10 reasons why the new TVS Jupiter is a top-class scooter

After years of making waves in its local market, TVS Motors is now looking to take on the world in style. How? Simply by doing what it does best: building capable products and selling them at competitive prices. One two-wheeler that delivers this brief blow on the head is the popular TVS Jupiter. It’s a commuter scooter that has beaten heavyweights like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki in the scooter business in India, selling over 6.5 million units since 2013.

Those are some serious accolades, even more so for the American market, which sees less than 500,000 sales a year nationwide. Technically, more Jupiters are sold in India each year than there are two-wheelers in America in total. Think about that for a moment. So when TVS told TopSpeed ​​that they were giving the scooter a major overhaul and asked us to try it out, we couldn’t help but say yes. And we’re glad we did, because this really is a commuter scooter in a class of its own. After trying it out, here are 10 reasons why.

10 Charming design

A guaranteed eye-catcher

Humans are visual creatures. If you like something you see, you will be drawn to it. So, getting the design right is crucial and that is exactly what TVS has achieved. The Jupiter is a beautiful scooter with muscular lines. Be it the new fender, the ‘Infinity’ daytime running lights or the bold colour options, everything fits perfectly together and is a real head turner. The black rims and the black centre section add an extra dash of sportiness to the scooter.

Colour options for the TVS Jupiter 2024

• Morning blue matt
• Galactic copper matt
• Starlight blue glossy
• Moon white glossy
• Titanium grey matt
• Meteor red glossy

9 Great attention to detail

Wherever you look

A closer look at the design enhances the experience even more. The Infinity LED at the top takes center stage, complete with integrated LED indicators – something you rarely see on bikes, let alone scooters. A similar LED strip is located at the rear, also with integrated indicators. Adding extra pizzazz are a handful of glossy black panels that add to the sporty look. You’ll find these under the daytime running lights and taillight, above the headlight, and on the grab handle. A nice touch considering many brands opt for chrome on their scooters instead.

8 Packed with useful features

And for the comfort of life!

In America, most commuter scooters don’t have many features to draw you in. But the Jupiter is just the ticket. In the center of the instrument panel is a large negative-display LCD instrument cluster, surrounded by indicator lights. This display is equipped with smartphone connectivity, a handy helmet reminder and turn-by-turn navigation, and is easy to read even in bright sunlight.

Then there are the amenities. You get a large under-seat storage area, big enough to fit two half-shell helmets. Don’t try to squeeze one of your full-face helmets in there though. Plus there’s a storage compartment up front, a USB Type-A port and an auto start-stop system. You also get a hazard warning function for the LED indicators. You can either long press the indicator button to turn these on. Or you can brake hard from ~50 km/h and the indicators will turn on by themselves. Both options work well.

7 Available in two versions

Not all functions are standard

As tempting as all these features may sound, they are not standard features. The base model has an analogue instrument cluster, no LED daytime running lights, no LED indicators and no start-stop system. It also has drum brakes at the front and rear. Interestingly, however, the base model has an emergency stop button, which the top variant does not have. From a distance, the base and top models look identical in terms of design, so TVS has not cut corners here.

6 Lively engine

Power: 7.9 hp; Torque: 7.2 lb-ft

Despite its charming design, the TVS Jupiter has a 113cc single-cylinder engine. Performance is, as you might expect, nothing special: 7.9 horsepower and 7.2 pound-feet at the wheel. Power is transmitted to the wheel via a centrifugal clutch and a constant velocity gearbox.

As soon as you twist your wrist, the scooter feels zippy. Its light curb weight allows for spirited performance, enough to display a top speed of 55 mph on the dashboard. However, the optimum is around 35 mph, where the engine feels smooth and composed. If you keep it at this optimum for a long time, you can easily squeeze out over 140 miles per gallon. This is an approximate figure as we didn’t have enough time for a proper fuel efficiency test.

Integrated starter provides more power for a few seconds

The reason for the Jupiter’s peppy acceleration isn’t just the engine. It’s also because of a small hybrid system that deserves its own entry. Basically, there’s an integrated starter generator that uses engine power to charge the battery, and uses the charge to boost power for seven seconds. It’s similar to how hybrid cars work (or the Kawasaki Ninja 7 HEV), but on a smaller scale.

This is a completely automatic process and when the ISG is ready to do its job, ‘Assist Available’ is displayed on the dashboard. TVS claims this feature helps owners overtake quicker and climb steep hills more easily. We tried very hard to find out what difference the assist makes, but it was almost always available. That just goes to show how quickly the ISG ramps up to ensure you have that extra helping hand at all times.

4 Simple chassis but agile driving dynamics

Front suspension: telescopic fork; rear suspension: monoshock

Short wheelbase, low weight, narrow tires – these are all ingredients for a good-handling two-wheeler. And that’s exactly what the Jupiter offers. It’s super agile when changing direction, but never feels shaky or wobbly (which you’d expect from a scooter). We tried to test its limits on the TVS test track and there wasn’t a single moment when the Jupiter got nervous. Even at over 80 km/h leaning.

Praise also goes to the well-tuned suspension, which felt neither too soft nor too hard. Plus, the fuel tank sits right under your feet at the front to ensure a low center of gravity. The tarmac we drove on was pretty smooth, though, so a real-world test with bumps and speed bumps will tell the full story. The turning radius is small – perfect for changing lanes.

3 Comfortable and spacious seating position

Driving all day? Shouldn’t be a problem

Many of its customers wouldn’t be pushing the Jupiter through twisty corners. Instead, you’ll be zipping back and forth in traffic. That’s when the comfortable riding triangle will feel like a blessing. The seat is long and well padded, the handlebars are plenty wide, and the footboard is long enough even if you wear clunky riding boots (like us).

When braking, you can easily stamp your feet, even for short riders (between 1.57 and 1.65 m). When stationary, the scooter is easy to move thanks to its light weight. And the mirrors are wide so you can see everything you leave behind.

2 Stops on the spot

Front brake: 220 mm petal disc; Rear brake: drum

As for the brakes, the Jupiter has a 220mm disc brake which is almost unbeatable in its class. It works well and has enough bite to bring you to a quick stop even from top speed. However, the rear brake felt a bit weak even with the combo brake feature. We tried all the combinations – front brake only, rear brake only and both brakes together – and the third one worked the best. Also worth a special mention are TVS’s in-house developed tyres which offer a surprising amount of grip. Even when we braked really hard, there was no squeal or screech from the rubber.

1 Final thoughts on TVS Jupiter 2024

Overall, the new TVS Jupiter is a likeable scooter that we can only recommend. The only problem, however, is that the Indian giant has yet to set foot in America. That’s a shame, because TVS has some really capable products that could do wonders here and take on some big names. Just look at the Jupiter itself; it can serve as a cheaper alternative to the ageing Honda PCX, Honda Metropolitan or Yamaha Zuma.

However, we know that TVS is working hard to expand its global presence – a goal we’ve had for some time. Europe and the UK are already getting some products this year, and we think America could be next once everything is sorted out. Stay tuned Top speed as we will try to get an official offer from the bike manufacturer soon!