Having taken my 2 wheeler license very lately (10 years after taking 4 wheeler), i was looking for a suitable gearless scooter. Obviously my first choice was Honda activa & 9 out of 10 people recommended for activa.I wanted a new model.So I started googling and shortlisted on 3 scooters. Honda Aviator, Access 125 & pleasure. Pleasure seemed to be a bit Girly, so I removed it from list.So I checked Aviator, looked good during test ride. But really didn’t liked the shape.
Found access more appealing terms of ergonomics.Then I went to access showroom.To my disappointment, I found that the suzuki guys are not offering a test ride. They were saying that the product is selling good even without an ad. Then I started consulting my friends & read several forums including MouthShut_Official to see which one would suit more for a beginner like me.Also I had to ascend 2-3 inclines before reaching home. So I thought it would be better idea to buy a scooter with more power. So I finally booked the access on sept 3rd’09 from kaimanam suzuki, trivandrum.
Initially they told me that it would take at least 1 month to get the vehicle without any color preference and around 2-3 months for the red one. As I was paying in ready cash they gave me an option for a blue (Euclase silver) vehicle which was booked by someone else but the poor guy was rejected by the financiers. So finally I took my access home on 9th sept 2009 for 52k.
I purchased the scooter for my daily commute to office which is 38 KM run up & down.After 1 year I have
completed around 8000 KMS and 5 services.
Handling and Control:
I was very impressed intially & now also because of the control I am getting in lower speeds in the bumper-to-bumper traffic.Even at 5km/h, the scooter is steady and well balanced without the need for stretching out your legs to balance.In the intial days I use to love the traffic lights. When the signal turns
green, there goes my access..vrooom beating literally all in competition, at least for the next 500
metres.:-) .Anyway nowadays I am not doing it as somebody told me that it will reduce engine efficiency
if you accelerate unevenly.The pickup is amazing.And on curves, the control is perfect & well balanced.
The max speed I had tried is 70. I wasnt very comfortable after that.The wind was really dragging me to
the sides after 70
Regarding Braking, in the past 2 services I had to ask the service guys to tighten the rear brakes as I use them more. Its much more effective if you use the front & rear brakes together. And I never had a chance of not stopping the scooter when I desired to.
Comfort:
This is one area where the scooter needs more imprvement. Definitely there is good comfort on the
handle with the telescopic front forks and you wont feel pot holes on your hand. But the rear side shock
absorbers need more improvement. If you have some one on pillion, then the ride is smooth.So
nowadays I always offer a lift to any requestor.
Fuel Consumption
I am getting a mileage of 55kms/lt approx (10 kms in city & 9 on highway) in my daily commute.Need to
keep an eye on your tyre pressure for a better mileage. I use to check the air every 3 weeks.The service
center guy asked me to put 24 & 28.But my mileage got reduced drastchandru021y. Then I followed the list
pasted on the BP petrol pump ie 22 & 36. It seems to the better one.Also I use to ride in the economy
belt (as indicated in panel) most of the time
Reliability:
During this 1 year , I had 2 occassions where I ran into trouble. One was because of my faulty fuel
indicator. I was stranded with the indicator the needle at middle of "E" mark, but found a little fuel in the
tank. Luckily the pump was nearby, so I didnt had much problem other than to push my vehicle for 1 kM
on a very bad road.I complained to the service centre guys. They repaired it once, but this time it was
giving more trouble. The needle was at "E" even if I had full tank. I didnt go to the service centre at once,
but was propmty refilling every time I passed 200 KMS. But the indicator was replaced at the 4th service
and now its fine
The second incident was with the pollution tube. All of a sudden one fine day, the scooter wasnt getting
started. I tried kicking for almost half an hour. Then I called the service centre. One guy came from there
He told me that the pollution exhaust was out of place.I had bumped into a big pothole on the way back
to home from office on the previous night. That may have caused the issue.
Other Feedbacks
In my experience, the body & engine is stubborn for the almost 9 months rains of kerala. I used to keep
the scooter in an open place outside my office. Didnt caused any starting trouble even after 8-9 hours
In this period I had 3 tyre bursts (rear one).One of them was caused by a very small piece of metal
almost a needle thin. Was very suprised actually because I noticed it only after some time when some fellow bikers indicated a flat tyre. And then I was searching for the toolbox & found that its missing
Actually after the service, they forgot to put it back. Me too even opening the storage for n times a day
didnt notice it. I was frustrated and asked the service guys to find it. After 2-3 calls they asked me to
collect it from there. But the service supervisor told me that the tool for removing the tyre is of no use
during a puncture. And the rest of the tools wont be used by a novice user anytime. He advised me to a
purchase a 14’ liver from any 2-wheeler shop for this purpose. I didnt agree readily and tried with the
tool from toolbox. As he said, I coudnt even remove a nut.So finally I purchased the liver for 120 rs
(30+90 for handle).I am keeping that in my front storage all the time :-)
The storage space is very good. Rajeev_Vermacially if you have opted for the front box. The helmet box also is bigger. Combinely, the front foot space & the 2 spaces (front box & under seat) is sufficient enough
to take one month grocery home :-)
So Overall I will give 8/10 for the scooter. Its a powerful, Value for Money, family scooter
Some updates. after completing 22, 000 Kms, 2 years & 12 services
some updates. after completing 22, 000 Kms, 2 years & 12 services
Was experiencing the queeking sound while accelerating.Initially the service personals told me that it was a rattle and they fixed it. But after 2-3 days it surfaced again On the next service, I insisted them to have a closer look. This time they confirmed that it was an issue with "Clutch-Bell" and replaced it as it comes under warranty.The next issue was with my speedometer. Its needle was on 0 always. For this they changed some cable and it costed me around 100. Had a terrible starting issue. After keeping the scooter idle for some time(on weekends), it fail to start.Was fixed at next service Changed rear tyre & tube @16.5kms. Went for the same MRF Nylogrip from an authorised dealer.Costed 1300/- for tyre and tube with a 1 year warranty for tyre .
Now also I am pretty happy with the performance of the scooter. I am getting a mileage of around 50-55 in city+high way conditions.