[majumon]

Sandy that was a neat review. We too had a Activa 2003 model used by dad, wife and bro in law and just by running local errands it had clocked 46k on the odo. Finally it was due for a piston ring change since it there was oil getting mixed and reaching the spark plug which forced us to change atleast 4 plugs in couple of months so we had to repair it or repalce it.

So dad wanted a lighter one and so we picked up a "Activa i " and it is quite light weight. It has been fine now has clocked about 600kms and only issue is slight starting trouble in the mornings, could be due to the chill weather in Bangalore now.

[GrammarNazi]

Hey! thats a nice review. I have an '04 Activa(1st Gen) & a '07 Access.

My experience with Activa hasn't been as good as with Access. At 50k kms the Activa feels like its dead (acceleration, handling, FE at <27kmpl etc.) even after periodical services, whereas at 40k kms the Access feels as good as new in almost all aspects.

Another thing I felt is my Activa aged better between 30-50k kms when I just changed the oil every 5k kms at the local mechanic. Company service for both Activa & Access has never yielded good results for me.

[prguru]

Nice review Sandy. We own both the Activa and Access bought less than 2 years and I can say the Access has better pickup since it has a plastic body and 125CC gives a mileage of around 25 and Activa is slower due to the metal body and gives a mileage of around 30. Getting a mileage of 53km is really good , it gets better I guess. But what my major concern in both the scooters are the brakes ! If two people are riding at say around 40kms and if you break suddenly it just does not stop where you want it to. Hope that is not the case with the 2013 model.

[Jetta_Volkmann]

Very good review Sandy. It is indeed a practical choice for your requirement. I was also in the market for a good scooter few weeks back and booked my Dio last week. My ride is yet to arrive at dealership point. My dad rides suzuki access, hence we ended with dio and not activa.

By the way, I just have one question, how is the ride comfort of activa in city traffic when compared with dio'?

[anjan_c2007]

A Long Term Review of my first generation Honda Activa at S@ndy's request:

My Honda Activa came home on Feb 14th 2003 – Valentine’s Day. It has done more than 15,000 kms till now, during the ten and a half years it has been with me. Though more than ten years have elapsed, the Activa is kept rockin’, though many, many niggles have come my way. I have three cars and another two wheeler, so the use of this two wheeler is limited to my going to crowded places.

All the free services were done at the dealership. The quality of free service is poor- dealer Sudharshan Motors, Nagpur, is also to blame, other than the system. The scooters are given a neat wash, oil is changed if desired, but very less attention is paid to the normal check-ups as listed by the company, during each service.

Coming to the scooter’s body and suspensions, the less said the better. The looks are OK for the older model, (including the refreshed version of the original) but its newer or current model lacks good looks. For the design job, it appears that the designers were different for separate portions. They met later and the whole scooter was put together, it appears.

Back to my machine, ever since it was new, the front suspension emitted and continues to emit a metallic sound, every time a pothole is traversed unguarded, with me applying no brakes. The front suspension is among the worst taken all the two wheelers, I have driven, as far as sturdiness and the solid feel are concerned. The soft front suspension of the Ind-Suzuki AX 100 can be comparable. As a matter of record, there were no front, twin fork scooters, when I bought this one in 2003 – the Bajaj was selling the Wave, but the buyer’s were not buying. Even now with twin fork being available in the Access, Aviator and Wega, the Activa makers still capitalize on the Indian psyche and ignorance, marketing this one as a cheaper variant, with the old suspension for the front. The twin forks are any day safer and sturdier. So if you need one from Honda, pay more and buy the Aviator. Even the trendy Dio, has such an old kinda suspension.

The rear suspension is OK and nothing to write home about or deserving praise. It does its duty and that’s all. The brakes are also quite OK, though they don’t provide discs for the Activa.

The plastics are of a very poor quality. The mirrors casings as OE get whitish grey in no time and even after trying to keep these looking spick and span, (plastic care polishes) nothing works. The plastics on the inner side of the vertical part of the front guard too become whitish grey. The front axle has plastic covers and these are akin in quality to some China made children's games bought from the roadside. The metal sheet of the body is quite prone to dents at the slightest provocation.

The engine was a gem and once upon a time, when new, being so smooth and silent, that I had a tough time sometimes guessing whether it is on or off. Now the engine sound is quite audible and not so pleasant to the ears. All this, after only 15,000 kms of very careful usage, with all the care. And Honda engines are known for their silent running and durability under adverse conditions. No way here!

The engine would habitually misfire since the past three years, when decelerating. The fault was traced to a defective valve. The valve was replaced about two months back. The engine was thoroughly cleaned of all the carbon deposits. The self had actually conked off suddenly, and had to be worked upon. The bendix of the self had got jammed and the engine would not crank and so had to be opened, so all the faults were rectified. The rear wheel was jammed as a result of the bendix getting stationary, that led to this kind of repairs.

The tuff -up tube is much hyped about. This scooter had two major punctures on the rear wheel about six months after it was bought. Roadside puncture wallahs treat these tubes, the same way as any other. But luckily apart from the solution draining out fully from it, the tube is perfect till this date. Luckily, I had no more punctures ever since. And the inner wheel rim- the rear wheel rim when opened during July and Sept 2003,( after one monsoon and 5-7 mths of use) showed rust on the metallic silver paint. I have a garage and do not live in a coastal area. The wheel rim quality is deplorable. The silencer also gets rusted within a month of use.

The new battery (Exide) conked off in 2005. For a few days, I was kick-starting and using the scooter. Kick-starting it with the rider seated and the centre stand taken off is well nigh impossible. Even kick-starting the scooter otherwise is a turn off. The kick-starter is very funnily located. The kick starter is the least user friendly and appears fragile. If kicked hard, some plaintive noises are emitted and we take pity, feeling something should not break within.

The batteries were replaced in 2005, 2008 and 2011 (all Exides). The last one is an Amaron and is doing well since two years.

Coming first to its DIY adaptability, though the whole body (Honda calls it a bonnet) of this scooter lifts up to open and facilitate repairs, accessing the spark plug is problematic. I had the whale of a time doing the jobs on Lambretta and Vespa/Bajaj scooters. Also accessing the carburettor in the Activa for getting it opened is a problem. These take unwanted, extra time, create some tense moments and could have been made more accessible and better located. The air filter, oil change (both gear and engine) ports are well located, though. I've been tinkering on this scooter. But other than routine maintenance like changing the engine and gear oils and cleaning the air filter/ carburettor/ spark plug, I do not attempt more. Recently, I had to change the headlight bulb and My God! It took me about half an hour to do so, as some plastic panels on the handlebar have to be unscrewed and refitted. I have also worked on other scooters, including the Lambretta and Vespa /Bajaj. The Lambretta was the most DIY friendly, followed by the Vespa/Bajaj. The Activa is very DIY unfriendly. If the design was more DIY friendly, the dealers wouldn’t have made money.

As is evident in all Activas and all the New Gen scooters, the disengaged centre stand will never allow the rider to use the kick-starter. How about my friends who could not get the battery replaced or friends whose scooters have fault in the self starter mechanism? In traffic signals and jams, if the engine stalls then it’s very tough. Drag the scooter to the corner, put the centre stand and only then kick-start the scooter.

The scooter is otherwise dependable with its existing niggles and easy to use handle in any kind of city traffic. Its fuel consumption is about 41-45 kmpl depending upon the riding style. The variomatic transmission and fuel economy do not go hand in hand. The two-stroke Kinetic Honda with a 100cc engine consumed almost the same amount of petrol. A four-stroke engine and that too from Honda, who have perfected the 100cc four-stroke, ever since the Honda Cub was introduced in 1960, is at least expected to do well in the fuel consumption stakes.In fact, the Honda Cub operated in the most adverse third world conditions in South East Asia and Honda Motor Company founder, the Late Mr Siochiro Honda, took all the care to research and perfect the technology. It is acknowledged as the world leader in this segment.

The Activa is not an iconic machine with any kind of USP or anything,that may lend it a special character of any kind whatsoever. It is a mediocre performer with a very poor build and with its niggles. The best part is it is easy to manouvre and use through the “Bharatiya traffic” and gives a total peace of mind to the rider as far as driving and parking are concerned. Another plus point, is that spares are available anywhere and the repairs are carried out anywhere within Bharat.The spares are not costly too!

Given a chance, I will never buy another Activa, but settle for something better.The Valentine, has done its duties though, but has also not been hassle free at the same time!

Thanks S@ndy for your invitation to write about my Activa to make the thread more comprehensive.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing Anjan! On S@ndy's suggestion, I've copied your review post to the opening page of this thread

[ajaycv2k]

Hello All,
I own an 2010 Activa. It has clocked 12k kms approximately. I am getting an average mileage of 41-42 kms. Is there any way to increase the FE? Please share your advice.

Thank you,
Ajay.

[sidpat_apl]

hi, i am not a very active member but i keep my info updated with team bhp all the time though this is my first post.

i am posting in this thread coz this is the thread i used to get a review of the new activa.

i must say the review is just simply superb and covered everyting.

i just recently got my new honda activa in pearl white in novemeber. simply loving it.

though my main daily vehicles are a 2009 honda city s - with auto transmission and a 2006 swift petrol vxi. both ofwhich are just simply mind blowing vehicles.

i got the activa purely for daily local small distance travelling like going to the gym, market etc.

i have always had a love for alloy wheels so i put them in both my cars.

and as far as the activa goes i have done a few small changes which i think is making it look a little bit more cool.

here are the pictures.

all i did was order carbon fiber vinyl wraps online from ebay and some spray cans.

took me 2-3 days of my peaceful weekends to do these.
and also shouting from the wife. LOL. but you gotto do what you gotto do.

i have wrapped the side mirrors and the exhaust cover and the covers on the front wheel with carbon fiber looking vinyls.


also have put wraps on the stop tail light and given it a whole new different look. will post the pics of the lights at night which really looks cool from the back.

also took out time and resprayed my helmet.

was a boring white vega half helmet. turned it into a cool looking helmet with a large chrome stripe. all with spray paints and patience and time.

hope to do some more mods cosmetic wise.

do let me know how these look. wellthey may not be having the extremely proffessional look, but hey i just did it at home.....and for my hardwork put in i think its preety cool.

any suggestions are welcome.