Teenage is a funny age in a person’s life. Funny, I say, from a third person’s perspective. From a first-person POV, we have gone through one hell of a mixed bag.
It is generally at this age, riding high on hormonal cocktails and the newfound freedom almost all of us had a brush with learning to ride a two-wheeler.
TVS Scooty
As mentioned earlier, I reiterate. Underage driving is not to be appreciated, and one must follow the rules and safety guidelines when riding a bike.
Having established that, today’s walk down memory lane involves TVS Scooty. An iconic moped, maybe second only to Luna. But more about the Luna in one of the articles to follow.
The Scooty had hit the Indian markets as a bike for both genders. But it was an exceptional hit among the women riders of the nation. Such was the popularity that many others thought it prudent to cater for the urban women riders by raising the question, ‘why should boys have all the fun’? Tell me that it rings a bell!
The popularity of the Scooty has been such a hit that TVS still offers it, albeit in an updated design, even close to 30 years after its introduction to the masses in 1996. In a market where the women riders preferred the petite Bajaj Sunny, Scooty had become a raging sensation a couple of years after its launch.
Remember the Electric Start (ES) version. Today bikes, button-start bikes without kicks are the norm. But in the era of kicks, a ride starting at just a button press seemed exquisite.
ES
Of course, a premium had to be paid as the ES model was slightly higher priced than the kick-only version. Nonetheless, it was a hit among the kids when I took it and started commuting to classes on the ES model.
This was the nascent years of the 21st century, at the turn of the millennium. Though the Scooty had been established as a women’s ride by then, my mates found it mighty impressive that I could get my hands on a ride.
While over the years, nay decades, various versions of this moped have been launched, favouritism has remained unchanged.
Was Scooty your first ride as well? And if not, which was your first ride? Do let us know in the comments below.
