Ah! I am finally back to what I love to write and do the most. Its about testing bikes. This time it isn’t a bike it’s a scooter or shall I say auto scooter. You might be wondering why a review about Activa after such a long time. The fact is my parents just bought a new Activa over a month old for general use in the house.
Why the need of a new scooter:
Thoroughly satisfied by using Bajaj Super for about 6 years we found Super to be giving trouble with the hard kicks and tough ride which had led to think about buying a scooter with Electric start. While Scooty seemed too small and not so tough(fiber body), my dad didn’t find Kinetic too good so there goes out Nova. The only choice left was Activa and there have been positive responses about the Activa and Ofcourse the so-called Honda badge attached to it we finally bought a Black Coloured Activa.
Honda Activa: Activa was Honda’s first step in Indian market after parting ways with Kinetic. So Honda did it the easy way by bringing out a vehicle which was directly competing with Kinetic Zoom and obviously Honda knew that it was going to taste success since the so-called moto-scooters were very popular among Students, Collegians and Office-goers. So in 2001 Activa made its debut and found many takers. Huge waiting periods as long as six months had Honda established in the Indian market with a single launch. That’s a brief history now lets see what Activa offers:
Looks:I don’t think I need to tell you anything the looks you might sure have seen an Activa. And frankly speaking I don’t like the looks of Activa. Actually Activa just seems a scaled down version of Kinetic Zoom and I think even Sapphire looks better than it. No stickering on the front and an Activa written in both the sides at the back. The front sidelamps are incorporated with the headlamp similar to Kinetic. The tail lamp too shares itself with the back tail lamps. Nothing eye-catching here. The paint job is good and the black baby shines bright. Now people believe me or not Honda always has compromised in looks be it Activa, Eterno or Unicorn. Activa’s shape starts from the front and then goes on expanding and it forms an egg-like shape at the end. Over all metal body makes the vehicle heavy than the conventional fiber body babies.
Engine and Transmission: The engine is 4-stroke, single cylinder, air-cooled OHC which is 102 cc. The power it generates is about 7 Bhp at 7000 rpm. The figures look appealing since our bikes have power starting from 7.5 Bhp. But it’s different from a bike so we cant really compare it to any and about other such types of scooters I don’t have any idea.
The transmission is vario-matic which in simple terminology is automatic or auto-gear transmission. So the best thing is there are no gears which you have to shift. Just push the throttle and roll on. O.k. o.k come back there are front and rear brakes which you need to apply to remain in working condition.
Coming to the pick-up it is good and you can zip past people at signals (don’t believe people who say pick-up is sluggish for single-rider). With the pillion about 65~70 kgs it will take time to get moving but later rides better after 30 kmph speeds. But there is a disadvantage in raising the throttle high right from the start which I will tell in the tips for better riding at the end of my review. The baby goes to 60Kmph quite easily and don’t expect any earth shattering performance its meant for city riding. 0-60 might be coming in about 9-10 seconds or so.
Lights and Switchgear: The baby hosts a 35 W reflector head-lamp which provides sufficient illumination at nights. The switchgear is normal. It consists of switches for tell-a-tale lamps, head lamp and Horn.
The odometer and 110 km (max) speedo are housed in a single chamber. Above the speedo are the indicators for signals, reserve fuel indicator and main beam indicator. Switches are easy to operate.
Mileage: HMSI says it will provides a mileage of 50 on Indian roads. Although the average mileage I have inquired ranges from 40-45 kmpl. Our Activa is giving about 38~40 kms in a 500 KM run till now. Mind you the baby is never taken above 50. So maybe an increase in mileage can be expected after 1000 kms run and first service. Will update my rvu after first service.
Suspension, Braking, Tyres and Miscellaneous:
Front and rear suspension comes over through Hydraulic dampers that are spring loaded. Don’t expect too much from the suspension. The suspension is stiff. Maybe I might be feeling so coz I ride a bike but still the rear suspension is stiff.
Brakes are 130 mm drums front and rear. Since the tyre size is small the brakes are to be applied slightly carefully. Apply 60% rear brake and 40% front brake and ensure complete stoppage.
The tyres are the normal ones that come in all scooterette measuring 3.5 “ front and rear. The tyres are accompanied with Tuff-up tubes-Honda patent which will prevent immediate puncture. Which means if your tyre is punctured you wil not come to know immediately. So maybe every 2-3 months get your tyre-tube checked.
Activa comes in with Electric-Start which is a boon at signals. Electric start works fine no real problems in that. Fuel capacity in all is 6 litres of which about 1 litre goes to reserve.
Some tips:
-->To get better mileage drive between 40-50ks. And don’t start to raise the throttle to maximum from rest. Gradually increase the acceleration so that the auto-gears work correctly and this will ensure better mileage.
-->In the morning start your vehicle with Kick. Don’t use electric-start even if the dealer advised you. The reason is after about 6 hours of rest if you directly start the vehicle by using the electric start it takes a lot out of the battery. And after start let the engine idle for about 1 min. you can use Choke to start your vehicle if necessary.
Coming to the disadvantages I have experienced till now:
-->For persons above 5 feet 10 inches height leg room is not sufficient. Pillion ride is uncomfortable.
-->The baby stops after the first start so it has to be kept in idling mode for about 2-3 minutes.
-->Right the next day of purchase the bulb connection for the main beam got loose and main beam stopped working. Although it was fixed the next day itself. Then the indicator buzzer used to stuck. That was rectified as well. And lastly the light beam was not proper which also had to be rectified. All this was done easily but being a new vehicle you cannot expect such minor glitches.
Overall my parents seem to be satisfied with this vehicle. Although it would be too early for me to give it above 4 stars so I am settling it with 3 stars. I am not quoting the price since different prices are there for different cities and keep in mind you will have to purchase the accessories separately.
Happy riding…(with a helmet on)