125cc – Mileage Reviews

Bajaj Discover 125T

Bajaj has been focusing on reaching out to more customers with their Discover brand and the new 125T is a step in this direction. The new Bajaj Discover 125T was launched just last month and is a lower spec variant of the popular Discover 125ST. The biggest difference between the 125 ST and 125 T is the mono-suspension on the older bike which has been replaced with a simpler Nitrox twin shockers at the rear. So technically, the difference with respect to things such as the mileage should not be very different on the two bikes. If you are eager to read our mileage report on the Discover 125 ST, click on the link.

Let’s first talk about the specifications of the Bajaj Discover 125 T. This is a bike with a 124.6cc engine displacement that delivers a max power of 12.5 PS @ 9000 RPM and a torque as high as 10.8 Nm at 6500 RPM. You can reach a top speed of up to 105 kmph which is not much but very decent on a bike of this category. The bike has a 10 liter fuel tank with a 3.5 liter reserve. Measuring 2035x714x1070 mm in dimensions, the Discover 125 T weighs around 124 kg (kerb) with a ground clearance of 165mm. The bike is priced at Rs. 55,500 ex-showroom Delhi which is around 1000 rupees lower than 125 ST.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

In our discussion on the Discover 125 ST, we had noted the manufacturer’s claim on FE to be betwen 65-70 kmpl under standard test conditions. According to Bajaj, the new Discover 125 T is built for great power without compromise on mileage. According to tests done in standard conditions, the manufacturer claim you should be able to see 77.1 kmpl. That’s quite a benchmark to beat if it were true. We will need to look at customer test rides and feedback to see if the fuel consumption in real world conditions match up to this.

Customer Feedback

Let us start with the review on IamaBiker. The author does not offer any independent review of the bike other than providing a gist of the basic features. So it is difficult to ascertain if he has tested it himself. As far as fuel efficiency goes, he claims 60 kmpl could be the norm on the city roads.

According to BikeDekho, mileage is an area where the bike performs best. According to their review, the Discover 125 T should be able to deliver 50 kmpl on city roads that can go as high as 60 kmpl on the highways.

We do not have reviews from too many other sources. We will revisit this page when the bike is a few months older and we have feedback from many more people. Till then, keep posting your feedback and personal reviews in the comments section below.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	77.1
IamaBiker	60	—
BikeDekho	50	60

Mahindra Duro DZ

We discussed the budget scooter from Mahindra, the Kine last week. If you are willing to open more of your wallet, there is another option available from the shop floors of Mahindra. The Duro DZ is a much powerful scooter compared to the 72cc Kine. It comes with a 124.6cc engine that delivers a max power of 11PS at 7000 RPM that on curves provides 9Nm at 5500 RPM of max torque. In terms of specifications, the Duro DZ measures 1814mm in length, 770mm in width and 1275mm in height. Other specs include a wheelbase of 1270mm, a ground clearance of 155mm and a curb weight of 114kg. The Duro DZ has a fuel tank capacity of 6.5 liters and a underseat storage of close to 20 liters. For a 125cc scooter, the Duro DZ is pretty affordable at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 44,688.

Manufacturer Claim

The Duro DZ website advertises three things on their homepage – a powerful 125cc DI engine, an advanced telescopic suspension and a “great mileage”. According to Mahindra, the Duro DZ can ride 56.25 kilometers for 1 liter of petrol under standard test conditions. Of course, on city road conditions with its share of pot holes and traffic, the mileage is expected to be much lower.

Test Ride & Customer Feedback

Comparing the Duro DZ with Honda Activa, ZigWheels writes that the Duro returns slightly lower fuel economy compared to the Activa. While their tests returned 45 kmpl on the Activa, the test on Duro DZ returned 42 kmpl. This is still a far cry from the official claim of 56.25 kmpl.

MaxAbout in their review note that the overall quality of the finish looks pretty sub-standard compared to the industry and could hence appear cheap. They also note that the palm grips are weirdly shaped giving an overall negative riding experience. With respect to the mileage, MaxAbout reports a number similar to ZigWheels – 42 kmpl.

MotorBeam compares the Duro DZ with the Suzuki Access 125 and there is some good news. According to the website, the Duro DZ has an excellent gearbox, a refined engine and a decent storage box. It also performs better in terms of FE. While Access delivers 47 kmpl in the real world, Duro DZ delivers 48 kmpl. That’s a pretty marginal win, but still the bottom line is that the scooter from Mahindra is better in this comparison.

Let us take a look at what folks at xBHP have got to say. One of the user who purchased the scooter writes in that one of the best things about the scooter is the power. The Duro DZ can deliver significant power even with a pillion rider. In addition to this, the reviewer also says that the telescopic suspension is as advertised and takes you smoothly over potholes. As on the mileage front, the review reports 48 kmpl on the city roads in the first few days after purchase.

On IndiaGarage, the reviews have been mixed. While one reviewer says his decision to buy the bike was ‘unfortunate’ for delivering just 35kmpl, others have commended the scooter for its solid performance as well as mileage of between 45-50 kmpl. Considering that the number of good reviews outnumber the sole bad review, I think I will go with 45-50 as the average number.

Finally, let us take a look at Mouthshut. There are just 8 reviews for the scooter on the reviews website and these reviewers have given an overall rating of 4/5 for fuel efficiency. Except for one user who reports 27 kmpl, every other user is extremely enthusiastic in their report. The average reported number is between 45-55 kmpl which is extremely good for a scooter of this power range.

Here is a snapshot of all the reviews we have looked into so far. Personally, I feel the Duro DZ seems to be a great scooter from both the mileage and power point of view. So if you are looking for a purchasing decision, I would suggest you go for it.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	56.25
ZigWheels	42	—
MaxAbout	42	—
MotorBeam	48	—
xBHP	48	—
IndiaGarage	45-50	—
MouthShut	45-55	—

Bajaj Discover 125 ST Vs. Honda CB Shine

Today we will compare two bikes in the 125cc engine category – the Discover 125ST from Bajaj and Honda CB Shine. The Discover 125ST is the more recent entrant to the market having made its way only in the mid of last year while Honda Shine has been around for around 3 years now. While both bikes are in the 125cc segment, Bajaj has had the luxury to extensively study the market before launching their new 125cc Discover. Consequently, they have been able to offer quite a few better specs in comparison to the peers.

The Discover 125ST arguably offers the best power in the 125cc bike segment. According to company brochures, the Discover 125ST delivers close to 13PS max power at 9000 RPM whereas the CB Shine only offers around 10.3PS @7500 RPM. The difference is not much in terms of torque though. While the Discover 125ST claims to offer a max net torque of 10.8 Nm at 7000 RPM, the corresponding value for the CB Shine is 10.54Nm at 5500RPM. The price of the lowest available variant on CB Shine is Rs. 54,782 while the price of Discover 125ST is Rs. 55,500 – both ex-Delhi. So as you can see, no one winner here. I shall tabulate all the major specs for a side-by-side comparison below.

Spec	Bajaj Discover 125ST	Honda CB Shine
Displacement	124.6cc	124.7cc
Max Power	13PS @9000	10.3PS @7500
Max Torque	10.8Nm @ 7000	10.54Nm @ 5500
Kerb Weight	124.5kg	120kg
Fuel Tank Capacity	10L	10.5L
Ground clearance	170mm	157mm
Price (ex-Delhi)	Rs. 55500	Rs. 54782

Mileage Comparison
Let us first start with the manufacturer claims. According to Honda Motorcycles, the CB Shine can deliver about 65 kmpl under standard test road conditions. In comparison, the Discover 125ST delivers around 67.5 kmpl under similar conditions. Do note that the fuel economy that you derive on real world conditions may be vastly different.

To check how the two bikes fare on city roads, let us look at what third party blog and customer reviews have got to say. On MouthShut, both bikes have received a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption. The reviews have been extremely positive for Discover 125ST with the lowest reported mileage around 48kmpl and the highest over 60kmpl. The average is around 55kmpl. In comparison, the lowest reported figure for CB Shine is around 42kmpl while the average reported figure lies between 50-55kmpl. So the Discover wins by a slight margin on this one.

We do not have many other common sources that have reviewed both the bikes. Let us first take a look at websites that have reviewed the Discover 125ST. MotorBeam in their test reports around 55kmpl on city roads that goes up to 60kmpl on highways. ZigWheels reports a much better experience having seen around 62kmpl just on the city roads. The highway mileage is reported to be 77kmpl which seems quite unbelievable and I would term this is an exception and not a rule. BikeDekho in their review report a much lower figure. On city roads, the reviewer was able to see only around 50 kmpl although on highways this was much better at 65kmpl.

With Honda CB Shine, the story is not very different. The official review on BikeAdvice notes that the fuel consumption could improve after servicing although in their test, the reported figure was around 50 kmpl on city roads. The figures are slightly better on the Yahoo user reviews where the number lies between 55-60 kmpl on an average. The FE on highways though was noted to be higher at 62kmpl.

There were a couple of more sources that reviewed the CB Shine from a fuel economy perspective. IndiaGarage users claim to be seeing between 50-55 kmpl on city roads and 58-62kmpl on highways whereas the reviewer on MaxAbout reports 58kmpl on city roads and a massive 73kmpl on highways – again, this appears to be an outlier and do not expect your bike to reach this level of efficiency.

Here is a snapshot of what various reviewers of these two bikes have said. From the outset, the fuel consumption do not appear to be too different on both the bikes. Considering that the prices are not vastly different either, I would pick the Discover 125ST over CB Shine considering a better power on this bike for the same economy. What will be your pick?

Source	Bajaj Discover 125ST	Honda CB Shine
Official	65-70	65
BikeAdvice	–	50
BikeDekho	50	—
IndiaGarage	–	50-55
MaxAbout	–	58
MotorBeam	55	—
MouthShut	55	50-55
Yahoo	–	55-60
ZigWheels	62	—

Honda Dream Yuga vs. Honda CB Shine

I don’t recall a comparison between two bikes of varying engine displacement levels previously. However, this article follows the comparison requested by MileageInfo reader Nik in his comment here. Dream Yuga is the least expensive Honda that is currently in the market and is a 109cc bike whereas the CB Shine belongs to the 125cc segment that is priced around 8,000 rupees higher than Dream Yuga.

So first off, let’s take a look at the tech specs of both these bikes.

Specification	Honda Dream Yuga	Honda CB Shine
Displacement	109cc	124.7cc
Net Power	8.6 PS @7500	10.3 PS @7500
Max Torque	8.91 Nm @5500	10.54 Nm @5500
Kerb Weight	108kg	120kg
Wheelbase	1285mm	157mm
Ground Clearance	161mm	157mm
Fuel Tank	8 liters	10.5 liters
Price (ex-Delhi)	Rs. 46150	Rs. 54782

So from a specifications standpoint, it is clear that you get additional value for the extra money you shell out on CB Shine. From a mileage perspective, the first view I get is that the Dream Yuga should be a better bet because the higher power as well as the higher kerb weight on the CB Shine makes it less fuel efficient compared to the Dream Yuga. That is of course assuming both these bikes have similar engines which they are not.

Mileage Comparison

The official figures are strongly stacked in favour of the Yuga. According to Honda, this 109cc bike can deliver close to 72kmpl under standard testing condition. You can say these conditions to what you have on the highways. Under city conditions this is bound to be lower. However, even under these conditions, the CB Shine has a lower stated mileage of only around 65 kmpl.

Let us take a look at what other third party reviews have got to say. While we have not had any common source that has reviewed both these bikes alike (except from the user review site, MouthShut, of course), we have around 4 sources for the Dream Yuga and five other for the CB Shine.

MotorBeam in their review report that they were able to extract 58-60 kmpl on city roads with the Dream Yuga. On highway roads, this went up to 65kmpl on their test ride. BikeDekho did not have a similar experience. Their test only delivered around 55kmpl on city roads although on highways, the experience was better than what MotorBeam experienced at 70kmpl. OverDrive relatively had the worst experience of all. They report a 47kmpl fuel economy on city roads with the Dream Yuga.

In comparison, CB Shine has a relatively more consistent report. On IndiaGarage, users together report fuel consumption of between 50-55kmpl on city roads and between 58-62kmpl on highway roads. BikeAdvice says that although the average expected economy is around 50kmpl, you can still make it better through regular servicing and air checks. While the report on Yahoo Autos calls for users to expect between 55-60kmpl, the MaxAbout report averages out their test ride mileage at around 58kmpl which is almost similar to what Yahoo has noted.

On MouthShut, there is a more diverse reporting on the Dream Yuga. The customers there have reported numbers on a pretty wide range between 50-65kmpl. On the contrary, the customers who have used a CB Shine report a more consistent number of between 50-55 kmpl on city roads.

Let’s tabulate these numbers for easy comparison.

Source	Dream Yuga (kmpl)	CB Shine (kmpl)
Official	72	65
BikeAdvice	–	50
BikeDekho	55	—
IndiaGarage	–	50-55
MaxAbout	–	58
MotorBeam	58-60	—
MouthShut	50-65	50-55
OverDrive	47	—
Yahoo	–	55-60

As I see it, there is little to choose between the two bikes when it comes to the actual mileage delivered on city roads. The Dream Yuga is a little inconsistent with a wider reported range while the CB Shine delivers a pretty consistent figure between 50-55kmpl. So my take is that if you have those additional 8000 rupees to spend, why not go with the CB Shine? At least, you can enjoy a better power and performance at a similar mileage. What’s your take on this? Do tell us in the comments.

Hero Glamour PGM FI

The Hero Glamour FI is a variant of the Glamour that we reviewed yesterday. The only significant difference between the two bikes is the fuel injection technology on the FI variant which is available at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 61,650 at Delhi.

Let’s take a look at the tech specs one time. The Glamour FI is equipped with a 124.8cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can crank up a power of 9.1PS and a torque of 10.35 Nm. The ignition is powered by a full transistorised ignition technology. The bike measures 2.005meters in length, .735 meters in width and 1.07 meters in height. Other features on the bike include a real time mileage indicator, a bank angle sensor and a new digital analog combo console.

Company Claimed Fuel Economy

The Hero Glamour FI is not very different in many aspects from the Glamour except for the ignition technology. FI is likely to add a wee bit of mileage to the bike. According to Hero Motocorp, you should be able to see 81.1 kilometers for every liter of petrol on the Glamour. While the company website does not seem to carry any numbers specifically for the Glamour FI, we expect it to be a little higher than the original variant.

Customer Reviews

MaxAbout commends the bike on the tinted visor with sleek cowl both of which have been introduced in the latest version of the Glamour FI. In their test ride, the reviewers were able to see 65-70 kmpl on city roads and around 75 kmpl on highways. This is around 5-6 kmpl better than what is offered on the original Glamour.

The BikeDekho review notes that the PGM FI is better than Super Splendor in terms of its “super cool” looks and features. However when it comes to mileage, I am not so sure. The reviewer reports a 60 kmpl economy which is lower than what one may have expected from this variant.

In their note on the Glamour FI, BikeAdvice calls the stylish graphics that are one of the bigger selling points as a bit over the top. Another area where the reviewer is not very enthusiastic is in the power output of the engine despite the superior technology in place. However, all that should not matter if fuel consumption is your biggest concern. The review reports an overall mileage of 75 kmpl which is pretty extraordinary for a 125cc motorcycle.

On IndiaGarage, a Glamour FI owner reports a fuel efficiency of around 60-65 kmpl on city roads and 75-78 kmpl on highways when riding in the 50-55 kmph range. The reviewer however notes that this bike may not please those who are looking for power and the grunt of the engine. Instead, if you are looking for a refined and smooth engine, this could be a thing.

There are 13 reviews of the PGM FI on the user reviews site, MouthShut. As expected, the reviewers have given the bike a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption. There are mixed reviews however in terms of fuel. While a bunch of customers are effusive in their praise saying they have been able to see between 70-80 kmpl on their bikes, a few others have reported disappointing results of between 40-55 kmpl. I do not have a dog in this fight and so I think the best thing to do is put both these reports here and leave it for you to pick.

Here is a summary of reviews from various sources we have covered above. Would I recommend this bike? Absolutely.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	81.1
MaxAbout	65-70	75
BikeDekho	60	—
BikeAdvice	75	—
Indiagarage	60-65	75-78
MouthShut	40-55 / 70-80	—

Hero Glamour

We wrote about the 125cc Hero Super Splendor just a couple of days back. Today, we will review one another 125cc bike from Hero – the Hero Glamour. The bike is equipped with a 124.7cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can deliver a max power of 9 BHP and torque of 10.35 Nm at 4000 RPM. At this power, the Glamour looks more or less similar to the Super Splendor and although this is lower than the likes of Phoenix 125 that cranks up 10.8 BHP, it is still in the mid-range since it is higher than what the likes of Slingshot Plus have to offer.

Speaking of the other specs, the bike measures 2.005 meters in length, 1.07 meters in height and 0.735 meters in width and comes with an average 150mm ground clearance. The kerb weight of the bike is around 125kg for the kick start variety. Overall, the Glamour comes at a price of Rs. 52,525 ex-showroom Delhi.

Official Word On Fuel Economy

When the erstwhile Hero Honda launched the Glamour way back in 2005, one of the primary selling points of the bike was the fuel economy at the higher power range. So it goes without saying that Hero has gone the entire mile in ensuring the mileage of the bike is not compromised at the expense of higher power or features. Hero Motocorp has claimed that the Glamour 125 can offer a mileage of 81.1 kmpl under standard test conditions. However, this is not the best fuel economy even among the 125cc bikes from Hero. The Super Splendor if you remember had an official claim of 83.1 kmpl.

Customer Reviews

Let us start with the review from MaxAbout. The reviewer is not so happy with the engine that he says is not as powerful as the rivals in the market. But the mileage is a huge plus. MaxAbout was able to notice 60-65 kmpl on city roads while on highways, this went up to 70 kmpl.

Next up, BikeAdvice. The main review is not so generous on the mileage front rating the bike as offering only around 50-60 kmpl after the third month of servicing. However, the comments there are from totally happy customers who consistently report mileages of between 60-70 kmpl.

The reports are pretty similar with Infibeam as well. While the reviewer commends the bike for its stylish graphics, things are not so great in the fuel consumption section. The website reports an economy of 55.2 kmpl on city roads that goes up to 58.3 kmpl on highways.

There are over 115 reviews for the Hero Glamour on the popular user review website. MouthShut. These users have together rated the bike 4/5 in terms of fuel efficiency. Talking about the mileage of the bike, one customer who has completed 10,000 kilometers says he gets 72 kmpl on highways and not below 65 kmpl on city roads. Another customer who has just had his first bike servicing reports 73.2 kmpl. Not every review is a happy one though. One user reports his bike’s mileage to have dropped to around 40. Overall, the average customer reports a mileage of between 60-70 kmpl.

So there you have it. The mileage reported for the Hero Glamour are consistently good and in my personal opinion, it is a definite buy – not just for the fuel economy it offers, but also because of the stylish looks that it comes with for the 125cc range.

Here is a snapshot of reviews as provided by the various sources.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	81.1
MaxAbout	60-65	70
BikeAdvice	50-60	—
Infibeam	55.2	58.3
MouthShut	60-70	—

Hero Super Splendor

This has been a rather splendid week as far as bike reviews go – we have already reviewed three Splendor bikes. Today we will review the fourth of the Splendor variants – the Hero Super Splendor. This model was launched close to three years back and is the only Splendor bike in the 125cc range. The bike is equipped with a 124.7cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can crank up a power as high as 9 BHP and torque as high as 10.35 Nm at 4000 rpm.

The Super Splendor measures 1.995m long, 0.735m wide and 1.095m tall. The wheelbase measures 1.265m with a ground clearance slightly lower than the rest of the Splendor bikes at 150mm. In terms of fuel capacity, the Super Splendor can hold 13 liters and is heavier than the rest of the Splendor bikes at 121 kg. kerb.

What this all means is that the Super Splendor with a higher power and heavier kerb weight could technically deliver a mileage lower than the rest of the Splendor variants as compromise. But we will have to look at the reviews to actually confirm if this is true. The Super Splendor is available at a price of Rs. 50,650 ex-showroom Delhi.

Official Claim on Fuel

According to Hero Motocorp, the Super Splendor will give you 83.1 kilometers for one liter of petrol. To give you a perspective on this number, here is the officially claimed mileage figure on all the four Splendor bikes that we have discussed now:

Bike	Official (kmpl)
Splendor Pro	90.1
Splendor NXG	87.7
Splendor Plus	80.6
Super Splendor	83.1

This is actually contrary to what we had predicted earlier. The 125cc Super Splendor actuavlly has a higher official number on its fuel than the likes of Splendor Plus. Also, at 83.1, I believe the Super Splendor has one of the best economies in the 125cc segment.

Customer Reviews

Let’s start with MaxAbout as usual. In their review, the website calls the Super Splendor “the most mature bike” among the various Splendor variants. The bike has been tested to reach 60 kmph in around 8 seconds and according to MaxAbout can deliver 65 kmpl on city roads with highways offering 75 kmpl.

BikeDekho doesn’t seem to have had an in-house review of the bike. However, according to a user who claims to own a Super Splendor, the bike offers “excellent mileage” of around 66 kmpl. This is on par with what has been claimed on MaxAbout as well.

To better understand what real world customers have to say about the bike, let’s check out the reviews on MouthShut. There are over 75 reviews of the Super Splendor on the website and the reviewers there have rated the bike 4/5 with regards to fuel consumption. However when it comes down to the numbers, it gets pretty confusing. I honestly could not find a pattern in the numbers reported by various customers. The reported mileage has varied between those reporting around 48-51 kmpl to those reporting 65-70 kmpl. There are others that claim around 50-55 kmpl as well.

On Olx, the story is something very similar. The reported economy is anywhere between 48-65kmpl. However, unlike MouthShut, there is more consistency in the numbers where the average falls around the 55kmpl mark.

So there you have it. Most official reviews point to a pretty decent mileage of around 60-65kmpl. However reviews from real customers put it slightly lower. Here is a summary of what we have seen reported by various sources.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	83.1
MaxAbout	65	75
BikeDekho	66	—
MouthShut	48-70	—
Olx	55	—

TVS Phoenix 125

The Phoenix 125 is the latest launch from TVS Motors. Dubbed the ‘premium 125cc motorbike’, the Phoenix comes with features that offer ‘executive class’ riding without compromising on the fuel economy – apparently. So what are these premium features? One of the most important innovations is the ‘EcoThrust technology’ that offers dynamic tuning of the carburetor that can deliver superior pickup and power while extracting great mileage all at the same time. The 125cc 4 stroke engine of the Phoenix 125 can pump out 11 PS (10.8 BHP) of power at 8000 rpm. In comparison, the Suzuki Slingshot Plus churns out 8.5 BHP while the Yamaha SS125 and Hero Ignitor; all bikes in the 125cc segment, extract 10.65 BHP and 11 BHP respectively. So as you see, the power delivered is not exactly the most premium of all.

The basic drum brake version of TVS Phoenix 125 is priced at Rs 49,990 ex-showroom in Chennai.

Mileage Claimed

A bike in the 125cc segment can typically deliver a mileage in the 60-70 kmpl range. And TVS Phoenix is no different. According to the company, the Phonix can deliver 67 kilometers for every liter of petrol under standard testing conditions. This is of course testing on the best of highways in the most optimal speed with the most favourable wind conditions. Don’t expect anything similar on your daily commute to the office.

Customer Reviews

MaxAbout has done a beautiful review of the Phoenix and according to them, the realistic expectation on city roads is around 45 kmpl while the fuel economy on highways can reach the claimed 67 kmpl. The overall mileage is expected to be 55 kmpl.

TVS Phoenix is so new to the market and so a lot of people are yet to check the bike and report on its mileage. Even MouthShut has just one review with no mention of the fuel consumption.

So at this point, we only have the official numbers to go by – and a realistic expectation of around 45 kmpl on city roads. We will revisit this bike in a month to update on the mileage numbers from more sources. In the meantime, if you own a Phoenix 125 or have take it for a test ride, do let us know in the comments about your observations on mileage.

Piaggio Vespa LX 125

If you are as old as me, then you would still feel nostalgic about those Bajaj and LML Vespa scooters of the 80s that in a way defined that era. Piaggio, the parent company that owns the Vespa brand is back in India focusing on the scooter segment – this time, of the premium kind. The Piaggio Vespa LX 125 was launched in April 2012 and is equipped with a powerful 125cc single cylinder 4-stroke engine that delivers close to 10.06 PS power and 10.6 Nm torque. If you look at it, this is even more powerful than the Suzuki Swish and Suzuki Access scooters we discussed yesterday that too are in the 125 cc segment. You can buy a Vespa LX 125 at a price of Rs. 68,257 ex-showroom Delhi.

Official Claim on Fuel Economy

Piaggio is positioning the Vespa LX 125 as a premium scooter at a premium price. Given this, it is a given that the focus is more on the looks and features rather than on the mileage. But according to the company officials, the scooter can deliver as much as 60 kilometers on the liter. That’s better than Access 125 and comparable with Swish.

Customer Reviews on Mileage

Vicky.in has not reported a test drive of the scooter, but according to one early customer who purchased the Vespa, you can expect 43 kmpl on the city roads and 47 kmpl on highways. BharathAutos claims something similar. They note the average expected mileage on city roads to be something around 40-42 kmpl. No numbers for the highways has been given.

Prodease in their review call the Vespa LX a ‘good looking’ scooter with ‘old world retro design’. While that definitely suits the premium market they are targeting, the mileage they quote is not impressive. The economy is around 41 kmpl on cities and 42 kmpl on highways. While Motorbeam reports a mileage that is only slightly higher – at 45 kmpl – they are still mighty impressed with the scooter primarily because this mileage is pretty good for the performance that this bike delivers.

MaxAbout too gives a resounding thumbs up to the bike. According to their review, the Vespa LX 125 can deliver 45 kmpl on city roads that can go as high a the company claimed 60 kmpl on highway conditions.

But if you have to get a heads up on what the real world customers are feeling, you should check out MouthShut.com. There are 10 reviews on the site and the overall mileage rating for the Vespa LX 125 is 3/5. Quite evidently people are not extremely happy with the efficiency of the scooter. Looking into the reviews, the common refrain is that this bike is all looks and no substance. Or as one user puts it, it’s an overpriced for an under-spec’d scooter. While we will leave that debate to the experts, all that can be noted from these reviews is that the real world city mileage of the Vespa seems to hover only around 28-35 kmpl. That’s just about half of what the company claims.

So that is where things stand. Of course, a lot of customers who have rode the scooter seem happy with mileage; especially seeing it from the light of the performance and looks on offer. However, people for whom commuting is the primary need, the scooter might disappoint. The reviews pointing to the 28-35 kmpl mileage under city conditions should not be ignored. So our recommendation is to go for the bike if and only if mileage is not your primary concern. Here is a snapshot of what various people have told us about the scooter’s fuel consumption:

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways Mileage (kmpl)
Official	— 60
Vicky.in	43	47
BharathAutos	40-42	—
Prodease	41	42
MotorBeam	–	45
MaxAbout	45	60
MouthShut	28-35	—

Suzuki Access 125

We just discussed the Suzuki Swish 125 earlier in the day. This scooter was basically built off the engine of the Suzuki Access 125. Like the Swish, Access too is a 125cc scooter just with a design that was conceptualized earlier than the Swish.

Suzuki Access carries a 124cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that delivers a power of 8.5 BHP and 9.8 Nm torque. If you look at this, this is all basically the same as Suzuki Swish. There is one major difference though. The Suzuki Access kerb weighs 115 kgs whereas Swish weighs only 110 kg. This has a huge impact on the mileage since the Access is basically pulling more weight for the power than Swish which means it could be offering a lower mileage than Swish.

Official Mileage Claim

Since the Swish and Access are different only in the exteriors, the mileage is inversely proportional to the weight of these scooters . As we had noted earlier, the Swish offers a mileage of 60 kmpl. Considering that the Access is 5kgs heavier than the Swish, the economy provided is expected to be much lower, and it evidently is. According to documents from the company, the Suzuki Access can offer 50.22 kmpl under standard test conditions. Do note that the real world mileages can go much lower than this.

Customer Reviews on Fuel Consumption

Let’s start with the review from BikeAdvice. The website rates the average mileage on the Access to be around 37.5 kmpl. On city roads, this apparently works out to be around 33 kmpl while on highways it’s 43 kmpl. BharathAutos has a better review. According to their report, you can draw as much as 44.7 kmpl on the Access. It’s not been mentioned if this is on city roads or highways although I presume this is on the highways.

IndianDrives calls the Suzuki Access the “most powerful” sco0ter in its category. At the same time, the website calls the design “ugly styled” and “nothing to impress”. The mileage doesn’t seem to impress either. In their test drive, the website was able to see 35 kmpl on city roads. That’s pretty low for a scooter.

A number of Access customers have reviewed their bike on BikeDekho.com. While some people have complained about after-sales service, a lot other customers have been happy with the performance of the bike. One complaint I could see from more than one customer was on the fuel economy. The reported mileage from these customers was anywhere between 28-32 kmpl on city roads and 35 kmpl on highways. If this is true, then this is ridiculously low and you should be staying away from the bike.

To decide, we need to look on to MouthShut. There are 172 reviews for the Access on this user review website and the customers have in all rated the scooter a 3/5 on mileage. This is definitely on the low side considering we have more powerful bikes in the 150cc/180cc range that get a 4/5 rating. Reading through the reviews, one can see why. There are several reviews reporting a mileage of around 20-25 kmpl. However, I should point out that there are also customers who have reported mileages around 40 kmpl on city roads. So I guess it’s a kind of a mixed bag.

As expected, the mileage reported on Olx is on the higher side. The average customer putting up his/her scooter on sale here has reported a fuel economy of around 30-45 kmpl.

A consolidated report of mileages reported by various sources is posted below. One thing is clear. This scooter definitely has mileage issues, even though it is not apparent due to infrequent reporting. I would personally recommend the Swish over Access considering it is more stylish and can deliver a better economy. In any case, should you still be interested in the Access, you can get one at a price of Rs. 51,205 on-road Delhi – just a thousand bucks or so cheaper than Swish.

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways Mileage (kmpl)
Official	–	50.22
BikeAdvice	33	43
BharathAutos	–	. 44.7
IndianDrives	35	—
BikeDekho	28-32	35
MouthShut	20-40	—
Olx	30-45	—