Bajaj Returns to the U.S. Scooter Market

PART II by Bryan Noise

Bryan Noise is the publisher of 2strokeBuzz and an avid scooterist during the month-or-so a year he can keep his Vespa running.

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Scooterists looking for a reliable "daily rider" might consider a brand-new $1800 electric-start Chetak rather than spend $2200 for a Vespa P-series that's been mistreated for 20 years. While parts are not interchangeable between new Bajaj scooters and old Vespas, scooterists will find the controls, maintenance, and basic design familiar. Even the new 4-stroke engine, while obviously entirely different from the 2-strokes of the old days, strives to maintain the simplicity of the original. "The Legend/Chetak engine is a very straight-forward design," says Kolvites. "Bajaj engineers are of the mind-set that the engine should be as reliable as an anvil. If they succeed, that is their reward." According to Kolvites, the Legend and Chetak feature overhead valves and a single, chain driven, overhead camshaft, and the 90cc and 145cc engines have internal oil pumps for pressurized oil circulation.

The Bajaj 145cc 4-stroke engine probably can't compete with the performance of a 200cc 2-stroke, but even if a 2-stroke engine could pass EPA regulations here, they're being phased out in India, where emissions standards are quickly becoming more strict. This means it's very unlikely we'll ever see a new 2-stroke Bajaj in America. But Kolvites promises to push Bajaj for higher displacement in the future. "Every time I visit the factory, I annoy anyone who will listen with, 'more power, bigger engines.' Last time I visited, they promised some exciting developments for the future," he says, promising that new developments will be announced on the web site as soon as information is available. "I think they now believe me when I tell them that Americans are hungry for power and don't mind getting 70 miles to a gallon of fuel instead of 80."

If you're looking for a super-high-performance scooter, you might want to keep looking (and saving), as Bajaj seems to take more pride in designing scooters with the highest regard to fuel efficiency, emissions control, and especially reliability. "I recently saw a 2-stroke 50cc engine advertised as having 10 HP. The 145cc Bajaj Legend engine is rated at 9 HP." Kolvites wonders, "Which engine would you want under you on a long trip?"

Those looking for an exact Vespa clone might be turned off by the Chetak and Legend's combo horncover/turn signal unit, though Kolvites claims most Vespa fans, after seeing it in person, say it "doesn't look as bad as I thought it did." Luckily, on the Chetak, the rear turn signals are unobtrusively incorporated into the cowls, as in Vespa P-series scooters. The Legend is upgraded with a headset fairing incorporating a small windscreen and a rectangular headlight that will likely send "retro snobs" running to the Chetak. Both feature a speedometer/odometer, neutral, turn signal, high beam indicator lights, and a fuel gauge.

All in all, the Chetak more closely resembles a classic Vespa, with its saddle seat/buddy seat combo and rear-mounted spare tire, and, with a MSRP of $1800, it costs less than the Legend ($2000). The Legend, with its scuptured front fender, headset fairing, bench seat, and left-cowl-mounted spare will likely appeal to the older topbox-and-fairing crowd. The Chetak has more storage space; a stamped metal glovebox inside the legshield and space in the left cowl, the Legend has a molded ABS compartment replacing the glovebox. Not surprisingly, the chrome trim found on 1960s scooters has been replaced by black plastic and rubber on both models, but at least it's not chrome-painted plastic.

Each model will be available in three colors. Legends will be painted dark metallic blue, silver-blue metallic, or "Cyber Light Green;" Chetaks will be available in white, Ferrari red, and butter yellow; and the Saffire in VW yellow, candy apple red metallic, and light blue. These colors will change twice a year.

Those hunting for years for an Ape or Lambro three-wheeler will be thrilled about Bajaj's plans to import three such vehicles, an "autorickshaw" people carrier, a delivery van, and an open pick-up truck, all street-legal. The rickshaw and van have a MSRP of $3500, and the pick-up at $3300. These would be the only vehicles of their kind sold in the United States, with many possible uses, especially when propane and compressed-natural-gas versions become available. These would be treated as motorcycles by the DOT, and all three models feature a 173.5cc 4-stroke engine with a 4-speed-plus-reverse manual transmission.

Kolvites tells us, "While Bajaj has many worthy competitors for the scooter market, there is no competition for the 3 wheelers. We showed the Autorickshaw and the Pickup truck at the Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, the response to the 3 wheelers was extremely enthusiastic." The scooters were a hit at the show, as well, and Bajaj USA is in the process of choosing from the many requests for dealerships they've had since.

Getting the scooters approved has been no small task, as dozens of parts and components must be certified and marked compliant. DOT testing is complete for the Legend and the Saffire, and both models are currently undergoing testing for California. "Testing is proceeding, just slower than I want," explains Kolvites. "California emission standards are tough and complicated. If we were to only certify in 49 states, we would have been done a long time ago… the [DOT] list is longer than you can imagine... the summary of DOT standards I'm looking at is 8 pages long."

Any new scooter coming to America is reason to celebrate, but the populist ideals of Bajaj will hopefully serve the scooter market well by getting more scooters into the hands and hearts of everyday people. "We will never become a nation of completely rich people," Al Kolvites says, "There will always be a segment of the population that demands transportation at the lowest possible cost."



(About Bajaj Auto, Ltd.…)
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