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S. Muralidhar

AFTER fighting the might of the Honda scooters Activa and Dio, the smartly designed Kinetic Nova has now come back into the market with a new set of stripes and a brand new, bigger four-stroke mill in its belly.

But before we get into the details about what is different with the Nova 135, a bit about what has remained the same.

The smart design and well-built looks of the Nova continues to be the same with the new Nova 135, one of the better efforts by Kinetic. In terms of external dimensions, the Nova 135 is identical to its predecessor.

Its electricals, chassis and suspension set-up have also been carried forward from the older Nova DLX, except that the front suspension has been tweaked and now boasts of a slightly longer stroke for an improved ride quality.

In terms of looks, the Nova 135 comes with dual tone paint in young colours and if anything, the paint job is better than ever and the configuration highlights the Nova design theme. The instrument panel is neatly laid out and has, as in the Nova DLX, the addition of the mileage expert's indicators. The headlamp, the tail-lamp and turn indicators are all the same old set-up.

Kinetic's simple logic behind coming up with a new version of the Nova with a bigger engine was to offer more choice to the customer who may want more power and quicker pick-up. And the Nova 135 should satisfy that need and better still offer more style at the same time. There may not be too many scooter buyers out there who will need more power and are willing to compromise on the mileage.

Compared to the older version's smaller, 113.5cc engine, the new four-stroke, single cylinder, 134.8cc engine of the Nova 135 generates a respectable peak power of 8.65bhp at 6,500 rpm.

The interesting point about the Nova 135's engine configuration is that the power range between 7.5bhp and the peak of 8.65bhp is achieved in a large rev band of 5,000 rpm to 7,000 rpm. This enables the scooter to come up with a sprightly performance within a short time span.

Another important plus with the Nova's 135cc engine is the flatter torque curve that enables the available torque to stay well within the 9Nm to 10Nm range right from as low as 3,000 rpm to the 6,000 rpm level. Peak torque of 10.09 Nm is achieved at 4,500 rpm.

This low torque engine is as a result able to come with smoother, quicker acceleration and also eventually goes on to score well even in the mileage department. The Nova 135 also features the same dual-mapped ignition and the throttle sensor driven mileage expert that gives out an audible signal every time the rider is crossing into the uneconomical (low mileage) range, in addition to a display in the instrument panel that lights up a down or up arrow.

The audio signal did not work in our test vehicle, but the indicators did. Other improvements and additions include the bigger, 130mm drum brakes at the front to handle the increase in power better, the new silencer and air-cleaner for lower noise levels, an automatic night-time light in the storage box below the seat and a mobile charging point. Puncture resistant tyres and foldable foot pegs for the pillion are part of standard fitment.

The Nova 135 should be a good, more powerful alternative for buyers who were considering the older Nova DLX or EX. Mileage will, however be a tad lower at about 45 kmpl in city-riding conditions.

It also costs only a couple of grand more than the earlier version.

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