TVS Wego Review
Bike tested: 2013 TVS Wego (Disc Brake)
Price OTR Pune: Rs. 52,770/-
TVS Motor is a company best known for making mopeds since the early 1990’s. It all started with the TVS Scooty, which has a low seat height, is light, zippy and fuel-efficient and is primarily aimed at women. TVS is also known for producing high quality and long lasting products and giving innovative products to the Indian market. With the shift in the market demand for scooters, after Honda came in with their mighty Activa. TVS later responded with the Wego, a unisex scooter with a value for money price tag. We take the TVS Wego for a quick spin to find out how good this product fares.
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Styling – The TVS Wego has a smart and sharp design. Carved out body panels, use of slashes and beefed up panels on the side look great. The modern looking headlight, the teardrop design of the parking lights and turn indicator assembly and the sleek front fender add flare to the front. The protruding tail light and grab handle at the rear of the TVS Wego add distinctiveness to the package. The only sore point of the TVS Wego is that it does not look as big or substantial as its competitors, which happens to be the current trend.
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Instrument Cluster and Switch Gear – The instrument cluster is simple. The speedo-meter and the fuel gauge have chrome ring inserts around them. With modern fonts, the meters do their job well and do not look boring and uninspiring like some other scooters. The solitary turn indicators are always welcome and there is a high beam indicator as well. Switch gear quality is good on the TVS Wego and the red colour for the self-start and yellow for the horn adds a bit of flare. The choke switch is where it belongs. Surprisingly, the hill descent clip on the left brake lever is missing on the TVS Wego.
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Ergonomics – The TVS Wego has a comfortable seating position, upright and not so wide, perfect for pottering around the city. The seating position is different from other scooters and feels well connected and comfortable at the same time. The seat of the TVS Wego is extremely soft and comfortable and it provides a perfect balance for short trips and helps in long journeys too. The grab rail at the back for the pillion to hold is small and is made up of plastic rather then aluminium found in majority of the scooters. Motorcycle derived rear view mirrors are very easy to adjust and offer a good view of what is behind.
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Performance and Gearbox – The TVS Wego is powered by a 109cc, 4-stroke, all aluminum, air-cooled engine that churns out 8 BHP of power at 7500 RPM and 8 Nm of torque at 5500 RPM. Engine is smooth and utterly refined. The engine sounds great at both low revs and high revs. Power delivery is peaky and the throttle responds quickly to your inputs. Low-end torque is satisfactory, but when the gearbox shifts after 40 km/hr, it is in the power band, which takes you all the way to 80 km/hr very quickly. Top speed is around 85 km/hr. This engine and gearbox setup is very similar to the Honda Aviator. We find this setup enjoyable because it gives the scooter fun to ride characteristics.
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Riding Dynamics – The TVS Wego rides on 90 x 90 tyres, which are slapped on 12-inch wheels. The TVS Wego has excellent dynamics but the new entrant, the Yamaha Ray, now stands ahead, but by a slight margin. The chassis is stiff and the engine is a stressed member, it offers massive confidence when pushed into corners. The telescopic suspension has been well executed and the rake and trail is set up perfectly too. It gives an excellent blend of cornering ability, low turning radius and ride quality at the same time. The Wego leans very easily and so low that we found the main stand kissing the ground on various occasions. The Wego remains poised throughout corner and the rear is not soggy like most scooters, which inspires confidence to push the scooter even further.
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Ride quality is excellent at the front and the back too. The 130 mm drum brakes at the rear and the disc brake at the front do a splendid job of slowing you down from higher speeds. Thanks to the compact dimensions and low kerb weight, it stops quickly. The brakes seems excessively powerful for the scooter though. Due to the short wheelbase, maneuvering in the city is a hassle free job. It is extremely nimble and agile in the city, cuts through city traffic in a blink of an eye. TVS patented body balance technology doesn’t let you down while making quick lane changes and doesn’t let you loose control while riding fast on bumpy roads. High speed stability and road holding capability is excellent and there is no wind-blast.
Miscellaneous – The ground clearance of 150 mm is sufficient and even with a pillion, it did not scrape its belly on big speed-breakers or while going fast on smaller ones. Rear view mirrors and side stand come as standard. The foot-board is quite narrow and does not allow many bags to be kept. But then, you can hang longer bags on the hook fixed above, a thing, which is conventionally seen below the seat on most scooters. Indeed a good thing, if you carry edible/fragile stuff and do not want the things to be kicked or tossed around. LED tail light is a segment first and a good move by TVS for enhancing safety on dark highway trips. Headlight throw is excellent and so is the illumination. The patented main stand works well, it is extremely easy to deploy the main stand with minimum effort, a unique feature in the TVS Wego.
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Verdict – There is no doubt that the TVS Wego remains one of the few scooters for the enthusiasts in the market today. Like any other TVS product, the Wego has a smooth engine with good quality material all around. This scooter boasts of excellent fit and finish and now it comes with an optional disc brake. All this and an excellent ride and handling balance to sum up with the VFM price tag, makes it an exceptional choice for scooter enthusiasts.
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What’s Cool
* Dynamics
* Value for money
What’s Not So Cool
* Below average grip from TVS tyres
* No space for full faced helmet
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2013 TVS Wego Specifications
* Engine: 109.7cc, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, OHC
* Power: 8 BHP @ 7500 RPM
* Torque: 8 Nm @ 5500 RPM
* Transmission: V-Matic
* 0 – 60 km/hr: 11 seconds
* Top Speed: 85 km/hr
* Fuel Consumption: 45 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Suspension: Telescopic forks (Front), Unit swing with spring loaded hydraulic damper (Rear)
* Tyres: 90/90/12
* Brakes: 130 mm drum (Front), 130 mm drum (Rear); Front disc (optional extra for Rs. 2800/-)
2013 TVS Wego Dimensions
* Length x Width x Height: 1834 mm x 640 mm x 1115 mm
* Wheelbase: 1275 mm
* Ground Clearance: 150 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 5-litres
* Kerb weight: 105 kgs