Comparison Tests

Scooters are the flavour of this age. After their monumental rise, fall and the recent resurgence in the Indian market, scooters have now become the cash cows for several two-wheeler manufacturers in the country. While the Activa and the Splendor continue to be embroiled in a fistfight for the top spot in the two-wheeler market, scooters are now being looked at as alternative to motorcycles rather than just a secondary vehicle. 

What we have here are two obvious players in the affordable and performance centric commuter class, and one outsider of sorts. The TVS Apache 200 4V – one of the obvious players, given it has nearly 20bhp – is the newest entrant. And though it is available both with fuel injection and carburetion, we have the latter for it is lesser priced.

Two bikes. Two different body styles yet we’re doing a comparison test. Why? Because, both get almost the same set of features, technology and also the same set of buyers. And these bikes are easily the most accessible and affordable performance motorcycles under Rs 1.5 lakh. 

This isn’t our typical BikeWale comparison test wherein we go into the nitty-gritty of design, appeal, technology, riding pleasure, pricing or value even, to come to a conclusion on which is a better product. How can it be; the Hero Impulse isn’t even in production anymore. Plus, there’s absolutely no parity or pricing or performance between the Hero and the Himalayan.

Most of us love travelling, either by road, rail or by air. But travelling by rail or air won’t give you the adrenaline kick. So some of us, in fact, a lot of us these days, take a motorcycle and explore the world. But they’re limited by the ability of these motorcycles as a lot of these terrains demand versatility and ruggedness. 

Scooters in India cater to everyone - college kids, working professionals, housewives and even small business establishments. Why? Because they are easy to ride, affordable, there’s no need to change gear and yes, they’re easy to maintain too. But just like the mass market motorcycles, there’s a decent amount of segmentation here – 110cc and the 125cc.

Even after years of dominance and constant prayers from enthusiasts (to kill the entry-level class so that bike makers could concentrate their energies and monies towards developing more fun to ride and quicker motorcycles) the entry-level class is still king.

A motorcycle wash is a far more detailed job than a car wash. In a car wash you just clean the paint and glass area, while a motorcycle wash includes paint, the engine and the gearbox, chain and cables and so many more creases and corners. To go about getting a good clean just follow these (sometimes forgotten) basic steps.

The CB Shine is like the Activa of 125cc motorcycles for Honda. It is the highest selling vehicle in its segment. It offers the right amount of everything – power, fuel efficiency, comfort and safety. And not just that. Along with the bike, you take home peace of mind, thanks to Honda reliability. But with the introduction of the CB Shine SP, Honda has taken the game to a whole new level. With a five-speed gearbox and better decals, the CB Shine SP looks like an unbeatable proposition like we mentioned in our first ride report. But Bajaj has an interesting way to counter the CB Shine SP in the form of the new V15 – it’s bold, stylish, muscular – things which we miss on the CB Shine SP. So we decided to spend some time with both these mass market bikes and evaluate each.

Hero MotoCorp has done a great job with the Maestro Edge. We said that in our first ride report. And honestly, it is a scooter we would happily recommend to many. But, since we first rode it, there’s one question we wanted an answer to: Is the Hero Maestro Edge the best 110cc scooter in the market today? To find out, we have lined up two worthy benchmarks. In the shiny grey corner is the Honda Activa. It is India’s highest selling scooter and has been so for what seems like eternity. In the not-so-shiny – or let’s just say matte – grey corner is the TVS Jupiter. The Jupiter sells well too but we have it here because as far as 110cc scooters go, it really is the benchmark in more areas than one.