20 FORGOTTEN scooters of India: From Kinetic Honda to Royal Enfield Fantabulous

Scooters were really very popular until a couple of decades ago. Currently, the Indian two-wheeler market is full of gearless scooters. However, back in the day, there were many geared scooters on sale in the country. Today, in this post, we take a look at as many as 20 FORGOTTEN scooters of India –

Bajaj Cub

Bajaj was easily the most popular scooter company in India. One of their limited edition models was the Cub. This scooter had an electronic ignition system, which was quite a novelty back in 1984. Powering the Cub was a 100cc, 2-stroke, single-cylinder engine that produced 5.6 bhp. The motor came mated to a 3-speed manual gearbox. It had an engine kill switch, which made it one of the first Indian two-wheelers to have this feature.

Bajaj Spirit

Next in our list is the Bajaj Spirit, an automatic scooter that was launched to take on the hugely popular TVS Scooty. The Spirit came in 1999 and was powered by a 60cc, 2-stroke engine. The motor offered a maximum power of 3.5 Bhp along with a peak torque of 4.3 Nm. The scooter had a CVT, which made it the first gearless scooter from the company.

Bajaj Bravo

The Bravo was a 2-stroke scooter that was launched in 1999. It was powered by a 145.5cc air-cooled engine that benefitted from a superior reed valve technology. The motor offered 8 Bhp and 13.2 Nm and came mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.

LML Supremo

LML was another popular scooter manufacturer that sold a range of geared scooters. One of its offerings was the Supremo. Launched in 1995, this full-size scooter was a stylish product that was aimed at the youth. It drew its power from a 149.5cc 2-stroke engine that produced 7.5 Bhp and 8 Nm. The engine came mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.

LML Sensation

Another LML scooter that was launched in the last decade of the previous millennium was the Sensation. Launched in 1996, this scooter had a 125cc 2-stroke engine that produced a max. power of 6.5 Bhp and a peak torque of 7 Nm. The Sensation was easily among the most stylish scooters of its time.

LML Trendy

The LML Trendy was a small scooter that rivalled the Bajaj Sunny. Powering the Trendy was a 60cc, 2-stroke motor that offered 3.4 Bhp and 3.5 Nm. It came mated to a CVT. The Trendy had a unique design, which was majorly due to the oddly-placed spare wheel. The scooter was quite popular among the youngsters.

Bajaj Stride

Another geared scooter that Bajaj launched was the Stride. It had a rectangular headlamp, which made it look different from the very popular Chetak. It was powered by a 145.5cc, 2-stroke engine that produced a maximum power of 7.1 Bhp and a peak torque of 10.8 Nm.

Bajaj Super

The Bajaj Super was a popular scooter that featured the same 145.5cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine that powered the Stride. Here, too, this engine offered 7.1 Bhp and 10.8 Nm. It was launched way back in 1976 and was quick to gain a lot of popularity.

TVS Spectra

The TVS Spectra was a scooterette but came with a 4-speed manual transmission instead of a CVT. The Spectra was quite popular among the youth. It was powered by a 147.5cc 4-stroke engine that churned out a maximum power of 8 Bhp along with a peak torque of 8 Nm.

LML Star Xpress

Another LML scooter that was quite popular in certain pockets of the country was the Star Xpress. The scooter offered a 149.56cc, 2-stroke engine that came mated to a four-speed manual transmission. It produced a max. power of 9.5 bhp and a peak torque of 13.2 Nm. The scooter was even exported to the USA and the UK under a different name.

Lambretta

The Lambretta is an iconic scooter that met with great success in many markets across the globe. Automobile Products of India (API) started assembling and selling the Innocenti Lambretta in India after our country got its independence. API built the Li150 Series 2 model, which was sold as the Lambretta in our country. It was renamed to Lamby in 1976. The scooter had a 148cc, two-stroke engine that propelled the scooter to a top speed of 80 kmph.

Vijay Super

Another popular scooter of the 70s was the Vijay Super. Actually, in 1972, the state-run Scooters India Ltd took over the manufacturing and sale of Lambretta scooters in India and launched Vijay Super in India. The same scooter was exported as the GP150 to many international markets.

Bajaj Sunny

Another scooterette that used to be really popular back in the day was the Bajaj Sunny. The Sunny was powered by a tiny 50cc 2-stroke engine that made a very modest 1.2 Bhp. The Sunny was promoted with the tagline of ‘Ride the red-hot super looker teen machine’, which made it pretty clear that the Sunny was aimed at the teeny-boppers.

Kinetic Honda

The Kinetic Honda was India’s first two-stroke automatic scooter and was very popular among the scooter buying lot. It was aimed at the youngsters but was in fact bought by people of various age groups. Powering the Kinetic Honda was a 98cc, 2-stroke engine that produced a maximum power of 7.7 bhp and a peak torque of 9.8 Nm.

Royal Enfield Fantabulous

Yes, this scooter was really sold by Royal Enfield! Named as the Fantabulous, this geared scooter was an attempt by RE to grow in the scooter market of the country. Powering the scooter was a 175cc, 2-Stroke engine from Villiers that churned out a maximum power of 7.5 bhp. The Fantabulous came with an electric-starter.

Bajaj Chetak

The Bajaj Chetak is easily the most popular geared scooter of its time. Launched back in 1976, this scooter was named after the legendary horse of Rana Pratap Singh. The “Hamara Bajaj” tagline that was used to promote the Chetak is something that most of us still would still remember. Powering the Chetak was a 145cc, two-stroke engine that produced a maximum power of 7.5 bhp along with a peak torque of 10.8 Nm.

Bajaj Legend

The Legend was among the first few 4-stroke scooters from the Pune-based two-wheeler manufacturer. It looked stylish and featured a powerful 145.5cc air-cooled, four-stroke engine that produced a maximum power of 9 Bhp along with a peak torque of 10.8 Nm.

Bajaj Saffire

The Bajaj Saffire was a stylish small scooter that offered a CVT automatic transmission. It was powered by a 92.0 cc, 4-stroke, air-cooled engine. It sold in decent numbers.

Kinetic Pride

The Kinetic Pride was a futuristic-looking scooter that was launched in 1996. Based on the Kinetic Style, this scooter targeted the youth with its stylish looks and a sufficiently powerful 72.86cc, 2-stroke engine.

Kinetic Blaze

 

The Kinetic Blaze was by far the most powerful automatic scooter in the country. Launched in 2006, this scooter came with a 165cc engine that offered a maximum power of 11.5 bhp along with a peak torque of 12 Nm. The motor came mated to a CVT, The Blaze was pretty quick off the block and had a true top speed of more than 100 kmph. It was easily the most stylish scooter of its time.

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