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BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
An update on my Aerox after a long time, so hoping to start with a good one.
As some of you may have noticed, I had the Aerox up for sale with just around ~2400kms on the odo. The scooter was purchased primarily for the wife and to be used in Kerala, but when she also relocated to Bangalore post the Covid WFH scenario - Aerox got left behind. Initially, she was of the opinion that she needed a more conventional scooter for her needs in Bangalore - and hence the Aerox was put up for sale. Takeaway: I got a lesson in the "bro" culture. Thankfully she reconsidered soon enough and decided to try out Aerox for a few months!
Instead, our old workhorse - the Hero Maestro will be put up for sale. It has done ~44,000 kms in ~14 years of ownership.
Now that Aerox needed to be shifted to Bangalore. One of my favourite rides/drives is from Bangalore to my hometown in Trivandrum. ~750kms one way, taking around 12 hours - I have done this route a lot of many times in both my cars - at least two dozen times with the Punto and half a dozen times with the Jeep. On two wheels - I have done three round trips with the Versys 650 and one with the Tiger Sport 660. But then - a 68hp/80hp tourer is a whole different ball game and I never had I attempted this route on anything like an Aerox.
And now the chance presented itself nicely and so I grabbed it. Started at 5:10 am from home and reached the house in Bangalore by 5:25 pm.
Likes:
Dislikes:
The Aerox is still a rarity in that it sports interesting conversations on the road, especially at fuel stops. I did not run into a single one for the entire ride today - that's sad. Anyways, the most interesting moment was near Krishnagiri where a gentleman on an Avenger 200 kept chasing me and finally stopped outside the fuel bunk where I was. He wanted to know which scooter and why he was unable to keep pace with his 200cc (his words! )! Also had a not-so-pleasant moment where I overtook a gang of Enfield riders and that seemed to have triggered them to overtake me in a closed formation and slow down intentionally!
Suspension change is inevitable - didn't miss it much today because of the smooth roads in TN, but I can't say the same about Bangalore roads. What really impresses though - is the rock-solid stability (by scooter standards). Ride the Maestro back to back with the Aerox - and the former feels disconnected, wobbly and unrideable till you get adjusted to it.
What really impressed me is the mile-munching ability - the Aerox handled the highways like it was meant to be used this way. Except for the frequent fuel stops - I only got off the seat only thrice for these 750kms - once for breakfast, one bio break and one for lunch. Maintaining 100km/h all day long is easy and ergonomics don't cause issues either. I guess I will use it for the occasional breakfast rides, ones where the destination is less than 100kms distance from the start point, so others riding with me don't need to wait outside the fuel bunks.
Flew down to Trivandrum on Saturday:
Not much was done by way of preparations. I had to trickle charge the battery since the scooter was unused for a month, tyre pressure checked and the outer panels dusted. That's about it! I also removed the OEM seat cover which was installed. The stock seat looks much nicer
The garage at hometown - not sure if the Aerox will return there anytime soon:
Pics from the ride:
Entering Karnataka:
Total Trip Distance:
Indicated FE of 28.1 km/l. Along with the 5.5L fuel tank, this certainly is the biggest pain point of the Aerox for touring. Pain point, not a deal breaker IMHO. Only 3.5L may be useable if you have range anxiety like I do - And I was looking for options every time the indicator came down from 6 bars to 2.
Ended up stopping for fuel at all the below towns:
Not a deal breaker because even with these fuel stops - it still managed to make the trip in good time. Plus fuel bunks are so common except in some regions - down south I don't think I would have had a problem even if I had decided to stick to just XP95 for the whole trip.
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