Welcome to the world of consumer review.
Today scooter has regained its lost glory considering front luggage storing, closed mechanical parts and smoother ride, especially with ladies this has become a part of their life.When my wife wanted one she left the decision to me since I knew automobiles well.
I tested couple of them:
Scooty & Wego: Scooty was the choice of many females, still men get weird looks when they are seen on Scooty as it has a girlish looks. I don’t trust TVS engines since they are not robust and to my knowledge there is no Scooty I have seen used for more than 40000 kms, as every one complains of starting trouble, weak pulling and poor mileage.
I was little hesitant with WEGO because of lack of trust in TVS engines and not explored / proven in the market.
Activa: Pretty decent, tried and tested as well. Excellent service standards maintained so far(My sister has one for more than 7 years). However maintenance was little expensive and heavy feel.(My wife is around 52 kgs) for lighter women, additionally was most expensive among scooters of it’s kind, yet again this was in top of my list
Vespa: WOW. Stunning looks, awesome engine, extremely powerful and proven track record for quality, hmmm. But where is the reliability as it was not many’s choice coz of heavy pricing(around 80 k at that time) and I feared if the company shuts down for a reason spares would be a problem in the future considering heavy investment on buying cost.
Access: Light and zippy, big looks can be driven by both sexes and Suzuki is a trusted engine(my father still drives IND-Suzuki 1983 model). It had identical specs of Activa in terms of looks and power. Since it was slightly lesser priced than Activa and had lighter fiber body with better economy it was a good choice par with Activa.
I completely ignored Mahindra Duro, Kinetic Flyte as they were not much popular and reviews said they have ground clearance issues. Since mostly the scooter is used by my wife I did not want to give it a try.
After explaining everything to my wife and after making her do a test drive we zeroed on Suzuki Access, now the vehicle is 25000 kms driven and used about for 3 years following are my observations
Quality: Starting from paint quality, plastics used, electronic parts, switches, everything is good, no parts replaced so far and few slip’s here and there did not break any of it’s body part or paint’s(though we have steel guards), however there is a lot of rusting in silencer(not noticed in my sis’s Activa after 7 years) which could also be coz of salty moisture in Chennai. I love the key hole closing mechanism which is absent in few other scooters.
Comfort and handling: Good, Driving position is designed to give a confident and light feel.Perfectly aligned seating and handle bar heights for a long drive, excellent handling in city traffic.
Performance: Good or very good, can clock upto 85 km/hr without any extra vibes and noises, pick up is slightly better than Activa(no way near to Vespa though). Thanks to the lighter body and 125cc engine. Makes citi drive a pleasure with ease.
Reliability: Average since the bike gives repeated starting trouble and slow speed stop’s(even after carb clean up, spark plug & jet replacement) exists after crossing 15, 000 kmpl. Though I have serviced it regularly I am not very confident in terms of reliability after 1000 kmpl after oil service.Though it appears a minor problem when it is driven by ladies it’s a major concern. Front fork noise is noticed even after fork over haul at 13000 kms.
Economy: Very good for a scooter, can hold upto 5.5 L of fuel, consistently delivers mileage of 45-50 kmpl in Chennai city traffic and when used in outskirts on a freeway delivers upto 53-55 kmpl(mileage should be calculated on tank fill drive 200 kms again tank fill, Economy= the kms driven /no liters consumed on second fill), do not calculate mileage by filling 1/2 l or 1 litre.
Storage: Apt or perfect. Can hold a helmet and water bottle under the seat, front space can easily fit an 10 year old girl.
Service & spares: Below average or average. In all showroom cleanliness is maintained which is very nice but the quality of the service offered is not good. I attempted servicing in 3 showrooms(SMK, JAV and Tambaram showroom), they dont even clean or replace airfilter or clean the carb, some time they top the engine oil instead of replacing, as they are focused on servicing as much as vehicle possible compromising quality.
If 5 complaints are reported 2 or 3 are taken action on the first attempt. You still notice the issues reported at the time of service. Unreliable compared to HONDA in terms of service. Spare’s prices are pretty decent however availability of spares is a problem.(even in showrooms)
Overall: A decent scooter for a family but not a trendsetter.
Sum up: If you are male and concerned about paying less go for it, but if you are female still a decent choice but give it a second thought.
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