Having been used to TVS commuter motorbikes from the time of AX100, I was very impressed with Victor when I got one some eight years back. Though as a company policy I was eligible to change a bike after five years, I was not willing to part with Victor (and I did not like the Star City).
However, the already mad traffic has worsened all over and coupled with the pretty long drive (my commute to work is 25km each way), both me and my bike felt the effect of aging and the need to give some comfort to my backbone. Thus started my look out for a new vehicle from the TVS stable.
I had my options clear - more importance to comfort and safety. So, however appealing the Apache was (my son was praying that I should opt for it), I discounted it, as I was not for the thrills of a fast ride. The vendor assured that the new Star City is very good now, as the company has really taken feedback from customers seriously and effected changes to improve the vehicle.
It was at this point I saw the Jive demo vehicle and was immediately attracted to it. Curious not to find a clutch lever, I probed the vendor and got a positive response for this vehicle too, and he gave me the demo vehicle to keep with me for two days to get a feel of the clutchless gear drive. Satisfied, I got the new bike and have driven close to 500km over the last two weeks.
Oh what a difference this bike makes to riding in city traffic! Yes, it feels funny at the beginning to drive without the clutch, as years of driving has made it involuntary to grab the clutch lever the moment you decide to change the gear. Don’t worry, our brains are so well geared (no pun) that it takes only a short time to adjust to this and get going.
The bike comes with electric start. Start the vehicle, don’t rev and shift to first gear - with an almost insignificant jerk, the bike is ready at stand still. As you rev up the throtte, the bike begins to move. For the beginner, the vendor was cautious enough to advise starting on the second or third gear for the first few drives, as the acceleration is quite fast to take you by surprise. Once you get adjusted to the throttle response, you can then comfortably start the vehicle on the first gear. Riding is very smooth and comfortable, and shifting gears doesn’t pose any problem at all - except that there is a little jerk during the initial stages of getting used to operate without the clutch lever. You need to learn to adjust the speed, close the throttle AND THEN shift the gear up or down depending on your need. That’s something I learnt - always shift gear with the throttle closed.
Driving clutchess is absolutely comfortable. No need to worry about the gear position - you apply brake and the vehicle stops, but the engine is still running and doesn’t stall. Since it is rotary gear, if you are in the fourth gear, all you need to do is push one step down to get to neutral! So, vrooming at the start of the signal and stopping suddenly from high speed can both be done at ease, without having to worry about the engine. Since my bike hasn’t crossed 500km, I have not exceeded 50-55kmph yet. But in the busy traffic, I find I am already riding faster than I did with my Victor. That stands testimony to the ease of riding clutchless! The tyres are good and give a nice grip of the road.
While I have not precisely measured the fuel economy yet, I am sure the bike gives over 60kmpl. I will keep a watch on this report once the bike is well set after its first service that is due shortly.
The bike is definitely good, giving an enjoyable, comfortable, economical and safe ride. Not for the youngsters who wish ride the fast lane of twists and thrills, but certainly for the mature, responsible commuter who wishes to reach to work on time and return home safe.
Feedback 1
While the general performance of the vehicle is very good – the engine is very smooth, shifting gears is trouble-free, road grip is fine and night driving is also good with powerful headlight, I had one snag bothering me of late – the electrical connection. During the past ten days, turning the ignition on did not complete the electrical connection almost one out of three times. Meaning, if I switched the engine off during a traffic halt (which I do if the halt is more than one minute), I was not sure that the electric start would work when I turned the ignition on the next time. The neutral (or gear) lamp would not glow. I had to kick-start the bike, or keep it idling all through the 100+ seconds of traffic halt. I am not sure if this problem is because of loose-connection or a fault in the relay.
I gave the vehicle for the first free service after it had run some 830+km (though I intended to give it within the stipulated 750 km on the odo, a long stretch of public holidays due to the elections, Tamil new year and week end put off my plan by about 80km). The bike gives me 55kmpl, but the dealer says the performance will improve to 62-63kmpl before the second service is due, as the engine gets conditioned in due course. I will keep posting the performance periodically.
Feedback 2 (post-1100 km)
The ’electrical’ problem was sorted out by myself. On inspection, I found that the nut on one of leads connecting to the battery was not tightened properly and so it had wound itself out and remained at the edge, causing the circuit to disconnect off and on. Now the vehicle is absolutely fine.
Having crossed the 1000 km mark, I have tested the vehicle with higher speeds and find that the vehicle can comfortably go up to 55-60 km with ease even with a pillion, but the engine noise becomes a little shrill at higher speeds. However, that doesn’t affect the smooth drive in any way, and I am enjoying the ride. The mileage also seems to have slightly improved, giving me 57 km as against 55 earlier.
Feedback 3 (post 2nd service, 3400+km)
The bike is settling very well, with mileage averaging very close to 60 kmpl. It’s absolutely smooth, comfortable and reasonably fast too. I gave the vehicle for the second free service a little late, after 3, 400 km and three-and-a-half months of purchase. On the day it was in the workshop I had to take my son’s Honda Twister. As luck (or bad luck) would have it, I got stuck in a teriffic traffic jam that required moving at snail’s pace for about 15 minutes, and that was sufficient to prove beyond any doubt the comfort of clutchless travel that I have been enjoying on Jive for the last three months. Needless to say, I am very satisfied with the vehicle.