Team-BHP - Activa to finally Activa i: My Honda Tales

Plz Note: This is my first review thread so please forgive me if i commit any error, mistakes, don't follow according to rules and basically do anything wrong. I wholeheartedly accept your comments & would love if you point out any mistakes that i have committed. I am not too much into technical terms so forgive & correct me if i don't use them or use them wrongly.

Honda Tales: Prologue

Well Honda Two Wheelers are been a part of our family since long long ago. My grand dad brought his first Honda in 1991, after giving up his trusted Bajaj Chetak. It was a Kinetic Honda EX if i remember it correctly (i was a toddler at that time so just recall the faint details). He instantly loved it, it was very smooth and hassle-free compare to his Bajaj (Mind you, Bajaj was no pushover too). Bangalore was still the AC City and he used to take me for joy-rides all the time. He changed this to Honda ZX in 1997, & this is something that i remember because this was the first vehicle that i drove. It was an excellent vehicle with superb handling and acceleration was top notch. I learned my two wheeler driving in this vehicle. Later in 2003 when granddad wanted to get a new vehicle, he got another Honda, this was the hot selling Honda Activa at that time and still is.
I used his kinetic for my collage purpose and later after granddad's demise i got the activa for my use.

Sorry for the long history. Now lets jump in to present.

Honda tales: Present

The Activa had served us well, I used it for my collage and office errands along with dad and younger brother. Off later it started giving troubles while starting, engine use to die suddenly while in motion and sudden battery deaths(battery functions like horn, self start etc refuse to start for days together and then sudden would surprise me), it was showing its age but I still didn't want to let go of it. Then came the breaking point, I was out near bugle rock park getting food at puliyogare point when the vehicle just didn't respond at all. I tried kick starting it, self start, even bend it down like they use to do to scooters but to no avail. Finally called in bro to pick me up. While waiting I thought let's try once more and voila, it started like nothing ever happened. I was shocked and surprised but nevertheless had made up my mind to change it.
Since the usage was not going to be much, maybe 10-12 km daily for my home-office commute. Also we had decided to upgrade the car and later i would that for my office commute so spending much didn't make sense.
Eventually i got a Pearl Sunbeam White Activa I. Read on my purchase journey from Post 2 onwards & my Activa I review from Post 3 Onwards.

I listed all the contenders:

Honda Activa HET
Honda Duo HET
Vespa (dad's choice)
Yamaha Ray

As why I didn't include the popular contenders like.

Access: My brother had it, was sluggish, didn't like the finish and it needed more frequent service
Wego: Had used a friend vehicle for a day and drove into the city region,(cottonpet, sp road) felt pretty light and not to my taste. Plus had heard lots about the service issue so dropped it.
Aviator: was a well built vehicle, but was too pricey.
Mestro: My BIL had got this vehicle and it had a old honda engine when compare to the new Honda HET one.

Since we already had a activa, i was inclined to get the new HET one. Why?
It ticked all the right box for my requirement

Sturdy
Reliable
Metal body
No particular issue
Nice engine

But dad was insisting on vespa (I too got bit inclined after going though hillram's vespa thread)

Just to be get out of Honda bracket I went to td other vehicles.

First was the Dad's favorite wasp: Vespa

Had booked the td online, the Vespa Dealer in koramangala called for td and I asked whether they could bring the vehicle to my store, as the vespa dealer didn't work on Sundays (Navin Associates).
They agree gladly. But the test drive didn't happen. I waited a week for it. Later I got a call from the company asking how was my td to which I said I can't comment on it since the scheduled td didn't happen. They apologized for that and told me that they would take this with the dealer. Within minutes I got a call from the dealer asking for the td, when I enquired about the earlier td, they said they didn't have that in record. (Was bit disappointed with this laid back attitude of the dealer more on that later)
Got the td on a rainy day, couldn't test it much but the one thing I liked about it was the engine refinement. It was butter smooth. I felt the ride and suspension on the stiffer side, asked the salesperson who had come, turns out he was a mechanic. He explained that the suspension are slightly on the stiffer side initially. It would soften out later. I asked the mechanic about the discount and freebies, he said the sales team would call me for that. Overall it was a well designed vehicle and i liked the looks too. Thought maybe dad would get his wish of having a Vespa.

Reading hillram review and dad's insistence, I did once consider vespa as the one of the choice, but with the laidback attitude of dealers, not just pre td, even after td also, (I didn't receive call for discount/price from them for more than a week) I dropped this vehicle from the list.

Next vehicle was Yamaha Ray/Z

I didn't even consider this vehicle until dad suggested saying Yamaha do make good vehicles and they just had launched the Yamaha Ray Z. I decide to give it a shot. Went to Orion motors in koramangala, opp forum. The showroom wasn't inviting, it was an old dealership and I had been seeing it since many years. I entered but found no one to greet me. I waited and waited, stood near a vehicle trying to look interested but to no avail. Finally went to the reception and asked whether any sales men could help me. The lady looked unhappy to be disturbed. She looked around her and found no one. Then she called the only salesmen in the showroom, who was trying to finalised the deal with a young couple. That sales men waved his hands saying he won't come probably because he was finalizing the deal of his lifetime.
Frustrated thinking why I even wasted my time, I proceeded towards the door when 2 sales men entered(they had worn YES YAMAHA shirt). The lady from reception shouted and and asked them to help me. They didn't look too keen.
Sales men: Which vehicle you interested in?
Me: Yamaha Ray Z
SM pointed me towards the vehicle and said that this was a new vehicle. That's it, no engine specs, no mileage, no sales talk.
Me: what's the difference between this and Ray?
SM: Nothing, it's same
Me: (Already irritated) Then why the price difference?
SM: ah ah ah.... One moment sir
Me: Please check about exchange also before you come.
SM leaves and calls the other SM who earlier was busy finalising his deal. Turn's out that he is the senior there!!

Senior Sales Men: Which vehicle do you want to want to get exchanged?
Me: Honda Activa, 2005 model.
SSM: Which vehicle do you want?
My temper was already at at peak and didn't want to lose it for these ill manner SM's. Asked for a td for Yamaha ray z. They didn't have any td vehicle. SSM looked outside and got a key, asked me to come outside and took out a grey Yamaha Ray and gave me the keys, i sat on the vehicle and waited for the SSM. (I was bit surprised, wasn't he going to sit down and do his job of explaining about the vehicle.)
Anyways when i looked back at him and he pointed at the small lane next to the showroom and said please td there and come back.
(I thought he might be having some work and he would join later)

I rode into that tiny cemented lane, it wasn't much. The vehicle was smooth, acceleration was nice and the pull not too sudden and i was impressed with the brakes.
After a min or so(the lane was pretty small) i came back and found the SSM still there, he pointed me to the parking area, i was taken aback, i said i wanted a longer td. He said "Not possible". Infuriated i left the vehicle at his hand and returned. He didn't even have the courtesy to say sorry or explain any reason for the denial. Really felt bad wasting my time.
Still for my wasted time, i complained back to the Yamaha website with a detailed mail telling that due to their incapable SM's they had lost a customer. Got a call from their Regional officer after two days. He asked me what happened and which dealer was it.(I did mention all that in my mail, think he didn't bother to read it). He said he would call the dealer.

Got a call from the dealer asking which salesmen refused to give me the test drive. I told the name and they replied that that salesmen with that name didn't work in their dealership at all.
I gave up, when they can deny the presence of their salesmen, how can i expect anything for the company. I refused the td they offered to give me and disconnected.

Upset and frustrated with the poor experience, i decided to go back to Honda.

First was Saphire motors in jayanagar, (before bangalore central, chroma).

I went in and a SA greeted me and i asked for Honda activa. He guided me towards the vehicle and explained the feature. I asked about the exchange and he said that it can be arranged and i should get my vehicle. I mentioned that my vehicle is across the road and since its a big u turn, if he could accompany me i could show the vehicle to him. He reluctantly started but at entrance he found another set of customer and went back to assisting them. I went back thinking whether i would get a new set of 2-wheelers or not.

I didn't opt for a Dio because the new Dio looked horrible IMO.

After a few days, while searching online for reviews i stumbled upon the info that honda is going to launch a new vehicle soon. I waited on, and on 12th June i saw the launch pictures. It was quite decent, nothing much to talk about except price.

It was real VFM IMO, fitted my requirement, well almost and was Honda.

After 2 days visited Raja Honda in koramangala opp Big Bazar and enquired about the new vehicle. They were clueless, when i said Activa i, they showed me the activa. I said that Honda has launched a new vehicle and its called Honda Activa i, they asked a senior sales assistant and he said that the vehicle is launched but they didn't get any info from the company as to when it would be available for sales.
Disappointed i returned back.

At home dad was insisting on taking the Vespa and not worrying about the cost but i was adamant, i didn't want to spend so much on a 2-wheeler that's hardly is going to be used. He said why not go to our old honda dealers with whom we had got the earlier activa. I halfheartedly said yes.
I didn't have a pretty good experience there, It was Silicon Honda, one of the oldest and popular honda dealership in our city.

Activa I

The next day i visited the showroom and i was pleasantly surprised. I parked my vehicle in their vehicle lot and was climbing to enter. The door was opened by a sales executive (Alfred). He greeted me with a smile and asked me about my vehicle of choice. I asked about Activa I and to my relief he didn't looked surprised. He guided me towards their discussion table and offered a chair!! Then politely said that they didn't have much details about the vehicle and that the brochure wasn't available for now. He told me that it is having the same Honda engine as the new Activa has and its priced less that the current one. When i asked about booking, he asked me to wait and went to his manager (i suppose) and came back saying that he can book the vehicle. He also confirmed that they would be getting some vehicle by the month end, that is June 29th. He confirmed whether i wanted to book it now or later when the demo vehicle come's in. I blindly booked the white colour and asked him to inform me as soon as the demo vehicle comes in.

I don't know whether it was the frustration that i had with the other dealers or just the desperation to get the new vehicle, i just book the vehicle like rohan_iitr because it was Honda & since it had the same engine as Activa.

The booking formalities was done quickly and while leaving alfred asked me to call him the next Saturday. He said that there is a chance that vehicle might come early. I nodded and left.
Overall i was pretty happy with the booking experience. Probably i didn't expect them to be so courtesy or maybe due to my past experience i had accepted their service to be good.

I had the new vehicle bug and was excited about it. I called silicon honda on 27th and they said the demo vehicle is on display. Two days laters i got a call from them asking to visit and check the demo vehicle. I asked about delivery and they said that after payment is made, they would start the delivery procedure. I went in to the dealership, asked for alfred. He was busy attending another customer but he guided me to the waiting area and said that he would attend me as soon as he finishes. I waited for sometime and then went on check the demo vehicle, it was a white one and it looked neat. To be precise, i felt that the rear was lifted from the new dio and the front from pleasure and aviator. It was very sleek and light. The under-seat storage was also pretty good. Overall a fine vehicle at a reasonable cost.

On 30th i paid 37700 INR for the vehicle and got 15k for my 2005 activa. The vehicle was delivered to me on 17th of July. Initially they had said that the vehicle had to be approved by the RTO and so their is little delay. Later i got to know that RTO had approved the vehicle on 12 only. My vehicle had a 13th July registration date.
SA kept on saying that this is among the first activa i on road. I kept nodding.
Finally on 17th after exchange of my old vehicle took my Brand New Activa I. Straight went to the Ganesh Temple in jayanagar but found it close. Went back at 5 and got the Pooja done.

The Activa i was in the house, since its delivery i am using it for daily office commute. It has clocked 752 km till now.

Built Quality:

Honda has always been associated with good built quality and this is same with activa i. Its build quality is top notch, i wont say its best but for the price its satisfactory. There are a few areas where i felt they could improve. One is improving the Turning indicator knob quality. Its looks flimsy and weak. It doesn't feel solid enough according to me. Another issue is with the brake lock. Its too difficult to use. You have to use both your hand to get it right. The older one is Activa were perfect & easy to use. Another issue would be about Head Light. Its been a perennial problem of any honda 2-wheeler, they always are equipped with poor headlight that doesn't serve its purpose. Apart from that, there is no other issue that i found in the 2 wheeler. One area of appreciation would be about the central stand. Its among the easiest to use, doesn't take much effort at all.

Drivability & Suspension:
One minute into this vehicle and you would know why it bigger brother (Activa) keep's selling like hot cakes. The vehicle is very smooth to drive & on good roads it literally flies. The low weight plays its part and you can see the difference in heavy traffic where you need to squeeze into tiny gaps quickly. The acceleration is pretty good. It zoom's ahead in traffic & even my brother who is use to acceleration of access likes this one. Another commendable thing about this is the Combi breaks. They work superbly. My earlier activa and even the Access didnt give so much confidence that this vehicle does. I would never tried zooming on wet surface in my old activa, due to fear of skidding if i applied the brakes, but in this its effortless. No fear whatsoever.:thumbs up
If there are goods parts then there are bad as well. This vehicles has very poor suspension and most of the time while negotiating bad roads i get a bout of violent shivering. The whole pressure is transferred to the riders hands and it is not a good sign.

Mileage:
Coming to the Kitna deti hai part? i am little unhappy with the milage returned. I generally fill 200 rs worth of petrol and it hardly gives me 100 kms. It translate to 40 km per liter. Plz note i have consistently maintained speeds below 45 km and have never accelerated too soon. I drive with pillion rider but even my old activa was giving 35 km so an increase to 40 km is not much.

Initial Niggles:
While taking delivery i noticed too much vibration while the vehicle was in stationary position. The rear mirror literally was shaking. When i asked the service person nearby, he replied saying that fiber body will have such vibration. I asked him to check for himself. I put the vehicle into centre stand and started the vehicle. he did notice excessive vibration and did some adjustment to the wheel and it reduced. Not satisfied with it. I asked him to rectify it. He said that get the vehicle during the first service and it would be rectified. It did,but there is still some vibration and its irritating while your waiting for your signal.

The Pros:

Super Smooth
Light Weight: Activa i is approx 7-10 kg less flabby than the Activa. It helps, my mother would find the old activa difficult to ride as it was very heavy. But this one is just fine.
Great Under-Seat Storage: Can easily fit a Full Face helmet with little space left.
It literally flies on smooth roads.
Excellent acceleration: due to reduced weight, its a fast mover.
Combi breaks

The Cons:

Hand Breaker on Bad Roads: Since its built up of fiber body, it doesn't absorb bumps and jerks easily. They are shifted to your hands. My observation.
No telescopic shock: Don't know why honda still lives in stone age.
No Access like boot opener: I find that convenient considering you have to bend down to open the lock for this
No better colour options: Wanted the grey in dio!!
Cheap indicator & headlight knobs
Poor Headlights

Overall a good 2 wheeler and VFM. If your in market for a 2 wheeler for your daily errands, this is the perfect one for you

First Mishap:
It happened within 2nd weeks of my ownership. I was taking my vehicle out from parking and reversing towards the gate. I slipped on the slope and hit the parked car there. Baam!! The tail light had a nasty kiss with the bumper of the car and its pieces felt down. I twisted my body and gave my back a nasty pain in the process. When i saw the damage, it felt bad, but what could have been done.

First Service:

I was surprised when Silicon Motors called me to remind about the pending first service. Since it was a friday (9/8/13), i said that i would come on monday for the service. I reached their showroom at 8:00 and found 4 vehicles before me. The was only one SA to assist and he was patiently listening to customers and recommending the appropriate service. After 10 mins or so, another SA came by and he took the other waiting vehicles. I complaint about the vibration and he said that would be check and fixed. I asked about my damaged tail light and he said if part is available, then they would get it changed. (It wasn't) He didn't push for much, said that this is a new vehicle and teflon coating would be good on it. I agreed. They said that they would call when the vehicle is ready, but never did. I anyways did reach there by 6. The billing counter was not crowded and i completed my billing quickly.
Total Bill was 615 rs and this include 395 rs for a year's worth of teflon coating. Others were Engine Oil and other consumable.
The teflon coating was still going on and i had to wait for 20 mins before i could take the vehicle. Overall it was a ok experience, the vehicle was delivered clean and problems were rectified.

Pictures

Front Look:

Back Look:

Closer Tail Light:

Side Look:

Tacometer

Lock:

Floor Board

Thanks for reading clap: