Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Query approved.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

With metal body, you have some advantages like there'd be no rattling issues like those on fiber body & in case someone bumps into your ride, it'd be cheaper for denting/painting than replacement in case of fiber body panels.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

I have been riding a plastic body scooter for years and never had any rattling issue. It depends on build quality I guess.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Go for tvs jupiter, it has combination of both metal + plastic body, best of both worlds ! But fibre body is cheaper to replace, whereas metal body has better durability. Go gor what you like, i personally like both.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

We bought a hero Honda pleasure in 2006, full fiber plastic body, had some rattling over a period of 8 years and 42 thousand kms. I might add that this scoot was used to teach riding to my little sister and she dropped it more than a few times. Still the rattles were manageable and build quality was robust.

In March 2014, bought myself a R15V2 and was impressed with the quality. So 9-10 months riding the V2, decided to replace the Pleasure with Yamaha Alpha in December 2014. Again full plastic body, and I was confident going by the build quality on my V2. Alas, the confidence was shattered. The scoot rattles like hell and just 25 thousand kms, most interlocking bits that connect 2 plastic parts together are broken as of today. And mind you the user is the same (my sister) and this Yammy was not even dropped cause sister had good 6-7 years of riding experience. Still the damned thing rattles.

Now coming down to full metal body scoots, Activa which has become a synonym for gearless scoots is most common one. You will find one or two in every house hold. It too rattles a bit cause the metal front part (the headlight dome, front chest etc) is joined to the plastic part at the back. If the interlocking hooks broke off on these plastic parts, even a Full metal active will rattle. But Activas as rather well built in my opinion (compared to my alpha alteast), and if taken care of, it won't rattle much.

The only advantage of the metal I see, is that low speed crashes will cause only a dent on a metal body which maybe cheap to repair (I'm guessing). Whereas the plastic body absorbs most of the impact and bounces back to its original form in low speed crashes. but on mildly high speeds (say more than 30 kmph) it will crack and shatter and you will have to replace the whole thing. Still plastic Its not as weak as we might think, atleast in well made scoots like Jupiter.

So which ever scoot you have shortlisted, I would advise you to visit the service station and personally talk to the owners there. They will be able to give much better advice.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

First of all, love your name, I used to use that as those are my initials as well.

I want a 125cc scoot. So Jupiter may not be in the list.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

I have a Fascino and the build quality is good. No rattles that are due to build quality issues. The only reason I want a new scooter is because I had a bad crash on the Fascino and have lost confidence in it.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Ok, that means Yamaha has improved its plastic quality over the years or maybe I got a lemon.

May I suggest Suzuki Access, as you want a 125 cc motor. My cousin has it and I have not heard anything bad about it from him.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

I am impressed with access. However the service and spares network of Suzuki is pathetic here.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Activa 125 is also a good option, hero destini 125 is a new product, check that also. Access 125 is a good scooter, I've heard good things about it.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

I believe you haven't heard of Mahaveer Suzuki. My brother's friend owns a share in the showroom. I even got a friend's Gixxer serviced from there (the service centre is at Press Chhak, Khapuria) and the servicing as better as compared to Jyote Suzuki (from BBSR). There's still scope for improvement, but it's not as bad as some Honda service centres.

Now, coming back to the topic: My first scooter was an Activa-i. It had a fibre body and the thing about Honda is that their vehicles are fit really well. Never had an issue with any rattling or bad quality fitting. As for surviving crashes and longevity of the fibre, believe me, you won't have any of those issues as long as you've the guards installed on the body. It's been 5 years and my Activa-i still hasn't had any damage to the body.

I would suggest that you try and test ride the Activa 125. It's as refined as the Access 125 and the guys at Durga Honda are really co-operative with queries. Also, the power delivery is quite linear due to the high amount of torque (which is just slightly more than Access). And not to mention the fact that FE on Activa is and will always be more than Access (depends on sensible riding).

You might also want to consider the Destini 125 as well. You can test ride it at Sunny Hero. It's a 125 Hero Duet (I've found Duet's power delivery over the rev range to be smoother than Activa). This scooter deserves a benefit of doubt.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Yes sir, that is indeed a problem here as well.

For others, atleast we can choose between 2 or 3 authorized service centers or even get the consumables and do it ourselves, but Suzuki is really bad at providing even basic spares. My cousin gets his service done at local mech and buys his own engine oil and other consumables online. So far he has not encountered anything that only service centers can provide (body panels etc). Fingers crossed and hope that when time comes, spares are available.

How about Activa 125. The reliability and robustness or Activa and a 125 cc pot..

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Activa 125 is under consideration.

Re: Metal body vs plastic body

Great availability of spares,good engine and huge service network that makes activa great.