I am Siddhartha from Bangalore
I had brought a Kinetic Nova 135 on Jan 2006 from Sai Automobiles Airport Road Bangalore
*I have been riding for 1 year 6 months for 30 kms each day up & down to office.*
I am extremely satisfied with the bike. Please don’t go by the bad reviews. That may be because of poor maintenance & rough handling.( no Offence please).
*I give the bike for servicing after every 3 months.** ( Don’t go by the Kms you ride, go by time period). The servicing costs me around Rs500 and the bike is as good as new, as smooth as butter.
*Couple of highlights from practical point of view*
- *The vehicle has a very good pick up** - You can Zoom ahead of any damm bike ( even pulsar) from a signal stop ( Inner & Outer ring road in B’lore).
*2. The vehicle has good mileage : **I get around 40-45 miles/liter mileage. ( Get it serviced every 3 months). The mileage decrease to 35-40 when the servicing period approaches. So everyone make it a rule you get it serviced every 3 months. The service people do some tuning and good lord the vehicle is soo smooth that you don’t want to get of it. The acceleration & de-acceleration is superb. Believe it all depends on the servicing.
*3. The handling is good : **I go up to 75-80 Km/hr on empty roads, and the bike has very good grip on roads. Even in sharp turn it has very good balance. I once road in storm back to my home, believe me there is very good balance even in strong winds ( obviously you need to slow down to 30-35 kms.hr). However the front suspension is bit weak and it cranks when you hit a pothole in high speeds. The rear suspension is good but hard.
*4. Riding Comfort : **The seats are wide enough to sit properly. The leg space in front is very ample for tall persons. I am 5’10, and riding in Honda Activa was very crampy. My legs hit the handle bar in a turn. So, Nova 135 is much better in this case.
*6. The ground clearance is good : **You can clear high bumpers & waddle through road pool of water easily.
*7. Lights & Horn are good : **The horn is the loudest & best in the class. Get the light adjusted and replace the bulb with a halogen or a different company, and you have very powerful beam of light kissing the roads. The low beam & high beam are equally good.
The side indicators are stylish & the tail light is the one I love. The tail light is biggest & brightest in its class.
*8. Mirrors : **I guess someone mentioned that mirrors are not good. Believe me they are the widest and best. Have a look at the Activa mirrors, they look like pony tails hanging out. The Nova 135 mirrors give a very good view of the road back of you, and you dont have to turn your head once to look for vehicles. I always use the mirrors for turning, overtaking or whatever ( even for combing my hair).
*9. Electric Start :** So far I have had no problems with electric start. The engine roars with a single press of it. You may have to use the choke to start if your vehicle is idle for 3-4 days. Thats it. This proves the battery is very good. Again you need to get the battery checked during the servicing. The vehicle comes with a Exide battery I guess. I have rarely used the manual kick start.
*10.** **Style & Storage space :** The vehicle is very stylish, even better that Honda Dio, and far better that the oldie Activa. The storage is huge - I put my helmet & jacket in it when not riding. When riding you can just imagine how to fill up the complete space.
*11. Built of body :** The vehicle is mostly build of sturdy plastic ( wich some people complain), but the best is that you can get it replaced whenever you want and have a completely new vehicle on the road. ( This is not for you if you like dent works done on metal body of Activa).
*12. Side Stands & Center Stands **: The stands are very good & easy to use, and very sturdy.
Did I miss out any point of the vehicle ? I guess not.
Please remember the following for a good experience with your vehicle ( NO matter what you have, it applies to all vehicle and all owners)
*1. Get your vehicle serviced** regularly preferably every 3 months & stick to it, no matter what. Dont go by KMS run. If you see a small problem, immediately get it serviced, dont ignore it, else you will be writing a sobbing story like others.
*2. Always check the tire pressure** every time you fill your tank ( Front 25 rear 35) this will give you optimum milage.
*3. Single hand use - **Love your vehicle like your GF, or BF and don’t give it to others to go for a ride. ( You take them as pillion rider if you want). ** ***
*Las but not the least - Drive Safely, wear a helmet, not try to overtake others in a heavy traffic, love your life and the vehicle. Insist you pillion rider to wear a helmet because their life is also precious.*