Bad traffic conditions, increasing fuel expenses, waste of time and energy. all of these aspects mainly were the reasons I thought its time to own a gear-less bike in Bangalore.
When it comes to gear-less bikes. Honda, Suzuki and TVS are already doing a great job and their respective brands like Activa, Access, Scooty and Wego are on top of the sales charts.
But this is how I ended up buying none of the above.
My close friends own Honda Activa and Suzuki Access, great bikes and I like them too.
Activa/Dio/Aviator are same bikes under different body shapes/types with few changes like appeal, suspension and seating position.
Honda gear-less bikes are reliable, bear strong & proven engines, large service network, resale value, good mileage(60kmpl claimed) and decent pick-up.
What does not work in their favor is - dated designs and engines(New fuel intake system), quality of service is a concern, bumpy rear suspension and non existent front suspension (except Aviator).
Suzuki Access- Two of my neighbors have this bike - Exciting pick-up and good suspension, decent service back-up. but mileage is big concern in this bike. hardly 35 kmpl is the most common feedback. go for this if your daily commute is relatively less.
TVS Wego- Fairly new model in the market, nice cushiony suspension, good pick-up and mileage(61kmpl), body balance sounds interesting but I really dint like the shape(like a fish). Looks as though stretched on both ends. Otherwise a decent bike.
The two options that I really was contemplating on were TVS Jupiter and Yamaha Alpha - New in the market and sounded promising on the professional road test reviews.
Jupiter has a smooth engine, body balance tech, few smart features(nothing largely useful though), bigger wheels(good on comfort but not in sync with the overall body design), good mileage, good service back-up and TVS reputation. Almost decided to go for this.
Then came the twist in story when I saw Yamaha’s ad about their new bigger gear-less bike.
I am a big fan of Yamaha. Previously owned two of their bikes(2stroke & 4stroke), great build quality, class leading technology and consistent power and balance.
Me and my wife immediately decided to go and check it out, we liked the design - big seat and floor board, 21 litres of storage space - can easily store my big-full helmet (indirectly encouraging more safety)+ more, front telescopic suspension, rear suspension set-up reducing impact on backbone, quality and strong build, digital ignition and mileage of 62 kmpl claimed.
We took the test drive-
1) Smooth start, immediately felt the difference of digital ignition,
2) Smooth and faster engine response - better than all the ones listed above,
3) Suspension was stiffer than Jupiter (Alpha is relatively low on comfort and high on balance and stability due to this),
4) Clean and boring dials(speed/odo/fuel/high-beam/turn-indicator).
5) Power delivery was smooth and stress free. Tried till 60kmph which is sufficient in city limits.
6) Large seat was super spacious, If you want to imagine - I think it can accommodate 3 mid size adults with ease.
7) Brakes were strong and had good stopping power.
8) Rear-Side body looked basic though.
Overall we loved the bike for power, mileage, space, quality and freshness. And yeah its a YAMAHA!
Booked it, got it, 3 days of super smooth ownership. will add more after more miles.
Go for it people.