River Indie electric scooter: An owner shares 8 pros & 6 cons

The stretched-out riding position is a boon, especially for tall riders. At an average height, I find it just adequate and comfortable.

BHPian Raskolnikov.R recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Having not figured out how to put up an ownership report, here's my try on what I've found interesting about the River Indie and what I wish could be better.

A big shoutout to @KarthikK for pushing me to write down my experience.

I named my Indie Amélie after the Audrey Tautou starring movie. Like the character, my River Indie faithfully puts a smile on those who cross paths with it. And gosh, people walk up to me to ask about her almost daily.

Pros:

• Customer Service: This is the best part of the entire River experience. I booked the day after they launched. At the test ride, I got a chance to meet with the founders, Aravind and Vipin. Both were eager to hear one's experience. At the time, I complained about the rear suspension pogoing when I was carrying someone heavier than me. Vipin heard me and explained the work that'd gone into finetuning the suspension for most users. Binesh heads customer experience and has always been proactive and willing to listen to customer issues and offer practical solutions. Vaikund from the Prototyping team is the kind of gentleman whose knowledge and experience is essential in finetuning a new vehicle. I'll gladly line up first to buy River’s next offering.
• Riding position: The stretched-out riding position is a boon, especially for tall riders. At an average height, I find it just adequate and comfortable. However, taller friends of mine swear the riding triangle suits them superbly. The front foot-pegs make all the difference. I can't believe no other manufacturer had thought of the idea previously.
• Common-sense approach to engineering: The River team has invested many resources in ensuring the customer has a mature product. One that takes a beating and keeps working well. In the 4,500 km I've ridden, I've experienced power restriction only when the battery dipped alarmingly low. Most facets of the vehicle are well-thought-of and executed.
• Suspension: You must ride the bike to realize how well the double and triple-rated springs and gas-filled chargers work with the 14-inch wheels. I've never overloaded my scooter. For solo riding, the suspension absorbs bumps and potholes with aplomb. Two-up, it's comfortable for both riders.
• Handling: This call is tough. The Indie is not a bike to go corner carving, given that it has the most extended wheelbase of any scooter sold in India. But lean her, and she sings. It's not a Ducati, but it's way better than any other scooter I've ridden in the 150 class. (Full disclosure: I've never ridden the Aprilia. My sister uses a Vespa 150, which I use when I visit my family. It’s a hoot to ride. However, I believe the Indie is better overall.)
• Space: The under-seat storage takes in a full-face MT and a half-face Vega. My sister-in-law was so impressed with the storage, swallowing two school bags and a lunch bag. It allows her to transport her two children without their bags hanging off their shoulders, presenting a safety risk. She demanded we add one more to the family. And we did.
• Sheer ease of use: The River Indie is an excellent second vehicle in the family. So much so that I hardly use my first. Going anywhere inside Bangalore (at a radius of 35 km), I cannot imagine an easier way to travel. I ride 50 km a day to work and back. The sheer convenience of twist-and-go while riding the massive wave of torque is JOY!
• No touchscreen: My first touchscreen mobile was in 2005, Nokia 7710 (their first ever smartphone.) After two decades, I'm happy to limit my use of touchscreens. It's a key reason why I'm not interested in spending money on new cars and their troublesome screens. The River Indie NOT coming with a touchscreen was a key feature that interested me. After 4.5 months, I have not missed it once.

Cons:

• Lighting: This is the weakest link in the entire package. As fancy as the lights look, the throw of the front headlights is inadequate at most and horrifying in the rain. From my conversation with the team, I hear that while the current headlights meet current regulations, they're improving the lighting package. It'll be great if they can come up with a retrofittable solution.
• Proprietary charger: I'd have loved the Indie coming with a CCS port for a scooter that begs to be taken on the highway. It'd have meant taking the scooter to Chennai despite the long charging time. I've never charged my scooter anywhere other than at home or the River HQ/showroom. Therefore, I don’t know about the experience of using third-party service providers.
• ABS/CBS debacle: As good as the CBS is, it doesn't hold a candle in the rains. The scooter demands a dual-channel ABS. I believe cost considerations drove the team to skimp on the feature.
• Mirrors: The less said about the mirror, the better. It's practically useless. I've tried sourcing a replacement, but I've not found one that sits on the Indie yoke.
• Plastic Quality and Fit & Finish: The body is ABS plastic. I've experienced fit issues from day one. The front cover for the storage space is a little iffy. I need to align it precisely while closing. In saying that, I must add that the second Indie has no such issues. Maybe the team got better with the assembly and finish. Or I just happened to end up with a misaligned piece. I hope the Yamaha investment paves the way for River to use Yamaha-quality plastics, the best in business.
• Phone holder: It took about four months to reach the market. Since the brake oil cylinders are located close to the mirror stalks, it wasn't convenient to fix a mobile holder on the stalks. Therefore, I'd to wait for River's proprietary set-up, which turned out to be a holder at the base of the clip-on bar, fitting a white-label waterproof mobile holder (akin to Bobo/GrandPitStop). While the piece is machined well, it is far from line-of-sight. One is forced to look down to see the maps. This choice perplexes me for a scooter that has put practicality at the top of its design ethos.

A big shoutout to fellow River Indie owners (ROG) for keeping the WhatsApp channel alive and kicking.

PS: I almost never take pictures of anything. I realize its adds context to the reading experience. Let me try it for the next update.

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