When you turn up at a gas station, and the attendant instinctively reaches for the diesel spout, you know you're rolling up in a Mahindra. But in this case, 'on' a Mahindra is most apt.
With Mahindra buying out Kinetic Motors entirely along with the 'welcome' door mat, old news that it is, they've launched three models under their '2 Wheelers' brand name. Called the Duro, Rodeo and the Flyte, they are all powered by the same 124-odd cc four stroke engine. Now wait a minute. Doesn't the name 'Flyte' sound a tad familiar? Well it should, because just before Kinetic Motors went up on ebay, they had launched the Flyte, a scooter produced in collaboration with the Taiwanese scooter manufacturer Sym. That symbiosis now continues with Mahindra 2 Wheelers.
It's been a while since Mahindra launched their two wheelers. But these guys love their scoots so much that getting them to lend us the bikes for a day was akin to asking for the use of their HQ for a rave party. But somehow, the clouds parted, a tractor beam emerged from the heavens and left behind the Duro, Rodeo and the Flyte. Yes, miracles do happen. Sometimes.
Okay, so many people are under the assumption that scooters are for old grannies and garter-wearing guys who seemed to live most of their school lives stuffed away in their dorm lockers. But hey, think again. Mahindra is out to re-invent the nothing-between-the-legs two wheeler image, with the words 'Power Scooter' emblazoned on the side panels. And to drive that in further still, I'm sure you might have caught the ads on the telly. Yes, the one that depicts a rather terse looking bloke who can apparently escape gravity on a whim but chooses not to, for some reason or the other.
All that might seem great in the ideal world, but riding a pretty pink Flyte certainly didn't do much to Kartik's machismo. The white Duro worked for Aneesh, while the red Rodeo shouted 'metrosexual' to all those who bothered looking in my direction. Looks-wise, the Mahindras have the same lines as they used to when they were built by Kinetic. The Rodeo is essentially a Flyte with a front mudguard that pivots with the wheel, and the Duro is a clone of what Kinetic badged as the Nova. All new scooters? Er, not really, then.
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