C ute, toy-like, peppy. These are some of the first words that might occur to one when thinking of Bajaj Sunny scooters, but there’s a fourth word as well – reliable.
Many might remember the ad in which a nervous young woman, helped by her gentleman friend, takes a bright blue scooter for a spin. She stumbles a little but soon gets the hang of it and zooms by. She offers another boy on the way a lift, leaving her friend disappointed. “Easy come. Easy go”, went the tag line, as the friend throws up his hands in indignation.
This ad for Bajaj Sunny Zip, conceived by advertising agency Contract, was not just an ad for a scooter, but it portrayed a younger, more progressive mindset. It said that the woman didn’t owe her friend an explanation or an apology just because he helped her ride a bike. It said that she was free to chart her own path.
But the Sunny Zip, launched in 1997, was not the original. It was the 60cc sequel to the Bajaj Sunny, which had hit the market in 1990, before India’s markets opened up and ushered in the era of economic liberalisation.
The 50cc Bajaj Sunny was targetted at 16-18 year olds who could drive non-geared automatic vehicles on a learner’s licence. Recall its famous print ad that featured a young Sachin Tendulkar sprawled on the scooter, with the line “Ride the red hot super looker teen machine” above and the master blaster’s signature below.
It would be unfair to limit its appeal to sharp advertising though. The lightweight scooter with a single automatic gear was easy to manouvere and balance on, and it wasn’t going to burn a hole in the pocket, both of which made it an obvious choice for learners.
Niranjana Mehta, a Mumbai-based chartered accountant, was one among many who chose the Bajaj Sunny to learn on. “Chetak and Vespa were simply too heavy to handle,” she recalls. “In college, I asked a friend to teach me how to ride a scooter, which happened to be a Bajaj Sunny. He told me to just sit on it and ride it, and I did!”
At around 50 kmpl the scooter also gave good mileage. “Back in the day, one litre of petrol at about Rs 27 would last me one whole week!” Mehta chuckles.
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Luna did not offer the storage space or the aesthetically pleasing value of the Bajaj Sunny, which came to be seen as a lighter, better-looking alternative to the moped.
By the turn of the millennium, India had tasted a few years of globalisation, the options were many more and pockets were deeper than they had been. Bajaj discontinued the Sunny Zip in the year 2000.
But even today, if you ask someone who was a young adult in the 1990s, chances are they will tell you that the Bajaj Sunny gave many of them their first taste of freedom.
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I request Bajaj to again manufactuer Bajaj sunny
Bajaj manufactures should come up with a vehicle as tiny as bajaj sunny with activa features.
I remembered after completing my Engineering, I came back to my town and had a crush with a girl. I have only a bicycle to meet her during her school going and returning back. She had a Red coloured sunny zip and came to my street in evening and signalled me to come during his tution classes…I just sit behind her and after crossing my sector I take over sunny and drive with my girlfriend at the back…I drove that machine first time ever after bicycle and it was so easy to drive at first time… I request Bajaj motors to launch it again to our school/college going children rangIng 15 to 18 years who cannot take licence before attaining compulsory age of 18 years and the coaching classes in cities are more far and in interior not linked by buses. Since these classes are ran till late evening sunny may provide security and safe passage to our children with modern technological advancement of smart technology..Google maps etc.. It may help to Physically Handicapped persons also to drive a light vehicle without getting licence. I humbly requested Bajaj to relaunch it .
It is certainly true. Very handy an tiny one. Would like to know whether we could get spare from authentic stores
Even though today Bajaj Sunny is not to be seen around, many young college going girls, professionals like lady teachers ,
middle-aged housewives for their shopping and marketing purposes combined with the emergent situations which arises can definitely make use of.
I am sure these may be looking to get Bajaj Sunny back with its same old Majestic size & look suitable for less heighted females.
Very specially I would like to say that it will be a great option for all those Indian females who are blessed with their height ranging 4 to 5 feet.
Bajaj Sunny was the most spacious scooter at that time. Grocery owners used to carry number of big bags to and from their godowns. Unfortunately the build quality was so poor that not a single is visible today.