Lemme say at the outset biking has not been mine fancy and I dont own some 3 bikes to compare best amongst them...Victor has been my first bike and almost near first biking experience.
Mine is the 110 cc version which came with what they claim 21 (??!!) new features..
Good things first... well.. just as any company wud like a cult following for their product.. Victor too was quite a hit in my friend’s circle - what with its good looks, sky-high promos and promises and vouched by none other than the little master...
It has been a hit and continues to be a success no doubt.... infact maybe itz the first bike from a manufacturing base in South India (Chennai to be specific) to be flooding the other metros - atleast u cud spot a dozen of them in Bangalore every 30 mins...aargh... i.e. a bit of disppointment too... the peacock blue color (Red purple for them) is no more owned by a handful like me... itz now quite common what with Bajaj giving out Pulsars in the same shade...
As pointed out by earlier reviews, I have nothing more to add for its strengths - good electricals (pass switch is new), average looks, good pickup, good torque (I shud admit their claim of sailing @ top gear while at 20-25 kmph is not false and fairly possible, smooth and silent purr while starting the bike and riding too. I found the brakes quite efficient too
But the flip side is what bothering me too much to the extent that now I am forced to think ’Is this bike I wanted to buy all along after it has been given the more than pass mark by many users?’
The problem cud be with my poor bike usage - I use it mainly during weekends as my office commute is 30 kms and I prefer company bus for that - but it shud not be the main reason why I face tough time starting the vehicle every time... hard to believe, a couple of times I had to pull it off the road and keep fighting with it some 5 mins before itz up and running again..!! I’ve seen atleast 2 more reviews here regarding this problem... and at least in my case it is 110% TRUE ... I dont dare switch of the engine even during the longest halts at red traffic lights for the fear of getting it up again !! so much for the digital ignition..
next comes mileage... not many may agree with me maybe... but when a promo screams loud and clear itz the best in class in mileage... itz quite natural to expect 10-20% up over itz nearest competitors... else better to keep ’mouthshut’... 85 kmpl under SUTC - would it not translate into a modest 70 kmpl under mixed riding conditions - at least after burning my pocket with premium fuel of ’Speed’, ’Power’ wagairas...? In fact never have I used ordinary petrol for this dream pet of mine and never let it scream to touch the panic or Power mode... So 60-62 is ’what-better-than-the-honda’? when I point this out at the initial free service, all they say is 60 is the average and shud improve as it goes beyond 1000 kms.. now the bike is at 1250 and am not too sure abt what they were saying yet...!
and then the price... okay itz efficient (?), new technologies, better looks okay ok... but is not 45k on road bit too much..? when it cud just fare little better than the splendor and other basic models... ?
and back again to the 21 new features over the inital version... I cud barely remember these - the pass switch, the new suspension switch for bad roads, 2 coloured mirror rears, extra flashes near the tyre spokes... where r the rest...? maybe extra color, extra dum, and some extraaaaaaaaaaaa what? atleast they cud make some more visible differences like doling out a turn beeper or some optionals like luggage hook or helmet lock.... and itz good that the high-end promos ’re just dying down now... hope 125 cc is better....
and I dont want my worst fears to come true.......... frequent stories (of course from non-owners of a Victor) about the bike going down panting after 1 yr usage scare it out of me.... any 2+ yrs users comment on it?
Overall, Victor is a hit if the company stops giving it the ’revolutionary’, ’never-before’ captions... else it is like a guy who scored 60 and still not passed for all the tall claims attached to it.
Happy riding fellas....!!
To add more on to comments on my review:
Well, bike expert, lemme say I said in the review that thiz sure is my first bike, first vehicle..... so the scooter habits are u good jump outta ur imagination.... and going thru the 5 dozen reviews, I do think ppl get similar problems to mine...
I got it serviced second time and felt little better, but still if I got to use after 2-3 days, then you got it. Looks like I need to keep riding it all day long to have it awake!! And the rattling noise at low speed complained by others which was not known to me till some 5 months has finally appeared. !!