Scooters were a part of our household almost from my younger days when we had the old mules like : Bajaj Super, Chetak, Lamby 150, LML Vespa T5, Kinetic Honda etc.... I am pretty much used to riding these heavy metal ones right from my schooling days ! Since 2002 we have had atleast a couple of Honda’s clan of scooters in our house for our daily commuting. Honda made ( still makes ) the best scooters in India & these machines are very reliable & cheaper to own. We have upgraded many scooters from the Honda stable in India. The last I owned was a very reliable & dependable Aviator with Disc brakes & Alloy wheels. The Aviator suited me the most as it is a premium variant and had tall riding posture that suited me as I am tall. Now the time had come for me to try something else as that little extra money ( hard-earned though ) was itching me inside my pocket !!! So decided to change my Aviator to a new Honda Dio. I previously had a blue Dio in 2004, so I knew that it was worth going for it.
But the new Dio seems to have too much exposure underneath & felt too plasticky. More than that it commanded a waiting period of 30 - 45 days. Could not wait that long & hence dropped into Meghdoot Suzuki located next to Trinity Church on MG Road - Bangalore. Was eagerly greeted by an excellent sales man ( Mr. Anil ) who immediately took me for a test ride. Was very happy with the ride quality & immediately paid the amount. Rs. 60, 863=00 On Road - All Inclusive. Took delivery of the scooter the next day. The delivery process was smooth & time was as promised. This is the first Suzuki scooter I have owned as of today. The options were limited as I was only interested in buying a japanese scooter. ( So did not consider TVS Wego / Vespa / Mahindra Duro....) I omitted Yamaha Ray becuase of its puny stature. I ruled out the Dio beacuse of its Antiquated front Suspension. I liked the Swish over the Access due to its fresher & younger appearance.
The Swish is an excellent investment & is a brilliant performer. I have only done about 300 kms so far but it is such a pleasure to munch miles on this scooter.
The Plus points of this scooter are :
1) Superb Powerful & Smooth Engine. Accelerates with ease.
2) Fantastic Paint finish & Styling. Looks very pleasing particularly ( Triton Blue - Black ) color.
3) Superb planted Ride Quality & Good Telescopic front Suspension.
4) Fantastic Individual Component Quality particularly the Switches & Body Plastics.
5) Typical Japanese Smoothness, Crisp Cornering & Sharp Braking.
6) Very good attention to detail in the under belly area.
The Negative Points ( Not much as of now ) :
1) Poor Head Lamp Beam & Throw / Headlamp Bulb filament Vibrates.
2) Having some problems with Unlocking the Ignition switch. The Seat opens only via this switch. ( A good convenient feature as long as it doesn’t malfunction. )
3) The Fuel tank has no mechanical stopper (or) blocker. The Petrol filler nozzle directly reaches the tanks belly.
4) Pre Delivery Inspection is not on par as of Honda’s. ( Found a couple of dash screws missing / Wiring harness to the Horn was not fixed properly / Two rubber seats for the mirror were missing )
I had to personally check all these parameters at the time of delivery !
Will Update on more issues as I cover more Kilometers. Those who are contemplating buying this scooter can go ahead and buy it without any doubts. I must also blame the Marketing Department of Suzuki Motorcycles India for not promoting this brilliantly Engineered Scooter. It is certainly a Car on Two Wheels.
The Scooter is now returning around 35 Kms per litre which is reasonably okay for Bangalore traffic conditions.
Review after 1500 Kms : I got my first service done at Advaith Suzuki. They have done a superb service job and the scooter feels very smooth & silky to ride. Hats off to technicians at Advaith Suzuki. I then rode it to Hogenakkal from Bangalore amidst very heavy rains and gutsy winds. The ride through the forest section near Anchetty was very thrilling and I spotted a very big herd of about 14 - 15 wild elephants crossing the narrow road near Naatrampalyam. The sound quality of the horn seems to be wavering & I think it might fail shortly. Also water gets into the tail lamp & indicator assembly leaving a foggy mark from within. This is something I have noticed on many swish scooters. I think water enters from the bulb housing. I am now planning a holiday trip to the Nilgiris and plan to cover about 800 kms. Will write in detail once I am back.
Am again back to key in some important observations after my tour of the Nilgiris. My tour comprised of innumerable hair pin bends & forest - ghat sections. In six days I covered more than 1350 kms & touched an altitude of about 8350 feet. Temperature at night & early mornings in ooty was about 8 degrees. My Swish started without much fuss & performed reliably all through out. Pick up is superb. The fuel guage mal functioned & I had to check the fuel in the tank visually. Cornering is fun on this scooter and road grip is excellent. I got the second service done now & the odo reading is 3060 kms as on date. The mileage has now dropped considerably after the second service & I think I must be getting just about 25 - 28 kms now. I wrote a simple review of my tour ( on suzuki website’s feed back form ) and even complemented them for their good product " But Suzuki I think does not appreciate a customer’s feed back & I think they don’t bother to acknowledge either " Very shocking that an established international auto manufacturer can be so callous towards its customers !
Now Here is a list of what is not okay with the Swish 125 :
1) Nearly Non Existent Light Beam. Filament vibrates & Light throw is pathetic. My Dad’s Lamby 150 had a better beam in those days !
2) Fuel Filler Cap area is too delicate. I have to tell the person at the Pump to insert the nozzle gently. Wonder when the mouth is going to break ! ( Honda’s are fitted with metal rims & caps )
3) Lack of good storage space beneath the seat. It cant hold a full face helmet !
4) Very bad sound quality of the horn right from day one.
5) Scooter occasionally switches off in important place like a traffic signal & fails to start.
6) Low mileage per liter of petrol ( but this is offset by very good responsive power )
7) Water somehow gets into the rear tail lamp & indicator assembly - a faulty design.
8) The seat opens via the ignition key & it is very tricky to use. It takes time to getting used to this. The locking mechanism is very fragile to use.
My Recommendation to prospective buyers : "THE SCOOTER IS DEFINITELY WORTH BUYING IF YOU DO NOT BOTHER ABOUT MILEAGE "
My latest observation : The scooter is now returning 15 kpl ( 65 kms / 4.3 litres ). !!! It is
unbelievable & am taking it tomorrow for tuning. Will update later.
I took the scooter to Advaith Suzuki & the kind service advisor ( technicians also ) immediately removed the glove box & told me that fuel was leaking heavily from the carb. They set right the leakage by replacing the ’O’ rings. I requested the Service Advisor to also wash the vehicle. Nice of him to heed to my request & the scooter was delivered the same evening at a nominal cost of Rs.40/-. I rode off very happily ! Hats off to Advaith Suzuki for their services.... Cheers !
Regards - Neetesh