THE overwhelming changes and additions made in new cars and motorcycles often leave us blind to the remarkable improvement that has been brought about in scooters. For one, the Kinetic Nova. It’s an amazing experience, easy to manoeuvre and no driving strain. But before dwelling on the merits of this model, a little something on the history of scooters.
During World War I, the first scooter design, Autoped, came out in 1916, followed by the ABC Scootamota and Kingsbury in 1919, the Autoglider in 1921 and the Harper in 1928. But these designs had plenty of flaws and did not become popular. It was in 1945, shortly after World War II ended, that the scooter appeared in a technically advanced form which created an entirely new market among the young who wanted cheap and reliable personal transport. The Vespa Wasp, designed by C d’Ascanio of the Italian aircraft firm, Piaggio and Company, became a very popular model. In 1946, the Wasp went into quantity production and by 1960 over two million of them had beensold.
The Lambretta was manufactured in Germany and France and later imported in large numbers by England. Scooters were often used in Western movies made in the 1950s which goes to show how popular the product was. Those who remember the movie Roman Holiday will recall Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn riding around on a scooter. But few people know that even the giant American motorcycle manufacturer, Harley Davidson, also manufactured the Topper, a 164-cc scooter which had a horizontally mounted two-stroke engine.
The Germans produced the most powerful scooter — the 247-cc Maicoletta, which was fitted with a large single-cylinder two-stroke air-cooled engine. Meanwhile, thousands of Vespas and Lambrettas had made their way into India. I remember driving a red-and-white Lambretta built in 1956 – 30 years after it was built, and it could be driven effortlessly, no warts at all. There was a time from the mid-1960s to the 1970s when scooters became the symbol of small families and were extensively used by people living in industrial townships.
The popular scooter era faced a major crisis when the 100-cc motorcycles were introduced in India in the mid-1980s. Of course, there were reasons for this. Those days, the scooters available were not stable and had to be driven very carefully on bad roads. Many riders met with accidents while negotiating tram tracks. As a natural consequence, more and more people opted for the 100-cc bikes with bigger wheels and better fuel efficiency.
It was Kinetic Honda which first introduced scooters with automatic transmissions. These became very popular among two-wheel users the moment they hit the market.
To get back to the Kinetic Nova, it affords the comfort of a well-designed motorcycle. The biggest advantage is that it can be driven on bad roads without the slightest fear of skidding. I drove this model on the poorly maintained tram tracks on Chitpore Road and could negotiate the potholes and tracks without fear of unbalacing. From Chitpore I drove to Central Avenue, on to Red Road and finally the Vidyasagar Setu. No problem climbing this bridge, a very nagging problem in two-wheelers. I hit 75 kmph, good enough for city driving in any Indian metropolis, and even at sharp turns there was the least discomfort.
In order to derive fuel average, the MMX system has been introduced. While driving, if you hear two beeps it means you have to slow down; if you hear only one beep, it means speed up. If one follows this system carefully, one can surely get the “fill it, shut it, forget it” average. Press the start button and the engine fires. Twist the throttle and you are off. Feel the power as the scooter fitted with a four-stroke engine simply glides.
The riding posture is very comfortable. There is enough space for the pillion rider and no backache for the driver. Safety is very important and the Nova’s rear view mirrors have excellent quality and can be adjusted at exactly the desired angle. The 10-inch tall, two-inch wide front blinkers not only warn oncoming traffic but also enhance looks.
The heat shield on the silencer protects the feet from getting signed and the large, low and wide rear mudguard protects clothes during the monsoon. The Nova’s storage area is an added delight. It can store two helmets easily as also a whole lot of shopping, books, files, whatever. The Nova is available in six colours — Metallic Blue, Premium Maroon, Modern Grey, Mica Black, Aristo Gold and Fire Red — and offers an excellent package in terms of comfort, safety and reliability.