Vroom...Vroom.... Review on Kinetic Nova

So I finally acquired this piece of equipment about 2 weeks ago and believe me folks had it not been the furiously positive rating given by most members on MS about this cutie I would never have gone for it. I had serious doubts about this since I could barely see this vehicle. The visibility ratio compared to Honda Activa is barely 1:10. But since I have finally bought this one I would like to share with you guys my first hand experience.

I basically bought this for my wife who has been driving ,b>Kinetic Honda before this for many years. We went in for at least 3 or 4 test rides since on the first one I thought that the seats of the scooter were leaning a bit too much in the front and were a bit high. My wife had doubts whether she would be able to touch the ground with her feet when seated (she is 5?5?). Then the test vehicle has a little turbulence on slow speeds (at the time of pickup). But by 3rd ride just be changing the test vehicle around some of the woes were settled.

Then we rode Activa and at the first go we found the seating more comfortable. Dio was not that good though with the footrest leaning a bit forward. The design of Dio too was a turn off since it was too space ship like. Pickup of Activa was at par and we were seriously confused. I must confess that the long waiting time for Activa was the main reason that I decided to go for Nova at that point of time. Another factor was Activa?s metallic and heavier body which surely would have made it a bit slower than Nova (being of slightly lower engine capacity too).

After a lot of speculation (there was nothing to compare on price front since both were costing us the same), we bought Nova with some additional accessories than the standard ones like Teflon coating, indicator buzzer etc. And boy am I happy or what??.this scooter rocks.!! The first time I drove it properly on a long stretch of road, I felt I was riding a bike and not a scooter. Means the pickup is terrific, it takes off as smoothly as you could imagine. Normally in gearless scooters you are looking to turn that accelerator a bit harder to keep up with the geared vehicles around. I instead have to keep it in check to avoid flying straight off. Simply awesome pickup?!!

The sound is like what you have in a 4S bike, silent humming and reassuring. Absolutely anti skid and stable, and very smooth and light to operate and maneuver around. Believe it or not, people do turn their heads and look at this black colored beauty and admire it. At least one positive coming out of this being less visible on the roads; the design is its distinction.

The suspension of the scooter needs a special mention here. Nova has an awesome suspension; the roads around my area are really pathetic, constantly being dug by people leaving them as they are. To top that, there are innumerable speed breakers as if someone could use those roads for a jet runway. But on top of this machine you hardly feel anything bothering you. You can just ignore those ridges and valleys at low speeds and jump smoothly around.

Also a word about ground clearance ? Nova has a better ground clearance than Activa and riding pillion with my wife on those bumpy roads, I?ve never had a single ?thud? yet. This was a major concern in my mind since many reviewers on MS had mentioned it, but fortunately I till date haven?t had that problem. The scooter on the 3d day gave me some starting problem since it had been standing still for 3 days due to rains. But after that it?s been one touch start always and very silent one at that. The mileage for the first fill has been very satisfying ? it?s been around 45 which I am sure will improve as the engine gets tuned after first service. The storage capacity is awesome?I could fit in load of shopping which I normally would do with my car and not bother about space.

The only problems that I see with the scooter right now is the protruding non-foldable foot rest for the pillion riders which always hits something or the other while parking in a cramped area. Also a bit wider seat than normal which my wife had to get adjusted to in the beginning.

So all in all?I would strongly recommend this cute piece of machine for maximum driving pleasure and comfort.