Why my Ather 450x had to visit the ASC in just 2 weeks of ownership

I had seen and read reviews about the stiff suspension setup of the Ather, but didn't think it would be that big of an issue.

BHPian Irn123 recently shared. this with other enthusiasts.

This is my 2 week ownership experience of the new 450x with the pro pack, and all the issues ive come across in two weeks.

I had booked the 450x in cosmic black from Ather Mangalore on May 24th, and got it delivered on May 29th. The first week was purely joy filled, and i loved it. The look of other riders when they see a batmobile like scooter silently glide past them, is priceless. However this joy was short-lived, because come the second week, issues began to pop up one after the other, and it got really annoying.

• I had seen and read reviews about the stiff suspension setup of the Ather, but didn't think it would be that big of an issue. However, in the second week, a really annoying creaking sound began coming from the right side mirror, and it kept coming while riding on roads with the slightest undulations. It was as if the suspensions on this scooter were non-existent. Imagine slowing down to around 30 km/hr on ridge strips, so that you dont lose grip of the handlebars because of the scooter shaking violently. And so I visited the local service centre in udupi on June 8th, and got the screws of the mirror tightened, and the issue was resolved.
• On 13th, when i went for my usual commute around town, the wheels of the scooter didnt feel free. It was as if something was holding the scooter back, the same feeling of when regen is applied. I usually have the habit of letting go of the throttle at normal speeds, and let the scooter cruise for a bit, and then using the throttle again. However this time, as soon as i let go of the throttle, the scooter would begin slowing down quite aggressively, despite me doing nothing. And when i twisted the throttle the opposite way to engage regen, it didnt work, and nothing happened. And this was when the battery was about 52% SoC. Took it to the service centre again, and after checking, the scooter apparently had a short circuit which resulted in this problem. I was obviously shocked at the news of this, because the build quality of the scooter was in serious question. The service guys told me not to use regen often as it isnt technically "a feature". When i asked for a solution, they said that they cannot do anything as of now since they havent told any of their customers about regen and if they raise a complaint regarding this, the dealership would raise issues or whatever, and instead told me to wait for 2 days to check if it gets resolved.
• Now this was an issue that was there from the very day of delivery, but i hadnt realised. Whenever i charged the scooter, the charger didnt get locked. When i had gone to the grid for the first time, i had seen a person prior me finish charging very soon. But when i plugged the charger into my 450x, the charging speed was super slow, which was surprising, but i didnt give it much thought. Then i came home and plugged the scooter in, without the key inserted. And this time when it showed the charger was unlocked, it struck me. I then realised that the charger was always unlocked from the very beginning, and so had to visit the SC today as well, i.e June 15th. The guys inspected it, and found out that the solenoid wasnt functional, and they removed the front panel and reconnected the wires, after which it began working.

When i had called the dealer in Mangalore and asked them why hadnt they done a PDI before delivery, they began giving pointless excuses. This was quite a bad experience for me as this is the first electric scooter in our family, and i dont want people telling me, i told you so, especially after spending a lot of money. Ather seriously needs to look into this, as this has left a bad taste in my experience with the scooter.
Also wanted to hear from you guys, regarding when does the fan of the scooter turn on when you all ride, because mine turns on super quick. When i rode out of my home into the highway, the fan turned on within 100m. The SC people told me that its normal, but it felt strange to me as the weather isnt even that hot. Please do comment.

Hoping that there wont be any such problems in the near future. (Will update this thread if they happen)

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say on the matter:

Valid points and mostly related to adaptation issues with a radically new product for the ASC whose personnel would be accustomed to working on ICE scooters.

Example : I doubt any ASC would be checking if the fuel cap works on a ICE scooter so either they didn't even connect or they just verified whether it charges and didn't check for the lock status which indicates a lack of guideline from Ather/ASC management.

My feeling is the ASC you're visiting is the cause and hope that they sort it out with time.

At least they figured the solenoid wasn't working and knew how to fix it which indicates that the mechanisms are explained well and hopefully designed well too.

Enjoy your Ather and keep us posted.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.