to set up their unit. The first independent wing badged product to roll out in India was the Activa. I clearly remember that the scooter market was almost dead at the time of Activa’s launch way back in 2001. Would you believe it if I said that a leading two-wheeler manufacturer in India had actually ridiculed Honda for entering India with just an Activa on offer when the market for scooters was rapidly fading? Honda proved the critics wrong and how! Not only did the company run down the competition with a mere Activa, but they also came up with products like the Dio and the Aviator which featured the same function in different forms. The Honda scooters ruled the segment for years before facing some competition. Now when there are products in the market that can challenge Honda’s prowess, the company is on its way to upgrade its line-up.

A few months ago, Honda reintroduced the new Activa with restyled bodywork and more importantly, a new 110cc engine. What follows as the next step in their current market strategy is the introduction of the same 110cc engine in the Aviator. Why? Simple. The Indian consumer believes in one major factor – brand name. The Honda tag has come to be associated with reliability. Plus, the Indian consumer wants something unique that is not very common on the road. So, the Aviator is kind of an answer to this situation. Honda is providing the same reliability, performance and efficiency as
that of the Activa in a machine with a different form. But what is this new 110cc engine all about? What exactly is its benefit over the earlier 100cc engine? To start off, the Aviator now boasts 8.1PS of peak power, almost 1PS over its predecessor. More importantly, the peak torque figure has also gone up by 1.2Nm over the previous iteration giving the scooter a much better rideability in city traffic. The stop and go chaos in urban areas demands more torque and that is where the Aviator wins over its predecessor. Its potent motor is ever ready to propel you ahead comfortably every time you wring the right wrist. However, that doesn’t mean you should expect a sudden surge of power when the scoot is abused with a full throttle. Like a typical Honda, the scooter’s power delivery is extremely linear and smooth giving you a jerk free ride. Also, with its slightly increased cubic capacity, expect the Aviator to hit a top speed that is a tad higher than the previous variant. But does this increase in power and torque translate to compromised fuel efficiency? Surprisingly not. The Aviator managed to deliver an overall economy of 52kmpl as against 46kmpl of its earlier version, which translates to a fantastic 13 percent rise in efficiency.

While more power and torque coupled with a better fuel efficiency is the story of the new 110cc engine from the Honda stable, there are some additions to the features list of the Aviator as well. The scooter comes in two variants as earlier – one with a disc brake up front and the other with the plain simple drum. The company has also introduced the Combined Braking System (CBS) on the Aviator that was first seen on the refreshed Activa. However unlike the Activa, since the Deluxe version of the Aviator sports a disc brake in the front, it calls for a more complex CBS system than the regular cable actuated drum brakes. The CBS unit has been nicely concealed behind the front board under the handlebar. Basically, this back-to-front CBS system ensures that even if you pull just the rear brake, the front one is also partially actuated making deceleration safer. This helps in reducing the braking distance as well as the braking time. The chassis, suspension and wheels from the old version of the Aviator have been retained in the new model thus assuring the same class of handling and ride quality. Also new on the features list is the introduction of a new viscous air filter and a maintenance free battery.

So will your new Aviator stand out from the older one? Yes, but very frankly, not in a way that I would want it to. The Aviator has carried a polished and elegant look since its launch a couple of years ago. Its styling has either attracted a lot of love or a lot of hatred. I have personally loved the Aviator’s design considering the fact that the scooter is primarily targeted at the executive male consumer. However, the elegance of the Aviator has taken a hit with the introduction of chrome in place of the matte finish front panel parts. In my opinion, the chrome adds a lot of bling to the scooter rather than elegance. There are a couple of new colour options on offer and the grab rails now come painted in the body scheme. Apart from that, there is nothing noticeable in the styling of the Aviator. Moving on to the fifty grand question – would you buy it? If the chrome at the front doesn’t matter much to you and you have that extra moolah to shell out on reliability, performance and the feel good factor offered by the Honda, then there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be riding the Aviator.

The grab rails on the new Aviator now come in the body paint scheme unlike the silver ones on the earlier version	The front end of the new Aviator sports chrome in place of the more elegant matte finish panel – a change less welcome

Mahindra’s second offering, the Rodeo is a funky little machine with a powerful heart
Words: Ravi Chandnani 
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

With the Duro, Mahindra and Mahindra have been able to meet the needs of serious users. However, they haven’t forgotten the youth and hence to entice the fun loving youngster they have introduced the Rodeo which is a funky little machine in the truest sense. It satisfies the demands of people who love to zip around town and like to flash their machines. It is a sleek scooter that features an array of easy to use stuff that is often in demand by many youngsters these days.

The Rodeo’s key feature is its contemporary, sleek and sporty design. Though largely based on the Flyte, a few modifications set the Rodeo apart from its cousin. The well toned front end with curvaceous blinkers, a stylish headlamp, a well proportioned fender and a chrome garnish on the nose will make your college buddies drool over the scoot. Well almost! The sleekness of the Rodeo is evident in the flowing lines that start at the front end and continue towards the rear creating a perfect silhouette. At the rear, the tail lamp blends in perfectly with the rest of the design completing the sporty looking tail. The huge body coloured rear grab rail adds a little spice to the whole package.

Sporty scooters have an image of being uncomfortable, however, the Rodeo doesn’t compromise on the comfort front as the seat can accommodate a fat rider like me quite easily. Unlike conventional scoots in India, the Rodeo features a complete digital instrument cluster that has a tachometer, (the only Indian scooter currently in production to have one) speedometer, trip meter, acceleration indicator, fuel gauge and above all a clock to ensure that you stay punctual. But that’s just the cream over the coffee. The real attraction is the colour changing backlight display that has seven shades to choose from including fluorescent green, magenta and fiery red. The quality of the switches is quite neat, however, the plastics appear a bit dull.

The foot board is spacious but the gap in the center is narrow. There is more than enough storage space available under the seat which has been possible due to the front fuelling system but more on that later. 22 litres of space is at your disposal to stuff it with a full-sized helmet with enough room for a small bag or a jacket. It also features a tiny little light for easy access at night. The small storage box up front is a smart idea, however if Mahindra would have provided a lid, it would have helped in keeping stuff dry during the rains. The multi function key on the Rodeo can lock the handlebars, open the fuel cap located in the front for easy refueling and when flipped, it covers the key hole protecting the scoot against a theft attempt. Finally, it features a 12V charging point next to the key hole to keep your cell phone’s battery charged.

That’s how the Rodeo appears when it is standing still but the fun quotient is pretty similar to the aesthetic appeal of the scoot. The engine is overwhelmingly smooth and continues to stay that way throughout the rev range. Being a torquey scooter, it is able to sprint ahead with absolute ease. The fine power delivery ensures a jerk free ride. The 8PS of power and 9Nm of torque are quite adequate to zip through city traffic and negotiate the rush hour traffic jams. Many youngsters will expect the Rodeo to be very fast but it is not quite up to the mark when it comes to the top end whack. The tested scoot displayed a genuine top speed of 87km/h and a 0-60km/h timing of 12.5sec. These figures are quite ssatisfactory given the fact that the Rodeo costs Rs 46,801 (OTR, Pune) which is quite reasonable for a 125cc scooter.

One of the most important elements in a vehicle is the suspension and the Rodeo is among the few scooters that feature a telescopic front suspension which is great for stability and handling. The rear suspension is also good providing ample damping force to tackle Indian roads. Lastly, the 130mm brakes are quite up to the mark as they provide enough stopping power under hard braking to bring the scoot to a safe halt.

VERDICT
Sporty and sleek at the same time, the Rodeo is one scooter that is perfectly aimed at people looking for affordability and quality. This Mahindra scooter offers 125cc of power, comfortable seating, out of the world storage and a trendy instrument cluster along with a contemporary styling and good value for money. The Rodeo is a perfect blend of everything at a very reasonable price tag.

Front End A funkier front with a bit of chrome and mordern day styling makes the Rodeo more appealing	STYLING Sporty and sleek with a perfect balance of power and handling makes the Rodeo quite appealing	Digital Meter The console looks ultra stylish with the addition of a tachometer and the switchable backlight colour

Mahindra’s debutant scooter in the market, the Duro is an ideal vehicle for city riding
Words: Ravi Chandnani  Photography Sanjay Raikar

Mahindra and Mahindra are well known for their tractors and commercial vehicles that roam desi roads. They are also famous for their SUVs, however, the two-wheeled segment is an entirely new field for the firm. In their initial innings, the company has launched two new scoots – the Rodeo and the Duro. The first offering is for the fun loving rider whereas the latter scoot is for the serious and no-nonsense types.

What is Duro?
Well, the Duro is a scooter with an attitude that commands respect on the road. It is aimed at men and women who prefer to ride around the city doing some serious stuff like going to the office, dropping kids to school, grocery shopping and similar tasks. In today’s world we notice a lot of scooters with similar designs and specifications, however, the Duro is not like the ordinary models. It features a 125cc engine with a comfortable seat, an easy to read console, ample storage capacity and enough power to leave the 100cc scoots behind. This scoot retails at around Rs 43,477 (OTR, Pune) making it cheaper than the competition.

Underneath the contemporary design, the Duro is powered by a 125cc mill with quite a good amount of power. Taking a closer look at the details you realize that the proportions are well in order and nothing seems to be out of place. The neat front end with vertically mounted blinkers appears quite decent. The subtle layout of the front is evidence of the no-nonsense image of the scooter. This subtleness is also quite evident in the analogue console that features a speedometer and a fuel gauge. Continuing towards the rear, one can notice the flowing construction of the foot board that merges quite well with the rear body panels. However, the overall quality of plastics is satisfactory and nothing great. A huge seat with a stylish body colored grab rail is comfy and can accommodate riders with a fat bottom quite easily. Ample leg space up front means that you can ride comfortably in the city without worrying much about a leg ache. However, tall riders might find it a bit uncomfortable as the handlebars may touch the knee while negotiating turns and U-bends from a standstill because of the lowered position. The rear end is attractive with a huge tail lamp that has integrated blinkers. Storage is in abundance on the Duro as it has a front storage box for accommodating your knickknacks like gloves, scarves or documents and the under seat storage space can gobble up a full size helmet with a little bit of space to spare. The Duro is available in six different shades and has minimal use of stickers to keep the scoot looking decent and subtle.

The powerful and torquey engine is quite smooth	The smart front storage space is ideal for small items like gloves or documents

How does it handle?
Acceleration is good with ample power flowing to the rear wheel when you wring the throttle. Being majorly dedicated to city riding, the Duro handles traffic without any hassles. The 125cc engine develops 8PS of power and 9Nm of torque which is more than enough for negotiating crowded streets and tight spots on the road. The powerful and torquey engine helps when negotiating steep inclines like the ones in parking lots and flyovers with very less stress on the engine. Performance is quite good as the scooter can reach a true top speed of 87km/h and does the 0-60km/h run in 12.5sec. With this kind of power you can load up the footboard with goods and the Duro’s engine will run smoothly without a protest.

The powerful motor starts pulling quite nicely right from the start even with a lightweight pillion on board. The suspension is nice and balanced as it absorbs road undulations without letting the rider know much about it. However, it may rock you when you hit a big pothole or a ditch. City riding demands sudden acceleration with constant braking so having good brakes becomes indispensable and the Duro provides you exactly that in the form of 130mm drum brakes up front and at the rear.

Verdict
When you consider buying a scooter that will spend much of its life in the city you need to go in for a tough and durable machine that not only offers good quality but also value for money. A 125cc engine, a top whack of 87km/h, a comfortable ride with loads of storage space and fairly good suspension and brakes at a pretty reasonably price, makes the Duro a good value for money scoot to ride around in the city.

An easy to read console makes life easy while negotiating the Indian traffic situation	The underseat storage can gobble up a full sized lid quite easily

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

Rohit Paradkar zips around city streets to evaluate the newest avatar of Honda’s trusty urban tool
Photography: Sanjay Raikar and Eshan Shetty

 

Riding an ungeared scooter can be a pleasant surprise especially after tackling the chaotic traffic on a geared motorcycle and chocking all life out of the poor clutch plates. Having reviewed such geared commuters in the past few BI issues, I was excitedly looking forward to test the latest avatar of the undisputed ruler of the scooter segment, the Honda Activa!

The Activa has always been on my list of Indian wonder vehicles for the sheer way in which it resurrected the dead scooter market in India. However, with the competition having churned out some funky looking products to counter it, I was afraid that the new Activa would end up being an alien-ish looking sibling of the Aviator. Thankfully, the latest Activa comes across, once again, as a subtly designed city slicker and marks its own individuality not only amongst the entire Honda lineup, but the Indian scooter segment as well. While speaking about the Activa’s new design, the people at Honda told me that front fascia is designed with the philosophy of a man’s V shaped torso in mind. Frankly, I fail to see a significant resemblance, nevertheless, the new face is fresh. The small air vents add a hint of sportiness to the overall frontal appearance. Even with all the newly incorporated elements, something appears to be missing – the design doesn’t exude a feeling of completeness especially at the front. The headlight and turn blinkers have maintained their arrangement on the handlebar cowl. The blinkers, now larger, sport a rakish shape and are sure to be more visible to the oncoming traffic than the older model. The position of the tail elements too hasn’t been altered too much, although the shape of the lamp glasses is slightly different than the ones on the previous model. The side panels aren’t a big departure from the ones on the earlier Activa. Honda, however, has taken a lot of metal off the new scoot’s body in a bid to shave off some kilos. The company has used ABS plastics for the front faceplate, headlight cowl and rear panels. The belly pan remains metallic though to provide the strength required to protect the underbody from pebbles shooting from the front tyre on gravely, broken roads. Overall, the design is fresh but still has clues of the old Activa to highlight the lineage.

Apart from the new body, the big news on the new Activa is the new engine for the ’09 model. The mill is now bored out to displace 109cc as opposed to 102cc of the earlier engine. The engine now puts out 8PS at 7500rpm – 1PS up over its predecessor. But that doesn’t translate into a significantly higher acceleration as suggested by our test figures. But the power figure is not the only stat that has gone up. The magic figure for me was the 9Nm of torque, which is the trump card for the new Activa and puts it ahead of even some 100cc motorcycles in the market. Mate this figure to the seamless variomatic transmission and what you get is a scooter that can zip through the unnerving city traffic with utter ease.

The scooter’s strength lies between the 40-50km/h mark. Within this range, the vehicle will not only return decent fuel efficiency, but will also deliver enough torque to make quick overtaking manoeuver. However, once you cross this mark and proceed to the 70km/h zone, the Honda mill changes its silent tone into an echoing hum. This hum amplifies as you accelerate further and also brings in a slight hint of vibes as you max out close to 89km/h. Though the Activa zips around comfortably, the brakes aren’t really a big improvement over the scoot’s earlier avatar. The 130mm drums front/rear lack the stopping power that you would get from the Aviator’s disc. Yes, I know I’ll sound stupid if I compared the drums to a disc, but then why not have disc brakes on the new Activa in the first place, as an option at least? If Honda could integrate the mechanism on the Aviator and still manage to price the scooter under Rs 50,000 on road, they could have done the same for the new Activa too. There is a mopdel with combined braking coming soon, but I still doubt whether it’ll outperform a full fledged disc brake system.

The new instrumentation console is easy to read. It’s simple and functional, without any flashy graphics	The new headlight sports a halogen bulb which provides better illumination in the dark than its previous version	The new grabrail from the Aviator is very ergonomic

Brakes apart, the Activa continues to impress in the city with improved fuel efficiency figures. Even on a crowded day, Aspi managed to extract 52kmpl in the city and 58kmpl on the highway (though the latter is not of much significance with regards to a scooter). While these figures inspire you to make a buying decision in favour of the new Activa, what may dishearten a few fairer souls is the increase in saddle height by 5mm. However, the front sides of the seat have been slightly scooped off halfway through the length thereby reducing its width at the front. This will help a shorter rider easily reach the ground in spite of the increase in ride height. Under the new seat is some increased luggage space and is achieved by trading in a litre worth of fuel tank capacity. Though Honda claims that the storage space can accommodate a full face helmet, I could hardly fit in my Studds open face in the cavity. Whatever the storage space can hold though, rest assured that it will be safer in the new Activa than the older one. Thugs and victims alike will recall that the wire actuated seat locking mechanism located above the swingarm was easy to access and break into for the trained hand. The new mechanism has a metal covering which restricts access and would in turn prevent thefts – a boon for people who have the habit of leaving valuables in the underseat storage. Another security aspect is the key shutter, but that is not available on the standard model and will be available only on the Deluxe variant.

Coming to ride quality, the Activa has always offered a comfortable ride and the new version is no exception. The front suspension in the new Activa still employs a bottom link, spring loaded hydraulic damper setup, which has been trashed by the competition for telescopic forks long back. After having ridden the Aviator, the front suspension of the Activa leaves a lot to be desired. The handling isn’t as crisp as the Aviator’s. But since I’m stating that the new Activa is no exception to the old one’s comfortable characteristics, I would rather compare the new model with its predecessor than its elder sibling. The rear suspension too is carried over from the old Activa and is made up of a single-sided swingarm with a spring loaded hydraulic damper. The entire suspension setup coupled with the wide and comfortable seats makes for good ride comfort for the rider and the pillion. The pillion comfort is augmented further by virtue of the newly designed footpegs. On the earlier model, the footpegs wouldn’t open easily especially with the panel guards in place. On the new Activa though, there are small notches on the pegs for easy access to open them outward or tuck them back in. Overall the riding position for both the rider as well as the pillion turns out to be more comfortable on the new scooter.

So, are the improvements worth the extra money? The answer is a simple yes. The new Activa is dearer over the ex-showroom price of the outgoing model by only Rs 1,500. In exchange, the scooter returns better fuel efficiency, has a bigger capacity engine, more storage space, offers good ride comfort and comes with Honda reliability. Though a side stand, panel guards and glove box remain optional accessories, the base price is still good value for money. We wish there wasn’t any price increase over the earlier model, but the extra amount quoted isn’t too exorbitant for you to alter your buying decision. Be it the tight city conditions or broken roads on the countryside, the scooter can carry two riders with great comfort. It’s got a new face to match up to the times, but still carries the subtle lineage forward. If an understated, reliable, no-nonsense scooter is what you’re looking for, your search ends here.