Scooters were once a major part of Indian roads once upon a time. At the moment, the market is filled with automatic scooters, but geared scooters are extinct. We bring back the memories of twenty forgotten geared and automatic scooters of India.
Bajaj Cub
Bajaj was once a major player in the market for scooters. The Cub was introduced as a limited edition model. It featured an electronic ignition system and was offered in the market for a short duration in 1984.
The Cub was powered by a 100cc 2-stroke engine that generated about 5.6 Bhp and got a 3-speed manual gearbox. The engine kill switch was located under the seat and it one of first of engine kill switch feature present in Indian two-wheelers.
Bajaj Spirit
Bajaj was also present in the automatic scooter sphere at the time. The Spirit was launched to take on the massively successful TVS Scooty in the Indian market. The automatic scooter was launched in 1999. It was powered by 60cc, 2-stroke engine that produced 3.5 Bhp – 4.3 Nm. It was mated to a CVT and was one the first automatic scooters from Bajaj.
Bajaj Bravo
The Bravo became very popular in the Indian market and was introduced in 1999. The 2-stroke scooter came at a time when the 4-stroke models started to arrive in the market. The Bravo was powered by a 145.5cc air-cooled engine and superior reed valve technology was used to squeeze out more power. It generated 8 Bhp and 13.2 Nm and came with 4-speed manual transmission.
LML Supremo
The Supremo was launched in 1995 and was a full-size scooter. The Supremo was a stylish product aimed at the youths. It was powered by a 149.5cc 2-Storke engine that generated 7.5 Bhp and 8 Nm. It had a 4-speed manual transmission.
LML Sensation
The LML Sensation was launched in 1996 was very lightweight due to the extensive plastic on the bodywork. It was powered by a 125cc 2-stroke engine that generated a maximum of 6.5 Bhp and 7 Nm. The Sensation was one of the best looking scooters present at the time.
LML Trendy
The Trendy was a small scooter that was launched to take on the highly successful Bajaj Sunny. It was powered by a 60cc, 2-stroke engine that churned out a maximum of 3.4 Bhp and 3.5 Nm. The Trendy carried a unique design with a spare wheel mounted on the side. It got a CVT and became quite famous among the youths.
Bajaj Stride
The Stride was an effort made by Bajaj to give modern looks to the scooter. It featured a rectangular headlamp with a single seat. It was powered by the same 145.5cc, 2-stroke engine that generated 7.1 Bhp and 10.8 Nm.
Bajaj Super
The Bajaj Super is an iconic scooter that was popular over a long period of time. The Super was equipped with the same 145.5cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine that generated around 7.1 Bhp and 10.8 Nm. It was introduced in 1976 and quickly gained popularity because of its performance and fuel efficiency.
TVS Spectra
The Spectra was designed as a scoterrete but was a 4-speed manual transmission scooter. The unique design caught many eyes at that point of time. It was powered by a 147.5cc 4-stroke engine that produced a healthy 8 Bhp and 8 Nm.
LML Star Xpress
The LML Star Xpress made debut in 1999 and was powered by an air-cooled 149.56cc, 2-stroke engine that produced a maximum of 9.5 Bhp and 13.2 Nm. The scooter was an international model and was also on sale in the U.S.A and the UK market under a different name.
Lambretta
Lambretta is an iconic name in the international market and is a vintage brand. Automobile Products of India (API) began assembling the Innocenti-built Lambretta branded scooters in India after the Independence. API got the license to build the Li150 Series 2 model which was sold under the name of Lambretta in India and was later renamed to Lamby in 1976. It was powered by a 148cc 2-stroke engine that could go up to 80 km/h.
Vijai Super
In 1972, the state-run enterprise Scooters India Ltd took over the Lambretta manufacturing and trademark rights. It launched the Vijai Super in India which was exported as GP150 to the international markets. The scooter was sent to different parts of India as completely knockdowns (CKD) kits and was assembled and sold as Allwyn Pushpak, Falcon, and Kesari.
Bajaj Sunny
The Bajaj Sunny was introduced in 1990 and was a scooterette mainly targeted at young people. It was powered by a 50cc 2-stroke engine making 1.2 Bhp. They roped in the God of cricket (who needs no introduction) as a brand ambassador to promote. With a tagline of ‘Ride the red hot super looker teen machine’, it was very clear which market Bajaj was aiming for.
Kinetic Honda
The Kinetic Honda was India’s first two-stroke automatic scooter. It was aimed at the youngsters and became quite popular because of its performance and ease of riding. It was powered by 98cc, 2-stroke engine and was introduced way back in 1984. The engine produced about 7.7 Bhp and 9.8 Nm.
Royal Enfield Fantabulous
Royal Enfield introduced the Fantabulous to gain a share of growing scooter market in India. Yes, Royal Enfield also made a scooter but it never became too popular in the market. It was powered by a 175cc 2-Stroke engine from Villiers and it churned out a maximum of 7.5 Bhp. It also featured a self-starter.
Bajaj Chetak
The Chetak is an iconic scooter that was launched in 1976. It was named after the legendary horse of Rana Pratap Singh and became extremely famous in the market. It was based on the Vespa Sprint and became famous in the adverts of “Hamara Bajaj“. It was originally powered by 145 cc two-stroke engine that developed 7.5 Bhp and 10.8 Nm.
Bajaj Legend
The Legend was one of the first 4-stroke scooters from Bajaj and featured a very modern design. It had a rectangular headlamp with a small visor on top and neat looking apron. The Legend was powered by a 145.5cc air-cooled engine that generated 9 Bhp – 10.8 Nm.
Bajaj Saffire
The Saffire was Bajaj’s take on futuristic design. It was launched in 2000 and was powered by 92.0 cc 4-stroke, air-cooled engine. The scooter produced about 6 Bhp and 6.6 Nm and had a CVT automatic gearbox.
Kinetic Pride
The futuristic-looking Kinetic Pride was launched in 1996 and was based on the Kinetic Style. It was aimed at the youths and was powered by 72.86, 2-stroke engine. It had a large contoured seat which added to the overall styling of the automatic scooter.
Kinetic Blaze
The Blaze was the most powerful automatic scooter present in the country. It was launched in 2006 and was powered by a 165cc engine that produced 11.5 Bhp and 12 Nm. The Blaze was quite quick and became popular among the automotive enthusiasts. The Italian design made it the best looking scooter in its time.