I am having an Activa since 3 years.. I would say, in the gearless bike segment, its the best at the moment..
I do have a maruti zen, but I dont know why I like taking out activa almost everytime...
First About what it is--It is a 102cc vehicle, 7 Bhp @ 7000 rpm, good ground clearance.. Even if you go at a speed over the speed-breakers, the base doesn’t touch the ground, except if u have a pillion who is heavier than 100kg. What I love in activa is the pickup. I wont say it has the best pickup but it is decent enough in that range. And coming to the speed, it goes easily upto 80km/hr. At that point, the sound of the engine changes, I dont know why. And the top speed is little more than 90km/hr..
Handling and comfort: Activa’s handling is very comfortable, It is a bit heavy but on road it is easy to handle... n It almosts fits anyone ranging from a dwarf to a giant... And comfort, you get a big seat like a sofa resting your legs in the front, its very comfortable.... But the suspension is not good. And mind, you cannot get a good suspension on a scooter....
Now to the braking.... In the city, it works perfect if you need to break suddenly. If you’re going more than 65-70km/hr and you brake suddenly, you wont fall off but the handle and the front part keeps shivering before coming to halt.....
I dont feel this vehicle is intended for highways.... I always use my zen when I go on long drive but once, when I gave the car to servicing, I had to go by activa
I went to a village with a friend which is about 110km far.... I got bored on the activa for the first time.. I always kept the throttle full and maintained an average speed of 70-75km/hr. You dont get the josh which you can experience with the same thing in city... While coming back, I asked my friend to drive..
And a city drive, its perfect.. You can indeed go anywhere, just hold the brake and the throttle... Even in extreme traffic conditions, I managed to get out... I take the curves, move around, keep going left to right n back, but hey, I abide traffic rules....I always drive between 30-70kmph in the city.
Mileage is average and gives about 35-40km/litre. Hey you might get a bit more if u ride slow and dont accelerate suddenly...
But you gotta be very careful when its raining or the road is wet. Well, I had an accident with this vehicle.About that experience, I was returning home from a place early morning at 6. And the bad thing was it has rained on the previous night and the roads were still wet. It was a small lane and I was throttling up till it reached 60kmph. At that point I moved the handle little left, It was drifting like a car, And down I was, The bike was scrolling before me and I was moving along with the bike. I just got a small injury on my leg as all the impact was taken by my jeans. Though I was injured, it was a nice experience and sure, I had learnt a lesson from it..
And what makes me weird is this start problem in activa, If you take out in chilly early mornings, It doesnt start with self start.. U need to give a manual kick before it starts...
I never got any problem with activa. I give at a local service centre every 4months. And Believe it or not, no single repair on my activa till now...
I would give this a 7/10. It is the best at moment, but there are some modifications which need to be done..
So to people thinking of buying an activa, go ahead, have your easy bike, u will love the hassle-free mainteance and good features of it...