Mahindra Duro

ROAD TEST MAHINDRA DURO

M

ahindra and Mahindra are well known for their tractors and commercial vehicles that roam desi roads. They are also famous for their SUVs, however, the two-wheeled segment is an entirely new field for the firm. In their initial innings, the company has launched two new scoots – the Rodeo and the Duro. The first offering is for the fun loving rider whereas the latter scoot is for the serious and no-nonsense types. What is Duro? Well, the Duro is a scooter with an attitude that commands respect on the road. It is aimed at men and women who prefer to ride around the city doing some serious stuff like going to the office, dropping kids to school, grocery shopping and similar tasks. In today’s world we notice a lot of scooters with

similar designs and specifications, however, the Duro is not like the ordinary models. It features a 125cc engine with a comfortable seat, an easy to read console, ample storage capacity and enough power to leave the 100cc scoots behind. This scoot retails at around Rs 43,477 (OTR, Pune) making it cheaper than the competition. Underneath the contemporary design, the Duro is powered by a 125cc mill with quite a good amount of power. Taking a closer look at the details you realize that the proportions are well in order and nothing seems to be out of place. The neat front end with vertically mounted blinkers appears quite decent. The subtle layout of the front is evidence of the no-nonsense image of the scooter. This subtleness is also quite evident in the analogue console that features a speedometer and a fuel gauge. Continuing towards the

Sensible City Knight Mahindra’s debutant scooter in the market, the Duro is an ideal vehicle for city riding Words: Ravi Chandnani Photography Sanjay Raikar

50

India December 2009

December 2009

India

51

ROAD TEST MAHINDRA DURO

OVERALL 1111 Mahindra Duro

GEAR CHECK

1

2

Rider: Saeed Akhtar

GENERAL DATA

Height 1076mm

KBC Technik DSG Puma Saddle Height 770mm

Helmet Jacket Gloves Boots

ROAD TEST # 81

PRICE Rs 43,477 (OTR, PUNE)

Ground Clearance 155mm Wheelbase 1290mm Length 1819mm

Width 740mm Kerb Weight 105kg Battery 12 V / 9.0 Ah, Analogue speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge and tell-tale lights

1. An easy to read console makes life easy while negotiating the Indian traffic situation

3

2. The smart front storage space is ideal for small items like gloves or documents 3. The positioning of the tail lamp is quite nice as it is easy for the vehicle behind to notice you 4. The Duro is an ideal candidate for the ultimate city scoot 5. The underseat storage can gobble up a full sized lid quite easily 6. The powerful and torquey engine is quite smooth

rear, one can notice the flowing construction of the foot board that merges quite well with the rear body panels. However, the overall quality of plastics is satisfactory and nothing great. A huge seat with a stylish body colored grab rail is comfy and can accommodate riders with a fat bottom quite easily. Ample leg space up front means that you can ride comfortably in the city without worrying much about a leg ache. However, tall riders might find it a bit uncomfortable as the handlebars may touch the knee while negotiating turns and U-bends from a standstill because of the lowered position. The rear end is attractive with a huge tail lamp that has integrated blinkers. Storage is in abundance on the Duro as it has a front storage box for accommodating your knickknacks like gloves, scarves or documents and the under seat storage space can gobble up a full size helmet with a little bit of space to spare. The Duro is available in six different shades and has minimal use of stickers to keep the scoot looking decent and subtle. How does it handle? Acceleration is good with ample power flowing to the rear wheel when you wring the throttle. Being majorly dedicated to city riding, the Duro handles traffic without any hassles. The 125cc engine develops 8PS of power and 9Nm of torque which is more than enough for negotiating crowded streets and tight spots on

52

the road. The powerful and torquey engine helps when negotiating steep inclines like the ones in parking lots and flyovers with very less stress on the engine. Performance is quite good as the scooter can reach a true top speed of 87km/h and does the 0-60km/h run in 12.5sec. With this kind of power you can load up the footboard with goods and the Duro’s engine will run smoothly without a protest. The powerful motor starts pulling quite nicely right from the start even with a lightweight pillion on board. The suspension is nice and balanced as it absorbs road undulations without letting the rider know much about it. However, it may rock you when you hit a big pothole or a ditch. City riding demands sudden acceleration with constant braking so having good brakes becomes indispensable and the Duro provides you exactly that in the form of 130mm drum brakes up front and at the rear. Verdict When you consider buying a scooter that will spend much of its life in the city you need to go in for a tough and durable machine that not only offers good quality but also value for money. A 125cc engine, a top whack of 87km/h, a comfortable ride with loads of storage space and fairly good suspension and brakes at a pretty reasonably price, makes the Duro a good value for money scoot to ride around in the city.

6

4

FUEL ECONOMY

1111

Overall* Highway City Fuel Tank Capacity(usable) Range *is 75% city riding and 25% highway

41.5 kmpl 50 kmpl 38 kmpl 6 litres 249 kms

ENGINE

11112

Type Displacement Bore x Stroke Valvetrain Comp Ratio Fuel supply Max power Max torque Power To Weight Ignition Starting

4-st,single cylinder, air-cooled 124.6 cc 52.4mm x 57.8mm OHV, 2-valve/cylinder 10.6:1 Carb 8PS@7500rpm 9Nm@5500rpm 76.19 PS/ton Digital CDI Electric/Kick start

TRANSMISSION

1111

Clutch Gears Gearshift Pattern Primary Drive Final Drive

Automatic Centrifugal Type with torque sensor Variomatic N/A Gear Belt

CHASSIS

1112

Type Suspension (Front) Suspension (Rear) Brakes (Front) Brakes (Rear) Tyre (F/R)

Frame high rigidity underbone Hydraulic Hydraulic singleunit shock absorber 130mm Drum brake 130mm Drum brake 3.5x10” / 3.5x10”

PERFORMANCE 120

1111

ACCELERATION

100 80

5

60

12.20 5.70

40 20 0

1.71 Time, seconds 0

2

4

6

8

Standing Quarter Mile (0-400m) ROLL - ON 30-60 km/h SPEEDOMETER ERROR Top Speed BRAKING* 60km/h to standstill (* Drum Brakes)

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

[email protected]/h 8.53s True Speed 36.8km/h 56.5 km/h 76.5 km/h 87km/h (True)

Indicated Speed 40 km/h 60 km/h 80 km/h

23.28metres / 2.62s

Performance testing by Adhish Alawani

India December 2009

December 2009

India

53