FLYTE of fancy. This is what it looks like.

Kinetic Motor Company have just launched their latest bike an un-geared scooter named Flyte  which is a co-branded scooter, combining the Kinetic brand and the famous SYM brand of Taiwan. SYM stands for San Yang Motor. An important point to note here is that Kinetic is the pioneer of un-geared two-wheelers in India, having been the first in the country to launch the Kinetic Honda scooter over 21 years ago. In fact, Kinetic is the pioneer of un-geared two-wheelers even before Kinetic Honda the un-geared LUNA has been around since almost 40 years !

Flyte has many other firsts to its credit. It is the first un-geared scooter to have a 125 cc engine. Indeed, the biggest ever un-geared scooter in India, the 165 cc Italiano Blaze scooter is also from Kinetic. Thus Kinetic today manufactures the widest range of un-geared two-wheelers: from smallest 2-stroke engine with smallest tires (=Kine), to biggest 4-stroke engine with biggest tire (=Blaze). Kinetic s un-geared range, which apart from Flyte, Blaze & Kine, also inkloods Nova and 4s, is indeed formidable. No other Kompani offers  FiVE  totally  different  models  of un-geared scooters having  FiVE  totally different engines.

POWER & OTHER BASiCS :
Flyte is powered by a 125 cc 4-stroke engine which produces EiGHT bhp of power and has a top speed of 82 kmpH. Bore X stroke is 52.4 X 57.8 mm. It has self start as well as kick-start. Flyte has many other firsts to its credit : It has a 9Ah battery while most others have a 5Ah battery. This will make the battery last very long.

GiZMOGiRi :
Its RV mirrors are claimed to be impact resistant because they are adjustable from the base of the stem as opposed to all other two-wheelers in India in which only the mirror is adjustable not the stem from the base It has the longest wheelbase which means better stability It has the largest under-seat lockable dicky which can hold a full face helmet. The dicky has an automatic light inside so that one can see in the dark   The fuel tank,  has a dandy, hands-free, pop-up cap which pops open by turning the ignition key anti-klokwise. You don t have to hold nor flip open the cap with your hand. Just fill petrol and klik-shut the cap. You do all this while comfortably sitting on the seat bkoz it is right in front of you under the handlebar There is no fuel cock bkoz fuel cock is automatic though there is a choke lever just next to the fuel tank cap. The front suspension is imported bike type and is most effective it has a mobile phone charging point which many other scooters do not have. It has two bag hooks, a retractable one in front and another below the seat. A small recess tray beside the key slots holds knick-knacks.

MORE GiZMOGiRi :

Hi-Tech, thief-proof, fool-proof, ignition switch

The locking system is quite dandy and outre . It has a 4-in-1 anti-theft magnetic key and a multi-function lock, in which you have to push in the key to various depths, turn it in various directions (left or right) to obtain various results. I will not even try to explain it here bkoz that will take all the fun outta it. Buy this skutre and learn it. It is great fun. One thing I must say however, this is the only key yet in India whose back-side also has a function. The Ass of this key is a flat (4 mm thick x 1 cm wide) metallic, magnetic hexagon, having a notch at one apex. Just below the keyhole of the ignition lock is a round, 2-cm dia, metallic dish with a hexagon engraved in it with a central locating pin, with a recess in which the notch of the hexagon exactly fits (see photo-1). Fit the ass of the key into this and turn it left. A metallic plate slides out and covers the keyhole. Now nobody except a genuine key can open this cover. I tried to force it open with pliers, screw driver, wire etc., but could not.  NOW NOBODY CAN STEAL YOUR SCOOTER!

SAFETY-GiRi :
The switchgear consists of horn button, blinker switch and headlight Hi-Lo beam switch at LH, and self-start button & 2-step light switch at RH. The first step lights up only dashboard and second step switches on the headlight. The instrument panel (dashboard) consists of speed0-od0, fuel gauge, Hi-Lo beam tell-a-tale light, and TWO different, distinct, placed far-apart, blinker tell-a-tale lights for LH turn & RH turn. This is a most important safety aspect where you just cannot make any mistake about the direction in which you are turning. Single tell-a-tale light for this function will definitely help save a few paise in manufacturing cost for the manufacturer (one bulb instead of two), but will definitely NOT help save rider s life. This scooter has paid more attention to rider safety than to save munny for manufacturer. Even world famous companies scrimp on a few paise by having just one tell-a-tale, and if rider dies, who cares? But not this Kinetic Flyte, which is very good for rider safety.

ROAD BHAVIOUR :

CONVENiENCE  is the name of the game. From left to right you can see FUEL TANK CAP, CHOKE LEVER, BAG-HOOK (recessed), IGNiTiON SWiTCH and MOBiLE CHARGER all in front of you, with the KNiCK-KNACK TRAY below.

The highly comfortable seat is 64 cm long (25.25 inches) and is almost a foot wide at its widest. Even the foam has a welcome feel which does not exist in any other scooter or bike in the country. Handlebar width is 25.5 inches and the excellent rear view mirrors have 30-inch field of vision. Handlebar grips have ideal firmness and very comfortable

I have driven this scooter over many hundred km for months, in town as well as many times full speed on the Pune-Bombay Highway==14 km of relatively excellent quality empty road to Wakad, where my MBA Kolej (IIMM) is located and I found the ride quality to be excellent, and braking adequate and fairly confidence inspiring, though I am willing to pay EXTRA for a disc brake IF Kinetic were to offer it, which I hope they soon will.  Even riding double seat, this scooter retains its peppiness because of the 125 cc engine, and handles bad roads with great aplomb, thanks to its excellent suspension. From the safety angle, this scooter is up there with the best, because the headlight beam quality is as good as the best in scooters, and the rear view mirrors are better than the best, and both front-and-rear brake drums being of 130 mm, braking effectiveness inspires confidence. A three year warranty further enhances confidence. The largest in class under-seat lockable dicky and TWO bag hooks makes this scooter a shoppers delight.

Pickup is excellent and you can keep up with (and even overtake) others when red light changes to green if you want, though I do not advise it bkoz the tendency to overtake and stay ahead leads to poor mileage. This is true not only for this scooter but for any & every scooter and bike in the world. Bkoz this is Law of Nature and even God kannot go against Law of Nature. Handling is quite nimble and the scooter responds to the driver s moves instantly. Road holding is on par with the best for tire configuration of 3.5o x 10 both front and rear.

AVERAGE-GiRi / MiLEAGE-GiRi :
I did several highly accurate and extensive average-giri tests (fuel consumption measurements) over my regular 19.5 km track over which I do fuel consumption measurements of ALL bikes whose test reports appear on www.indiabike.com

Following are the results I got:

HOW TO GET BEST MiLEAGE :
As I said before, to get best mileage, avoid sudden opening of throttle. Twist throttle gradually & gently. Listen carefully to the exhaust sound. When more petrol than is going to be burnt is inducted into the cylinder (due to hasty and larger than necessary opening of throttle), the exhaust sound is distinctly LOUDER than when just the optimum amount of  petrol is inducted into cylinder. You don t have to be an expert to make out the difference in the sound quality. Just start the engine with scooter on main stand and twist open the throttle in a jerk and hear the sound and make a mental note of it. After a few moments of idling now twist the throttle very gently and gradually, paying careful attention to the exhaust sound or lack of sound, and you will understand. The trick is to twist the throttle in such a way that exhaust sound is minimal. In fact, for best mileage, the exhaust sound should be hardly audible. It is because of my opening the throttle based on sound of exhaust that I got the above mileage figures.

Looks-wise, this scooter is the most attractive. And it is not only me who is saying this: even Bipasha Basu, voted the sexiest woman in India, is saying this. Available in five attractive colors at an ex-showroom price of Rs.36,999/-,this scooter has what it takes to give all others a run for their money. The Rs.41,788/- on road price of the 125 cc Flyte in Pune is almost same as most other 100 cc scooters and in some cases even less than them. Just take a test ride and see for yourself.