I'd recommend the Honda genuine Engine oil.
As far as the cold start issues are concerned,just turn the Idle screw for a higher rpm.
It's a five minute job

done that...but problem still persists...

Morning starts ups is really a pain..I have been through it when i had my dio.

There is a quick work through this problem. Tell the mech to increase the idling of the bike. It will start up in first go and then ensure to engage the choke...
Please ensure you are kick starting the bike...

EDIT - It can also be faced if your starter motor is weak and having problems. Get the starter motor checked.

didnt know abt the starter motor...will get it checked soon if possible...

my choke also has a problem...it wasnt functioning...i took it to the mechanic he opened up the carb and got it corrected...but i guess the next time i started with a choke...i didnt get the feel that it was working...havent gone to ride since then...

will using a 15w40 help? does the oil brand make a difference?

during my last service the mechanic said he used some power oil 20w40

Buddy, your bike company Honda has such an amazing oil, i really dont think you should change. I envy that brand, in my 3 years of riding the Dio i never experienced any type of problems with the engine. Oil used was the Pure unadulterated Honda one which is refilled every service. I suggest please stick to it.

Yes you can fill the engine with 15w40 but i really dont find the need. You are just wasting more money on it. I have used the Dio for 93,000 kms and that also without a change in engine part...Please stick to periodic servicing and oil change (Honda Ones). And then you have a trouble free bike..

I second Eshan on that. 5 years and 50000 kms later my Dio was still performing as good as new if not better.
It didnt run much in the first 2 years since i just took it to college and back. Barely ran 5k kms then. in 3 years i ran for over 45k+ kms and i only got it serviced at the Honda ASCs

I miss those days when

1) FKR a Malaysian tire brand was in use
2) When the entire body set was available for 800rs
3) When power wheelies by standing on the pegs was craze of morning college rides.
4) When the dicky was a good use to hide all your favorite things after college hours.
5) When the KNN roar without the filter was in use by just removing two screws from the filter box and fixing them the other way.
6) When the entire dio body panels were pin stripped and decorated with vinyls.
7) When the engine was painted black with the use of Bosny spray paint and tint to the indicators was given by use of masking tapes.

Miss those days, took this bike to every weekend outing outside the city...I guess the plain color without any combos was the perfect one...Also the rear mudguard was taken out so that during wheelies it doesnt get scraped...

Just relieved those days man!!!

@ the curious oil changing query - please stick to the white box oil...Its a gem.

thanks for that info....i'll use the honda oil during my next servicing....

okay let me clearly mention my problem here...

these days its a little cold during morning and as expected it creates problems for starting...

it is advised to start always with the kick rather than the self for the first time during the day...why so?
for me is impossible to start with the kick but the self start does the job pretty well...the engine does die after a while but after 2-3 times its alright..however with the kick start the engine doesnt start at all....someone suggested kick the level 4-5 times without the key so the oil flows throughout the engine properly..i tried that too but it didnt help...

also the engine stalls sometimes after riding 3-4 kms

the same starting problem hapens if i made a 1-2 hour stop...

once i started with self start(kick didnt work)...i made a stop and immediately trid to start with the kick...it started that time......but the engine died after 15-20 secs....

can someone tell me what the problem is?

pretty tired with this....

considering shifting to a bike.....do all auto gears cooters have the same problem...?
or is this problem faced even by bikes?

my scooter is a july 2007 model

Replies in bold to direct doubts and rest is here...

Thats ok 2007 has nothing got to do with this.

Get the idling bit high
Kickstart with choke
Dont accelerate, let the choke get the rpm high and engine heated up

Yes, activa,dio and the aviator are having these problems, actually they are not problems, they are just errors created by humans because not using the engine in the right manner.

You do not push the CD in the ROM upside down dont you... Try doing that and see what happens. The same way this is happening, BTW its all mentioned in the Users Manual. Dint you read it??before accessing the scooter from 2007...

In the last couple of months i did face the same problems.
But my way of getting around it was starting the bike 20 mins in advance to leaving my house by pulling the choke and kickstarting it.
But not touching the accelerator for say 3-5 minutes sometimes even to 7mins.
Wait for the engine to warmup and then lightly use the throttle gradually.
Once you see that it is revving normally and doesnt tend to shut off, revv higher for a few seconds.
It is best to kickstart during cold weather for these scooters

thanks guys for the valuable advise....no i havent read the user manual...actually my brother used to ride the activa and now that it was a pain in his a**

(all the starting problem and stalling...its really annoying that when u are in a hurry and ur scooter doesnt cooperate with you...but may be its our fault that it isnt cooperating..isnt it?)

and i turned 18(1 year old news+got my licence) he gave the activa to me to ride to college and got himself a car....

my sister in law suggested the kick with off position as she used to live in Chandigarh and due to extreme cold they used this method and the scooter worked just fine...some of the old scooties are 20 years old and as good as new...

i guess my starter motor might have a problem...the idle rpm is a little higher than normal but i'm still having that problem..

that kick is my daily leg exercise machine...i use it 10 times still no luck...it starts and dies...or sometimes doesnt even start....the choke is of no help...(the mechanic had done some settings in the carborator the spring stuff ddint work..may be the same problem again)

nitesh i'd use ur method but the engine shud start first :P

how good is the castrol autogear scooter specific engine oil?

Fake castrols are available in the market,Be careful.

is the original castrol good? or is it better to stick to the honda oil?

Honda's oil in India is made by a collaboration between Nippon oil Corp. Japan (eneos brand) & Tide water oil Co in India(veedol brand). At least the bottles I get to see here are .
i) No chance of fake if you buy from Honda parts counters . Easy to find .
ii) Fully tested & certified by Honda in japan and india & passed JASO test in Japan .
iii) correct size bottles in correct grade for your scooter .
iV) relatively cheaper .
v) very good oil .
Stick to it .