Kinetic is the most popular scooter company in india most of their succes owing to the tremendous sales of the kinetic scooters namely the kinetic DX, ZX, AX.in the beginning kinetic had teamed up with honda to bring out these scooters.thats when their sales took off.the quality of the honda engines were superb and they still last till today.another thing was that the kinetic scooters did have a nice look too.it was small quick and easy to handle making it the best form of transport for the city.
ENGINE-
the engine for the kinetic zx has remained the same ever since it has come out.the engine capacity is about 100 cc , 98 cc in when you see it in the Rc book.the power is about 7 bhp at about 5600 rpm .not much actually now days.the honda engines were the most long lasting and perfect engines that could go into a kinetic.but later down the line honda and kinetic split and went their own ways.leaving the scooter without the honda name on it and without the high quality engines.
the engine quality has deteriorated ever since the two companies split.there have been numerous complaints about the new models that had been brought out after that.the were frequent break downs and the fuel efficiency was not upto its mark.the rides began to get a little rough and there were too many vibrations coming from the engine and yet people still bought it.a friend of mine who had bought the kinetic zx in 2001 had some bad problems soon after it was bought.he suffered numerous engine breakdowns and starter problems.the entire starter had to be changed as it refused to work one fine day.it began to cost a real bombshell to maintain the kinetic.
the engine is also a two stroke engine and does create a few problem when you have to start it when the engine is really cold.the starting becomes a real task and once te engine starts you will have to wait for atleast a minute for the engine to warm up otherwise it refuses to pull.the kick start that comes along is also a real pain.the new main stand designs do not allow you to start the bike with the stand off.there is a long bar which joins the main stand in order to give it more leverage to put the bike on the mainstand.this lever is what keeps getting in the way of the kick start lever.
LOOKS-
this is one thing I have liked about the new models.with all the stickering and the option of taking off the spare tyre the scooter looks much nicer and looks a little sportier.the only problem with the design is that the front creates a lot of drag while riding thus lowering your mileage and making the new low quality kinetic engines go through a lot more stress which they cant take.the kinetic design for the scooter I think is the most good looking one but not ideal.the new addition of the catalytic convertor tot he silencer also gives it a nice look.but that can be a pain
the kinetic ZX has a very low ground clearance.thus the silencer hits every bump on the road.the friend who had the kinetic zx had to weld his silencer back onto the scooter thrice.he finally had the suspension raised.
QUALITY OF THE BODY-
the quality of the metal used on the body is really bad.the body is made out of very flimsy steel like the maruti 800.once its hit even with the least amount of force it leaves quite a visible dent on the body.the construction of the new ZX is also terrible.the entire scooter is very unstable and isnt very sturdy than compared to the activa.the entire body starts to wobble when you are riding at above 65 -70 and thus becomes harder to negotiate turns.
THE RIDE-
the scooter is quick when driving in traffic but I find that the new ZX versions have a slower pick up than the older versions and easily beaten even by a scooty.the ride is a little rough due to the vibrations that come from the engine.the sound is a little quieter thanks to the new silencers.but the scooter is a little scary to ride as it is really unstable and the tires are pretty slippery when it comes to water and sand.but it is quick enough to get through traffic.
another disadvantage is open roads.the maximum speed it reaches is about 75 km/hr and while driving at that speed the breeze that blows from the other side will make you feel that the scooter will go with the wind.
OVERALL-
the scooter is ok when it comes to making quick cuts in city traffic but safety wise the scooter is horribly unstable and dangerous to ride.the price is also terrible.it costs about 41, 000 for what? having a basket in front , stickering , visor and the extra rear view mirror from the other scooter which have all that for a smaller price?that is a total ripoff.i would suggest you buy a second hand kinetic when you have jus learnt to ride and the go onto something better once you have learnt to ride properly because the new models are really bad and are all low quality.