exploring south india on a scooter?

rogóshin

Hi there,

From January next year for about 10 weeks I'm planning to visit south india on my own. I thought it must be great travelling around with a scooter and therefore thought about bying one when I get there.

Now I'm not an experienced driver (and traveller) and I know traffic conditions in india are not very easy. So I like to know what other people thinking about that idea? Is it completely unrealistic to drive longer distances with a scooter in india, or do you think its a good idea and can be quite a pleasure?

I'm planning to start in mumbai and drive south covering only short distances per day (mainly along the coast, maybe exploring some hill stations...). All in all it would be about 2500km within 10 weeks.

So what do you think?
Any opinions and help are very much appreciated. thanks

himalayas_beckon

hi
well, for a first timer it may be diff to ride around on a scooter.. but if you can adjust well, it will be worth it.. but why a scooter and why not a bike ?

if you wanna go in for a scooter, the best bet will be the Honda Activa (100cc un-geared) or the Honda Eterno (150cc 4-gears). both are four-stroke machines..

Start from Mumbai and take the NH-17 (National Highway) to Panaji (Goa) and then to Mangalore and then to the hill-stations in Karnataka. you can then decide to go to Kerala (backwaters... you will love it) or go up on to the Bangalore-Pune highway and all..

GoanCanuck

Using a scooter is not advisable in my opinion. A motorcycle is much better from the point of safety as well as comfort. In hilly areas you are going to have problems going uphill on a scooter.

rogóshin

thanks for answering!

@himalayas_beckon
Why a scooter and not a bike?
Because I never drove a bike before, only a scooter. I don't know if I could handle a bike, a scooter seems more easy to me...

Are the scooters in india capable of carring some luggage? do they sell any accessories for that matter? What about the kinetic nova scooter, would that be an option also?


@GoanCanuck
Why do you think saftey is a problem with a scooter? Is it because a scooter has less power? I thought about comfort too, but why do you think a motorcycle is more comfortable than a scooter?

crimsonriver

The highways in the South are crazy where the bus drivers drive like maniacs.. I wouldn't recommend risking it if you aren't an experienced rider.. Esp conditions here are a lot different(.. read.. total chaos).

A bike is much more stable and handles much better on poor roads especially in the ghats .. and going uphilll..

As far as luggage is concerned.. a company www.cramster.in sells saddle bags and tank bags for bikes..

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rangss

Honda Activa is not as servicable as a Bajaj or LML in smaller towns. I suggest a Vespa variant from the stables of LML. The LML 150 NV Special is a Vespa T5 variant and is equal in performance to bikes. Despite being outdated, it performs really well and can be serviced in any town in India. You can pick a second-hand one at throw away prices. The only draw back is mileage...it gives about 35 KM per litre of gasoline.

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bijapuri

No moto experience?
scooter?
first time India?
Is this a troll?
if not, forget it!

Just enjoy your visit on train and such

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rogóshin

hmm... I was really looking forward on doing this, but after reading those posts I'm getting obviously a bit unsure on what to do. So if I'm doing it anyhow, would it be more advisable buying a motorcycle than a scooter although I only drove with scooters so far?

BTW:
I didn't plan on driving on highways to much, if that makes any difference and maybe less risky.

@rangss
With the driver's license I have I am only allowed to ride bikes up to 125cc. So the LML 150 NV would be out of question for me I think...

@bijapuri
well, maybe your right, but its a pity...

thanks for all the replies!

GoanCanuck

The position of a scooter handle puts enormous strain on your back while riding long distances. Motorcycle handles are much more ergonomic.

Motorcycles have superior braking capabilities as compared to scooters and they provide much better control especially on slippery roads. Many of the roads are semi-paved with big potholes and if you happen to be on a scooter while going over a pothole or a stone you can very easily go for a toss. The extra power that a motorcycle provides can prove invaluable while overtaking a truck or a bus on a highway.

Most of the back country roads in India are single lane and you will find it quite impossible to overtake a truck while riding a scooter. Truck drivers in India are normally very reluctant to give you any room at all for overtaking.

john.sw

Scooters have small wheels.

Indian roads have potholes.

Small wheels and potholes don't mix!

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-m2-

Hi and welcome to Indiamike!

I agree with most of the comments above (including bijapuri's ).

While a scooter is great for getting around local areas and sightseeing, it is much less than ideal on the highway, not only due to power and stability, but because of the traffic you would face. Scooters are given little or no 'respect' on highways where 'might is right' and little guys must fend for themselves. While in theory a scooter could keep up with 60-70kmh highway speeds, the brakes and handling are really not adequate for a decent margin of safety. While a bike would be much better, particularly with a disc brake and 5 gears, India is not really a great place to learn so I don't think this is a great option either.

My suggestion would be to rent a scooter for a while in Goa for some local sightseeing and see how it goes. It is also possible to rent bikes in Goa so it might be a place to learn/get comfortable on one -- there are lots of good side-trips from Goa that would be fine on a rented bike and where the traffic is not *too* crazy.

Buying a vehicle has its own complications as well, but won't get into that for now.

rogóshin

alright, I think you got me convinced. I am probably a bit naive about it.

@GoanCanuck & john.sw
Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense somehow!

@-m2-
Your suggestion is probably the way to go. At least this way I don't have to burry my scooter/motorcycle dreams all together. thanks.

edwardseco

A scooter is way underpowered for what you have in mind and I tried not knowing better..

Sunray

Thing to do is to learn to ride a proper bike, pass your test, get some road experience and go buy an Enfield when you get here. This is the classic India touring bike. Look quite cool as well.

Roads in India, esp the south, are insane and you need to out speed a bus or its gonna be hell as they are gonna keep tearing past you.

kokopelli

Yes!!!

You can hire a scooter in each town you visit (all over india). Better then riding the damn thing around the country -- You'll get tired of it. After stepping out of a bus or train and then step on a scooter in a new place,, it makes you feel free everytime you escape and ride off ;-)

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