The Mahindra Duro 125DX Power Scooter in ICB’s first ride review

Mahindra Two Wheelers unveiled the Mahindra Duro 125DX in an event at Lavasa just outside Pune. The journey to Lavasa was an adventure in itself, a brutal one, I must add. I woke up in the morning with a very sore throat. As a result, I had to rush to the doctor in the morning. This meant I missed the morning slot wherein I was expected to arrive at Lavasa by 9 a.m. At the outset, I’d like to thank Sunil Gate of Mahindra 2 Wheelers for being highly co-operative in allowing me to join the afternoon session.

Since I was going to test an automatic scooter, I decided to ride my Honda Dio to Lavasa for some perspective. Now, I have been riding my bike since 2003 and there’s just one thing I hate about it and that’s the seating position.  I’m close to 6 feet tall and this, along with the awkward seating position causes my upper back to ache. So, if you got intrigued when I said, “brutal adventure”, then this is why. After my recent outing to Lavasa which is close to 50 km from where I live, I don’t think I’d ever ride my Dio for over 50 kms at a stretch. Well, I am just not up to facing the agony.

Having said that, I somehow managed to reach Lavasa in time and in one piece. The Mahindra Duro 125DX was the scooter that was to be unveiled but before that we had a nice lunch, platefuls of desserts and then the whole group was asked to join the big wigs from Mahindra 2 Wheelers in the conference room for a presentation and unveiling. Sunil Gate, Dy. General Manager at Mahindra 2 Wheelers called upon Viren Popli, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Market Development, Two Wheeler Sector to take charge of the proceedings.

Now, the Mahindra Duro 125DX is an improved version of the Duro which is basically based on the erstwhile Kinetic Nova, albeit with a larger capacity engine. While the Nova had a 115 cc motor, the Duro gets a 125 cc block, both of them four stroke engines though. The Duro 125DX also gets digital ignition which helps improve mileage and overall response. The front and rear suspension setup has been completely overhauled on the DX. The front now features an advanced telescopic setup while at the rear, the springs have been reconfigured for better ride and handling, especially when the going gets rough.

The new suspension bits have also allowed Mahindra engineers to increase the ride height of the vehicle as well as increase the wheelbase. Both these features are added on to improve the dynamics of the vehicle. The braking system has also been improved over its predecessor. That said, other ergonomic changes include a wider and larger head lamp with halogen bulbs for better visibility. Another important ergonomic change on the Duro DX is the handlebar height, which has been raised a few inches to allow taller riders to maneuver the scooter easily. A thoughtful touch, I must say.

Apart from that, not much has changed on the Duro. As far aesthetics are concerned the scooter still resembles the old Kinetic Nova except for the new headlamp up front which gets curvier to add some more definition to the front end. I would’ve liked to see a styling revamp as well. The bulbous tail lamp from the old Nova has been retained although the indicators now get clear lens treatment which bring the front end up to the times. Also, the body is made out of two forms of plastics which are lighter and thus makes the scooter easy to maneuver. The fiber body panels are also much cheaper to replace that the metal ones although one can’t be too sure about plastic not rattling as it ages.

The main rival to the Duro 125DX will be Suzuki’s Access 125. If you compare the two, the Duro DX’s 1270 mm wheelbase is longer than the Access’ 1250 mm. This translates to better stability. With just the rider, the Duro Dx’s ground clearance measures at 147 mm to the Access’ 134 mm. Now, that’s one more point for the Duro DX. But, how does it fare out on the road? Well we did have short stint of 45 minutes on the Duro 125 DX so you really can’t call this a comprehensive test drive of the vehicle. Still, I did find the handling of the scooter reasonably well sorted out than before. While the Nova’s spongy suspension exhibited more than a little bounce, the Duro displayed no such antics.

The scooter turns into corners with ease and the overall weight of the scooter adds to the excitement. The 3.5″ x 10″ MRF Nylogrip Zappers offered loads of grip even with higher lean angles that Lavasa’s curves provided in good measure. However, I won’t recommend an aggressive approach around corners when conditions are wet or dusty though. The 124.6 cc four-stroke engine develops a healthy 8.04 bhp @ 7000 rpm and 9 Nm @ 5500 rpm. The engine is smooth and has a peppy low end grunt. However, it lacks outright top end punch, perhaps in the interest of good fuel economy. This though, shouldn’t be an issue to those who will basically use the scooter for trips in and around the city.

The Mahindra Duro 125DX weighs 114 kg and can reach a top speed of 80 kmph. Now, the Mahindra engineers may have sacrificed top end performance but this has translated into higher fuel economy. We could not test this ourselves since it was just a short media drive but according to Mahindra officials, the Duro 125DX can deliver figures close to 53 kmpl. With fuel prices soaring by the day, the aim was to build a highly fuel efficient scooter for the average commuter. Compared to the Suzuki Access, the Mahindra Duro 125DX gets 130 mm diameter brakes unlike smaller ones on the Suzuki.

However, the Access is slightly powerful and torquier than the Duro. Even so, the higher fuel efficiency should make for the lower power and torque numbers, at least in the commuter’s perspective. The fuel tank capacity is the usual 6 litres. I would’ve liked to see a better fuel filler cap on the DX. The Duro DX still uses a threaded plastic cap (metal half turn cap could’ve been used). The under seat box can easily accommodate a standard half face or a small full face helmet (I had an LS2 which did not fit). I also think the plastic quality could’ve been better, specifically the front inner box lid on the Duro which felt a bit flimsy.

My date with the new Mahindra Duro 125DX that was supposed to last for 45 minutes did however got cut short by a technical snag which was probably caused by fuel starvation but apart from that it was fun to ride the new scooter. I also encountered a brake judder up front while braking from speeds of above 20 kph, which was another pre-production issue that hopefully should be sorted out on production versions.

All said, the test scooters being pre-production units may have certain issues which will be addressed on the final versions as promised by Mahindra Two Wheelers’ executives. Mahindra has not revealed the price of the scooter but we expect it to be priced competitively. We will get a notification about the Duro’s pricing in the first week of December. So, keep watching this space.

All in all, it was a day well spent as I rode back into town only to be greeted by a huge traffic snarl at Chandni Chowk. By the time I reached home my back was reduced to bits. All said, I enjoyed riding the Mahindra Duro 125DX which will be launched soon. I also suggest  you guys to visit the Mahindra 2 Wheeler dealership near you for test drive and drop-in your comments below.

Following is the detailed spec-sheet-

Description	Specification
Engine	4 stroke, 124.6 CC
Starter	Self and Kick Start
Transmission	Automatic (Gearless)
Max. Power	6.0  kW @7000 rpm
Max. Torque	9.0 Nm @5500rpm
Max Speed	80 kmph
Front and Rear Brakes	130 mm dia
Tyres	3.5″ X 10″
Suspension	Front-Telescopic, Rear-Hydraulic
Petrol Tank	6 liters
Curb Weight	114 Kg
Overall Length	1814 mm
Overall Height	1275 mm
Saddle Height	790 mm
Overall Width	770 mm
Wheelbase	1270 mm
Ground Clearance (Min)	155 mm ( static, no load condition)

Mahindra Duro 125DX photo gallery:

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  IndianCarsBikes is an automobile blog for all the Auto enthusiasts. Get all the latest news, reviews, launches, first drive reports of all the Indian Motorcycles & Cars including an overview of the World Auto Industry.

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