Sep 03, 2007 01:19 PM
32057 Views
I have been using the Kristal for about 5 months now. I actually bought it for my wife, who is not in a position to use it now. So I thought I would use it myself. I had test ridden Honda Activa, Deo, Scooty Pep+ etc but chose the Kristal just after the test ride. The Kristal costs around 40K on road in Bangalore.
The Kristal lacks the speed and pulling of Honda Activa, but it has got good pickup and is very comfortable to ride. The best thing about the Kristal is its mileage. It has consistently given nearly 50 KM to a litre of petrol (Speed from BP). The wheel base is shorter than the Activa. The new features in the Kristal is more or less a copy of the Scooty Pep+.
My experience with the Deo and Activa was that, it was too heavy and was not really suitable for women. Also the Deo with accessories is around 45K in Bangalore. Riding the scooty did not give me any confidence that I can keep this thing on the road for long. Basically the wheel base and the tyre size is so small that, in the pot holed roads of Bangalore, it gives you a hard time. People who have ridden bikes will know what I mean. A bike can simple ride over a hump or a pothole whereas if you do the same with the Scooty (carrying same speed) you may be in for a nasty surprise. The Kristal is a mix of Activa and Scooty, in my opinion. It has good pickup and very good mileage. It lacks the speed, which is understandable because of the mileage.
The fuel tank at the front means that Kristal needs a fuel pump to pump the fuel to the Engine. You can feel this as the level of petrol in the tank goes down. More the petrol, easier the fuel flow because of gravity and pressure. At low fuel levels, you will have to open the throttle a bit more, which is a bit annoying. The advantage of the fuel tank in the front is a bigger storage space under the seat and much better handling due to weight distribution.
I use the Kristal twice in a week for work, which is around 18 Km one way. I also use for shopping locally. Till date, the scooter has not given a single problem. I have had it free serviced twice and each time I had to tell the mechanic that there is no problem with the vehicle!!! Just normal service and oil change. I have seen auto start vehicle struggle to start in cold weather and after a long period of unuse. But there is no problem on this front with the Kristal.
This vehicle is for people who are tired of gear shifts, who move in heavy traffic and do not want to reach speeds of more than 60 kmph, but are conscious of fuel economy. It is lighter than most other vehicle in its category and will definitely appeal to women. The aerodynamic design may not seem much to achieve great speed but it will definitely get you good mileage.
Overall, value for money. Do not go by previous history of Bajaj w.r.t other scooters. In that sense, even Pulsar should have been a super flop since Bajaj did not have any bike worth the name.
