Considering to buy River Indie as my first electric scooter. Thoughts?

I am currently hunting for my first electric scooter. I would like to get opinions from people who have owned the scooter

BHPian Gurudeep BN recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am currently hunting for my first electric scooter. I visited River JP Nagar showroom recently.

Below are some of the observations based on the test ride vehicle for which I would like to get opinions from people who have owned the scooter:

1. Since the seat is slightly inclined and has a height difference with respect to the pillion, I constantly had to adjust myself from slipping down. I am 5'10. Do anyone of you feel or have observed the same.
2. The quality of the plastics on the handle bar and near the screen felt very low quality. Is this true for the vehicle you own (especially if owned for a longer duration)?
3. The front side of the scooter had lot of rattles. Is it just on the test ride vehicle or is it the same in your owned vehicles as well due to flimsy fit?
4. In your ownership so far, any issues encountered during service or otherwise?

Thank you in advance.

Here's what BHPian Raskolnikov.R had to add to this matter:

I'm 5'5", and I find myself having to joist myself to the rear of the seat every so often. When I tested riding the scooter last August, I brought this up to the team, and they reassured me that a perforated or a seat with embedded bars wasn't necessary. However, I've seen them put up a seat with horizontal bars as an accessory. I suppose it must help you arrest the slide to some extent.

2. The scooter is made with ABS plastic. The two areas I found tacky were the charge port and front apron storage space hinges. I originally wished the hinges were more sturdy. At the time of delivery, I had an alignment issue with the front apron storage lid, which the team rectified over time.

I've had no issue with the screen plastic. Of course, it could have been better built. With varied usage during the heavy rains and the scorching sun, I can safely say that it does its duty but little beyond that.

In one of my earlier posts, I hope River can learn a bit about plastics from Yamaha, and Yamaha must employ River to sort out the Aerox suspension.

3. I'm afraid my experience points to the opposite of your claim. However, I should add that the front end takes some time to get used to. Initially, in the immediate days of ownership, I was afraid my arm would fall out of its socket when going over rough patches in Rush mode. When I took this up with Mr. Vaikunth, Head of prototyping, he calmly explained to me how the suspension springs work. I won't attempt to explain it because it was quite a complicated system for a simple scooter. Needless to say, after 8 months of ownership, I can reassure you that the bike is solidly built with no rattles on the bike. Knock on wood.

Do account for the fact that the Indie rides on 14-inch boots. They take some getting used to. When riding my cousin's Yamaha Ray, I wondered why it felt so different. Then it struck me what a difference the larger-diameter wheels make.

4. Be prepared to be surprised. Initially, there will be a disparity between the indicated range and the real distance you can cover. Over time, you will learn to appreciate the vehicle. You will get used to the torque, and then you will ask yourself for a bit more power.

Technically, the River is probably the best-built electric scooter. Overengineered? Yes! As good as a German or Japanese? No. But it is definitely better than most Indian-built scooters.

From what I understand, most of the early glitches have been smoothened over, and they took the time to optimize the assembly line rather than churn out copy after copy without regard to quality. Your Indie ownership will be fairly easy.

Despite owning a Triumph, I am drawn to the River Indie for its simplicity of use. This is high praise indeed!

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