We’ve ridden the Glamour before, in a country far, far away, and returned impressed. We’ve now ridden it on Indian soil as well, and here’s five things we realised about the new Glamour i3S:
1. It looks great.
The competition looks either boring or different. But take a city/commuter format, stay within reasonable styling (and cost) parameters, and you’ll end up with the Glamour. Tank extensions that make it look more muscular, a fantastic LED tail lamp that even has light guides, and alloy wheels with split spokes – not to mention the good graphics – and you’ve got the best looker in the segment.
2. A good drum brake.
Most of India still relies on the rear brake and doesn’t see much value in the front disc brake. However, a drum with good stopping power is something that we experience rarely. The Glamour’s front drum brake, although not as good as a disc, does its job extremely well. It is only during repeated hard stops that it begins to fade. For all regular commuter properties, it is adequate – and that is high praise for a drum brake indeed.
3. Only four speeds.
The Kawasaki-Bajaj Wind 125 had five speeds when it was launched so many years ago. Today the competition at least offers the option of a five-speed gearbox. However, the Glamour offers only a four-speed unit no matter what variant you opt for. If you’ve got a considerable amount of highway on your commute, it pushes the Glamour a fair bit down on your shopping list.
4. The carburetted version is the one to have.
The fuel injected Glamour is a little more efficient, yes, but the carburetted Glamour is simply more responsive and at a much lower price point.
5. It needs to be more special.
This is a product that ranks consistently among the top five models sold every month in the Indian market, and with good reason – it is a perfect fit for the purpose. It offers the consumer what he wants, but the ‘wow’ factor is missing.
