Scoterette Bike. Review on Bajaj Saffire

With a 4 stroke Automatic Saffire I must say Bajaj has gone beyond conventional 2 stroke Scooting within a small suburb. Bajaj Saffire is arguably the first Indian 4-stroke Scooterette with everything from automatic start, good mileage, cool looks, extra luggage space and last but not least a low prize. Prized at just 31000 Rs. with these many features I don’t see no reason to neglect the Scooterette cum bike.

As I have been mentioning from time and again when you choose Scooteretts one thing you must have in mind is it is not for long drives across the cities. They are specifically designed for commuting in a typical Suburban or a big city like Mumbai for instance. The reason is the engine power and mileage. Kinetic Pride have a mere 72 cc engine it is impossible to climb slopes with someone sitting at the back seat. Also the mileage around 45 kmpl isn’t going to help either. On the other hand at lesser prize Scooty come with a 65 cc engine and lot many features than pride. From the safety point of view they have a weak body yielding even to the small shocks. That even makes it worse for 2 stroke Scooters. So why not go for same thing with enhanced power and same prize.

Fuel tank capacity is average 6 liters with 1 for reserve. A glove box is provided in the handle part for keeping small valuables or say driving document. Scooty has a space for helmet under the seat. Suspensions are very good with Hydraulic damped mono for rear and usual telescopic for the front. Maintenance can be a major problem with the bike. Two friends of mine have been complaining about the bike breaking down due to oil leakage and auto start up problem. I personally wouldn’t insist you on buying it but wouldn’t deny its existence either. You better have a test drive before making the final decision and ask people who own the bike. Whenever I drove the bike I felt it perfect. I’m just a messenger. Its you who have to walk through the door.

I have a complain about the weak body structure of the Scooter. The material used for covering is very weak. Perhaps this the only weak link in this bike. It is fairly easy to get dents and even major damages in case of minor accidents. What I like most of the machine is sleek handle panel with a head light and 2 signal light. The handle width is extended till the base making it cool in looks.

I was a bit confused about doing a right comparison. Being a 4 stroke with a 90 cc displacement it wouldn’t be fair to compare it with 2-stroke Scooty and being a Scooter like I can’t compare it entirely with 100 CC bike. So I tried to compare right features with right model type. Looks are amazing, mileage is around 50 kmpl and prize is what I mentioned above. Maximum power is 6 bhp at 7000 RPM. Brakes are usual drum based. Ground Clearance is small about 135 mm but that’s understood in view of the small wheelbase. Front suspensions are special telescopic twin fork type. To me suspensions were fair enough at high speeds of about 60 kmph. Rare suspensions are normal hydraulic one. Overall this is a good bike if the maintenance statistics are excluded.