Ride & Handling
Go Wheee!
After starting the motor, turn the accelerator a bit and the scooter moves quickly. Like the scooter’s tagline, it truly goes wheee!
Being an EV, the torque delivery is almost instant, linear and addictive. It takes off like a jet in the normal/sport mode; it is slightly mellowed down in the eco/ride mode. The top speed that the scooter can reach is 90kmph in normal/sport mode and 70kmph in eco/ride mode. Till the scooter reaches close to the top speed, it doesn’t show any signs of tiredness…it’s happy to fly! Riding on the highway makes it a breeze. On the NICE road, it felt nice and balanced. the firmness of the shocks is very nice. The wonderful weight distribution gives amazing confidence to chuck it around corners at speeds that other scooters can’t even imagine doing this.
Taking it in hairpin bends would’ve been fun. Agreed, this scooter will not go on highways as much and will mostly be used in cities. It is here, in crawling city speeds that the balance and the low centre of gravity makes its presence felt. It is very nimble in all speeds that it is capable of doing. This nimbleness will help in snaking around chaotic traffic.
Also there quite a few steep slopes near my home which the scooter does it with ease. On the brochure They have mentioned a grade-ability of 18 degrees at a constant 10 kmph speed.
It’s an EV and it is all the more important to conserve energy and regenerate wherever possible. The scooter regenerates energy in two ways- 1. when we brake and 2. when the throttle is rotated in the opposite(forward) direction. This feels like we are using engine braking in our ICE cars. This forward rotation is only a small amount and initially I was not sure If I was even rotating it. The regen works only above 15kmph and only when the battery is less than 80%. The regen status is not displayed anywhere (like in the E2O) and the regeneration is a very small amount; almost ignore-able. Another point is that during regeneration by rotating the accelerator forward, pressing the right side brake lever is difficult. Either we have to apply the left side brake lever or let loose of the grip and re-position the right hand to normal position to apply the brakes. takes some time to get used to.
The hydraulic telescopic shocks at the front perform very well in both slow and fast speeds. The progressive rear monoshock is on the firmer side but not a bone jarring experience by any means. Because of this firmness, it tends to jump on humps when there is no person sitting behind. The sound feels like the seat is not locked. but when a pillion rider is there, it is comfortable enough for him too. Overall it is a satisfying ride.
If this torque, balance and nimble nature excites you, the Bybre brakes are what gives you that confidence to go fast. It’s very sharp and initially it feels dangerously sharp. But over time, it beds in perfectly and we also get used to it. If 0-40 in 3.9 secs is an exhilarating experience, the 60-0 braking distance in 28.6 metres is an experience that can bring a smile on the rider’s face. The Combi Brake System works beautifully. The front brakes are 200mm discs with triple piston calipers while the rear brakes are 190mm discs with a single piston caliper. The rear brakes do tend to get locked and skid on hard braking. An ABS plus a fatter rear tyre would’ve made it perfect. although it is still according the new ABS regulation. According to the regulation, ABS is for ICE vehicles above 125cc and EVs above continuous rated power of 11kW. For vehicles below this capacity, a Combi Brake System is mandatory (which Ather has provided).
Both the front and rear 90/90-12 tubeless MRF nylogrip zappers do their duty beautifully. The recommended air pressure is 30 for front and 28 for rear tyres if there is no pilion and it is 30 for both tyres if there is a pillion.
ATGATT
On the downside…this is a noisy scooter at speeds! As the speed picks up, The noise too picks up slowly like a jet engine. It sounds nice to a certain point. After the speed crosses 20kmph the fan just below the seat hinge (and above the motor) switches on. This high frequency fan noise is easily audible to the rider giving a noisy feel, but to people outside the fan noise isn’t heard as much. When I’m beside another vehicle at a signal, people will be left wondering how a switched-off vehicle can take off like that. Seeing that gives a different kind of high 
But on a serious note, this scooter can embarrass many ICE two wheelers or even some small hatchbacks. Many times, I use the horn a lot more than I use on a normal scooter to be sure that people/other road users hear me. The horn is loud enough for Bengaluru.
When on the move, the screen doesn’t respond to any touches in view of rider’s safety. Initially we could not change the mode during riding and we had to stop and then only change to a different mode. with the latest update, we can change the mode on the fly using the scroll switch on the right handle. It’s a great feature to have. we can be riding in the ride mode and when we have to do a quick overtake, change to sport mode. Also people wearing gloves needn’t stop and remove the gloves to touch and change the mode.
The scooter looks nice at night too. The AOH, pilot lamps makes it look very good. And at the rear, the tail lamps appear really cool.
Angel eyes
From the rear
Notice how bright the display is (this is at the lowest brightness setting). This is really irritating.
Winking
Have not ridden it in the dark too much, but the LED headlamps illuminate well enough. While the low beam illuminates the road pretty good, the high beam is not useful at all-it is aimed too high. Basically the low beam and high beam does not have much of a difference. No beam adjusting option available to the user either.
Low beam
High beam
Also I see that the transparent covering is foggy from inside. It is not moisture but just that it is not very clear. If this improves, probably the light will improve further.
Foggy unclear covering
