My father bought a LML Vespa (150 NV) in 1991. Before that, we were having a Vijay Super scooter. When Dad brought the scooter (New Vespa) home from the show room we were just bowled out because of its looks.
As far as I am concerned, I learnt riding a scooter on this one only. Fell quite a number of times ( Which consists some real painful experiences) in the initial stage but learnt driving properly on this scooter only.
Here's a quick glimpse on the vehicle:
The Engine:
The scooter is a two stroked one. It has an 8.2 bhp engine @5500rpm. I am not well acquainted with automobile engineering but my mechanic said that the engine has been made to deliver more power at lower engine wear/tear levels. Engine displacement is 149.56cc. It has enough power to do all the zoom-zooms. (Remember doing more zoom-zooms consume more fuel.)
The engine is very silent. Gear changing is very easy. The engine used to start in a single kick. Though it would not be fair to hide that our scooter had cold problems. In the winter, inspite of using the choke it used to have 7-8 kicks to get started properly.
The Look & Riding Comfort:
As I said earlier, LML scores over its counterparts in this segment. It has a very sleek look, ideal for everyone from the age group of 18-70. Specially, it suits well with the office going persons.
The body frame is much better than the Bajaj scooters. It is very sturdy and does not get affected in accidents easily, as the Bajaj brothers do.
The overall length of the scooter is 830 mm. It provides enough space for the rider’s legs to stretch as far as possible without creating any pressure on the legs. (A medium heighten person has been taken into consideration in this regard)
(On the Bajaj scooters it becomes a little difficult because of the low height)
The shock absorbers are very good in the scooter segment though it is not possible to expect the comfort of a motorbike’s shock absorbers from this scooter.
The hidden stepny within the chassis leads to superb balance. At a very low as well as high speed the bike does not wobble at all.
These scooters are heavy in weight compared to the Bajaj counterparts. The heavier the vehicle, the comfortable the ride. (BUT- the heavier bikes consume more fuel compared to the lighter ones).
The Brakes:
Simply superb. I used to ride @ 70/80 (Though seldom :-)) but when used the brakes they performed superbly. No skidding at all.
The right science of applying the brakes is to apply both the front & the rear brakes simultaneously. (Feeling shame to say that this fact was not known to me till July, 2003.The person who taught me riding the scooter told me to use the front brake only when the rear one won’t work. Today, when I recall his training, I simply laugh at myself. I had never used the front brake of the scooter. No accident happened because of this. Well, I think this would give you a proper idea of Vespa's brakes. These are simply superb. Nowadays, I am using a HH Splendor but I think the Vespa's brakes are much better to my Splendor’s brakes.
Mileage:
Well the scooter was giving a consistent mileage of 33-34(In town) till the date we sold it. It is only because of the mileage we sold the scooter.
But, I think I was the only one responsible behind this factor. I never serviced the scooter in time, after the free services were over it was never taken to the service centre for services. As far as the local service Walla is concerned, they are O.K. but to give a proper service to your 2-wheeler you have to take the 2-wheeler to the service centre at least once a year.
Mileage depends upon riding speed, (30-50 is ideal, the more the speed the more the fuel consumed to overcome the wind resistance), proper tyre pressure, less braking, using less clutches, proper carburetor settings, etc.
I personally feel that the use of frequent brakes tend to less mileage.
I think if properly maintained the scooter will give 40-45 in city ride conditions easily.
Maintenance:
Being a two stroker, it requires very little maintenance. Apart from checking the tyre pressures regularly if the scooter is serviced once a year it will perform wonderfully. The engine oil should be changed within 1500 kms to ensure a great engine life. Among the other expenditures of our scooter , only the clutch plates & a bulb had to be replaced till the day it was with us.
The Electricals:
Simply excellent. LML has done all the homework in this regard. While driving in the nights, I never felt problem as the light was so bright. (The light of my Splendor………creates havoc problem in the nights as it is very dim.)
Sales & Service:
LML, whether bike or scooter, has a very good sales as well as service record.
The service persons are very friendly and efficient.
As far as second hand sales are concerned, you get a good price selling your old LML products.
Scooter Vs Motorcycles:
1)Carrying space is much in scooters compared to bikes. In a scooter one can carry more luggage compared to a bike. I have even seen people carrying gas cylinders on Vespa. Scooters win over here.
2) Bikes can be harmed from outside as all its parts remain opened. One can easily take out the spark plug from a bike (Provided the user should not be in the scenario ;-), while in scooters it becomes difficult for someone to intentionally harm the scooter from outside. Scooters score over here.
3)Bikes provide more mileage compared to scooters. Bikes win in this regard.
4)Riding comfort is better in bikes compared to scooters as bikes provide better balance. Scooter losses in this regard.
5)A bike does not have a stepny while a scooter has. This factor adds advantage to a scooter in a long ride in case puncture takes place. Scooter wins again.
The ultimate result :- Scooter-3, Bike- 2.
Here's the Technical specification of the scooter:
No. Of cylinders:1
Displacement (cc):149.56cc
Maximum Power (bhp/rpm):8.2bhp/5500rpm
Stroke: 2 -stroke, forced air-cooled.
Start: Kick
Fuel Tank Capacity: 8 ltrs.
No. Of Gears: 4 - speed
Electrics: 12V-9AH
Overall height (mm):830mm
Overall length (mm):1760mm
Wheelbase:1235mm
Ground Clearance:160mm
I think if one decides to buy a scooter which requires less maintenance, delivers good power & mileage, has good riding comfortability should go for LML Vespa .The desi scooter is bound to serve for years.
Though, the scooter market is in jeopardy nowadays, (Everyone moving towards a motorcycle these days) LML still tops in this market.
Let me, share a secret with you. I used to call my scooter “ Raampiyari”.
Well, after watching the film “ Akayla” of Amitabh, I named my scooter by that name.
In that film, Amitabh had an old car, named “ Raampiyari”. You must have heard the song “ Chal chal re chal, meri Raampiyari”? Watching Amitabh serenade the car in the film I immediately named our scooter by that name.
Good nomenclature, isn’t it? :-))
A light green coloured scooter often appears in my dreams and ask me “ Hi soulmate, how are you? I am good. Don’t be sad because of me. We’ll meet someday once again. I am waiting to freak with you again on the lonely highways. Where there would be none except me & you.”
The day we sold our scooter, I remember I cried in my dreams.
Well, this is a typical Indian nature. We can’t dispose the good old dear machines so easily. It becomes a member of our family in a very short time.
Thank you very much for reading this review.
Have a good day.
