Maxi-scooters are yet to gain popularity in India, but manufacturers are trying to give Indians a new genre of scooters
Hero MotoCorp is riding on the success of its recent launches, the Xtreme 125R, the Mavrick 440, and the return of the iconic Karizma XMR. With several new motorcycles ranging from 125cc to 400cc, the company’s next focus is on bringing new types of scooters into the Indian market to disrupt the segment. And to do so, Hero is eyeing the launch of the Xoom 160, an ADV-esque maxi-scooter.
When it comes to the maxi-scooter, the Indian market does not have much to offer because the maxi-scooter has yet to work well in the country. After all, the country is not ready to tour on scooters, which are much more expensive than commuting scooters – Hero aims to change this mindset with the Xoom 160.
Hero MotoCorp unveils the Xoom 125R and Xoom 160 at EICMA 2023
— evo Thrill Of Riding (@FastBikesIndia) November 7, 2023
The Xoom 125R and 160 will expand the Xoom scooter line-up and will be launched soon. pic.twitter.com/yFhzyl11Wq
Given the scooter is a few months away from launch, in the following paragraphs, let us look at some of the existing maxi-scooters available in India.
*Note that maxi-scooters mostly feature larger engines (above 300cc), but given India is a price-sensitive market, most maxi-scooters are equipped with smaller engines.
Powered by a 124cc, air-cooled engine, the Suzuki Burgman produces a peak power of 8.7PS at 6,750rpm and a maximum torque of 10Nm at 5,500rpm. The scooter is priced between INR 90,000 and 1.15 lakh, ex-showroom, but it never worked well in India for two reasons. First, those who loved the scooter’s large aura and comfortable seats did not like the engine, as it was not enough to do long tours. Second, people who use scooters for commuting found the Burgman too large and settled for the Suzuki Access or scooters from other brands.
One of the premium maxi-scooters one can purchase in the 150-160cc segment, the SXR 160 is priced at INR 1.60 lakh, ex-showroom, a big reason why the scooter did not perform well in India given its price-sensitive nature. Powered by a 160cc, single-cylinder, three-valve, air-cooled engine, the SXR 160 made a peak power of 10.84hp at 7,600rpm and 11.6Nm of peak torque at 6,000rpm. Another reason why the scooter failed in India is because of people’s lack of awareness about the Italian brand and the lesser number of service centres.
The Aerox 155 may not have been a star when it comes to sales figures, but it has still done better than the Burgman and SXR 160. After all, Yamaha has a huge fan base in India, and the Aerox 155 straightway uses the R15’s engine but with a CVT setup, generating a good 14.75bhp at 8,000rpm of maximum power and a peak torque of 13.9Nm of 6,500rpm. Given the expensive tag of nearly INR 1.70 lakh, ex-showroom, the scooter has mostly been purchased by hardcore moto-enthusiasts.
One of the most expensive scooters in the world, the 400 GT, is priced at INR 12 lakh on-road. And despite India being a price-sensitive market, there’s one segment of people with too much moolah in their pockets who have embraced the GT 400 for long tours. After all, the scooter is powered by a 350cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that makes 33hp and 35Nm of power figures. The scooter has a top speed of 139 kilometres per hour and is packed with features for long highway tours.
