Since I was brushed with a glimpse of Honda NAVI at the 2016 Auto show, It was destined that, NAVI will surely join my fleet when it would be launched.
After all, Navi is a derivative of Honda GROM which is a popular pocket bike introduced few years ago.
A japanese Honda GROM:
Surprisingly, Wikipedia mentions NAVI as look alike bike of Honda GROM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Grom Booking Experience:
Honda 2 Wheeler opened the Navi booking through their App with a booking amount of Rs.1000. However I walked into Orange Honda dealer close to my home and paid Rs.5000 as booking amount and booked Navi in February 2016.
At the time of booking the dealers had no clue when the vehicle would be launched, in which variants, colors..so I had to just look at Navi on Team BHP Auto show threads and drool over
The Wait :
As always I tried to stay abreast about NAVI launch dates and followed various blogs ,news articles as I was eager to own this vehicle.
Several speculations arose if RTO would clear this unusual vehicle in scooter or Motorcycle category. There was good traction on Team BHP Honda NAVI thread itself that kept me motivated :
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ed-bike-6.html Competitor Analysis :
I did a quick competitor analysis and looked for market scoops if anything like Honda NAVI would be launched and the closest which came to was the Benelli T 135, which was told by Benelli itself that it would not be launched in India in quite sometime.
A DSK Benelli T 135
It was now imminent that Honda Navi will join my fleet as the first Honda Brand in my stable
Price Factor :
Ex-Showroom : 41619
Road Tax@ 14%: 6305 (including Permanent Registration Charges)
Insurance : 2054
Logistics : 475
Registration Charges : 800
High Security Number Plates : 300
Accessories : 2000 (Crash Guard, Side Stand , Foot rest , Indicator Buzzer)(Standard)
On Road Price : 53553
Accessories : 5000 (Optional)
(Grab Rail, Seat Cover, Tank Pad, Front Visor, Headlight Guard, Front suspension cover, Under
Guard , Side Cover and Sticker Set of 6 pcs)
Total On Road Price with Standard and Optional accessories : 58553 /- Delivery Experience :
I was literally bugging every week Honda dealers when NAVI would be delivered to me and the long wait was over in the 1st week of May when I received a call that the delivery date was round the corner.
Orange Honda Manager told me that the delivery was going to be a surprise and he would contact me and asked me to patiently stay at home.
A gentle knock on my door step saw few Honda Managers and dealer representatives stand at my door step to receive me and escort me to what i call a "NAVI Event".
When i reached to my entrance of my Apartment, there was a bustling crowd : Curious Onlookers, Neighbors, Children in amazement and whole lot of Honda Team members waiting to unveil the surprise. Voila !!!
Navi Box
Lo magic revealed
Honda Navi first glimpse
My Son giving his insights into owning NAVI
A personalized Chocolate Cake
Customary Ownership key handed over to my son
Starting from Scratch..0.9 Kms on Speedo
Ownership Begins :
It was time to take my Honda Navi to the fuel station to get it tanked up. The tiny tank accommodated exactly 3.8 Liters of Petrol before it overflowed. Hence my first observation is that, I will have to make repeated visits to Fuel stations as I ride Honda Navi.
A customary Photo shoot followed to get up close and near to my Honda Navi.
Notice the caution by Honda of reminding the rider of no foot brake.
My 10 year son astride on NAVI and balancing it well !!
Yours Truly on NAVI
Night Mode: Speedo Console lit up.
Night Mode : Headlight shines bright
Honda Navi User Manual
Honda Navi is a concept bike/scooter with a very thoughtful mind. Honda developed NAVI for Indian market keeping in mind GROM which can be seen having a slight resemblance. For me this was enough to have Honda NAVI join my fleet.
To begin with Navi is aimed at very young age group, probably college going students will be the best target crowd. I'm not sure whether it will give a wholesome Motorcycle experience, as the heart is really of a scooter (developed on Activa Platform).
What you will like :
- Sporty Design and unique combination of Scooter on Bike.
- Easy to ride (CVT)
- Quite a powerful engine 110cc for a midget scooter on bike.
- Telescopic front shock absorbers are good to take small sized pot holes easily.
- Attractive colors.
- Tubeless Tyres (MRF Zapper) are trouble free. TVS and Ceat are other OEM options.I intend to
go for Nitrogen filling soon as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- Retro looking Speedo Console
- Bright head light and good indicators
- Customizable accessories
- Rear brake lock near handle bar.
- Attention grabbing factor on the road, with people asking too many questions..Battery
operated Bike ? Is it a Toy ? Imported Bike ? Engine Missing ? :-)
What you will dislike :
- Small petrol tank capacity (3.8 Liters)
- No storage space. Hopefully a utility box will be available soon.
- Tacky plastic parts and some places have faux carbon fiber finish !!!
- Electric Start is a little tardy in kicking into action.
- Old fashion handle bar lock, somewhere at the bottom, very difficult to find in dark.
- Lack of Fuel gauge means one has to depend on the Petrol Valve and turn it into reserve mode
(like good old days) and rush to the fuel station.
- Lack lustre paint finish is a serious flaw in Honda NAVI which has dissatisfied me. Panels seem
to have been just dipped in paint once and fitted. Already a dull appearance is visible on my
vehicle.
- Dust will eventually settle down in very intricate corners of the bike and hence cleaning will be
an issue.
Some Post Delivery Trauma :
Strangely, this never happened to me or is it common.
I was not given a T/R number as the Honda NAVI is not officially approved in Telangana and A.P states at the time of launch and delivery.
The actual reason : The engine number of Honda NAVI was shorter by 1 Digit, hence the RTA software is not accepting the data entry and eventually T/R number is not getting generated.
This issue was resolved nearly 2 weeks post delivery.
Ride Quality :
- Very Agile and quick with good pick up.
- Butterfly handle (with a cross bar for retro look) gives a good grip and comfort to hands.
- Braking is a little dicey due to the lack of disc brakes.
- Turning radius is amazingly good, especially at U Turns.
- Shock Absorbers (Front & Rear) surprisingly do a good job, they could carry my weight of 103
Kgs + my son's weight of 33 kgs easily.Total Carry load 136 kgs effortlessly.
- Front Foot Pegs are not positioned properly hence I keep missing them when i pull up my
legs.Front foot pegs are coming in way to obstruct the ride,especially when starting the
vehicle from 0 speed and accelerating.
- I have touched a maximum speed of 65kmph on the speedo and the Navi offers good
stability. Though I had to brake suddenly few times and stopping factor was good with out any
skidding.
- MRF Zapper tyres are very good in terms of road grip and braking.
- Being both drum brakes, one has to be very careful and mindful of traffic,while braking. This is
the only part where I am scared of riding a Navi.
- Horn is not totally audible,hence pressing it twice of thrice, when needed, will let know the
traffic that you are riding too !!!
Engine Smoothness , Kick Start :
Honda have put a very peppy engine in Navi and the scooterish beats are apparent in the engine. There is no growl or even a purr, but a nice subtle humming engine is good for ears, to bring down noise pollution.
Here are some more pointers :
- Cold starts are to be done only with a Kick Start.I tried self start and it did not pick up.
- Each time self start is engaged, if the engine does not crank in 1-2 starts, then engage the
choke for a quick result.
- Check the idling speed as too high can cause wheel spin while in stationery and can lead to an
accidental launch.
- Do not throttle while engaging self start.
I found the self start to be tardy compared to my Vespa LX 125 and Yamaha Ray.
Comparison : Vespa LX 125 v/s Yamaha Ray v/s Honda Navi
Since i own a Vespa LX 125 and a Yamaha Ray, it was worthy to compare, Honda Navi with these contemporary CVT scooters.
Vespa LX125 is the most powerful of all with 125cc engine, Italian looks and beefy stance, where as Yamaha Ray is sporty and quick with 115cc engine.
Both Vespa LX 125 and Yamaha Ray have ample storage space(in comparison to Honda Navi), i even fitted a storage box on my Yamaha Ray !! Vespa LX 125 has even a disc brake option.
Of course Vespa LX 125 and Yamaha Ray qualify as proper scooters, Honda Navi is a midget scooter IMHO.
On pricing part..Vespa LX 125 costs higher than a Honda Navi and a Yamaha Ray, but this is a different ball game.
Look how they stand together...
Some Interesting features of Navi :
1. There is small place holder to keep the petrol cap at fuel station, where we often hold the petrol cap and let it fall down sometimes. But how long could a fill up for 3.8 liters possibly take...
2. There is a Rear brake lock at the lever which locks the rear wheel from rolling when side stand is in position, if the vehicle is parked in a slant. I find this a good safety measure that Honda thought of !!!
Accessories:
Honda NAVI comes with many accessories meant to personalize one's vehicle. Dealers are charging separately for 2 types of accessories :
-
Standard Accessories : Crash Guard ,Side Stand, Foot Rest and Indicator Buzzer
(Rs.2000) - Optional Accessories : Grab Rail, Seat Cover, Tank Pad, Front Visor, Headlight Guard, Front
suspension cover, Under Guard , Side Cover and Sticker Set of 6 pieces
(Rs.5000)
My Honda Navi with Standard Accessories
Honda 2 Wheelers India has definitely pulled off a nice surprise on the two wheeler scenario which is growing exponentially.
But the pricing (refer my pricing sheet earlier) is high for a fully accessorized Honda NAVI, in my opinion. There are many scooters in that range of price, which offer better options, but they are common in owning. In that way Honda NAVI stands apart.
The next step is get the accessories fitted which will, in my honest opinion, beef up the vehicle to NAVI+ !!!
I have no inhibitions in riding my Honda NAVI,though I have bought it for my son. My burlesque physique midgets NAVI further but the fun factor cannot be missed.
A Navi group has already been formed and we are planning some exhilarating activities and rides in the coming months.
Verdict :
Is Honda NAVI a Scooter or a Motorcycle
: Most definitely a Scooter.
Ownership Rating
: 2.75 / 5
Brand Loyalty
: A little, provided the after sales service is good. I will always have some anti Marquez feeling..