Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hello,I got a query regarding the position light (the small bulb next to the headlight bulb) on Honda dio,What is its purpose?
It goes out when engine stops unlike in a car,so I guess its not for parking on side of road at night.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

The newer Dio's have an extra small bulb next to the headlight ? (Like in motorcycles?)
My old model (10yr old) dio just has one headlight bulb.
Though most motorcycles (including my 25 yr old rx100 and Duke 200) have a small 'parking' bulb in addition to the headlight bulb. As you mentioned, it goes out when you turn the engine off. My guess is it's to keep it on (but turn off the main headlight) while parking the bike on the road side for a short duration and this also lights up the rear brake light iirc (the brake light has two filaments, one comes on with the headlight switch the other when you hit the brakes), so you have a light both at the front and rear making your bike's presence visible to others. You could argue that one could simply turn on one of the indicators while parked on the road side instead of letting the bike run and keep the light on.
It could also be as a fall back in case your main headlight bulb conks out, so you at-least have some light maybe not enough to see the road clearly but to make your presence visible to other motorists. And maybe use it during a light rain during the day to improve visibility.. or keep it on always as a 'drl'
Good Question though ! Let's see if someone comes up with a more apt answer.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Thanks for the reply,that question has been bugging me for a long time
I was thinking of swapping that bulb with a high power LED,rewire it from battery and turn it into a proper parking light that can also be used as a DRL
In your opinion which color would be better for DRL bulb,considering the visibility factor,6000k or 3000k?
When AHO law becomes mandatory for all two wheeler s,older ones might need to turn on the headlight full time,right?

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

That bulb currently is probably a 5w bulb. Check the owners manual if the specs are mentioned.
6000k is not very useful in foggy/rainy conditions.. white light just doesn't work well in these conditions. 3000k works well all around.
the pilot lamp on my duke is a white led (0.5w i guess, bought off ebay for 100rs a pair), it's useless during the day, while the stock bulb (yellow light) at-least provided a bit of visibility to others of my presence, like riding in a group on the highway, the pilot lamp provided enough illumination for others to notice that it was on during the daytime. During low light conditions the led it's looks pretty 'cool'. That's about it.
I keep just keep the headlight on while I ride on the highway.
As for the AHO law, I have no idea on how it is going to be implemented. And I think it will be a nuisance inside the city

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hi i am Anil, new to Xbhp... Have been reading a lot of forums. As far as AHO goes, all new bikes manufactured in or after 2017, would need to comply with it, as of older bikes, i guess yoy would need to keep them.switched on all day long.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Yes,the stock bulb is a 5w
After an extensive internet search,I ordered a couple of 3w high power LEDs (3000k) from aliexpress,will post more once I get it.
Guess there will be a lot more high beam blinding after AHO law hits

Aviator Plug Related Issues

Hi,

Guys I have a very peculiar problem with my Aviator, I recently got it serviced and ever since that one or the other problem kept occurring,First mileage dropped and then there was roughness issue,later there was starting issue etc etc etc

I went back multiple times to the service center and got most of the issues sorted,The first service guy (Famous local center) had used some spurious spares and due to which some of the problems occurred,I had doubt so took it to the other place which was till some years back a sales and service of Honda,Bajaj,Hero two Wheeler's and later stopped the sales and has since retained the service (the owner is Honda,Bajaj,Hero company trained and knowledgeable).

He changed the belt which was a Bondo (the same OEM which makes for Honda in their name) to the Honda ones,changed the rollers to the Honda ones and clutch pads etc etc (undid most of the thing done by the earlier service center) So had cough up double to that of what I had spent earlier. Things were okay except for the mileage (Avg 35kms)I always refuel from Shell ,So I asked to check and retune the carb. In the mean time Essar Oils opened their new outlet in the area,So started refueling from that bunk (usually do full tank),So after two full tank from that bunk the vehicle started misfiring and startup issues,I never thought that a new bunk that too a Private one like Essar supplies adulterated fuel,So I took the vehicle back and the guy checked the plug (which is a NGK Iridium) and said that the plug was at fault which again is very surprising as it's was hardly 2K kms old,but none the less the plug was changed and guy recommended me against refueling from Essar and asked me to stick to the govt one's.

Now my question is,Why a new Iridium plug failed ? and is Eassar a bad choice for fuel ?? Also what is best mileage one can get from Aviator,Mine is a 2009 model done around 35K ( I rarely use it,Max 10-20 Kms a week) till date.

Regards.

Re: Aviator Plug Related Issues

No idea why your plug failed, could be many reasons. And stay away from local spares, especially the engine/drive components like the belt/clutch shoes/springs etc..
Ideally stick to the stock plug (or stock ngk equivalent). I've used both for a significant no. of km and happy with them.
considering your usage, 35kmpl is pretty reasonable. The shorter trips you do the lower your FE will be. So say riding 3 km a day to run errands will result in lower FE than someone who does say 20km per day (10+10km) commuting to work, in which case it can easily return 40kmpl. And if you ride longer like say on a highway/minimum traffic it could go up-to 45kmpl.
This is my experience on my 2007 Dio that's clocked almost twice as much on the odo compared to yours.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes off course that's why I took it to the current place had it checked,I don't want to be that "Penny wise pound foolish" guy ! I take utmost care of the wheels,clean it every day and have covered with the bike cover when not used.So don't want to spare anything in maintaining it to keep it in as close to as possible to showroom condition.

Yes that's the mystery,As it cannot be termed as total failure as it still works albeit for misfire or some odd nignags. I do intend to empty the tank (Essar Petrol) and fill from Bharat or Indian oil and see what happens if I put the Iridium back on.

Stock one had almost worn out hence instead of regular plug I switched Iridium,But I will tell however that with Iridium I do feel more power (better pickup,and instant push) as opposed to regular one. Also horn and headlight seems dull with regular where as with Iridium I feel both have more power.

After riding with couple of days with regular plug,yesterday after a thorough wash I did replace the regular with Iridium and certainly felt the above difference.

Hmm that's interesting as I had opposite thinking ! Highway rides are different,but with start/stop traffic I recon that the mileage will be low in city and short runs without much of traffic related issues mileage should be more.

Regards.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hi,


Okay I have sort of solved the problem,As per advice of the mechanic and also to confirm my own theory,I emptied the tank to absolute Zero and pushed my way to the BPCL bunk and refueled it full tank ( It took in 6.16L, WOW is that correct ? I mean isn't the tank capacity 5.5L ?) anyways after that I drove about 8Kms or so just to check and surprisingly or not so surprisingly it just flew without any issues with the same Iridium plug,No misfire no choking of the engine no nothing.

So I think I can summarise that it was indeed the fuel that was at fault and not the plug or the blocked carb or a dirty tank, I to be doubly sure I added the Petrol additive from IOC called "ADON" which costs 10Bucks for 5Ml,Supposed to be added to 5L of petrol.



So that's it I guess !

Regards.

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Hi,

I did wanted to post the pics of my mods or whatever one call but due paucity of time Am not able ( Been almost a year LOL )

Anyways here are some pics of the wheels



Anyways,Please do comment with any suggestions or feedback or anything at all !

Regards.

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Hi,

I did wanted to post the pics of my mods or whatever one call but due paucity of time Am not able ( Been almost a year LOL )

Anyways here are some pics of the wheels



Anyways,Please do comment with any suggestions or feedback or anything at all !

Regards.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Glad your scoot back in good nick. And yes the tank capacity was 6 litres on older Activa's, Dio's, Aviator.. and was reduced to ~5.4L on the 110cc Activa/Dio. The aviator though continues to come with a 6 litre tank even today.
You can continue to use the additive Adon P, I do use it off and on on my Duke 200 (off and on because i switch between system g and adon p) and it does produce a noticeable difference in throttle response.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Any motorcycle fuel tank shall take more if you fill to the brim , because the capacity mentioned in the book excludes an empty space above the petrol level . This space is essential for safe operation of the tank and it's venting systems . i.e don't fill to the brim .
If using ADON-P , use every time and in the right proportion of 1 ml to a liter , little more is better but not less . Do not use with premium petrols . I've tested it now I'm using one of those sachets for 4 liters . It's actually quite nice

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hi,

Well thanks but the good news was short lived , I although worked fine for the short run ( 8 odd Kms) I did immediately after refueling but in the morning it got back to same shitty self and started behaving the same way as it earlier which threw the Essar theory out of the window ? So to be 200% sure of the thing I again switched back to the regular plug and drove,Again for few Kms it went smoothly and after a small interval of 20Min when I started it just wouldn't and kept failing,I tried self,manual (kick start) but none worked,Finally somehow managed to start and took it straight to the mechanic who looked at other possibilities and concluded that the coils are gone (the resistance in the starter coil was around 300 and he says it should be half of that or something to that effect as was not able to articulate the details), So he said will have the coil tested and try to get the faulty coil rewound,I suggested him not to do that and straight away change whole damn thing as I Am damn pissed with this whole shit and don't want anything remotely to this effect again. Also there was some wear and the magnetic drum had some scratches which he said will not be an issue. Let's see how this unfolds now.

Will get a reply on the coil tomorrow,Am hoping to sort this out with the coil,fingers crossed.




How do you rate that compared to ADON-P as it's half the price ( i,e 5Rs for 5ml), Which you find better among the two ??

Also What is your take on fuel from Essar ??



Thanks for the reply,No I did not fill it to the brim,else it would've perhaps taken 6.5 or so ! But as it took 6.16 the extra is cause of the ?? I suspect the tampering of the dispensing so that.....anyways I just stopped at that didn't allow him to continue.

This time I had no choice since I had emptied the tank and filling it correctly meant wasting of half a packet of more of the ADON-P, So settled for one pouch. However from the next time this problem won't exist as I usually fill when it touches red (i,e reserve) and reserve to reserve is usally 4.2-4.5L for me. So proper proportion will be taken care of. Good to hear it works,Earlier I use to use Bhardal in my car and since it was discontinued I searching for an regular available alternative. Now since this one is and as per you it works,Will surely use it regularly ! I don't use premium fuel anyways so that's not an issue.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

It is now going to be close to 2 years for my Activa 125 DLX with Disc brakes this has been my experience with my vehicle
1) Till now the vehicle has been reliable to a T.
2) Good power even will a pillon driver.

The cons of the vehicle has been as follows
1) I have neverr got a milleage above 39 kmpl.
2) The Ride is bone jaring hard. All the bad roads are transmitted. It is supposed to have telescopic suspension but it might have iron rods for all practical purpose.
3) The kick is extremly hard even after 2 years.

Oh one more thing. Honda has a 3 month cycle for service. So in a calendar year of 12 months Honda has 4 services. The problem is that in each service the bill will vary from Rs 1700 to Rs 2000. So in a year the cost of service is going to be Rs Rs 5100 to Rs 8000 per year. To put things into prespective the cost of servicing my car in a year is about Rs 8000. I had an Alto which I used to get serviced till 2015 for Rs 4000-Rs5000 per year. The Honda service center will charge about Rs 250-300 for 800 ml of Honda 2T oil. They will not use another oil. If we use it then they will refuse to touch the vehicle.

It seems that since Honda does not have any actual competition in this segment, i.e 125cc and above, it is taking its customers for a ride. The ride of the vehicle is horrid. The fuel efficiency is so-so. The Handling is good but it is not best or great.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Let's know what the diagnosis is on the stator coil.
As per my butt dyno, the adon-p seems to provide a wee better throttle response compared to the system g. As for the cleanliness effect I am yet to open the throttle body or injector on my duke that's done close to 28k now and it hasn't shown any symptoms of poor performance. Heck I've never even had the valve clearances adjusted so far.
On my Dio though, I do not notice any difference with or without the additive.. and it get's serviced every 2500~3000km (or 6 months whichever earlier). And during every service the carb is opened and cleaned (not that i've ever noticed any gumming or dirt in the carb). Only once did it happen so that the bike was jerking and shutting off if the throttle wasn't open atleast half way and got this checked immediately and it turned out that a strand of the waste cloth (which mechs use to wipe stuff) got stuck in the carb jet!

As for fuel brands, I do not see any difference among them. The main issue is adulteration and you never know which petrol bunk adulterates and who doesn't. One can't simply point a finger at a particular brand.. it comes down to the individual petrol stations..

Both Adon-P and System-G cost almost the same. But Adon-P is available in different pack sizes i.e. (5ml pouch @9rs, 20ml plastic bottle@40rs ,and a 200ml plastic bottle) While system g is only available in a 200ml bottle@Rs380 IIRC. The advantage here being I can carry a couple of pouches or 20ml bottle under the rear seat on my Duke easily and use it while I am touring or even during regular fill ups.

You can use it every other tankful (Like I do) and using a bit more or less is not going to cause any harm because the ratio is very low (Just use a bit of common sense here). There have been times when I have doubled the dose too. The plastic bottles have a small marking near the neck, that help you measure accurately the amount you want to pour in. So I'd say get a few 20ml bottles.. easier to use and carry.

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39kmpl is good economy. forget the 'claimed' figures by honda. It also depends on how the scoot is used. Read my past couple of posts regarding this topic.
as for the kick starter, please get it checked by a mechanic. you might have to remove the left side case and clean it and lubricate. The kicks on these scoots are pretty 'swift and smooth'.
Once you are out of the warranty period, you can safely get it serviced every 2500-3000km or 4 months. And the oil Honda uses is good enough and cost is reasonable. Rs.1700 seems pretty high for a regular service, can post the break up from your recent bill ?
Try to find a local mechanic who can service you scoot.. prices will be much lower. I never went back to the service center after the 1st yr/ 4th service. The past 9 yrs it's been at the hands of a local mech (who only works on scoots) and it still is going strong at close to 70k km now with the only major parts replaced being the clutch components (clutch shoes,springs, rollers, drive belt).. the drive belt replaced at around 25k km(still have it with me as a spare) and the rest were replaced between 50k -62k on the odo. Again these parts had normal wear and tear (and not failed), and I decided to replace them considering the km the scoot had clocked. I still keep them replaced parts aside as spares if needed in case of emergency.