[Tommie]

Folks,

I have a 2006 model Honda Activa. I had done only 9700+ kms till now as my 2-wheeler commuting is pretty low these days. I noticed that the swing arm on my front fork got rusted in a specific way. Attaching the pic here. The service advisor told me that I need to change the fork which would cost around Rs. 2.2K and it is an additional day of work.

When I was a service center today, I asked the service advisor about the life of an Activa Engine. He mentioned that the life is just 35K km after which the engine work needs to be carried out. I really could not understand why the life of an Activa is such low milage. If I remember correctly, old Hero Honda CD100 (comparing 4 stroke) which as manufactured in 1988 would give a life of over 50-70K without any engine repair. A kinetic Honda could run for close to 50K km until it needed an engine repair.


My questions to the experts:
1) Is it really true that the engine life of Honda is really low =>35K
2) If the life is really low, why is the resale value pretty high even though most of the Honda 2 wheeler vehicles are activa's
3) What is your opinion about this rusting pic that I posted. Do I need to change the fork as suggested

[GearOn]

Originally Posted by Tommie

Folks,


When I was a service center today, I asked the service advisor about the life of a Activa Engine. He mentioned that the life is just 35K km after which the engine work needs to be carried out.

The service advisor looks like a newly joined fellow or has no idea about Activa.

My Activa has run close to 45,000 Kms. and still I need to service it only once every six months. Engine is still stock with just suspension overhauled. You cant get a more maintenance free moped than this and which reflects in its sales.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by Tommie

He mentioned that the life is just 35K km after which the engine work needs to be carried out.

Either he is an ill informed guy like most service advisors, or maybe that's the standard advice that service centre gives to milk it's customers more.

I know a couple of guys who are using their Activa's with more than 50k kms on the odo without any engine work.

[dhanushs]

^^ True!. For a properly maintained engine, 35k is nothing. I have friends who have clocked more than 50k and still the engine is butter smooth.

The suspension acts up though, and over bad roads and good speeds, it can be a bit scary.

As for the fork, IIRC , at a Honda A.S.S it comes as a full set.

[bluevolt]

My friend's Activa has done over 55K and still serving the purpose. Life of engine just 35k and that of an Honda? That service adviser needs to brush up his knowledge before he actually suggests something to customers.
About the fork rusting, I think you have to change it as it looks in bad condition. Go for the new part.

[Rennjit]

If the damage is localised to that spot only, it can be repaired with a good patch. Ask some local mech for repair possibility. Few strikes with a hammer is all thats required to know if its good enough for a repair.

May be 35K is the last periodic service mentioned in Honda's chart, post which the cycle restarts i suppose. I know an activa that clocked more than all that in less than a year- its a restaurant's all duty machine

[YaeJay]

That's odd. Ive had a Kiho doing 98K plus. And a Honda has to be better! That does look serious though. I would change that fork. Guess my neph is not gettin a honda activa after all!

[anjan_c2007]

The Honda four stroke 100 cc engines fitted in all Honda two wheelers have had their initial start with the Honda Cub a stepthrough, in the early 1960's.These were marketed in South East Asia especially in The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries in the vicinity. The road conditions and usage were enduring and needed a lot of tolerance for the four stroke engine. Honda under its then leader and founder Mr Siochiro Honda improved upon the design progressively to make it one of the toughest workhorses.It was only in the late 1960's that Honda ventured into motor cars.
So a battle hardened engine was first introduced in India in the CD 100 in 1985.The same basic engine in many avatars come fitted in the HH Splendour, Dawn and so on.Now the Activa, Dio, Aviator are also fitted with the same engine with some reboring and enhancement in engine capacity.
Its hence surprising that someone should say that this engine will not last beyond 35K?
I guess the person should be given marching orders by the employer for misleading customers.
About your front fork, I can only say that HMSIL needs to pull up its suppliers. The Activa is prone to rusting.After 3 months of use I had a flat rear tyre. When the wheel disc was opened for repairs, the inner part of the disc in contact with the tube had started to rust. And I live within the mainland in a dry place, far away from moisture and coastal waters. Working on the Activa myself, I find many of its components to be of poor quality however. The scooter is a tough workhorse otherwise.

[humyum]

35 thousand life of a honda activa is all lies.

My Honda Dio which has the same engine as a Honda Activa was brought in 2002, I ran it till 2005 mid for about 60 thousand kilometers in 3 years with daily runs of 70 to 80 km from college to home to evening outings and outstation trips on highways with the longest being a Bangalore - Ooty trip

After I left Bangalore, my fua started using it and it had its first engine overhaul at around 80 thousand kilometers and note this Dio was serviced every 5 to 6 thousand kilometers instead of the 3 thousand kilometer service interval as i would have to give it service almost every one and half month then.

My uncle sold it in 2011 after running the DIO for 1 lakh 70 thousand kilometers and 9 years. IMAGINE. Body was the same that came from the company but just rattled a lot, almost all transmission parts were replaced all the way, tyres were changed many times.

All in all THE BEST and the most reliable scooter we have ever experienced till date. I took it on an OOTY Trip for 4 days from bangalore and in that entire trip it ran for around 1000 km and was ready to be used the next day after the trip for college too.

[shridhar.s.i]

Hi,
I Do agree that Honda engines are built to Last, but there is one common issue crippling many Activas which i have observed in my area.. The starter
4 out of 5 Activas in my area are having starter issues within a couple of years of purchase and since they have almost forgotten the vehicle also has a Kick starter they keep cranking the engine using the poor starter (It almost creates an orchestra in the basement) and finally drain the battery almost to empty
I Hope many of people here also must have seen this problem
One of my neighbors said, since he has not used the Kick start for about 3 years, it is jammed now and needs to be serviced to get it functional

[TheARUN]

We bought a used ACTIVA with 24,000 on the clock and got cheated. The vehicle went straight into the authorised service center and came back with an engine overhaul and a Rs.8,000 bill

The vehicle has been running like a dream since then. The point I am trying to make is that rough use can wear out parts faster than normal use.

About the fork, I think only the part welded to the fork is rusted and you can get a local mechanic or tinker to fabricate and get that part welded. I would have replaced the whole fork just for peace of mind

About ACTIVAs having starting problems, I know someone who bought a new ACTIVA to drop her kid off to school, its just half a kilometer everyday and in a month the battery ran dry because of low running. My friend's Dad used to do atleast 50 kilometers in the open road after Church on sundays just to keep his ACTIVAs battery full of juice.

Hope this helps

[Tommie]

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

Hi,
One of my neighbors said, since he has not used the Kick start for about 3 years, it is jammed now and needs to be serviced to get it functional

I too had the same problem, my battery died after 3 years and the kicker got stuck and the service guys came and took it.

[Tommie]

Originally Posted by bluevolt

My friend's Activa has done over 55K and still serving the purpose. Life of engine just 35k and that of an Honda? That service adviser needs to brush up his knowledge before he actually suggests something to customers.
About the fork rusting, I think you have to change it as it looks in bad condition. Go for the new part.

Originally Posted by humyum

35 thousand life of a honda activa is all lies.

it had its first engine overhaul at around 80 thousand kilometers and note this Dio was serviced every 5 to 6 thousand kilometers instead of the 3 thousand kilometer service interval as i would have to give it service almost every one and half month then.

My uncle sold it in 2011 after running the DIO for 1 lakh 70 thousand kilometers and 9 years. IMAGINE. Body was the same that came from the company but just rattled a lot, almost all transmission parts were replaced all the way, tyres were changed many times.

Both the feedback are great and shows the Honda assurance. In fact, I was sitting next to another customer(in his early 50's)the Service Adviser(SA) from Haiku Honda -Airport road that he needs to service his activa every 3 months and needs to change the oil often as his activa has crossed 50K. The SA looked and talked like a mature guy in his early 30's with lots of information. That is when I asked him what is the life of an activa engine till it needs to be opened up and do boring and other stuffs. He said it should start right after 35K. Then I asked, isnt that too early, I remember my Kinetic was never opened until it reached 55K. He said that was a 2 stroke. Then I had some doubt on the guy.

It looks like the service guys are pushing people to bring the vehicles too often to the service station. Someone even said that the SA's are being performance measured by the amount that is billed to his vehicles by the end of the month. May be this topic was discussed in some other thread.

[fordday]

My Activa is almost one year. The self starter is a big problem in cold start. In the mornings it almost never starts even with the choke On. So I always make it a point to use kick start the first time of the day.

Noticed that if I start it late in the mornings towards afternoon, when the surrounding tempararture will be little warm, the self starter holds.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

About ACTIVAs having starting problems, I know someone who bought a new ACTIVA to drop her kid off to school, its just half a kilometer everyday and in a month the battery ran dry because of low running.

+1 here, though it would be a bit harsh to blame the battery for it. Very short trips means draining of battery repeatedly for cranking and no time to recharge.