[Prasidhi]

Delighted to share I took the delivery of River Indie, on 15th January. Here is my delivery experience and initial ride review.

Initially my delivery was scheduled between December 15th to December 31st, but It was postponed as they told me we would be getting the 2024 manufactured model which I felt was quite a nice gesture as most companies only focus on getting done with the sales.






The delivery was done in their Experience center in JP Nagar, it was the opening day of the center. Both sales and service are done here, it has about 5 service bays, and coming to the showroom aspect, its quite a big showroom and they have showcased their accessories (pics attached for reference) for the scooter seen in their website and also a few merchandise. Few of the accessories are still under development while the mobile holder, floormat, Visor (both transparent and tinted) and Floor cage will be available by next week.







The delivery experience was a really wonderful one. Most of the staff from various departments were available, including the co-founders who did the key handover to the customers. They were very polite, always available. Each scooter had a respective staff member assigned to assist with regards to its functions and technical stuff. They also gave a charging demo to show its working. They explained the invoice and also shared the PDI list which they have done and told us to verify.

The scooter supports fast charging, but the charging pin is different compared to other brands hence will only be effective when river brings its own fast charger, which they told they are working on it and planning to launch soon.




This is fully loaded version with all accessories.





The back seat support and side step. I understand the side step is still under testing and will take some more time to come. The pannier mounts will be available by default for only the pre-ordered customers. New customers will be getting a side lid as seen in the pic above and can purchase the pannier mount as an additional accessory.












Above are the accessories and merchandise in the showroom.



Initial ride impressions:
I am very much impressed with the scooter’s overall performance, however there are a few things I felt that could have been improved.

Lets first talk about the pros:
1. The scooter is really stable on roads, and it feels planted even when u go at higher speeds.
2. Acceleration is great in ride mode, amazing in rush mode but the eco mode is a bit underpowered in my opinion.
3. The scooter has huge underseat storage (one of its USP), I was able to fit a full faced helmet (Vega) as well as a half face hemlet (Vega) and still a bit of space to keep few small things.
4. The suspension setup is good, I did miss a few pot holes but didn’t feel much impact, the scooter did handle it pretty well.
5. Brakes are very good, the dual disc brakes with CBS are really powerful. (this is in comparison with my 2018 ntorq and I felt it was a significant upgrade. I didn’t ride any 2 wheeler with ABS so can’t compare with that)
6. Display quality has improved especially the day time visibility which was one of the major concerns during test ride.
7. The vehicle is equipped with adaptive regen and although I am yet to figure out which regen level is in which mode, the regen in ride mode felt quite smooth.
8. Switching modes during the ride is pretty easy, I felt the button was a bit too far for my hand during the test ride, however I felt it was fine now.
9. The vehicle is easy to maneuver despite its large size, however it might be a little difficult in low speeds if you are used to riding lighter scooters but you will get used to it easily.

Now a few things that I felt that could have been improved are:
1. The mirrors are very bad. They are relatively small and quite difficult to see.
2. There is no brake lock feature which could be a problem while parking it on a slope.
3. The trip meter is inaccurate right now. Trip 1 and trip 2 are showing different numbers although the difference is small. (I don’t know whether it is for my scooter alone, planning to take it up with them during first inspection)
4. I also felt the high beam lamp projects a bit upward (again this could be an issue with my scooter, other river owners here please provide your input)
5. The reverse mode is a 3 step process which makes it a bit uncomfortable, I would rather preferred a switch to put it directly in reverse mode.
6. The connector type is unique and could not be identified to any standard type.




The first inspection is after 45 days.


Overall pretty happy with the scooter, will keep updating this thread as I cover more distances.

[fordday]

Can some one pin the location of the showroom with map coordinates?
I could not find it in gmaps.

[anilupadhya]

Originally Posted by fordday

Can some one pin the location of the showroom with map coordinates?
I could not find it in gmaps.

Here it is.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GX1Ty1EDYGD6zfGu5

its on the service road soon after Pumphouse Brewery.

[Freespirit27]

Originally Posted by Prasidhi

5. The reverse mode is a 3 step process which makes it a bit uncomfortable, I would rather preferred a switch to put it directly in reverse mode.

This should not be an irritant, in fact, it is a good safety feature to prevent accidental shifting!

I hadn't liked the design earlier in advertisements but now in actual photos it does look good.
Enjoy the rides and be safe.

[hikozaru]

That blue colour, square-ish design, twin headlights, big wheels, it is the retro burgman that Suzuki never made. It looks so much like an old GSXR750. https://cdn-fastly.motorcycle.com/me...0x845&nocrop=1

[jaganm]

I had gone to the River showroom for a test ride and came back impressed with how the scooter rides. The other 14” wheels I had was the Aerox and it had virtually the worst suspension that could be put on a scooter. This, however, was quite well balanced took it over a few broken patches and potholes and it wasn’t too bad.

The performance was a bit lacking at the top end compared to my Ather but nothing that you would notice on regular use.

I had gone with an intent to book but 2 factors stopped me. The first was the range, I think a sub 100 range in normal mode is a no go for me. The second was the complete lack of any kind of connectivity. That is not good enough for a 1.5l vehicle today.

[fordday]

Originally Posted by jaganm

I had gone with an intent to book but 2 factors stopped me. The first was the range, I think a sub 100 range in normal mode is a no go for me. The second was the complete lack of any kind of connectivity. That is not good enough for a 1.5l vehicle today.

Having pre booked one, I can live with sub 100km range. But I would like to know what will be my major miss for not having connectivity.

[Raskolnikov.R]

Originally Posted by fordday

Having pre booked one, I can live with sub 100km range. But I would like to know what will be my major miss for not having connectivity.

After 3,100 km in about 100 days, I can guarantee you that you most certainly don't need more than 80 km range in a day. And if you do, you may have to stick to an ICE for now.
Once, over a weekend, I eked out 95 KM for 97% of battery depletion using a combination of the ECO (25%) and RIDE (72%) modes.
However, the best part is going about 80 KM in Ride mode. Daily. I cruise easily at 70-75 KMPH in Ride and hit 90 KMPH in the Rush mode.
Meanwhile, a close friend of mine uses the ECO every time he gets onto the saddle.
In my inference, there is very little difference in range between ECO and RIDE. However, for a driver of my friend’s disposition, the Indie must return more than 100 KM per charge.
But why allow the battery to deplete to less than 20%?
In real-world conditions, one can hit a genuine range of about 75-80 KM from 85% SOC (which leaves about 15% in the battery).
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I’m super glad that the screen is NOT a touchscreen. I use a full gauntlet glove while riding and don’t miss having a touchscreen.
River has made a reasonably decent phone holder. It resembles the BOBO mount with River’s proprietary holding mechanism mounted on the clip-on bar. I shall post a picture of it installed on my scooter.
The River Indie comes pre-installed with a SIM card that regularly transmits vehicle data to the headquarters. I understand the feature is limited to telematics transfer and doesn’t include geofencing. If anyone else has better clarity, kindly share.
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PS: Can any member please advise me on how to start an ownership review? I’ve scoured the forum rules, but I’m afraid I’ve been unable to figure it out till now. Please inbox me. Thank you!

[jaganm]

Originally Posted by fordday

Having pre booked one, I can live with sub 100km range. But I would like to know what will be my major miss for not having connectivity.

Having Google maps to direct is a huge feature. I’ve had it for over 5 years and often put it on whenever I’m going someplace new even though I know the route. I have ridden for close to 40 years and have some Pre-fixed routes to navigate to certain parts of the city which are not efficient at all and onboard navigation has been quite useful there.

Regarding the range, I agree that 100 is sufficient. This is also specific to me, I have the OG Ather that delivers 65km of real range very reliably. The River will cost me at least 1l after selling the Ather, so in my mind, I want something more than a 15-20 km range increase for that.

[Raskolnikov.R]

Originally Posted by jaganm

Regarding the range, I agree that 100 is sufficient. This is also specific to me, I have the OG Ather that delivers 65km of real range very reliably. The River will cost me at least 1l after selling the Ather, so in my mind, I want something more than a 15-20 km range increase for that.

Makes sense, Jagan. In such a scenario, the River would not make for much of a difference.

I agree with you on the convenience part of having Maps integrated to the screen.

However, for me, I can live with the tradeoff, when its covered by a robust phone stand. However, I'm yet to install it.

At the time of purchase, the amount of kit available for Rs. 125,000 sounded like a good deal. It still does! The lack of Maps didn't seem like a big deal to most of the first owners.

For me. the riding position more than makes up for any other shortcomings in the River India. Being able to stretch out the legs on the pegs, and to rest the toes on the crash guards feels like heaven. I've now began enjoying the 50 KM round trip to work.

Just my two cents!

[Raskolnikov.R]

On the occasion of River winning an over-subscribed second round of funding, I'm happy to announce that a second River Indie will be joining my family in a month's time.

On Friday, February 02 2024. my cousin, after a bit of prodding from me, booked the scooter.

I'm waiting to upload my Ownership Experience as soon as I figure out how to upload it.

Cheers!

[amods]

Can anyone please tell me if it can be charged using normal home sockets ? I don't have means for installing charging facility separately in a rented house.

[sev2024]

Originally Posted by amods

Can anyone please tell me if it can be charged using normal home sockets ? I don't have means for installing charging facility separately in a rented house.

Yes u can charge it via a 16 amps socket. ( The ones used for refrigerator/ geyser).

Do note that the charger cable is not very lengthy. It's about 3m, if your plug point is slightly far, I would recommend a strong extension chord.

[pogo0120]

As far as I know, this company has sold just over 200 units in past three months. Now, that is disturbing.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/05/ri...or-investment/


Also, they are aiming for 300 units per month in march and 3000 units by end of the year. This is disturbing again. Not enough quantities to be family scooter/resale value/parts availability etc.

On the other hand, OLA is selling 30,000 scooters a month. I really liked indie, but I am not sure about their plans.

Stick to mass selling scooter and you donot have to worry about resale, parts availability. I have a friend who is trying to sell Renault lodgy from 3 years. I donot want to become like him.

[Black_Star]

Originally Posted by pogo0120

On the other hand, OLA is selling 30,000 scooters a month. I really liked indie, but I am not sure about their plans.

Stick to mass selling scooter and you donot have to worry about resale, parts availability. I have a friend who is trying to sell Renault lodgy from 3 years. I donot want to become like him.

I think Rivers plans are pretty great, compared to OLA, OLA maybe selling 30k per month but their scooters are plagued with problems from day one. I would be more worried if a new company promises you the moon and under-delivers you at the end like Simple Energy.

If you are more worried about parts availability or resale, I would suggest sticking to TVS iQube or Bajaj Chetak, as I mentioned before OLAs are still problematic and their service centers are swamped with scooters which have broken down.