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Honda Activa Test Drive and Review

Posted On : Mar-17-2011 | seen (401) times | Article Word Count : 1419 |

Honda Activa is the second product from the HMSI stable. As the buying potential increases, people prepare to expend money for a meliorating ware. Targeting the metro people, automatic scooters are necessitated and Activa suffices the demand, by staying on as conducing 110cc automatic geared scooter in Indian market is resuscitated over again. With a cost of Rs. 46000(ex-showroom) and a passable mileage of 45kmpl, let us research if its’ active in apportioning goodies!
Honda Activa is the second product from the HMSI (Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India Ltd.) stable. As the buying potential increases, people prepare to expend money for a meliorating ware. Targeting the metro people, automatic scooters are necessitated and Activa suffices the demand, by staying on as conducing 110cc automatic geared scooter in Indian market is resuscitated over again. With a cost of Rs. 46000(ex-showroom) and a passable mileage of 45kmpl, let us research if its’ active in apportioning goodies!


Honda had been condensing more on styling of all their well-performing products in the late years to pull larger youth who are mattered to looks too. The first generation Activa was very much plain Forgetting the second gen Activa had a cosmetic touch up, the third gen Activa is innovated entirely. As Activa’s duo, Honda Aviator defines muscularity; Activa’s designing limits a heterosexual use. The body is carved in like a tunnel for the front wheel projection. In between the head lamp and the front wheel lies a large metal skin chassis with a twin air vent shapes and a prominent nose like projection running between them. A large curvature design bifurcates the upper and lower body of the scooter. The headlamp is trapezoidal with the top edges. The indicators are all silvery with orange lamps that bet trendier, both on front and rear.

The handle bars droop down while the rear view mirrors stick out fair to middling with an arrow like curve. The speedometer is bare and straight forward. Midriff is the underlying theme of the dash. The two protracting arches posses the analog fuel gauge below and an analog speed gauge above. The two turn indicators are at the end of long corners of the pentagonal instrument board. The left arm of the handle bar plastics embeds high-low beam switch, turn switch and a horn. The right arm takes in a switch to turn on lights followed by the self start button. The key slot and choke lever occupy on either side of the scooter’s stem. The seat is contrived, tilted steeping towards the front. A smooth curve demarcates the plastic and the metal part of the scooter’s side body. A key slot is provided below the grab rail on the left of the scooter, to open the seat for re fuelling as well as filling your things under the seat. The 18 liters space is boastful to hold a full faced helmet and a few groceries.

A few add-ons like corner shelves and a backbone like structure forking the under seat cavity might end up in squeezing your stuff at times. Just below the rider’s seat above the foot board, dwells a hook, the traditional sign structure in all scooters, to happily lock a grocery bag. The grab handle for the pillion rider and the practical foot rests are a welcome feature. The drooping curve continues from the grab rail bottom to the foot floor similar to left side. Twin air vents occupy on the fiber area all the three sides, below the rider seat for better air flow to cool the engine. The rectangular silencer fits inside the bulgy waist of the scooter. A tiny shield avoids scratches for the exhaust pipe. The rear of the scooter has two large vertical mounted silver turn lamps with orange bulbs inclosing a trapezoidal red light. A reflector above the number plate, and the tapering mud flap (reduced in size than the previous gen Activa’s mud flap) completes the tail section. The huge grab rail runs all along from the upper middle of the seat on either side, protruding at the tail for convenient handling. A body colored grab could have been more glorious.


Activa’s core is a 109cc single cylinder 4 stroke air cooled OHC engine that executes 8 bhp @7500 rpm, torque at a maximum of 0.9 Kgm-m @5500 rpm. The amazing V matric transmission is intelligent in giving a uniform pull from 0-60 consuming less fuel too. The engine’s beat may be a turn down to few, as it suffocates for every hasty throttling done by the rider.


The design of Activa has been kept keeping the urban commuter in mind. All the length and breadth of the scooter provide a very good balance to the rider. Times have gone when scooters generally weigh on the engine side, which the rider needs to balance on his shoulders. Activa accurately maintains the weight both ways such that leaving the handlebar while driving doesn’t show us the tilt that usually scooters. Thanks to the kinetic frame. Also, the uniform acceleration from 0-60 is a great boon to stop start go traffic of our cities. Many a times, when irresponsible pedestrians and riders cross your driving, a flick in the throttle is what you need to forget the block. The saddle position is inclined, that doesn’t mean that sitting on it shall create pressure over the shoulders. It directly depends on the way you sit on the scooter. Sit at the middle will give greater control over the handling part, while sitting at the edge of the seat will only strain your neck back and shoulders.

Above 60 kmph, the uniform pull vanishes, rather a sluggish time taking engine grunts out till 80 kmph mark is reached. Going beyond shall be harsh on the engine. Yes, the acceleration maintained before, do get upset after one drives higher speeds for a while. The engine throws out rattling noises and might be very much significant when you drive slowly after a whacky ride. Riding with a pillion occupier behind isn’t a big deal. In fact, the balance and road grip increases better. The shoulders don’t get hurt and the pick-up is average enough to glide on traffic hours. Driving for more than 2 hours continuously might cause lower back pains, as Activa’s seat doesn’t have a supporting structure like a bucket, the one in Kinetic Blaze. Of course, for a basic commuter scooter, one cannot expect. But considering the welcoming attitude of people, Honda might have innovated the seat design for more comfort. Taking turns quickly and cutting through lanes, need more experience, for the scooter tyres aren’t for any sport.

Driving Activa at night is a delight, thanks to the powerful headlamps that illumines more towards the left of the road, avoiding glare the opponent drivers and also saving you from hitting pedestrians. High beam covers as wide as 70 meters of distance, while low beam spreads across for 30 meters of road ahead. The suspension is one aspect, which Activa needs to be improved. While the front Bottom Link with Spring Loaded Hydraulic Damper can absorb shocks without much fuss, the back unit Swing with spring loaded Hydraulic Damper simply does a half-hearted job in bad roads. An amazing fact is that the handlebar vibrations are arrested at speeds above 60kmph. Cold start problems may arise, for which the choke lever might help. Battery ought to be maintained for a lavish and trouble free usage, as the kicker rod isn’t quite easy for use. The bulgy sides of the scooter, though couldn’t be avoided at any cause for a scratch, irks when parking in a narrow gap. Since, the entire body’s edge can be guarded by assemblies readily available, there is little need to worry about the scratches. The durability of paints on the Activa’s skin is another doubt. Better to buy grey or similar colors for even after 2 years or so, they hide the age of the scooter, but the brighter ones don’t.


Positioning an automatic scooter among diversed Indian buyers needs lot of careful observation. After the popular Kinetic Honda, which every owner loved for the comfort and pick up it provided, Honda has wisely positioned Activa, keeping the conservative middle class mass. The recent facelifts although boosts the sales, the long waiting two months of delivery turns down many buyers. Honda can also introduce the front disc to Activa, as it did to Aviator on its launch. With close competitions, Active must be dynamic with features and performance just like how TVS launched 4 variants of its scooty brand namely the Pep, Pep+, Teen 2 and Streak. You got to buy an Activa, if you can afford to shell out a few more thousands because its Honda and don’t mind the fuel efficiency too much, in return, you shall get an effortless active ride on city traffic from Honda Activa.

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Honda Activa Test Drive and Review_56187.aspx

Author Resource :
Vickynitin is a popular enthusiast on Indian automotives. He writes about Honda and answers many user queries.Honda Activa is the best bike in India.

Keywords : Honda, Activa, price, mileage, pictures, review, india, test drive,

Category : Travel and Leisure : Travel and Leisure

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