[Gansan]

^^ The vibrations are caused by the tyre which must have been worn on one side. So you can try to fir both front and rear tyres by rotating them left to right - unless they are uni-directional tyres. If that does not rectify the problem, you will have to restore status-quo by restoring the tyres as they were before you made the tyre rotation.

I don't think there is anything wrong with your rims. Even if there was, nothing can be done except replacing them with new ones. A scooter wheel can't be "trued" like the spoke wheel of a bile.

[kavesh55]

Originally Posted by Sabareesh

My message to HMSI is :-Please feed your dealership sales force some etiquette, courtesy and manners. They need it more than anything else. They are ruining your name.

Hi Sabareesh- Believe you are closer to the auto community than most of us. Please flag this to HMSI. I faced it today at a dealership in Mumbai too. Honda Scooters is god's gift to mankind.

[rohan_iitr]

I am interested in purchasing the recently launched Activa-i.

The Honda dealerships have no idea when it would be available, but have started taking bookings.

Should I go ahead and book it without a test drive ? (I normally never purchase vehicles without test drive, but I can make an exception for this one).

I have taken test drives of almost all gearless scooters in the market and did not like a single one of them for various reasons. Only Activa-i seems to fit my requirements perfectly.

Rohan

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I have taken test drives of almost all gearless scooters in the market and did not like a single one of them for various reasons. Only Activa-i seems to fit my requirements perfectly.

This reason alone warrants a wait till you can test ride it. Though by the looks of it, Honda seems to be targeting the Hero Pleasure crowd with the Activa-i, since you have not liked the current scooters, best to wait till you can ride one!

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

This reason alone warrants a wait till you can test ride it. Though by the looks of it, Honda seems to be targeting the Hero Pleasure crowd with the Activa-i, since you have not liked the current scooters, best to wait till you can ride one!

A Hero Pleasure is exactly the kind of scooter I need. Only thing against it was its feminine looks and old generation engine.

Actually I need a slim and lightweight scooter with decent power. Slim and lightweight so that my wife can also use it and decent power because I just can't drive an under powered vehicle.

Since the Activa-i is mechanically identical to the regular Activa and only the body panels are different, I don't think that I should be expecting any nasty surprises.

Activa-i ticks all the boxes for me - reliability, slim and lightweight, power, mileage, braking, looks, tubeless tyres, maintenance free battery, ground clearance, under seat storage etc. Telescopic shock absorbers are the only missing feature in the package.

Rohan

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Activa-i ticks all the boxes for me - reliability, slim and lightweight, power, mileage, braking, looks, tubeless tyres, maintenance free battery, ground clearance, under seat storage etc. Telescopic shock absorbers are the only missing feature in the package.

Given that it is lighter than Activa by about 6kgs (?), it would feel faster off the mark as well and easier to handle. And yes telescopic shocks are something Honda dont feel we deserve on our roads. Since the other factors are in favor, you can probably book it and take a ride once released. If you dont like it, you can always cancel the booking and look elsewhere!

[S_U_N]

Spoke to a local mechanic for servicing our 2.3 year old Access.
He quoted Rs. 500 which includes normal servicing + oil change.
He said, no need to change oil filter (which is paper filter with Rs. 250 cost as per him). I am not sure about that part.
Last servicing was in end of February I guess.

Rates are the same as A.S.S. which are quite far off, but I can still try and experiment with this guy who works on the pavement and is just outside the gate. He is quite experienced as well.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

He quoted Rs. 500 which includes normal servicing + oil change. He said, no need to change oil filter (which is paper filter with Rs. 250 cost as per him). I am not sure about that part.

When you say 500/- includes servicing + oil changing, I am assuming it is including the cost of the oil. Seems reasonable enough given that the cost of 1L of mineral oil is in the whereabouts of 250/- a can.

As far as my understanding goes, a paper filter needs to be replaced in every oil change and it is found mostly in motorcycles. Some of them have centrifugal filters which need replacement every 10,000 kms and they have an oil strainer that needs to be cleaned.

In case of scooters, please go as per your manual recommendation. If it says no need to change oil filter with each oil change stick to it. Looking at the price, i think its mostly not a paper filter (or Suzuki spares are very costly). The filter for RTR180 (paper filter) costed around 60/-.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Actually I need a slim and lightweight scooter with decent power. Slim and lightweight so that my wife can also use it and decent power because I just can't drive an under powered vehicle.

I drove a Yamaha Ray and found to be exactly what you describe.

In fact I found it a little on the petite side which the women will appreciate.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

A Hero Pleasure is exactly the kind of scooter I need. Only thing against it was its feminine looks and old generation engine.

My wife had Hero Pleasure for 3 years. I had also got the chance to use it quite often. I'd certainly not recommend it. The biggest reason would be atrocious suspension. All the jerks would be passed on to your bones and back. Even after a journey of 8/10 kms, I used to get a backache. My version of Pleasure also had a problem of morning start. I had to spend 5/10 minutes every morning to start it. And no, I did not use battery start in the morning. It was really painful. I got it checked by service center as well as FNG but nothing could help. Finally got rid of it. But yes, other than this starting problem, the Honda engine was quite reliable.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I drove a Yamaha Ray and found to be exactly what you describe.

In fact I found it a little on the petite side which the women will appreciate.

I was just about to purchase the Yamaha Ray when I came to know that Honda has launched Activa-i.

Even though Yamaha Ray is a good scooter in itself, I feel that Activa-i better suits my requirements. Honda Activa-i has these benefits over Yamaha Ray:
1. Proven engine
2. Better fuel efficiency
3. More under seat storage
4. Tubeless tyres
5. Maintenance free battery
6. Better ground clearance
7. I prefer the plain jane looks
8. Activa-i is cheaper by 3-4k

I took a TD of Yamaha Ray and felt it was too petite (even for a person with average height). The riding position felt racing type and not commuter type (because of the low handle bar). Finally, the styling is not to my liking.

Rohan

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by shipnil

I'd certainly not recommend it. The biggest reason would be atrocious suspension. All the jerks would be passed on to your bones and back. Even after a journey of 8/10 kms, I used to get a backache. .

The activas and dios have the same suspension as the Pleasure. (non telescopic)...so it would be just as jarring.

Ray and Swish have telescopic front

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by Mpower

The activas and dios have the same suspension as the Pleasure. (non telescopic)...so it would be just as jarring.

Ray and Swish have telescopic front

Aviator and Wego have telescopic fronts as well. And these come with disc brakes too.

Prajwal

[rki2007]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

I was just about to purchase the Yamaha Ray when I came to know that Honda has launched Activa-i.

Even though Yamaha Ray is a good scooter in itself, I feel that Activa-i better suits my requirements. Honda Activa-i has these benefits over Yamaha Ray:
1. Proven engine
2. Better fuel efficiency
3. More under seat storage
4. Tubeless tyres
5. Maintenance free battery
6. Better ground clearance
7. I prefer the plain jane looks
8. Activa-i is cheaper by 3-4k

I took a TD of Yamaha Ray and felt it was too petite (even for a person with average height). The riding position felt racing type and not commuter type (because of the low handle bar). Finally, the styling is not to my liking.

Rohan

You are on the spot. I have been using Dio for more than 7 years and very recently got the Ray for my sis. I would any day without a second opinion assertively say that Honda scooters are tremendous and great. No other company can compete with Honda in terms of quality, performance and engine smoothness of the bikes. I was actually carried away by the reviews about Ray and got one for my sis. I simply didn't have the patience to wait for an activa or dio and that was the real truth why i chose Ray. Some advantages of Ray are light weight which would attract women and suspension is reasonably good. But the downside of the bike are too many . The engine really screams like hell.Also the vibrations are high when compared with Honda bikes. The under seat storage is very less and it can't even accomodate a small size full covered helmet. The seating position is ok and not very great. The front leg room is very less and also you can't fit in any great market luggage after shopping.Over all the scooter looks very small and can be ideal for women. In terms of service i feel Honda and Yamaha both are average but Honda slightly has a upper hand.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by rki2007

I would any day without a second opinion assertively say that Honda scooters are tremendous and great. No other company can compete with Honda in terms of quality, performance and engine smoothness of the bikes. In terms of service i feel Honda and Yamaha both are average but Honda slightly has a upper hand.

Sorryto break the bubble but your views were a reality on the old gen Honda Activa scooters but have become a myth in the new gen Activa. The quality has gone down considerably and the engine no longer retains the smoothness. This is purely from my experience of owning a 2010 Activa. In terms of service too, Honda has taken a beating. In fact I got the Activa serviced today and was told that the battery has lost the juice already with 4 out of 7 cells not working. The workshop had the cheekiness of asking me to get the battery replaced from Honda itself which I wouldnt do at all. After servicing and checking the vehicle, when I parked the activa in my building, the lane indicator buzzer started acting strange and the volume diminished gradually. I will have to again contact Honda for the same.
Ask an old gen Activa user and you would hardly hear anything bad about the engine.