BS6 stands for Bharat Stage 6. It refers to emission standards currently in place in India and comes close to Euro6, but with some tweaks to match Indian conditions.
Great review Ian, thank you. I went in a Tuk Tuk in Amritsar, pretty terrifying. There were five of us and two were going to wait for another one. The driver assured us "no problem you can all fit in".. and we did!
A few years ago, I had a Tuk Tuk ride in Hyderabad, India. I loved the experience, it being both hilarious and terrifying in equal measures. Hurtling down a dual carriageway with a concrete barrier on one side and an Indian bus, complete with exterior passenger's, on the other side, with about 4" clearance on each side was a highlight. Other highlight was jostling with other Tuk Tuks for pole position at the lights, awaiting the start of the Wacky Races
Basically in India, the Auto-rickshaw(TUK TUK) works as an end-to-end medium of transport. In remote and rural locations where you won't find any kind of Taxi, cab, or Govt bus services, the TU-TUK plays a major role.
I used to own a Bajaj Chetak 4t scooter. Bajaj vehicles are superb at what they are- low cost transportation. The dealer I used to get parts from had an RE for local parts delivery.
@@abhay17381 i just commented for people who think indians can’t buy performance vehicles if it was priced around 40-45 lac then it would’ve been everywhere like fortuner 😂
There were a couple of Invacars in the village I grew up in. One was driven (Piloted would be better) by a former Spitfire Pilot who lost one leg and one arm during the Battle of Britain. The other was driven by a former Tank Commander who had lost his legs in the Western Desert. The former Pilot had his Squadron markings and roundel painted on his, he also had the tiller steering. The Tanky had his tanks name and battalion/troop markings on his. These two loved their 'CC's (you fill in the, now very offensive, words, not mine but theirs way back) and used to fight the Battle of Britain or Romel's push at least once a week. They always had time for us Kids who showed them respect (those that didn't soon found that a walking stick across the arse at 30mph hurt!). When one died the other lost heart and the final straw for him was when the Govt took the three wheeler away. He then lost his independence and mobility. They were badly named but they gave so much freedom to so many brave men and women. This little blue wonder brings back so many happy memories of two wonderful Gents battering around the village with shouts of 'Tally-Ho' and 'Run Romel, RUN' eminating from the cabins, both trying to ambush the other, to the quiet times when you would find them sitting quietly watching the time pass and be open to tell War Stories to anyone who had the time to listen. Gods I miss the 1970's at times! Thank you for saving this little Blue Beast, Thank you for using her and thank you for posting these videos.
Great story, Douglas - thank you! I take it 'CC' stood for 'Something Chariot', and that the 'something' rhymed with that yummy raspberry ice cream with the streaks in it. Truly, the best of times and the worst of times.
Loved the draw handle starter on the Bajaj! Last century, on my honeymoon, my wife Jane and I had so many amazing trips in India thanks to an earlier version and the most brilliant guide!
@fredriklarsson8105 I also heard somewhere around where you live is a Lund University. No Indian student ever goes there becuase in Hindi which is quite common in India, a Lund is a prick.
My great grandad owned 1 because he had a bad leg after retiring as a postman. Was known as the local nutcase because he loved to rag the hell out the invovar
Regarding the use of Tuk Tuks in terrains like this, as someone from Kerala I can confirm that we use these regularly in hilly areas like these and also during the rainy season.
Been in a good many tuk tuks in Thailand. Some in Bangkok are fitted with what i believe are motorcycle engines with upswept exhausts, wide mag wheels etc. Their drivers love to rev them in traffic. Exciting stuff.
@@peakfreans68 Thanks for that. You've reminded me now. I subscribe to a Thailand channel run by an American guy married to a Thai lady and his father in law has a business manufacturing tuk tuks. He imports second hand engines from Japan and then they refurbish them in house.
I'm Aussie but living in Cagayan de Oro City Mindanao Philippines. The Bajaj RE is quite a popular vehicle in the urban areas here. It's the vehicle used by the maintenance staff in the subdivision I live in and in many of the other subdivisions in our suburb. Sometimes they ferry people around here too. I often see the one here with massive amounts of tree branches lashed to the roof, as trimming trees is done by the maintenance staff. They are also used as public transport in the city and also (possibly illegally) out on the highway. I really wanted one but my Filipina wife said that it's too dangerous for me to drive here. She is probably right! The roads are full of motorcycles and scooters, as well as taxis, vans carrying passengers, the famous Jeepneys, motorelas (basically a motorcycle with a long passenger compartment on the rear), pedicabs (yeah bicycle version of a tuk tuk), poorly maintained trucks and all sorts of cars from the ancient to the modern. I really miss being able to drive but I can't get into trouble if I don't!
I totally agree Ian... Exactly... When I'm out and about I drive a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer with hand controls and get about in a sports manual wheelchair, which I lift over my knee and place on the passenger seat. Back in the days of Invacars, I remember all sorts of weird and amazingly scary "invalid carriages".... (Phil - Lancashire)
Hi Phil is using the hand controls easier or harder than the traditional foot pedals presuming you was able bodied at some point? Just curious how it feels to drive a car purely with your hands? I imagine the Zafira is perfect for you as a wheelchair user due to the big boot, high roof space etc? Also just a curious question how do you transfer yourself from wheelchair and drivers seat? Something I’d like to know but I can’t see myself approaching a complete stranger in a wheelchair and asking them to show me a example of how they do it😂
@@matty6848 Great questions Matt. I'm quite strong upper body and my sports manual chair is very lightweight. I transfer using pulling, sliding and lifting. It's a technique you are taught then adapt it to your own abilities and the type of vehicle. Yes the Zafira Tourer is excellent because the doors are high and the seat height is adjustable. My hand controls are Jeff Gosling pull to accelerate and push to brake. I always use the cruise control too. I can't actually remember driving with my feet as it was 14 years ago that I became paralysed. All I can say is that it is just as easy to drive as far as I can remember. Many thanks. Phil
Ian I applaud you for that piece you said about how badly wheelchair users are treated. My late wife Carolyn loved her cars, some shit boxes and others real classics, she was one of the very select few I felt comfortable being a passenger with. Once she realised her MS would make her a danger on the road she made sure we had "enjoyable cars" through Motability that I could transport her in with some sense of dignity.
Motability used to be a great charity but sadly now like many other big charities they’ve become more a money spinning business than a charity. Especially as the CEO is on 300,000 a year. Totally unacceptable. Glad that your late wife had good experiences with them thought, lovely👍
@@matty6848 the cap on the price of cars under the scheme is ridiculous too. If you can afford the lease fee what’s wrong with getting yourself a nice one? It’s not as if the component coming from DLA/PIP gets any bigger.
The trouble is though since they got rid of the invacars ,the mobility scheme has been abused by fakers to get a free brand new lease car every three years . They should of brought out a safe 4 wheel modern Invacar ,to deter fakers from abusing the mobility scheme to get a free car . This would leave more funding for genuine disabled drivers ,& put a stop to the abuse of the system .
Hello Ian, thank you for this roadtest. I have a Sri lankan wife and when we were in Sri Lanka we were often passangers in a tuc tuc. I really enjoyed it. Still there are existing lots of the two stroke engines. The new four stroke engine versions are much more comfortable. Diesel versions I saw only from Piaggio. One time my wife went into the city center in one like that. So thank you again to show those impressions.
WANT! The TUK TUK! 😍 I think I have said before, a friend of mine - both his parents had polio back in the day. This chap is in his 70's now. Both parents eventually had Invacars and he used to ride in the wheelchair space (although he shouldn't have). Everyone turned a blind eye. They used to go on holiday and it was inevitable that one or the other Invacar would break down, so there was much waiting around for the AA. However, it was a massive improvement upon their previous transport which was like a very odd hand-pedalled bath chair which was kind of like a bicycle. Big, black metal thing. These things fascinate me given I am disabled myself, although I can walk a bit, its not far. I have a mobility scooter and I love it. Years ago I rode a Honda Shadow, I liked motorbikes and I like planes but not keen on cars. Anyway I'll stop gassing I do really love that TUK TUK its the sort of crazy thing that appeals to me. My friend wrote a book about his parents which goes into their holidays in the Invacars, "Live Eels & Grand Pianos" by Andrew Bradford. Its a short read but very good.
BS are the parameters of ethnol blending in fuel. If it's BS3 or BS4 it mean less ethnol then BS6. INDIAN car makers have to make engines as par current fuel requirement.
@@Pu-nishant I never knew about that, I've always thought it's just an emission regulation based on carbon dioxide emissions similar to the european ones. What types of Ethanol blend are available in India? Rarely have i heard about flexible fuel vehicles appearing over there.
What I like about the Invacar is how it shows that motoring could be so simple and basic - and still it gives you all the freedom to travel wherever you want, whenever you want. It's like the ultimate "reduce to the max" approach! I'd love some modern cars to concentrate more on this vital aspect again, instead of getting bigger and heavier with every generation!
I think the E in RE stands for Electric Start. For most of its existence, the auto rickshaw has required two or three pulls on the left hand lever to get the engine turning over. The comparative peace and quiet may be due to it being a four stroke, rather than the traditional 200cc two stroke scooter engine. I have had some mad adventures with these things in India!
In Delhi they're all four strokes now. One of the authorities' largely futile attempts to reduce air pollution. My final visit to Delhi was in 2012 because I can no longer breathe the air there. If I visit India again it might be to Kerala where I think the air is cleaner.
RE means Rear Engine beacause early tuk tuks were Lambretta ones in India which has their engine under the driver seat and were called front engine ones.
The tuk-tuk would be better with a CVT transmission I feel. Too much risk of losing momentum with the cumbersome manual set-up, especially considering the size of the engine. Great comparison, many thanks for sharing Ian 😀
@@jurivlk5433 true, but given how complex the gear change process is there’s too much risk in losing precious momentum whilst trying to operate the system. Perhaps the best solution is to increase the cc rating to 350cc to address the loss of performance with the CVT.
@@kevinwhelan8126 Yes, of course. The power output is very low, a motorcycle 4-stroke engine can with make 20 hp without being a high-rever like the early Honda twins with 125 cc and 18 hp I had. But Vespa seems to love ridiculously low powered engines. The 50 cc Vespa Ape have under 3hp and still move. Maybe the real values are higher than on paper. And last but not least, Piaggio is an expert on CVT's with its millions and millions of mopeds build with Ciao, Bravo, Sí, Gilera, Boxer Variomatic.
With heavy load manual works good it's cheaper for repair more mileage. Overall easy on owner pocket. Which is actually the purpose. In India they charge only 5 to 10rs in tier2 cities and in tourism kind of cities they charge like 1 or 2usd$.
Mate, as an Indian and a fellow motoring journalist, I gotta be honest. I thoroughly enjoyed your review! I’m glad you got many of the facts of this “Buh-jhaaj” right 😂 JK. I have driven/ridden the two-stroke and four-stroke ones a couple of times. Not to mention, I’ve always been a fan of British humour. Keep it up, mate. Subscribed!
Had the best experience in a Tuk Tuk in India on a school trip back in the mid-80s. There were six of us at a market at we all wanted to ride together back to where we were staying, so I was tasked with finding someone willing to do so. The guy I found clearly though we were both fellow outlaws and promptly tried to sell me drugs (samples of which, he assured me, he had on his person) - which I politely declined. But, true to his word, he put three of us on the rear bench, with the other three on our laps. This all went well until we got to a VERY busy main road with multiple lanes, so instead of trying to turn into the correct lane he just drove down the wrong side of the road until the heavy trucks coming the other way and leaning on their horns forced him to continue, at speed, along the footpath with pedestrians leaping out of the way and hurling abuse. Somehow we made it intact, and I paid the man, laughing hysterically, as the girls ran to their room in terror. Hell of a ride!
Given the age, the Invacar stands up very well to that comparison. Just slightly disappointed we don't have the tug of war or quarter mile drag race some channels insist upon...
Great video Ian. I was amazed at how quiet the Bajaj seems in the front and wonder how noisy it is in the back for the punters? Seemed pretty stable as well and is probably even better with a couple of passengers. Would love to do a UK road trip in either TWC or the Bajaj.
@@MrAnanthaP the newer 4 stroke bajajs are always pretty quite (at least by Indian standards) because of BS6. The older 2 stroke ones on the other hand can wake up a whole neighbourhood 😂
I saw a tuk tuk converted to a motor home a while back, Do I see a motorhome would miss hubnut be happy with it!! Great comparison of two innovative vehicle's.
Great video Ian, I was quite surprised how smooth the tuc tuc was, it seemed more refined than I imagined it would be.. Also great to see twc out as well, it's a great little car. Keep up the videos. All the best Barry. 🙂👍
That BS6 sticker at the front refers to the latest Indian emission standard that came into effect last year. Bajaj manufactures most of the small cc variants for KTM for example. They also make Husqvarna motorcycles.
You could have been testing roller skates vs in-line skate Ian it wouldn't have mattered your delight and enthusiasm to be back out there testing was evident - lets hope as things get relaxed you can do more of interesting stuff like this
Ah, now that you showed it in detail, I finally understand how the door mechanism in TWC works. Thanks for that! Now that TWC has it´s window back I finally see the heater pipes had been reinstalled. Interesting times :)
I don't care that you can't take Passengers with you I love Tuc the Invacar, Iwish I had One in the Netherlands, the adventures you can have with Tuc is fantastic. It's Design looks something from the 50's I know it isn't, but still a wonderful thing!!! kind regards Akko
TWC has to be the most famous Invacar in the world. One of my my Mum's clients back in the 1980s had one. It was the first one I ever saw . So iconic. Love the Tuk-Tuk. I wonder how much they retail for?
In India Tuk Tuks are avilable in Petrol and CNG (256 cc ) and also the most commonly used is the Diesel (470cc) with fuel efficiency of around 40 kmpl (94mpg)
I remember going in a Tuk Tuk when I was on a caravan holiday with my family years ago in Cornwall as in the nearby village to our campsite, Kilkhampton the recently opened Ape Pizza shop had a Tuk Tuk as their delivery vehicle and we asked the owner if we could have a ride in it. I will have to keep a look out for this Tuk Tuk when we can go back on holiday as we occasionally visit Tenby and Saunders Foot as we stay at the Well Park campsite at New Hedges.
It's proof that you can have very nice sounding single cylinder engines though! The one thing I still want to see (and most importantly hear) one day is a chainsaw engine with a 50cc Vespa muffler though. Chainsaw engines are one of the most annoying noises ever for me and I'd love to hear what the Vespa muffler does about that!
@@Ragnar8504 You're absolutely right. 2 stroke engines usually make a horrendous racket with the exception of the engine in a Vespa. There are many single cylinder engines that do sound nice though. I'm thinking of my Lister D as being one of them.
@@Endfloat Chainsaw engines are generally piston ported and tuned for high RPM, and have tiny little rectagular muffler with minimal engine mufflering. Vespa Scooter engines are bigger than most chainsaw engines. Vespa's rotary valve engine is tuned for low RPM torque and is mildly tuned for a broad power curve. They also have a longer exhaust pipe and bigger muffler. so lower engine tone. I've also previously owned 3 SAAB 2 strokes, so I do have a bit of two-stroke operation lore.
@@TaUncFester Interesting! Honestly I know hardly anything about 2 stroke engines. One of the 2 strokes I found interesting was the 1930s marine engine that Mustie1 did up a few months back. That's worth a look if you haven't seen it.
Excellent video! I remember an old lady near my grandparents house had one and as a kid I always thought they would be hilarious to nip around in. One day she over took our slow moving bus and the driver laughed as she was giving it the beans. 😂😂 People often talk about important cars in history, but I these are just as important as it gave freedom to people who would otherwise not be able to move around so freely. 👍🏻 Anyway, enough of my waffle...love the channel! 👌🏻
It's not actually tuk tuk...we indians used to say auto or autorikshaw....but I love this vehicle too much ...its main highlight is more milage in diesel and low maintenance and durability in even rough conditions....thanks brother to show this vehicle to your country too....lots of love from india..🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🙏🙏
Don't know if anyone else already stated this honestly no one in india call it a tuk tuk. We just call them autos, rickshaws or just auto rickshaw. Tuk tuk is a phrase used in other east asian countries.
I think Irish motorways still have signs telling you you aren't allowed to use them in an invalid carriage, at least they did in 2008. Honestly, I found those signs quite amazing, everywhere else in Europe you're just supposed to know whether you're allowed to use the motorway or not (only in motor vehicles with a design speed of 60 kmph or more, although I'm not sure if a modern tractor would be allowed, even though they can go reasonably fast as far as tractors go). My youngest brother knows someone who was caught in a tractor on the motorway, at age 15 and drunk. Got in a bit of trouble for the drunk driving and the tractor on the motorway! Did have a proper licence, agricultural vehicles can be driven quite early in Austria. The licence was gone after the incident of course.
Class video. I like the dodgem car styling of the front of the TukTuk. I have never seen one in the UK and assumed they were not permitted to be imported, but I have just googled and there are actually quite a few of them about. I shall have to go back to Leicester where there is a company which uses them as taxis!!!
Great video Ian, I was waiting for this duel since I started to watch the Invacar project videos! Btw when it comes to the bad treating of wheelchair users in the old days, check out Velorex. This Czechoslowakian-made, leatherette-covered, frightening little three-wheeled thing was what the Hungarian government used to give to disabled people. The Invacar would be like a Rolls-Royce next to it!
We have similar vehicles here but they are half bike's, some exposed some enclosed, they are made in china, they are Delivery cargo tricycles, food delivery and mail services used them, some are 200cc 1 cylinder, and the newest are electric and they go very well.
I do think it would. I know someone who was in a bad accident in a Renault R4, three people I think. Two wore seatbelts and were badly injured, one didn't and flew through the windscreen and died.
In the 1980s there was a company in Hay Mills, Birmingham which had the contract to maintain Invacars for the government. My company used to fix the heating systems in the workshops there, and whenever we visited there were dozens, if not hundreds of them in there, all blue and identical. I believe in many cases if one came in for repair they just gave the driver an exchange one, but there was one young disabled chap who insisted on keeping the same one, as he'd fitted a sunstrip in the windscreen, as was the fashion in those days, with his name on it, or rather his self-styled nickname 'Supacrip'. I always thought what a lovely chap he must have been, and how by doing that he was completely taking the wind out of the sales of any moron tempted to make fun of him!
I worked at a garage in Dorset that had a contract to repair them. The area covered from Bournemouth to Exeter, so they were always exchanged when repairs or maintenance were needed. The Ministry of Health as it was then would not pay a double journey to return it after repair. They were steam cleaned inside and set up ready for the next user. Only locals could keep the same one. We had a trailer made with a flat bed, to remove the difficulty in lining up three ramps. Like your repairer, we had a yard of them all lined up.
Imagine being an Indian waiting for a taxi and suddenly you see a tuktuk racing down the road... I would very much like to be there to see the expression on their face. 😂😂
This was a HOOT! In a way it is too bad you were solo. Would have been fun to see Tuk Tuk with the added weight of passengers, although I suspect progress would have made a glacier look like Speedy Gonzalez up hill
When you got to 70mph Ian is part of my daily commute on the A23. I have a trackered van where I have to constantly brake to maintain 60 mph. Brilliant video & many thanks for the entertainment.
I feel the advancement of conversion control kits on modern cars has greatly improved the quality of life for people who may not be physically mobile, i worked on a few customers cars who have had these done, and i cant imagine the joy people feel of being able to get around without having to depend on a service, the feeling of joy that i take for granted
