[superbad]

A recent review of the Ather S450 electric scooter brought back fond (& not so fond) memories of my own little electric scooter- the YO bike, which we bought 13 years back. Tbh, the ownership was more of a headache than peace of mind. However, one always becomes nostalgic of any experience, good or bad. Thanks to CrAzY dRiVeR for nudging me to share this.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...-electric.html (Going the e-way (electric!))
This is the only other thread I’ve found about the YO bike on this forum, & I’m going to use the same photos (for reasons I’ll give later).

On a side note, this must the TBHP record for the longest gap between vehicle ownership & posting the ownership thread.



*Note - this image is sourced from another thread mentioned above. Mine was white in colour.


YO bike 2006

What I liked
- Low price.
- Good initial torque.
- Decent range (70 Km, yes believe it, 13 years ago).
- Next to zero running costs.
- Breeze to drive, immensely flickable, weighed only 70-80 Kg.
- Could take on a pillion as well!

What I didn't like
- Pathetic build. Really pathetic.
- Top speed of 25 Kmph. Lungi clad wizened old men often used to overtake me on their Hercules cycles.
- Tiny size, ergonomic problems.
- Screechy brakes, puny horn (meeker than a toddler's toy cycle), ignition lock which kept on falling inside the body (a result of the build quality).
- Climbing slopes was a problem, often had to disembark.
- Charging time of 10-12 hrs.
- Had a pizza delivery-esque storage mounted on rear carrier, object of much teasing & ridicule in my circles.



Circa 2006
A boy, freshly out of school is looking for a bike (& a mobile as well) to go to college.
Father - "Which bike?"
Boy (with adolescent dreams of Pulsars & Unicorns) - "Any 150 cc bike." *eyes hopeful.
Father - "Lol, you're getting a scooty."
Boy realised that ‘which bike’ was just rhetorical.
Boy - ”OK, can I at least get the Sony W550i?” (THE phone for music at that time).
I got a Rs 799 Reliance CDMA phone.

Talk about shattered dreams.

As regards to vehicle, a scooter it was. Unfortunately, there are no photos of my bike (you don’t get cameras in Rs 799 phones). I scouted the internet high and low for any photos, but they are all of the newer models of the same company. Finally, I found one thread in our very own forum (bagal mein chora gaon mein dhindora) & have taken the liberty of posting the photos from there. Thanks TBHP user alen (if he’s still there) who is the original poster of the photos.


Purchase experience

We didn't spend time test driving anything & straightaway finalised the TVS scooty (standard fare for college freshers). Around that time, I had come to know about a new electric bike in market - the YO bike. I'd seen the (small) showroom a few times during my daily errands. I asked father if we could check it out. "Yo", he said.
We found the showroom after spending at least an hour hunting for it (I couldn't remember its exact location). They only had two bikes on display, same variant with different colours. A lady explained the various features of the bike. The test ride was memorable, because being used to IC engined vehicles, it was a totally new experience for me.
I sat on the bike & turned the key. A light on the console turned on. Hunted for the switch which would actually "start" the bike (#noobbehaviour). There was none.
"Uh, oh ... how do you turn this on?" I asked the lady.
"Sir it's already on, you just twist the throttle slowly."
"Acha ok." I tried to be casual (the amount of embarrassment felt is directly proportional to the prettiness of the lady opposite, in this case I was maybe pink as a ripe peach).
I slowly twisted the throttle.
Whoah! The yo bike just leaped ahead!
Completely silent!
It was like Alladin's magic carpet.
I slowly navigated through the streets around the showroom. Couldn't stop the stupid grin on my face. Returned to the showroom. Sold! I didn’t even think about the things like top speed, build quality etc (things which would ultimately prove costly).
My father paid Rs 5000 as booking, & paid the rest 21k by cheque during delivery (yes, it was that cheap). There would be no need for any RTO formalities, or any additional cost. It's was true "pay n zoom off".

Along with the bike, we were given the charger, a bike warranty booklet (6 months only), a battery warranty (1 year I think), a basic first aid kit, & service book (three free servicings).



Initial period & general usage

The first few weeks with the Yo were quite fun. The twist & go capability coupled with the totally silent nature made for a very addictive & stress free experience. People at signals often used to ask me about the bike - is it imported? Why does it not make any noise? Is it a modified cycle? I patiently answered all queries. I was proud of the Yo. Mine was probably one of the first electric bikes in my city, indeed probably anywhere else in India. They were a totally new concept then. Except the Reva, no manufacturer had taken the electric plunge. People would just stare as I zoomed past them noiselessly.
Staying faithful to the tradition of all students who choose Science stream, I joined an IIT coaching institute (I also furthered the tradition of failing spectacularly). Early morning classes meant a quiet, serene drive astride the Yo on roads devoid of traffic, a steady pace & wind on my face (hey, that rhymes). The underseat was spacious enough to hold my raincoat in case of rains. Interestingly, although the top speed was only 25 kmph, it took me only 5-7 extra min to reach my class (proof that constant, steady speed is better than intermittent fast & slow speeds). In the evening I would take it to gym.




The bike had a small instrument cluster with four lights - power on/off, headlight on/off & two indicators. There was a speedometer on the left & a battery charge indicator on the right. Switchgear was limited to a horn, indicator & headlight on/off. Don’t remember if there was a high/low beam switch.



There were two underseat batteries.



A brushless DC motor was fitted to the rear wheel.




The charging point was where a hook normally is, on a scooter.


AFAICR, the advertised range was 80 Km, & I got upto 70 Km. My daily running was only about 10 km, so a full charge lasted about 6 days. Since it was not possible to charge it at our home (fourth floor apartment), I used to go to Dad’s office nearby to charge it. It was situated on the first floor.




The charger cable was sufficiently long & I could plug the charger in office & dangle the chord out of the window, go downstairs, catch hold of the other end & plug it in. I think it was a 5 Amp charger & it used to take about 12 hours to charge completely. I devised an SOP - I would go to Dad’s office on Sunday morning after class (IIT coaching runs even longer on Sundays, the aim being to maximise your suffering on holidays), plug it in & let it be there for the whole day. By nightfall, it would be good enough for the next week & I’d get it back home.


Performance of the bike, considering its capability (I don’t remember exact battery capacity nor the motor power, but it was not much) was satisfactory. Initial pep was zippy, the bike quickly got to 15-20 kmph, after which acceleration tailed off rapidly. It was suited for stop & go traffic and I was head to head with other petrol scootys atleast till the first dozen metres, after which even grannies on cycles overtook me. Needless to say, staying at top speed required dollops of patience & an ability to withstand sniggering stares.
On gentle slopes, the bike slowed down yet soldiered on. Only on those greater than about 40-50 m where brisk walking would induce nausea & exhaustion, would the bike give up. Steep ones like those in basement parking lots was a no go, the motor would climb for the initial few meters sheerly by momentum, after which it would vibrate & emit a guttural grunt much like a flatulent hippo, & then refuse to go ahead. In such scenarios, getting down & dragging it up was the only option.
One thing I was very much surprised was by the Yo’s capability of lugging along a pillion. Me & my mother often used to go the the local vegetable market (I was a good boy) & the bike brought us both, along with our purchases, totalling about 150 Kg, safely home without the battery or the motor bursting. The range would suffer of course, but not drastically. Heck, a few times even my dad & mom travelled on the contraption together (about 180 Kg load in these cases).
Post 60 Km after a charge, the battery of motor would start to vibrate, letting you know it was hungry. The speed & acceleration would also dull down. I’ve spent quite a few miles riding the bike at c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g speeds (slower than a walking person) for getting it to office to charge. The charge dial on the instrument console was quite accurate & the needle getting into red zone meant only 5-7 km of juice was left. The one great thing about charging was that it consumed only a couple of units of electricity, which meant around Rs 10 for a 70 Km range, or about 14 p / Km. Cost for my monthly 300 Km running was coming out to be Rs 40. Equivalent to 4 vada pavs. Talk about low running costs! Same on a regular bike would’ve been around Rs 1.5 / Km (including maintenance costs). Thus, I was running literally ten times cheaper.
I missed the first service (I think it was due at 300 Km) for some reason. I went for the second directly (again, sketchy memory, must’ve been at around 700 Km). They did nothing much (what was there to do after all) except tighten the brakes, check all lights, check the motor, screws, mountings etc, & wash the vehicle. Even the battery did not demand anything, being maintenance free. I was in & out in half a hour.


Gremlins creep in

Like all marriages, once the honeymoon period is over, realities strike. Some are tolerable, some not so much. The Yo bike had a harsh ride (like its shock absorbers were filled with sand rather than springs), which I got used to. Workaround was to slow down to a crawl on bad roads & try & bypass the potholes (sometimes going off road, if need be). The horn was hilariously puny, not even a “peep”, more like an “eee.” In close proximity of other vehicles, even I could not hear the horn properly, forget about reminding fellow motorists that I was also there. However, the horn never bothered me. Why? Read on.
Brakes were an abomination. The stopping power was all right but they would engage with an ear splitting “KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” That’s why I didn’t need the horn. I’d just gently press the brakes, the shrieks would start & everybody within a 50 m radius would turn around to wonder where this hellish racket came from. Regular usage of these in a single ride was enough to render one temporarily deaf. When I got it fixed from the service center, I heaved a sigh of relief.
The tiny size was an issue. Imagine a Bajaj Sunny going on a drastic diet. That’s what the Yo bike was. I sat in the rearmost portion of the seat so that my legs didn’t have to protrude outward at a bizarre angle. While this was comfortable enough for me, having a pillion meant looking for butt space that wasn’t there. Indeed, two up on that thing looked something out of a Mr Beans movie.
The rear carrier storage, as I’ve mentioned earlier made me a subject of quite a few jokes. Friends would congratulate me for “working for Pizza Hut”. As it is my prospects for IIT were not looking too bright…
Remember the iffy build quality I told you about? A few weeks into ownership the ignition lock started coming loose. I ignored it for a few days, however it became worse until it would just fall inside from its seat, within the front apron when I tried inserting the keys. I would then manoeuvre my hand from an under gap near the front tyre, hunt for the fallen ignition lock, force it outward through its seat from within the apron, then take my hand out gingerly to avoid scratching from any sharp protrusion. I got around this by holding the ignition lock with my other hand while I operated the keys. Thankfully, it didn’t affect the integrity of the lock itself & the bike’s handle would remain locked irrespective of whether the ignition lock was in its housing or not.
After a few months of removing the seat to access the storage within, the front pivot of the seat broke off, releasing the seat from the bonds of the bike once & for all. If I unlocked the seat, I could take it off entirely! The only thing keeping it attached to the bike now was the seat lock. I stopped keeping anything of note in the storage except my raincoat. But the battery was at the mercy of the thieves, (who didn’t strike until much later).
Slowly (like the proverbial frustrated husband) I grew tired of her nakhras. In order to avoid riding her, I started making excuses like “I’m late for class, need to reach faster” & took Dad’s Caliber 125 (hooodibaba). Countless times fixing the seat & lock by local jugaad (Fevikwik, duct tape, what not) & numerous visits to the service station proved fruitless. I grew tired of the growing problems Admittedly, I was also a bit apathetic to the bike, by not doing the first service, overlooking minor issues which later on ballooned into bigger ones. But there is only so much an under-stress, overworked college kid (who was about to appear for the boards) can do.
The final straw came when the bike suffered a rear puncture. While I was willing to drag it 5 Km home (there were no local puncture repair shops near my class), the problem was that the rear inner tube had somehow got entangled with the hub. This meant the rear wheel wouldn’t roll no matter what. I dragged the goddamned piece of equipment for as far as I could before dizziness set in (it was summer, near noon). Finally, I tipped the bike to the side, reached down, grabbed the portion of the tyre tube jutting out & twisted & jerked with all my remaining strength. After about 5 min of wrestling, the cursed piece tore out & the rear wheel was free, with only the tyre hobbling around the hub. I reached home & dumped the bike in the parking. “No more,” I told my father exhaustedly. “I’ll use the bus if I have to, but no more.” My father didn’t press further. I had gamely used the bike for exactly a year and 3000 Km. I looked at it as many more thousand rupees saved on petrol. Dad looked at it as a 25 grand gamble lost.
I left the IIT coaching class. Since my college was at nearby walking distance, I didn’t need the bike. It started gathering dust in the parking lot.
In my boards I finally got a real bike. I had (again) hoped for Pulsar, so we compromised & Dad got me Xcd 125. Nice bike overall (I even did a twin-states 3000 Km tour with my friend on that bike, it performed superbly), solid & reliable. 12 years & 35k Km, it’s still going strong.


Epilogue

As for the Yo bike, it slowly faded from memory. The dust coating grew. Once people realised I wasn’t using it, cyclists in our building started securing their cycles to the bike. One day, someone stole one of the batteries. Years passed, I graduated & had altogether stopped even acknowledging the existence of the bike. I moved away from my hometown for work. On one sleepy afternoon during my leave, I found that the bike was not there. Upon enquiring with Dad, he told me he got around 500 Rs for one dead battery, dozens of kg of plastic & few bits of metal. Sad end to a once promising prospect, I mused.
Thus ended the saga of my Yo bike. It was the first bike I ever owned. Maybe it was not ready for the market. Maybe it was the company’s fault (Electrotherm industries) for giving us a substandard product. Ultimately in hindsight, I could’ve exercised better judgment & not got it at all & saved all of us a headache. Ah, but that is life. Live & learn.

[libranof1987]

Thanks for sharing; my uncle has this (since almost ten years now) and every time I visit him, I keep thinking I should get enough details to write a post/review.

You've detailed everything so I don't have anything to add as such but yes, it's been a good vehicle to run a km-two kms long errands. It is essentially a bicycle with a motor, considering the weight and top speed. Also, I believe power cuts off beyond a particular speed.

It was good for when it was introduced; wonder how these bikes fare in today's times. They seem to have a good line-up.

http://yobykes.in/

[blackwasp]

Wow, brings back some memories. I used to remember seeing ads for Yo bikes with the captions 'no license required'! Always used to wonder what it would feel like to have an affordable electric commuter for short distances.

Sadly, first came the Active, then the Vespa and currently I'm using a cycle for nearby errands. Electric bike have always caught my fancy and I think makes the most sense for short-distance / fixed commuting.

The Yo bikes feels like it came into the market at a time when we were not yet ready for electric vehicles. But thanks to you, now we know about them and their ownership.

[mayankk]

Thats very well written. I enjoyed the write-up of the first wheels, its always fun.

One question though, did you clear the JEE or not?

[rrsteer]

Thank you for sharing the review. It is very well written, informative and entertaining at the same time. Like some of the Jalopnik articles.

It also resonated with me, because somewhat like you, I was 'gifted' a TVS Champ by my dad, while I was expecting a Yamaha!
Couldn't stop sharing the link of this review with others. Thanks again!

[superbad]

Originally Posted by mayankk

One question though, did you clear the JEE or not?

Staying faithful to the tradition of all students who choose Science stream, I joined an IIT coaching institute (I also furthered the tradition of failing spectacularly)

This should answer your question.

[superbad]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Wow, brings back some memories. I used to remember seeing ads for Yo bikes with the captions 'no license required'! Always used to wonder what it would feel like to have an affordable electric commuter for short distances.

Sadly, first came the Active, then the Vespa and currently I'm using a cycle for nearby errands. Electric bike have always caught my fancy and I think makes the most sense for short-distance / fixed commuting.

The Yo bikes feels like it came into the market at a time when we were not yet ready for electric vehicles. But thanks to you, now we know about them and their ownership.

If you already have a scooter, then there's no point spending more getting an electric bike, it will take a long time to recover the costs.
For someone not having anything, an electric bike is perfect IF :-
1) Daily commute is not more than 10-12 Km.
2) A home charging point is feasible.
3) Bike is of decent build (at least Scooty level).

Your point about the bike being ahead of its time is absolutely true. Considering that it is only today that majority of manufacturers are taking the electrical plunge, something like this in 2006 was mostly unheard of. If only they had sorted out quality issues, they product would've been a success.

[yogeshsom29]

Entertaining narration; it was more like a story, tks for sharing.

Yobike was clearly a premature baby; too early for its times.

[Sherlocked]

You have some really nice writing skills. Loved reading it! If you ever start writing articles anywhere, please ping me. I'll definitely subscribe you.

Coming to the Yo bike, my cousin had one. At that time, Activa was priced around 45k and Yo bike was 24k odd.
My uncle used to brag how he thought he made a wise decision by not going for the Activa and saved himself 20k odd. I guess the happiness was short lived as troubles must've creeped in and he sold the Yo bike as scrap within three years and got a new Activa at 50k.

[pinin]

Thanks 'Superbad' for sharing. That; was 'SuperGood'.

Liked the way you told your story. Simple eloquence. Seems the words flew off the keyboard there. Refreshing change to the general reviewing style as well!

Keep it going. Do post often.

Cheers,
Pinin

[dhanushs]

Thank you for sharing the little glimpse from your past. Enjoyed reading it. Please do share more stories.

As for the E-Bike, there was an explosion of companies around 15 years back, but everything went down fast. Mainly because of a lack of proper scooter. Everything available was a compromise for economy.

[pugram]

I recently did a test drive of the current generation YO bike. Model was called YO - Drift. It seemed to be built better and could take 2 full adults with ease. While the Okinawa Praise was very garish to look at the YO bike was more contemporary in look. Sort of clean and minimal. Not in the league of the Ather scooters though.

But as told elsewhere the speed is not good. It feels slightly faster than a cycle. I could do a meter indicated speed of 30kmph in the test drive, but it felt even slower.

I remember the Okinawa dealer telling me that the speedometer on the Praise was overstating the speed by a considerable margin.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by superbad

Thanks to CrAzY dRiVeR for nudging me to share this.

Thanks for sharing! Quite a unique experience and was fascinating to read.

Reading through your report - one point that comes to mind is that electric vehicles haven't advanced all that much even after all these years. We are still very much limited by battery technology - and even though the Ather feels light years ahead, it does come with a big sticker price and similar on-road range!

[superbad]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Reading through your report - one point that comes to mind is that electric vehicles haven't advanced all that much even after all these years. We are still very much limited by battery technology - and even though the Ather feels light years ahead, it does come with a big sticker price and similar on-road range!

Very true. Development in electricity storage is at a snail's pace compared to other technologies (vehicle mechatronics, cellular phones etc). Sometimes I wonder if it's political (purposely stagnate development of battery technology to continue dependence on fossil fuels).

[hemanth.anand]

Better late than never. Thanks for sharing.

This reminded me of the time when my Father got me a pre-owned Kinetic Luna when I had asked for a Hero Puch. However my father made when the Luna was replaced. I asked for a Boxer/Victor but I got a Pulsar. Although I was unhappy with the Luna, I wasn't fed up of it for the 3 years of ownership.

After reading this I understand why I get the questions I get on an Ather that I don't get on any other scooter.

"Can you ride doubles?"
"No licence needed na?"
"Can you ride doubles?"
"Can you ride in upward gradients?"
"What is top speed-40kmph?"
"Do they give two batteries?"

Electric scooters like this and Reva/E2O have left a negative impression in the minds of people. Once an impression is build in Indian minds, it's hard to change that. Hopefully it is accepted more and more by people going forward