probably the first reason...i have just 1 year exp of mopedding around on activa so it'll take time....well mine has clocked 49K and its 5 years old....well to be frank it was abused to the core...everyday 45km of riding with almost 160+kg(rider+pillion weight) and assume 10 kg weight of bag laptop and stuff...

well i tried this stuff my sister in law told me...i kick the kick lever 3-4 times before putting the key in the ignition and then with the key in i kick and it starts in a single or may be 2-3 kicks(max)...this is first start in the morning...self starter works just perfect...may be i suspect an engine oil problem..it might be too thick....

with the above method the engine starts but it dies down within 15 secs..unless i blip the throttle a little...(yes i can use the choke but it is faulty...some spring in the carb which attaches the choke is a problem..i get it repaired and its the same the next day...)

its OM SAI HONDA malad,mumbai

Mayank - Well, I understand your situation; but, remember, you'll need to shell out moolah, a lot of moolah (my clutch repair burned about 9K, yes 9 Grands), so first ask yourself if its worth enough to spend so much on a scooter. Forget about me, I'm a bloody perfectionist, so I land up burning a lot of money even on minor things.

Anyway, you can get your kicker things fixed (even then, you'll have to kick 2-3 times), call it as a complaint if you want, but that's how that damn thing works, like the old Yezdi's kicker. I don't know how young you are, if so, take help with your Father or any seniors at home, talk directly to the Service manager at the Honda ASC & not to anyone else, express your concern & get all the issues fixed.

From my experience all the issues on Activa can be fixed to perfection. Good luck

exactly...i dont want to spend so much on a scooter...

dad stays out of country for the major part of the year for his job..i inherited the activa from my elder brother..i'm just 19 years old :P

it was hard but finally had gathered courage to ask dad for a bike and he agreed but its gonna be till the year end till i lay my hands on it...(i dont like to ask for stuff from my parents..i have a scooter thats a big deal...some dont even have that so i take it as a priviledge)

i will be keeping the scooter just for short distance travelling to he nearby market to help mum buy veggies and run those short errands at home...i got bored of the activa so i asked dad...

i'll get the whole issue repaired after my semester exams....

thanks for the help....

these days are pent more on studying and what bike to buy...confusing to choose a first bike sometimes :P

Nothing to get confused; define what you want from fantasy, check out reality then you'll zero-in on a ride. If you don't understand what I'm talking, check out this article - http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/hard-tor...pointment.html

And How much have you clocked in 5 years?

Gearless scooters dying in 5 years! My foot. Ask them to give the same thing in writing!

Let them start advertising, "Honda Activa! Active for 5 years! "

Hmm they were quite right though with the "they say no problem with the activa...", Very true, no problem there, the problem is with them.

+1; especially on the bold part

Mayank - ask them to do the above & then you'll understand what we're talking about. I'd say, time to switch ASC.

indeed a great article...according to it..i already have my needs completed...a personal vehicle so i can travel comfortably (activa)

requirement...a nice decent bike...balance between looks power mileage and minimal maintenance(comparative term..i cannot put a figure..i am ready to spend ony 200 bucks a month on maintenance but i dont want to burn a whole in my pocket)

expectations...i want it to be a head turner and make me feel like the king of the road....

budget 65K max(i can extend but i dont want to...as its my parents money..i'll get a better and costlier bike if interested when i earn myself)

i guess p135 shud be a good option stating the needs requirments and high expectations(i want a p200ns but who doesnt dream of big bikes among us? )...

its completed 48K kms in 4.5 years
yes actually i am fed up with the honda asc and have seen similar complaints from customers abt honda service everywhere hence i skipped honda from my wish list...that includes suzuki and yamaha whose service centres are scarce..

1. Metallic sound- At 50k km your scooter combustion chamber will be having too much carbon deposits.Open the head and manually clean the piston top and combustion chamber.Even open the valves and clean them and lapp then using grinding paste.
2. Unstable idling- Open the carburettor and clean it thoroughly using petrol and clean the jets especially slow jet thoroughly. After fitting back warm up the engine and re tune it.
3. Check the clutch shoe and replace it if worn out. If the clutch assembly is worn out replace it completely rather than clutch shoe as after fitting it will cause belt tear. The clutch assembly is the one on which clutch shoe is fitted. Costs approximately Rs.1400.
change the spark plug to NGK CR6HSA
If the air filter is too dirty replace it.Find a good independent garage and do the above mentioned work in your presence.
Don't worry about parts availability as you can go for pleasure parts as all parts are same. The complete work should cost about Rs.2500 and your scooter will feel like it came from showroom and for another 30-40 k km there will be no problem.

thanks for those points

well the metallic sound comes(knocking i suppose) only when the acceleration is sudden...that is i twist the throttle a bit harder or when i go above 55 kph

do u know the approximate cost for the decarbonistaion of the engine?

the clutch shoe i guess was replaced last december when my kick lever stopped working(clutch cover had some circular slot where kick is attached was damaged and the mech said he could lathe is but it wont last long....) i saw pics online of how a clutch shoe looks and something similar was replaced in my activa

well these days i dont get much problem in kickstarting...i first kick without the key in ignition 3-4 times and then turn the key on and the scooter comes to life in a single kick...the unstable idle is only during cold start...after the engine warms up it feels perfect...

is changing the spark plug necessary...i gues i havent changed the spark plugs till now...i got the scooter from my elder brother...he mustve got it changed but i dont think more than once

during last service the spark plug was checked...and the mech said it was fine...

mayank. By a time i was also struggling with this problem. Below are the solutions for the same.
1. I case of scotties like Activa & Aviater, always get it seviced from authorised service centre b'cos a bike machanic at local shop can never understand this problem.
2. At the time of servicing, get it's engine cleaned & use supplementary oil too.
3. Avoid your Activa from dusty areas as possible.

in my case the local mechanic understood the problem better than asc...i guess i shud change the asc now...the asc suggested a major engine overhaul when i reported self start and battery draining out problem

i went to the local shop and it was found out that starter bendex was the culprit and the repair done within 150 bucks...

can u tell me what is the cost for getting the engine cleaned(decarbonised u mean right?)

supplementary oil????

cost of engine De-carbonization is not much.
Spares will cost at the most Rs. 250.
The mechanic will charge about Rs.300 and if you go for valve cleaning and polishing then Rs. 200 extra.
Most of the ASC are donkeys and they know how to mint customer but a good mechanic always tries to do good work so that he can keep a customer. In fact my bike after free servicing hasn't seen the ASC for past 11 years and is still running much better than new bikes.
And there is nothing in an activa engine that a mechanic cannot understand.

Supplementary oils are basically used to increase the pick up.

thanks a lot! well whenever i hear engine job to be done or engine to be opened minimum expense incurred is 1K plus...

vale cleaning and polishing...hmm do we need to do it regularly??how does it help? i will ask them do they check the valve clearances in regular services


any specific brand? where is it used and what shud i tell the mechanic??i dont find any lag in pick up in my scooter...its just bugging that it struggles above 50kph


recently i shifted to regular petrol from speed petrol and the engine grunts...earlier it used to be more silent..however i dont find any lag in performance....only the metallic sound(knocking i guess) happens at an earlier speed...46-47+ kph