Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Congratulations !
Yes, the under-seat storage spaces gets pretty warm.. it is normal.
as for the rust proofing coating, i've heard and seen folks get it done (Dinitrol was the brand iirc). make sure they cover the engine/hose pipes/wiring before spraying the bike.
here is a video of one such treatment


You can continue with maintaining these speeds during run-in. just let the scoot idle for a minute before taking off.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Finally got my Activa 4g

Its bliss to ride this gearless scooter in city.Rode around 15kms in city.
Have some questions for current owners
1.Does the underseat luggage storage gets heat up after riding few kms??Touched the plastic panels of the underseat storage,it was little hot
2.Since the rainy season is about to start.My mechanic told me to get a anti-rust coating and have also heard about rusting on the floor(where we rest our legs).Does anyone has done this before??
3. I am keeping speed under 60 km/hrfor the break-in period,have touched 50 km/hr till now.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

the clutch actually consists of 3 clutch shoes, and they hinge/lock together on a small pivot point. maybe they applied a dab of grease on this pivot point and the clutch sheave (that slides). it a good practice to get the drive train inspected every service (which most of the service centers don't do).. refer to the video in my previous post.
remember to never get oil or grease on the clutch shoe itself.. it is similar to a brake shoe and if grease or oil get on the friction material it will keep slipping and you will lose pickup/acceleration.. and am sure every mechanic knows at-least this much and wouldn't get oil/grease on the clutch itself!

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Thanks for the tip. Got the scooter serviced and changed engine oil and gear oil. For some reason (to get money I assume) they greased the clutch also. Is it required to periodically grease clutch? I didnt find in the maintenance schedule in owners manual.

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Thanks buddy, gives me peace of mind. Last 2 days I have been paying attention to other scooters on road and noticed this distinct whine from almost all Honda scooters when decelerating from a reasonable speed. But I think Yamaha and Suzuki scooters dont make this noise.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

It's normal, nothing to worry about.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

A lot people report different types of sounds, and it's almost impossible to understand what some of them mean without listening to it. I've ridden a Dio for around 70k km and i do not understand the sound you are talking about! It could very well be normal.. why don't you ride another activa het , maybe a test ride at your local honda service center.. that will give you a clear idea. If you don't notice it on another activa, get an opinion from a mechanic and let us know what they say.
Since it's been 3 yrs, I'd advice you get a full drive train inspection done (i.e. open the left side case, clean it out and inspect the variator rollers, drive belt, clutch shoes/bell etc..). This would take approx 30 minutes and any honda service center should be able to help you out.

And first ensure you replace the engine oil and gear box oil (use 90 gear oil, like castrol or mak spirol from bharat petroleum). you never know if/when the previous owner replaced the oil.. especially the gear oil.

Here is a link to how you would inspect the drive train:

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Only a few 125cc scoots are available in the market(no alternative factor) because most people prefer motorcycles over scooters at 125cc and above,main reason is better control and stability at higher speeds.On the other hand,most 2 wheeler s sold in India fall in the 110cc segment(according to a survey for the ABS/CBS being made mandatory for 2 wheeler s) and in that segment people prefer scoots over motorcycles,that's the reason why there are a lot of 110cc scoots out there,same reason why other manufacturers are not upgrading them for now,manufacturers want profit and they are getting it at 110cc
yamaha and honda both have high performance scooters (125cc&150cc) in other asian markets,that too with liquid cooling and fuel injection yamaha NVX,honda PCX,honda froza,honda lead,may be if the demand increases and people are willing to spend 90k or above for a scoot they might bring it to India

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

no way, sorry and thanks.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Try fascino or ray zr, I myself didn't liked alpha.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Guys, I just bought a used April-2014 manufactured Honda Activa I HET model with 3500 KMs on the ODO. This is for my wife and my ride is a Dream Yuga which has been serving me well for the past 5 years. Since this is my first experience riding an auto gear scooter I wanted to check if the mild woosh/whiny noise coming from transmission when closing the throttle at higher speeds like 30 km/hr and above is normal for honda scooters.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

I concur with srinath2494. The cost of servicing Honda Activa at ASC over a period of 1 year and 4 services in a year is more than yearly servicing a Maruti Alto at a MASS. I have learnt my lesson the hard way. Since I have spent a lot of money on the Honda, I will have to grin and bear with it, unless Yamaha comes out with a 125CC or higher capacity scooter. Honda is a market leader is due to the TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor. Once we get good scooters from Yamaha or TVS or possibly LML then Honda will have to up its game. This was true for Honda Two Wheelers and is true for Honda Cars too. Remember how long Honda did not give Airbags standard on its best selling City model so as not to impact its margins?

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

yes, thank you, I'll look into everything before the purchase.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Out of your shortlist the access 125 is the best,vespa as you mentioned has less pillion space also an awkward pillion seating,duet is good but I think its on the heavier side 116kg (not sure,do check it) not a problem for men but since you are looking for a family scooter ladies might not like it.I mentioned the activa for its reliability and resale value,but since your dad is into retro/vintage styles,the new access is a good choice,from some angles it also looks like a vespa,minor torque difference is there on certain models after the BS4 upgrade,some increased and decreased compared to their BS3 models

Before the activa 125,the aviator was honda's premium scooter but even now they still charge a premium price for aviator,didn't know that,sounds silly,now I wonder why they even launched activa 125 instead of upgrading the aviator to 125.

As I mentioned in the older post,before you buy a scooter do check the nearest ASC's service standards,if its not up to the mark,the scooter might not last long and you end up spending money again and again on an issue they never fix.
All scooters be it honda,suzuki,vespa,yamaha,hero undergo rough tests before they are rolled out to the public,what causes 98% of problems in the long run is,the of poor handling by the ASC's during the initial services.Most(not all) service centers lack experienced workers,the only thing they do perfectly is oil change,sounds funny,but its true.
I even heard of ASC people turning the screws in the wrong direction,stripping the threads and blames it on the poor customer,they do this because they know that most customers will not complain directly(email with dealership code) to the company,the maximum most people do is complain to the service head at the dealership,because they think that its directly owned by honda (or what ever company)there is no such thing,they are all contract based dealerships with company set standards and believe me,if its a serious mess up by the ASC things will not go your way unless you send an email to the company with the dealership code.Now,the wise thing is to avoid such ASC's in the first place

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

I too spotted the increase to 10.5 NM on honda site. Also suzuki access' torque on their website feature section is mentioned as 10 NM and in the spec section as 10.2 NM. Prolly it has gone down or not updated. However the fact remains that for a common man and for daily usage, say for everyone, these numbers don't make any difference at all. People are influenced by family and friends nearby. Honda activa 125 costs 7k lesser than a Vespa here. People go for it because their uncles and fathers would have bought them. In fact, activa 125 is rear heavy and does not perform well on inclines as compared to access and some other 110cc scooters. They're overpriced for what they offer. Even aviator at 59k ex showroom is over priced and it has more fibre panels than the cheaper activa 110. It's funny, I've showed this forum to my dad and some of his friends. Their generation say the numbers do no good. They insist on complete personal preference and testing each vehicle personall, be it car or motorcycle.

I've seen in Banglore that access was widely used due to hilly terrain. In Chennai, where I come from, in one street you can find 10 activas LOL. I think the main reason why people go for them is the full size family scooter to take everyone. It is also a status symbol to have a vehicle with a bigger engine so 125 psychologically gives them a good feeling - combine metal parts and honda quality paint. Hence, I am not going to go for Honda at all. I had aviator in mind. Unless my father wants a Honda, I won't go for them.

Yamaha scooters are fun to ride but would you even pay 64k rs for those cheap plastics? For me, no!

I have shortlisted three scooters alone - Hero Duet, Access 125 and Vespa. Vespa being my last resort based on Dad's preferences.

Hero Duet 2017 feels really sturdy and durable but lacks the premium feeling, prolly matte colors spoil it. The power produced by it is now 8 ps and torque has gone up to 8.7 NM. Best alternative to activa and jupiter. It also offers better mileage than the two.

Access 125 looks premium but only after visiting the service workshop I came to know how pathetic the plastic quality is and the flimsy nature of the fibre panels. I will buy it for it's large size (tall rider preferences and chic looks)

Vespa base model with tube tyres, drum brakes - 85 k on road Pillion space is not so great and everything is costly about it. Only for status and restoration in future we may buy it. Also, my Dad likes it to go with his friends who have vintage motorcycles restored or as collectibles.

So my contention is, why should I even consider a 125 cc scooter or a premium 110 cc scooter like aviator when I can get all that at a cheaper price an an equally durable body? Prolly, looks play a role at this point.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Resale value also depends on the condition of the scoot as well as the brand,I think the 2012 activa was not HET enabled may be that's why the low price

I was just browsing the spec sheet of activa 125 and access 125,turns out activa has a bit more performance (engine wise) compared to access,here's what I found hope this helps.
Activa 125 produces 8.5 bhp@6500 rpm (brake horse power (bhp) is the power produced at the shaft)
Access 125 produces 8.7ps/8.6bhp@7000rpm (ps means pferdestarke,the German translation of horse strength) (ps to bhp converter is available online)
Activa reaches 8.5bhp at 500rpm less but access weighs less, Activa 108kg,Access 102kg, a 6kg difference so acceleration might be same
but torque is higher for activa
Activa 10.5nm@5000rpm,Access 10.2nm@5000rpm ,I know these are negligible figures but altogether there must be a tiny bit effect on the performance
Tank capacity Activa 5.3L,Access 5.6L

but after careful observation of the spec sheet I don't see the point of spending more on these 125cc scooters,unless you are living in a hilly area
Aviator 110 also produces 8bhp@7000rpm,so we are spending 15-20k for half horse power and a little bit more torque
Jupiter is also a good option in 110cc segment but I wouldn't recommend a Yamaha though, the reason is simple
on paper yamaha scooters has a 113cc engine which is higher compared to all competition but the out put this engine produces is 7.2ps/7bhp@7500rpm
Yamaha motorcycles,I love them (old model FZ fan) but performance wise their scooters are not that great.