[rohan_iitr]

Now some questions from my side :

1. What type of engine oil (mineral / synthetic) is used in the Honda scooters ?

2. What is the approx. cost of engine oil change during routine service performed at Honda Service Centre ?

3. What would be the approx. cost for under chassis rust protection paint ? Is it advisable to get it done at Honda Service Centre ?

Rohan

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

1. What type of engine oil (mineral / synthetic) is used in the Honda scooters ?
2. What is the approx. cost of engine oil change during routine service performed at Honda Service Centre ?

1. It is SAE 10W30 MB and seems to be Semi Synthetic by the description on Honda Website though they dont mention it anywhere if its mineral or synth.
2. It was costing around 230/- in 2010 during the Dio service. Should be in the ball park of 250-270/- currently most probably!

[rohan_iitr]

Posting on this thread after a long time. In fact, there wasn't much to update. The ownership was been quite uneventful, just the way I like it.

Got a few more overpriced accessories fitted at the Honda dealership - front armour, all round guard, floor mat etc. These armours and guards are really required because vehicles often get damaged while parked.

Yet to get the indicator buzzer fitted. It seems it is a laborious job and the accessories fitting guys at the Honda dealership were not too keen on taking the effort to do it. They told me to get it done during servicing. (I'm sure the servicing fellow will direct me back to the accessory guys)

I'm happy to report that the scooter is returning good fuel efficiency, even though the engine is still running in. On the day of the delivery, I had filled up approximately 4 litres of petrol. I have used it for more than 180 kms - which means that I'm currently getting a mileage in the range of 45 kmpl. The scooter is used in heavy Bangalore traffic for short distance rides, with lot of idling at traffic signals.

Planning to go for the first free service sometime next week. Engine oil has to be changed in this 1 month service.

Do I need to take a prior appointment for servicing at Honda Service Centre, or can I simply show up unannounced ?

Rohan

[Ramdas]

You don,t have to take any prior appointment for servicing your Activa, only ensure that you reach there early, since they have got a limit on the no. of vehicles accepted per day. I reached my dealer's place i.e.Saphire Honda on Bannerghatta Road at 8.40 a.m. and 20 vehicles were already in the queue. But I am not sure about the procedure at Haiku Honda, please check it out with them. Regards,

Ramdas

[Sheel]

Dear Rohan - Sharing my purchase experience on your thread, Hope its okay

I too got the Activa i for my father on 2nd of this month. In the same color as Rohan's if I may add.

I am all at sea as far as cruisers (HD, RE) and electric scoot/bikes go. Know a bit about gearless scoots and that is it.

Scanned the entire market prior to purchase and my father wanted a scooter with small dimensions which is easy to maneuver. He has a 6kms round trip every day & almost nothing more.

TVS had wacky color schemes and at no point I thought it would appeal me or my dad. The dimensions, while being small appeared girly

Went to Suzuki and found the scooters big, bulky & priced at near 60K. Not done.

When I was about to enter a Hero Motors showroom, I thought either there is a lottery draw or some kind of free food fest is organized. It was that crowded. One of the sales guys recognized me and showed me Maestro in black color and I really liked it, but the thought to get it serviced at a place where 200 two wheelers get serviced everyday scared me. Walked away.

Bajaj had nothing to show.

I really liked the Ray from Yamaha and the dealer was ready to waive at least 2K off (He knows me personally, hence...)

Took the brochure of all along with prices. Dad declared that Yamaha isn't very FE, so no go. I unwillingly cancelled the Maestro and we had mutual consensus on TVS.

Our cap on price was 50K and it should be economical.

Honda didn't have any scoots at their stockyard. Zilch. The showroom manager promised to find out his transit stock as well as stocks from nearby places.

By evening we got a call from Katihar showroom that Activa i in all four colors are available.

So, here she is... (I usually call my vehicles it, don't give it a he/she tag, but this is a she)







This scoot is tempting and I have ditched my CBR for small errands in lieu of this, though I appear rather large ;-)

And happy to say, that the scoot is doing flawless duty & is the perfect replacement we looked for after the Chetak.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Dear Rohan - Sharing my purchase experience on your thread, Hope its okay

Scanned the entire market prior to purchase and my father wanted a scooter with small dimensions which is easy to maneuver. He has a 6kms round trip every day & almost nothing more.

I really liked the Ray from Yamaha and the dealer was ready to waive at least 2K off (He knows me personally, hence...)

Dad declared that Yamaha isn't very FE, so no go.

And happy to say, that the scoot is doing flawless duty & is the perfect replacement we looked for after the Chetak.

Congratulations on your purchase and you are most welcome to share your ownership experience on this thread.

I'm surprised that you rejected the Ray only because of its lower FE, even though your usage is very less.

1st free service update :
-------------------------
Hearing all the horror stories about Honda A.S.S. I was a bit nervous while visiting them for the first free service.

I called them up 1 day in advance and booked a slot for service. I was assigned booking number 1. (It seems I was the only fool who took appointment for servicing, everyone else just walked-in)

I had mentally prepared myself to stand in long queues and chase the service advisors to get my Activa-i serviced.

I left home in the morning at my normal time 8:00 am and reached the Haiku Honda service centre in Jakkasandra (near Koramangala 1st Block) at 8:15 sharp. This is what greeted me at the Honda service centre at 8:15 am on a weekday.



There was not a single soul in sight. The security guard of the service centre also arrived at the same time. The next customer arrived at 8:25 and then the other customers also arrived one by one. Till 9:00 am, there were only 5-6 customers at the service centre.

The service advisor arrived at 8:45 am on a TVS motor cycle. I didn't bother asking him why he doesn't use a Honda 2-wheeler himself. I'm sure he gets asked the same question every day by the Honda customers. (My guess would be that either he doesn't have sufficient faith in Honda vehicles/after sales service or he couldn't wait for the 2 month waiting period)

Anyway, coming back to the service experience. As you might have noticed in the picture above, the parking slots are numbered 1,2,3,4 and so on. The customer who arrives first (that would be me) parks in slot number 1 and the other customers who arrive later park their vehicles sequentially in the next available slot. (Now how difficult is this system to implement for the other companies ?) After this, the security guard hands you the job card to fill up the name, address etc and he puts a number tag on each vehicle. This number tag also follows the same sequence as the parking slot number - meaning the first customer's vehicle gets the number 1 tag.

Till now, there is no rush, no madness, no pushing around, no chasing anybody.

At 8:50 am the service advisors started preparing the job cards and accepting the vehicles for service. (There were at least 2-3 service advisors to attend to 5-6 customers, not a bad ratio I would say) The service advisor was well behaved, asked if there were any issues. He measured the petrol in the tank using a wooden inch scale. The approximate depth (in inches) of petrol was recorded on the job card.

He gave me the receipt, told that the vehicle would be ready by 4:00 pm and that he would give me call as soon as the vehicle is ready. Around 4 pm I received a call from the service centre, mentioning that the vehicle is ready for delivery.

I reached the service centre at 6:00 pm to collect the vehicle. This time I was expected a mess at the service centre - lots of customers waiting for their vehicles etc. But when I reached there, there was not a soul in sight. I got the billing done in 1 minute and collected the vehicle in another 1 minute.

During delivery, another service advisor politely enquired about the mileage I was getting with the scooter. I also struck up a conversation with him and enquired about the AMC.

Finally collected the vehicle and rode off pleasantly surprised with Honda service. The washing was performed well. The engine oil has been changed and the engine feels peppier and even more refined after the service. The indicator buzzer had been fitted. All electricals properly working, no dents or scratches. No petrol stolen.

Based on today's service experience, I would have given them 9 out of 10 if they asked for feedback. My only grouse would be that they took 7-8 hours for the 1st free service, which is actually just a 1 hour job.

Will keep updating the thread with future service updates.

Below is a picture of my fully loaded Activa-i. (I have fitted all the available accessories for it)



Rohan

[Ramdas]

Rohan please check the oil level in the engine with the help of the dip stick located near the silencer manifold pipe. Ensure they have filled the right quantity of oil during the service. Regards,
Ramdas

[sagarpadaki]

Hi Rohan, is this service center next to race dynamics? That road looks very familiar to the one I remember when I Went to race dynamics

[carfreak]

Congrats Rohan, i wanted to know how easy/difficult it is to keep the scooter on the centre stand?I tried it on the wego and it was really easy!!

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Hi Rohan, is this service center next to race dynamics?

Egg-jacktly.

Originally Posted by carfreak

Congrats Rohan, i wanted to know how easy/difficult it is to keep the scooter on the centre stand?I tried it on the wego and it was really easy!!

As I have already mentioned in the review, the center stand on the Activa-i is a joy to use. As per my test ride experiences, the center stand of Activa-i is easier to use than any other 110 cc gearless scooter in the market, including Wego.

Rohan

[rohan_iitr]

Update on my Activa-i

I checked the engine oil level after the first free service, as advised by a few people here. The level was exactly at the max level on the dipstick. I checked the level once on a cold engine and once after warming it up. Couldn't notice any difference in the levels.

Exactly 5 days after the first free service, I got a feedback call from the Honda dealership to enquire about the performance of the vehicle after service. I was pleasantly surprised.

The scooter has been running smoothly after the service, I have covered almost 300 kms till now.

Changes felt after the service:
1. They have loosened the brakes a bit, I liked it they way they used to be earlier. Will get them tightened in the next service.
2. It feels like they have adjusted the idling to a slightly lower setting. On cold mornings, it takes more than a kick to get it started (even after engaging the choke). Even after starting, it feels like the engine would stall unless you keep the choke engaged or open the throttle. Such behavior is observed only on cold mornings, for a few minutes.

I also received the smart card from the RTO, it came through speed post (I had paid for speed post charges (under the table) at the Honda dealership).

Is smart card the only thing that we receive from the RTO ? Is the RC book not given these days ?

Will update on the mileage after the second full tank gets consumed.

Rohan

[Ramdas]

Regarding starting when the engine is cold, firstly make a few blank kicks i.e. by keepng the ignition key in the off position, after you make 7 to 8 blank kicks, switch on the ignition, engage the choke and kick start the engine. This procedure can be followed even when the vehicle has not been used for long periods. The choke is to be kept engaged for some time, otherwise the engine stalls. Avoid self starting during cold starts, as this will avoid the strain on the self starter.

Nowadays you receive only the smart card. No. R.C.Book is issued by the R.T.O.

Regards,

Ramdas

[scorpion_blore]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Update on my Activa-i

The scooter has been running smoothly after the service, I have covered almost 300 kms till now.

Will update on the mileage after the second full tank gets consumed.

Rohan

Hi Rohan,

I'm hunting for a new scooter for my Dad and wife. We currently own a Kinetic Zoom and it's in pretty bad shape. Hence the need for a quick replacement.

I would like your feedback about Activa-i on the following:

• Ground clearance: Has the scoot bottomed out on any speedbreaker? Is the ground clearance sufficient for our roads?
• Suspension: My friend who owns an Activa complains about the suspension, and now he has a back problem. How is the suspension of Activa-i compared to old-gen Activa?
• Weight and handling: Did you feel the scoot to be heavy compared to Wego? My wife has driven Wego and she tells that it feels very light. How is the handling compared to Wego?

Will look forward to the mileage stats. After all the "Kitna deti hai" factor does matter.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

I'm hunting for a new scooter for my Dad and wife.

I would like your feedback about Activa-i on the following:

• Ground clearance:
• Suspension:
• Weight and handling:

IMHO, Activa-i is the ideal gearless scooter for ladies and elderly.

- Ground clearance is very good, it has never scrapped any speed breakers till date.
- Suspension is not the best, but ride quality is acceptable for short rides. The secret is to maintain the recommended tyre pressure. Most petrol pump attendants fill 26/36 psi (front/rear) by default, which gives a stiff ride.
- Weight is manageable for ladies and elderly. I'm not sure of the exact weight, but it definitely feels lighter than Wego.
- Handling is excellent, feels very stable while cornering. Also very easy to balance at low speeds.

Rohan

[scorpion_blore]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

IMHO, Activa-i is the ideal gearless scooter for ladies and elderly.

- Ground clearance is very good, it has never scrapped any speed breakers till date.
- Suspension is not the best, but ride quality is acceptable for short rides. The secret is to maintain the recommended tyre pressure. Most petrol pump attendants fill 26/36 psi (front/rear) by default, which gives a stiff ride.
- Weight is manageable for ladies and elderly. I'm not sure of the exact weight, but it definitely feels lighter than Wego.
- Handling is excellent, feels very stable while cornering. Also very easy to balance at low speeds.

Rohan

Thanks Rohan. Looks like Activa-i ticks all the right boxes. I'll take a test drive coming weekend, and will book it if my wife and Dad are comfortable with the weight and ride quality.

Thanks again for your inputs.