Q.Bikes Nepal Get That We Don't

[USER="170"]Niki Lauda[/USER] Wow, this is the dream I have had for years- a two-wheeler with old-school styling and modern mechanicals! Look at this scooter! Petal discs, meaty tyres, digital instrumentation, LED lights, damn this one has everything! And the retro paint scheme is absolutely lovely! I find the chrome a bit too ostentatious for my taste, though. I did a little digging and found Honda sells their true-blue offroader- the epic CRF250L! This bike had all the right equipment and technology to take the untrodden path, literally! The bike is equipped with long travel USD's, petal discs, fuel injected 250cc single cylinder liquid cooled engine- counterbalanced for refinement, six-speed transmission, digital instrumentation, off-road tyres and a claimed mileage of 32 kmpl! This could have been the ultimate bike for Indian roads! :D [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17433[/ATTACH] Of course, the price is a bit on the higher side at around INR 5.53 lac.

There once used to be a time when biking enthusiasts in the country would keep rambling about the lack of options in our country. Over the last few years though, many major bike manufacturers like KTM, Ducati and Benelli have set shop in our country thanks to collaborations with manufacturers and distributors like Bajaj and DSK Motowheels. The number of options these days, is quite frankly, mind boggling. Harley Davidson was one of the first major manufacturer to launch their cruiser in India and seeing the response they got from customers, other major brands have launched some of their best sellers here. However, what about our neighbours - Nepal for instance. How is their biking scene in comparison to ours? Well, I think they have a pretty good scene there too. Yes, they do cost quite a bomb thanks to the absurd import duties that the government charges people for importing them, but the general population seems to pay no regard to this and are buying bikes by the bucketload. This thread is dedicated to some of the unique bikes that Nepal gets and we don’t. To start off, I want to start discussing about this beautiful Lambretta clone called the Scomadi LT125. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17380[/ATTACH] What is Scomadi? Well, Scomadi is a British manufacturer of motor scooters that was set up in 2005 by industry veterans Frank Sanderson and Paul Mellici. They started out initially by selling hand-crafted replicas of classic Lambretta scooters with modern mechanicals. These scooters sold out quite quickly and prompted the two men to start a mass production line. After several years of prototyping and development, Scomadi finally revealed the Tursimo Leggera to the world at the 2014 INTERMOT. These retro scooters are made by a Chinese company called Changzhou Hanway that also makes Truismos, Cafe Racers and Scramblers for the Chinese market. The Turismo Leggera is first built in China and is shipped to England for an extensive quality assurance process where they also get an English Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). These scooters are quipped with a modern 50cc and 125cc engines sourced from Taipei-based SYM Scooters. The scooter sold in Nepal comes with a 125cc only. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17381[/ATTACH] Based on a space frame tubular chassis with ABS body cladding, the Scomadi 125 resembles a Lambretta of yore. The LT 125 has managed to nail the retro styling to the T and in Nepal, the only competition this scooter faces is from the Vespa 125. Would you pick one of this over the Vespa purely for the design? Let me know below. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17382[/ATTACH] At first glance, it is quite evident that the Scomadi is bulkier than the Vespa, just like scooters used to be from two or three generations back. Up front, there’s a classic looking rectangular headlight and LED indicators. The front apron is quite large and is shielded by a rubberised strip that runs all the way to the edge of the footboard. The front mud guard is integrated to the body just like in a Lamby and does not turn with the wheels. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17383[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17384[/ATTACH] The single-piece seat gets a nice ribbed-design although it seems like it does not have enough foam underneath it. The engine cover is a long seamless unit that is squared off at the rear. The rectangular tail lamp and indicators are LED units and blend in to the design seamlessly. A neat carrier finished in chrome at the rear completes the retro look of the scooter. The instrument panel on the TL 125 is an all-digital affair in a circular housing finished in chrome just behind the headlamp. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17385[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17386[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17387[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17388[/ATTACH] The engine might be underpowered and less economical when compared to the Vespa 125, but who cares about those figures when the TL 150 looks this gorgeous. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17389[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17390[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17391[/ATTACH] However, Scomadi could have done better by opting for a Piaggio engine (same as the Vespa) because many reviews have praised the Scomadi for the relative ease with which you can ride it. At the front, you get proper forks and braking duties are taken care of by petal-shaped discs at the front and back! The 120 section rear tyre makes sure the Scomadi grips well and turns in quickly. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17392[/ATTACH] There’s no denying that the Scomadi looks sexy. To my eyes, this scooter looks way better than the Vespa which has become too soft in its modern iteration. Though the performance and efficiency figures are nothing to write home about, I wouldn’t care much for them as I don’t think you can get anything else that oozes so much sex appeal. If Vespas were to Ferraris, the Scomadi is certainly the Lamborghini - killer looks but rides like crap! Not to worry though as Scomadi says it has plans of sourcing their engines from Piaggio from 2017 onwards. In Nepal, the scooter costs a bomb (not surprising since the country has a 40% import duty, 1.5% local development tax, 10% exist duty and a VAT @ 13% on imported scooters and bikes). Ready for the price tag? Well, it costs an astronomical Rs 2,80,000 (Rs 1,73,900 in Indian rupees)! So, a Vespa or the Scomadi? I think I’d rather have the Vespa…NOT! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n17393[/ATTACH] Images courtesy Autolife Magazine, Nepal