[Nithesh_M]

How many liters is that storage accessory capable of holding?

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

...I feel like instantly booking the Navi and riding it all the way home.

At 6 foot 3 I might look like a circus bear riding a unicycle but I'd not care if it was worth the fun.

Well, I'm 6ft 2-1/2 and if my initial jaunts around Aizawl (Mizoram) on my sis-in-law's Navi are any indication, it's well worth the fun - a significant step up from her former Mahindra Flyte ride (which was sufficiently powerful but thoroughly uninteresting, sold off as a two-year-old for only a bit less than she was able to purchase the Honda new).

I'm going to have my wife take a snap of me on this "bike" and see for myself just how ridiculous I've been looking, but fortunately I long ago ceased caring much about that. Practicality aside, as a (ahem) MAN, something just seems "right" about having a tank between my legs rather than empty space. My new bro-in-law also has one... with the storage box, which makes it about as useful as any other scooter I suppose, and looks great...

There are quite a number of these around Aizawl and one or two in Manali, and I've never seen them in anything but red... it does suit the bike (classic Honda color) but the yellow really makes it a fantastic standout.

-Eric

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Well, I'm 6ft 2-1/2 on my sis-in-law's Navi are any indication, it's well worth the fun - a significant step up from her former Mahindra Flyte

-Eric

Haha, my sis has a Rodeo and that thing has seen more issues in 2 years of ownership than my 2006-2011 50k kms run Dio that only needed a rear shock replacement(owing to my weight and the roads I commute daily) and that too only when I took it back to Honda to trade in for the 250R.

Regret selling the Dio these days because it had a lot of potential and I could always use a scooter for the local errands. Have been looking at the Navi for the same purpose, a good number of owners in my locality, mostly college students who take them out when they have to hit the gym or movies and other fun places.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Practicality aside, as a (ahem) MAN, something just seems "right" about having a tank between my legs rather than empty space.

By getting to grip the tank with the legs makes it possible to control/steer the vehicle with the legs.

Exactly the reason why I don't dig traditional scooters and feet forward cruisers.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

At 6 foot 3 I might look like a circus bear riding a unicycle but I'd not care if it was worth the fun.

Originally Posted by ringoism

Well, I'm 6ft 2-1/2 I'm going to have my wife take a snap of me on this "bike" and see for myself just how ridiculous I've been looking, but fortunately I long ago ceased caring much about that.

For the "over six" crowd: Here's one way of looking at it:



Another perspective - I'd look like a circus bear if only I had the girth; As it is, I'm more of a thin-man sideshow I suppose:



But having tons of fun on this thing in Aizawl... And it'll go the distance... in some cases almost vertically!




I'm liking the color-moulded and (vs. std. scooters) minimalist bodywork. A bit less sheen there, but matte finishes are "in" anyway; There's a lot less body surface area to get scratched up from parking/spills (some Vespas up here that looked so pretty a year ago are getting rather nasty already); If it does get scratched, anyone worth their salt with a buffing wheel can make it look new again, and it's not going to get dented, either. I'm finding these in every hue up here in Aizawl; They all look good, but perhaps the best I saw yet was all black with the black carry-box under the tank...

Hill-performance-wise, the "bike" is extremely responsive /quick off the line, but tapers off a bit thereafter; my impression is that it's got a bit less pull than the Mahindra (a 125) did, but I'd say it makes up for it in other ways. Showroom here has a customer who seems to be getting over 50kmpl in long-distance hill riding between Aizawl and Lunglei. The big front tyre (12") is a plus, the thing weighs just around 100kg's, is stable / good-handling up to normal city speed limits (50-ish and maybe above), is about the cheapest thing you can buy with two wheels and an engine, and is just plain fun & funky. A winner in my book.

My wife still chuckles whenever she sees me on it (as others must also), but that's awlright...

-Eric

[ringoism]

P.S. A few have compared the Rajdoot GTS "Bobby" and a similar-looking Thai-based Honda, but this is what I thought of when I first saw a (red) Navi:

(The Honda Minitrail Z50)



Granted, these were not street-legal nor practically adult-ride-able, but running through the woods as a middle-schooler on my friend's Z50 (it was a ragged late-1960's/early 70's model), the fun factor was the same. These are REALLY tiny; we surely looked like whichever circus-performers on it even back then, but cared even less.

-Eric

[Nithesh_M]

Honda started the "monkey bike" segment in 1961. In the 70s and 80s they were pretty famous so much so that James Bond rode one of those in his movies Diamonds are Forever, granted it was a 3 wheeled version of it with balloon tyres and mostly considered an offroader. It was the ATC 90.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Honda started the "monkey bike" segment in 1961. In the 70s and 80s they were pretty famous so much so that James Bond rode one of those in his movies Diamonds are Forever, granted it was a 3 wheeled version of it with balloon tyres and mostly considered an offroader. It was the ATC 90.

The ATC's were never street-legal to my knowledge and IMO an entirely different animal, but I think these CT-70's (a.k.a. Trail 70) could be registered for road use, at least in some places, and were also more comparable in size/performance to the Navi than the Z50 I posted earlier:



Though I never heard the term "monkey bike" on the U.S. side of things, this would clearly seem to fit the mold. 70cc 4-stroke with an auto-clutch 4-speed. What did you have in mind from 1961?

-Eric

[Nithesh_M]

The z100 which was the predecessor of the z50. It was the first "monkey bike" back then and kickstarted the segment of monkey bikes as they are fondly remembered today.

Here's a good read:
http://www.visordown.com/features/mo...not-know-about

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by nishsingh

The Navi wasn't my first brush with the monkey bike styling though. During my visit to Thailand last year...The only couple of bikes that stood out for me were the Kawasaki Z800 and the Honda Grom. And the Grom appealed more to me - to me, it was like the Mini Cooper of bikes.

The Honda Grom.
Attachment 1505585

But obviously there were no such bikes on sale in India, until Honda pulled out the rabbit out of the hat at a well executed reveal at the Auto-Expo.

I've been to Thailand a number of times and seen/ridden some amazing machinery there. A real hub for biking enthusiasm - Ahhh... I've got some stories... but I digress.

I'd seen your post last week and thought the Grom was looking great - one more case where some foreign market gets the "premium" version (125cc, 4-speed, wide tyres) and India gets... well... something "less". And then, just after test-riding UM Motors' Commando the other day here in Aizawl, I unexpectedly came across this Manipur-registered, genuine Thai-produced, imported Grom! My expectations were high considering the spec (basically a Super Splendor engine in something weighing maybe 20-30kg's less), and the thing undeniably looks great:



But a test-ride on that (which they're trying to sell for 1.1L) convinced me that the Navi is the better bike - smoother, easier-handling, and actually seeming to pull every bit as strong - or stronger; A GREAT market entry for India, who has not, this time, received second-best!

-Eric

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ringoism

...thought the Grom was looking great... (125cc, 4-speed, wide tyres)...(but the Navi is) - A GREAT market entry for India, who has not, this time, received second-best!

Surprised to discover that the Grom has been a real hit in the U.S. despite its selling at a STARTING price of 2.2L!!!! It seems that enthusiasts and tuners are all over them and there are plenty of people who've got 4L in one of these. Consider that a similarly-engined 125FI Stunner has got 3bhp more, is a bigger bike, and costs only 65k here; And the humble, fun, funky Navi is sub-rs50k - simply amazing. My fun riding it these weeks has not yet diminished, so I'm a believer (but it's going to cost me: My wife has been learning to ride on it, too, and seems to want me to buy her one now!).

-Eric

[dhruvritzed]

Hi everyone
Planning to buy the navi in green, any pics w.r.t the accessories for a green colored one
Also haven't seen the same color much, is it because of unavailability of accessories for the same or usual preference.
Amy news on an alloy wheel,disc brake variant soon.
Also, anyone who ordered online?

[Avikbrio]

Originally Posted by dhruvritzed

Amy news on an alloy wheel,disc brake variant soon.

Its not coming anytime soon AFAIK. No such updates from Honda.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by dhruvritzed

Amy news on an alloy wheel,disc brake variant soon.
Also, anyone who ordered online?

Hold on to your money till 1st April. Nearly every two wheeler is getting a minor refresh as they are upgraded to match BS-IV regulations and add automatic headlamps features. Hopefully they will add some more features too.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by autorahul

Hold on to your money till 1st April. Nearly every two wheeler is getting a minor refresh as they are upgraded to match BS-IV regulations and add automatic headlamps features. Hopefully they will add some more features too.

It's a Honda remember... don't expect any significant changes