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Piaggio MP3 Hybrid in US by 2010 for $9k

Mar 8th, 2009 | By Premnath Sah | Category: Cars & Bikes, Piaggio, scooter

[caption id="attachment_2477" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Piaggio MP3"]Piaggio MP3[/caption]

Piaggio MP3 will be available in plugin Hybrid form for people in US. It is said to give a mileage of 141mpg (60kmpl) . It is said that 125cc MP3 can do a 0-60 in 5 seconds. It has three mode of operation namely maximize performance, maximize fuel economy or recharge the batteries quickly.

When it operates in full electric mode the range is said to be 12.5 miles (20km).

Pricing is said to be betweek 9k to 10k.

Posted in Cars & Bikes, Piaggio, scooter | No Comments »


Piaggio MP3 three wheeled Scooters

Mar 8th, 2009 | By Premnath Sah | Category: Piaggio, scooter

Piaggio MP3 is a innovative way of having three wheels for a scooter. It has two front wheels and they can tilt when the user leans on a corner providing exceptional traction.

[caption id="attachment_2478" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Piaggio MP3"]Piaggio MP3[/caption]

Specification:

Model Piaggio MP3 250 Piaggio MP3 400 Piaggio MP3 125
Engine Type Single-cylinder QUASAR, 4-stroke, 4-valve, electronic injection, catalysed MASTER 4 valve, 4 stroke single
cylinder with electronic injection		 Single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 4-valve Piaggio LEADER with SAS and catalytic exhaust
Fuel Petrol Petrol Petrol
Displacement (cc) 244.3 400 124
Max Power (bhp @ rpm) 22.5 @ 8250 34 @ 7550 15 @ 9250
Max Torque (Nm @ rpm) 21 @ 6750 37 @ 5000 12 @ 8500
Gearbox Twist and go automatic CVT, torque server Twist-and-go automatic CVT, torque server Twist and go automatic CVT, torque server
Front Suspension Parallelogram composed of four aluminium arms supporting two steering tubes, cantilevered suspension - Travel: 85mm Parallelogram composed of four aluminum arms Parallelogram composed of four aluminium arms supporting two steering tubes, cantilevered suspension - travel: 85mm
Rear Suspension Two dual effect hydraulic shock absorbers and adjustable spring preload - Travel: 110mm Two Dual effect hydraulic shock absorbers, adjustable coil spring Two dual effect hydraulic shock absorbers and adjustable spring preload - Travel: 110mm
Front Tyre Tubeless 120 / 17 - 12″ 51P 120 / 70 - 12″ Tubeless 120 / 70 - 12″ 51P
Rear Tyre Tubeless 130 / 70 - 13″ 62P 140 / 70 - 12″ Tubeless 130 / 70 - 12″ 62P
Front Brake Two stainless steel discs, 240mm and floating calliper with two pistons, 30mm Two stainless steel discs 240 mm, floating caliper, twin pistons Two stainless steel disks, 240mm and floating calliper with two piston 30mm
Rear Brake Stainless steel disc, 240mm and calliper with opposite pistons, 30mm Stainless steel disc 240 mm and caliper with opposite pistons Stainless steel disk, 240mm and calliper with opposite pistons, 30mm
Fuel Tank Capacity (lt) 12 12 12
Wheel Base (mm) 1490 1550 1490
Width (mm) 745 745 745
Length (mm) 2130 2180 2130
Height (mm) 780 785 780
Ground Clearance (mm) NA NA NA
Kerb Weight (kg) 213 238 208
Fuel supply system Electronic fuel injection Electronic Fuel Injection Carberuettor
Top Speed (kmph) 125 142 103
Bore x Stroke (mm) 72 x 60 85.8 x 69 57 x 48.6
Cooling System Liquid Cooled Liquid Cooled Liquid Cooled

Check out the Video:

Posted in Piaggio, scooter | 2 comments


Hero Honda Pleasure vs Honda Activa vs Honda Aviator vs Suzuki Access vs Kinetic Flyte vs Bajaj Kristal vs TVS Scooty Pep+ vs TVS Scooty Streak

Jan 25th, 2009 | By Premnath Sah | Category: Cars & Bikes, Kinetic, Reviews & Comparisons, Suzuki, TVS, bajaj, hero honda, honda, scooter

Scooter market is automotive market in India with 57 lakh units sold this quarter. This segment mainly concentrates on ladies and urban market where people like stress-free riding. Scooters in India are not powerhouses as is in European Markets, where engine capacity exceeds 1000cc. Few of the early scooters like Kinetic Honda which slowly eroded Bajaj’s market share had self start as killer feature. These days even 100cc bikes have self starters and its no more marketable features. Manufacturers these days are looking to sell their products with features like front fueling, cellphone charger, underseat storage, etc.

kinetic-flyte bajaj-kristal

Lets compare scooters from all major manufacturers from once king of scooter market Bajaj to Japanese Suzukis and Hondas.

Specification:

Model Hero Honda Pleasure Honda Activa Honda Aviator Suzuki Access Kinetic Flyte Bajaj Kristal TVS Scooty Pep+ TVS Scooty Streak
Engine Capacity (cc) 102 102 102 124 124.6 95 87.8 90
Max Power (bhp @ rpm) 7 @ 7000 7 @ 7000 7 @ 7000 8.58 @ 7000 8 7.2 @ 7500 5 @ 6500 5 @ 6500
Max Torque (Nm @ rpm) 7.85 @ 5000 7.85 @ 5500 7.85 @ 5500 9.80 @ 5000 9.00 7.66 @ 5500 5.80 @ 4000 5.80 @ 4000
Max Torque (Nm @ rpm) 7.85 @ 5000 7.85 @ 5500 7.85 @ 5500 9.80 @ 5000 9.00 7.66 @ 5500 5.80 @ 4000 5.80 @ 4000
Ignition Self Self & Kick Self & Kick Self & Kick Self & Kick Self & Kick Self & Kick Self & Kick
Front Suspension Bottom link spring loaded hydraulic damper Bottom link spring loaded hydraulic damper Telescopic Telescopic Telescopic with oil damping Leading link co axial NA NA
Rear Suspension Swing arm with spring loaded hydraulic damper Unit spring with spring loaded hydraulic damper Unit spring with spring loaded hydraulic damper Swing-Arm Unit Swing-Arm Trailing Arm single shock absorber with SNS NA NA
Length (mm) 1750 1765 1802 1780 1790 NA NA NA
Width (mm) 705 715 707 650 670 NA NA NA
Height (mm) 1100 1130 1162 1125 1100 NA NA NA
Wheelbase (mm) 1240 1235 1256 1250 1260 NA 1230 1230
Ground Clearance (mm) 125 145 145 160 135 NA 135 135
Kerb Weight (kg) 104 NA 102.3 109 105 NA 95 95
Front Tyre 3.5×10, 4PR/51J 3.5×10, 4PR 90/90-12 54J 90/100-10 3.5×10, 4PR 3.0×10, 4PR 3.0×10, 4PR 3.0×10, 4PR
Rear Tyre 3.5×10, 4PR/51J 3.5×10, 4PR 3.5×10, 4PR 90/100-10 3.5×10, 4PR 3.0×10, 4PR 3.0×10, 4PR 3.0×10, 4PR
Front Brake (Dia mm) Internal Expanding Shoe (130) Drum (130) Drum (130) or Disc (190) Drum (130) Drum (130) Mech. Expanding Shoe (110) Drum (110) Drum (110)
Rear Brake (Dia mm) Internal Expanding Shoe (130) Drum (130) Drum (130) Drum (130) Drum (130) Mech. Expanding Shoe (110) Drum (110) Drum (110)
Fuel Tank Capacity (lt) 5 6 6 6.4 5 NA 5 5
Headlamp 35W 35W 35W 35W 35W 35W 35W 35W
Battery 12V - 5Ah 12V - 5Ah 12V - 5Ah 12V - 5Ah 12V - 9Ah 12V - 5Ah 12V - 5Ah 12V - 5Ah

Its clear from specifications TVS Scooty is the lightest and least powerful and Suzuki Access is the most powerful, all others fall in between this spectrum.

honda-aviatorhonda-activa-blue

Now lets look into features which are ground breaking and deal breaking.

Features

Model Hero Honda Pleasure Honda Activa Honda Aviator Suzuki Access Kinetic Flyte Bajaj Kristal TVS Scooty Pep+ TVS Scooty Streak
Multireflector Headlamp Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA NA
Puncture Resistant (Tuff up) tube Yes Yes Yes No No No No No
Storage Capacity 15 lt 15 lt 20 lt 20 lt 22 lt 22 lt 12 lt 12 lt
Front Fueling system No No No No Yes Yes No No (but seat need not be opened)
Central Control/Lock No No No No Yes Yes No No
Mobile Charging No No No No Yes No No Yes
Disc Brake option No No Yes No No No No No
Front Telescopic suspension No No Yes Yes Yes No No No

tvs-scooty-streak scooty-pep

The above comparison chart clearly shows Honda, Hero Honda and Suzuki as manufacturer who concentrates on core product and no extra features. whereas, TVS, Bajaj and Kinetic wants to add features which differentiate itself from other products in the market with features like central lock/control system, anti theft system, mobile charging etc.

hero-honda-pleasure suzuki-access-125

Posted in Cars & Bikes, Kinetic, Reviews & Comparisons, Suzuki, TVS, bajaj, hero honda, honda, scooter | 354 comments