When the Class X examinations get over and those little tiny pukes who?ve been working under the pressure of their Science Paper 1 Teacher and their Geometry Teacher and mugging notes after notes wearing Bermudas and large flowing T-shirts or frocks with frills and laces suddenly realize that now they aren?t little pukes any longer.
It is incredible how they turn from flip?little pukes with hankies pinned up to their shirt pockets?to flop?mobile phone totting fellas ?hanging out? and ?chilling? at rather chic eat-outs and talking about girls with far too many winks.
And then they eventually bring their parents to the inevitable conclusion that they now need a vehicle?a vehicle that has an engine in it, not stainless-steel chains and pedals. So there you are! The boy who was, until the 20th of March, was trundling on his derelict Hercules MTB is now creating havoc and knocking unsuspecting pedestrians on his Honda Activa.
And that girl who used to come to her class, shaky and cautious, on her pink coloured Miss India is winking at you behind her helmet and coming to a crunching halt and turning her brilliant Scooty Pep engine off!
Enter these dragons!
Appearance and Features
It takes more than an ambitious mileage claim to impress these tykes. Companies are of course aware of the fact that when they design a vehicle, they must do so with a particular class of purchasers in their mind. They don?t hit the proverbial drawing board (that is usually today located on a microchip with a digital clock and microprocessor) with an inspiration to design a scooter and come off with a best seller. Scooty Pep has been, undoubtedly, designed with college goers in mind and it declares its intentions perfectly, clinically and impressively!
With an aerodynamic design, a bright two-tone color with matching rear-view-mirrors and still an astoundingly light body weight, Scooty Pep is undoubtedly for college the fresher. But what makes it even more appropriate for them is the features it has. For one, it has a side stand alarm. I have myself had to stop and point out to a good number of people that their side-stands were jutting out. I believe this feature is more than just a style statement?it?s a very intelligent safety measure.
Scooty Pep solves the college fresher?s problem of carrying stuff with some brilliant storage and carriage facilities. It has a twin bag hook, a backpack hook (though if it is a backpack, I believe nature provided it?s own hook on the person riding it, but there is one still). Then you have this interesting feature about its boot?it?s divided into compartments.
It?s surely done neatly and it surely scores well on the consumer class it aims itself at. It isn?t surprising to note here, though I don?t know if I?ve been clear about it so far, that a very good number of people who ride this vehicle are girls.
Performance and Mileage
It?s not a smart idea to hand over a powerful stallion in the hands of a 16-to-be or a just-about-16. Without intending to comment on whether that was the intention behind doing so, but TVS does not pack the Scooty Pep with impressive performance figures. I could take it from naught to sixty in something like 15 seconds, and that?s slower than the wizened Kinetic Style I own (if Scooty Pep is to be compared with the refreshing talent of Preity Zinta, you?ll have to compare the Style with the charm of Dimple Kapadia).
And I am yet to understand what the ?Economy Mode? and the ?Power Mode? mean. Not that I am particularly keen on investigating?
There are different kind of parents. Every kid in the world knows that?s true. In this context, I can note that there are on the one hand parents who like to see their child being able to reach his classes and college in time without having to spend too much energy and would be ready to be a little too generous to let that continue even after purchasing the chic-est of the vehicles available. On the other hand, there are parents who do of course understand the need of their child having a vehicle, appreciate the vanity and do buy an attractive model. But, that done, they decide also to let their child become a little more mature?they ask him to run his vehicle so that he or she wouldn?t need more fuel than their pocket money can buy them.
Fortunately, the kid gets a pocket-money rise around the same time.
For the kids who have the second kind of parents, Scooty Pep could be a good choice. I?m afraid I don?t have facts and figures about the mileage of this vehicle, though I usually do have them for all vehicles I write on. I can, of course, assure you that this vehicle has a decent enough mileage and I am also confident that in a few days time I?ll be able to update this section with figures.
Exeunt Dragon
To begin with, Scooty Pep is a vehicle aimed at the kids who?re just about of age to ride motorized vehicles. It does not have what it takes to impress an individual who wants a vehicle that will last him for a long time?you have that in Honda Activa and Kinetic DX Zoom. Then, Pep does not return good performance figures even after two or three months?if all reports are to be believed (treat this as something of a disclaimer)?and so does not have what it takes to impress me! Next, it?s a little finicky about it?s mileage. While one girl in my class who owns one complains her vehicle drinks more petrol than her boyfriend drinks Coke, there is another girl in my class who?s never so far said she has to go to the gas station.
Let?s leave this dragon alone. There are more concrete and austere vehicles in the market. And some of them are even sexy. Honda Dio, for example.
As a Post-Script
My girlfriend?s brother owns Scooty Pep. I just can?t like it, can I?
As a further Post Script
He gives me no choice. He?s trained in Teak-wan-do.
I have to like it.
Or else?expunged on the order of beloved girlfriend.