My Ashok Leyland Stag (Customized)

[mukeshus]

How did i miss this thread.
Nicely customised Mini Bus Raj.
The side lights of bus reminds me of Volvo in the night.
But the front headlamp with blue is not that good.
Laser show in the bus, Is the first time i am seeing.
Good Raj that the bus has been built according to customer's taste.
The ICE setup looks tempting.

 

[raj_5004]

thanks mukesh.

I dont mind the 3 orange lights on the side body or the 2 orange lights on the roof but the colourful lights running low across the body are not to my taste. sadly, even thats needed!!!

also, even our bigger buses have 4 red lights on the four lower corners to help the driver & cleaner judge the corners while parking in dark spots. so they prove to be useful too.

coming to the headlights, they city lights change colour from blue to purple... imagine that, how wannabe!

the ICE is the best part of the setup. also, the automatic doors & bonnet "look" good.

 

[sriharsha]

exterior is jink-chak styling. but to be frank, i really loved the interior laser lights. converts the bus to a mini disco.

 

[mukeshus]

Hey raj , the sub JBL look's the same you had in car earlier(Tube type).
Is it the same one?

 

[raj_5004]

@ Sriharsha: thanks buddy.

@ mukesh: do you mean i fitted the same sub that i had in my scorpio? no buddy, i had a CS1210T whereas this one is a CS1215T. i sold that basstube when i bought the GZ for my car.





Did i mention that i drove the mini bus? some interesting points i observed:

1) The clutch is really smooth, maybe because the bus is new.

2) the gear shift is really hard. yes, its synchromesh.

3) the bus has air brakes. every time you press the brakes, a "whoosh" sound comes!

4) there are air pressure meters on the instrument panel. you dont move the bus till the meter reads 6 or more. below that the brakes wont work effectively. to fill air, you idle the engine or the faster way is to rev the engine.

5) power steering is really light & surprisingly direct.

6) seat has adjust for height, tilt & length!

7) the view from the seat is outstanding!

8) the torque is amazing. you dont really need to rev the engine to move the bus. just leave the clutch & the bus moves! that too in second!

9) coming to that, the bus has 4 gears (bigger viking buses has 5 gears), though only 3 is used. the first gear is called the "load gear" & is used only in trucks with heavy load (or overloaded bus) or on inclines. so normally, its started from 2nd gear & i am told thats a norm!

10) to switch off the bus, you need to pull up the key slightly & not twist it! by twisting it, you switch on the city/pilot lights! (the bigger vikings have a lever on the bonnet which needs to be pulled to switch off the engine whereas in older tata buses/trucks, you need to pull the accelerator lever upwards). the mini bus has a push start button (found on the nissan micra & expensive BMWs... LOL) whereas the bigger vikings have a twist key start like our cars.

 

[Akash]

I love the exterior works. Even the interior works look great. The laser lights may not be looking good to all but to me its looking exclusive.

 

[mukeshus]

No i meant, you fitted the same sub(Same specification) as in your Scorpio earlier.
Hey Raj did you drove the Stag, How was the feeling?
Even the torque in Scorpio is same, Just releasing of clutch the vehicle move's.
And how many kms you drove.
Did you feel you were driving a monster.?

And i guess you don't have a HMV liecense??
The license for HMV can be(applied) obtained after 3 years of driving experience of LMV's.

 

[raj_5004]

Mukesh, i dont have a heavy vehicle license, i barely took a small round. the feeling was awesome, in short words!

i have 6 yrs of driving experience on paper (actually i have been driving for more than 15 years now), so i can apply for HMV license but the sad part is it has to be renewed every 3 years & i dont want to get into all that hassles. also, a 'badge' is required to drive a HMV which comes along with the license.

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

I still feel the bus seems incomplete without an air-con. What's a discotheque without a ventilation system?

 

[raj_5004]

@ arkin: when you get into this field, you will realize that you build buses as per the demand or customer requirements & not according to what you feel or like. its after all, not YOU who will be travelling in this vehicle.

secondly, think from a business prospective. to install an AC, i need to invest Rs. 4 lakhs more and if i dont get AC trips, that money goes down the drain. in kerela, people dont generally ask for AC buses. the rent or fare of a mini bus should ideally be very less than that of the bigger buses. so this bus has no air suspension or AC. and thats the case with every travel company & not just us.

As i said, our next bus would be an AC. we know that it wont get many trips & wont prove to be much profitable but then we do want atleast one AC bus in our lineup.

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

Yep arkin is sort of kid in business term!

In any field one must go according to your customer requirement .

Even i can import original mugen bodykits .Any takers?? 99.99% of them prefer replica kit.


If raj wold be in my place , he would have 50 50 ac bus .
Because almost more than half of people here prefer ac van , and surrounding village groups prefer non ac vans.

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

@ arkin: when you get into this field, you will realize that you build buses as per the demand or customer requirements & not according to what you feel or like. its after all, not YOU who will be travelling in this vehicle.

secondly, think from a business prospective. to install an AC, i need to invest Rs. 4 lakhs more and if i dont get AC trips, that money goes down the drain. in kerela, people dont generally ask for AC buses. the rent or fare of a mini bus should ideally be very less than that of the bigger buses. so this bus has no air suspension or AC. and thats the case with every travel company & not just us.

As i said, our next bus would be an AC. we know that it wont get many trips & wont prove to be much profitable but then we do want atleast one AC bus in our lineup.

Thank you Raj. You have given me a an in-depth outlook of the Kerala tourist bus/van business. I just said I felt it was strange, not essentially that I thought it is strange considering your scenario.

Yep arkin is sort of kid in business term!

In any field one must go according to your customer requirement .

Even i can import original mugen bodykits .Any takers?? 99.99% of them prefer replica kit.


If raj wold be in my place , he would have 50 50 ac bus .
Because almost more than half of people here prefer ac van , and surrounding village groups prefer non ac vans.

Yes, I'm still sort of an amateur.

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

No no , you are not stupid , In learning stages .

after learning , when you enter into business its totally a different world. where its kinda forced in some cases .

When you grow and take up a business by chance you'll learn for sure.

Till then enjoy the pressure free life!


Lets not go further ot in raj's thread.

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

No no , you are not stupid , In learning stages .


Till then enjoy the pressure free life!


Lets not go further ot in raj's thread.

I agree. Thanks anyway.

 

[cooldhaya]

Hey Raj your bus is looking awesome and its just looking almost the same as the other buses. Good job done by them.


I actually liked the laser show inside , kinda gives a discotheque feel. Maybe only the exteriors are overdone but not too bad either!

The interiors seat covers and the general overall quality is also looking great.

And finally i learnt a few things about buses and their driving habits thanks to you.