It's in the Ride

With the festive season upon us, November will see some important two-wheelers being launched in India. We give you a comprehensive lowdown on the new scooter launches this month.

With the coming of the festive season, automotive sales in India are slowly looking up. And as has always been the case, the month of Diwali sees few launches which are high on anticipation. This year too it is no different. Come November 2020, there are some mouth-watering two-wheeler launches lined up.

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2020 Honda Forza 300

While the previous iteration of the premium automatic scooter was limited to just 4 units, the 2020 Honda Forza 300 will be possibly sold in larger volumes. This tourer-centric scooter is powered by a 279 cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, SOHC four-valve engine which can squeeze out 25 PS of power and 27.2 Nm of torque. The Honda Forza 300 gets an on-the-fly electronically adjustable windscreen which has a range of 140 mm. Also, the automatic scooter is fitted with smart key fob, 15-inch aluminium alloy wheel, Honda Selectable Torque Control.

Hero AE-29

Hero Electric will be entering the high-speed electric scooter segment with the AE-29. Showcased first in concept form at Delhi Auto Expo 2020, it's not as advanced as the Bajaj Chetak, Ather 450X and the TVS iQube. However, the Hero AE-29 might compensate that with accessibility in terms of pricing. The Hero AE-29 concept has a 1 kW electric motor powered by a 48-volt, 3.5 kWh lithium-ion battery. This setup helps the Hero it reach a top speed of 55 km/h and go up to 80 km on a full charge. This is a significant improvement for Hero Electric as a brand as most of its portfolio has a top speed capping of 40 km/h. Fully charging the battery takes a comfortable 4 hours. This will be Hero Electric’s first smart scooter and will be backed by IOT technology. It will feature a digital instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity. Other features include LED headlamp, geo-fencing, anti-theft alarm and a nifty pillion backrest. Brakes are drum at both ends. The thin telescopic fork up front does not inspire much confidence. Let’s hope Hero Electric uses a slightly beefier setup in the production model.

Suzuki Burgman 150

One of the most anticipated products from Suzuki this year is a bigger capacity version of their popular maxi-scooter Burgman Street 125. This new scooter, the Suzuki Burgman 150, will look similar to the small capacity cousin but will possibly have different colour options and decals. In terms of powertrain, the Japanese two-wheeler maker may use a re-bored version of their 125 cc mill which does duty in maxi-scooter as well as the Suzuki Access 125. We expect the upcoming Suzuki Burgman Street 150 to dish out around 12 PS of power to make it competitive to the existing crop of 150 cc and 160 cc scooters by the Italians (Vespa and Aprilia). Suzuki’s new flagship scooter will get all the bells and whistles including the likes of LED headlamp, digital instrumentation, and hopefully a taller windshield. Also, we would love to see if Suzuki follows the trend and introduces connected instrumentation.

Aprilia SXR 125

The Italians sure do know style. Aprilia has introduced a 125 cc variant of its maxi-scooter which it had unveiled at Delhi Auto Expo 2020. The Aprilia SXR 125 looks identical to the SXR 160, save for maybe a decal job. Rivaling the Suzuki Burgman Street 125, the Aprilia SXR 125 is likely a pricey maxi-scooter. It uses the BS6 version of the current Aprilia SR 125's 125 cc single-cylinder, three-valve unit that produces 9.5 PS of power and 9.9 Nm of torque in the BS4 version. Features include a digital instrumentation, LED headlamp, and a tinted windshield. The instrumentation has a smartphone connectivity as seen in the Vespa and Aprilia range of scooters already on sale in the country. Also, the Aprilia SXR 125 has a telescopic front suspension, front disc brake, large seat and CBS (combined braking system).

From the November 2020 issue of FHM India.