TVS Scooty Zest: 3,500km Final Longterm Report

After a memorable journey with the TVS Scooty Zest, it’s time to bid adieu to the scooter as it leaves the ZigWheels garage. I must admit that I liked the quirky styling of the Scooty Zest as opposed to the varying opinions of my colleagues. The highlight of the scooter is its performance. It has among the best power-to-weight ratio for any scooter on sale owing to its 98kg kerb weight. Acceleration is brisk and the scooter shoots off the line and it was always fun to whack open the throttle at traffic signals and fellow motorists were impressed with the scooters pick-up. Despite being a petite scooter, TVS designers have utilized space cleverly and the deep stowage space meant my full face helmet was easily accommodated.

Apart from that there is a separate storage compartment below the handlebar which was useful to accommodate my daughter’s water bottle when I dropped her off to school and other knickknacks. Seating position of the Scooty Zest is upright and comfortable while my wife really appreciated the low kerb weight. The relaxed riding posture meant even after riding over 40km my back never complained. The suspension setup is also apt and it offers good ride quality while the brakes offer decent bite. But there are few niggle with the scooter, the screws have started rusted in the first monsoon itself and also the low beam switch has stopped working owing to water seeping in. There is also a peculiar knocking sound coming from the telescopic front forks under hard braking. Fuel efficiency was also on the lower side as I received an overall mileage figure of just 40kmpl. Despite the few flaws, the TVS Scooty Zest is among the most fun to ride scooters available on sale and I had a great experience with it.  This can be gauged from the fact that I am planning to purchase the Scooty Zest for my personal use (read as my wife’s new ride). 

Date Acquired: October 2014

Total km: 3,563km 

Overall fuel efficiency: 40kmpl (As Tested)

Cheers: Performance, Lightweight

Sneers: Low fuel efficiency, Rusting screws