Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Occasionally,I switch fuel stations and I was thinking about the inline fuel filter you mentioned,is it cleanable or replaced at regular intervals? and what about petrol additives and premium petrol,do they help keep the carb clean or is just a marketing trick.I never used premium petrol before,seen it at many fuel stations,they claim it provides better performance.[/QUOTE]

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

it has a cdi only. almost every motorcycle (non FI) out here has a cdi ignition(some like apache use TCI), right from your activa's to your pulsar 220.
the old bullets (pre electra) have a points ignition system

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hello friends, i am confused between honda dio and honda activa.It will be for my daily usage.My hearts says dio and mind says activa.I need to carry some items with me for daily routine,carrying items on bike is not that comfortable while riding bike.Only thing that is keeping dio away from me is the fibre body,where as activa has metal panels on front only i think so.In case of a crash how much would the entire body of dio cost like the side panels,fairing,headlight assemble etc.The new 2017 Dio in orange just drooled over me.In case of a crash would dio take more beating than activa,i am a safe rider but u know how people drive nowadays.i hardly go on highways,most gully road is where i ride.Which is best in handling Dio or Activa.Waiting for the Experienced rider to give suggestion.Thanks in advance

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

As an owner for a Dio for the past 10 years, I would say stay away from it based on your description of its usage.
On the Dio, the engine is a gem no doubt about it, it handles pretty well, looks stylish.. but its drawback is the plastic body. As long as the scoot doesn't fall over it is fine.. but if it does these plastics get damaged easily and it has a LOT of plastic panels. Am not sure how much the body panel's cost on the new Dio (inquire the price and let us know) but on the old (first gen dio's) one the price of the entire body plastics is now around 13k !! My Dio suffers the fate of running with broken panels held together by clamps/tape due to a couple of recent small accidents. When I bought it in 2007, I was told the entire body kit was less than 3000rs.. prices shot up exponentially thereafter.

The activa on the other hand can take much much more abuse i.e. falls and can easily be repaired by tinkering and painting and doesn't have that rattling noises if some plastic part breaks. Handling wise it may not be as 'sporty' as a dio, but it is good and a better choice especially if you will be carrying items/goods. Both these scoots share the same engine and it is a gem. I've covered close to 70k km on my Dio and so far haven't had to touch the engine.. still pulls cleanly and returns the same mileage it always did i.e. 38 ~ 42kmpl depending on how it is ridden.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

thanks again,now its fine after spark plug cap change,Its a CB point ignition bullet(I posted about it on the RE thread)

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Hello, its as s1d said,the activa has better body when compared to the dio,also the fiber body panels are super costly.A year ago an autorikshaw crashed into my parked dio (2013 model),the entire front portion (excluding the visor) needed replacing along with the headlight and turn signals and it cost me around 8000 bucks excluding labour charge.
The only good thing about the dio is its eye catchy (as you said,2017 model is awesome) and has better acceleration than most scooters in the segment,because honda has tuned its engine to hit the max power at slightly lower rpm and the fiber body weighs less.
The activa on the other hand has way better comfort,smooth acceleration(decent pick up),plenty of space to carry stuff and I think the 2017 model comes with a mobile charging point also,I'd stick with the activa,just do the services at regular intervals from a good,reputed ASC.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Hi all,

How likely it is to have engine issue in Activa 3G in the 3 weeks of ownership and around 500+kms of ride? My friends Activa 3G had vibs from engine and body panel since he took the delivery and he had kat-kat sound from engine. After first service it was promised that the issue will go away but it didnt. Upon pressing the service centre mechanic. He said piston block needs replacement. How true it could be?

My friend did send an email to Honda for the Manufacturing Defect in the scooter and asked for money back or another brand new scooter. How likely it is to happen?

Honda quality? What quality?

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

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Hello, its as s1d said,the activa has better body when compared to the dio,also the fiber body panels are super costly.A year ago an autorikshaw crashed into my parked dio (2013 model),the entire front portion (excluding the visor) needed replacing along with the headlight and turn signals and it cost me around 8000 bucks excluding labour charge.
The only good thing about the dio is its eye catchy (as you said,2017 model is awesome) and has better acceleration than most scooters in the segment,because honda has tuned its engine to hit the max power at slightly lower rpm and the fiber body weighs less.
The activa on the other hand has way better comfort,smooth acceleration(decent pick up),plenty of space to carry stuff and I think the 2017 model comes with a mobile charging point also,I'd stick with the activa,just do the services at regular intervals from a good,reputed ASC.[/QUOTE]

What if we put the safety guards on dio.Would it save it from a crash??Zeroed down on activa but still have my eyes on Dio(cant resist the orange one)

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----


Hello, its as s1d said,the activa has better body when compared to the dio,also the fiber body panels are super costly.A year ago an autorikshaw crashed into my parked dio (2013 model),the entire front portion (excluding the visor) needed replacing along with the headlight and turn signals and it cost me around 8000 bucks excluding labour charge.
The only good thing about the dio is its eye catchy (as you said,2017 model is awesome) and has better acceleration than most scooters in the segment,because honda has tuned its engine to hit the max power at slightly lower rpm and the fiber body weighs less.
The activa on the other hand has way better comfort,smooth acceleration(decent pick up),plenty of spa

What if we put the safety guards on dio.Would it save it from a crash??Zeroed down on activa but still have my eyes on Dio(cant resist the orange one)

What if we put the safety guards on dio.Would it save it from a crash??Zeroed down on activa but still have my eyes on Dio(cant resist the orange one)[/QUOTE]

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

[QUOTE=Mandar64;1290885]----consecutive posts auto-merged-----


Hello, its as s1d said,the activa has better body when compared to the dio,also the fiber body panels are super costly.A year ago an autorikshaw crashed into my parked dio (2013 model),the entire front portion (excluding the visor) needed replacing along with the headlight and turn signals and it cost me around 8000 bucks excluding labour charge.
The only good thing about the dio is its eye catchy (as you said,2017 model is awesome)

What if we put the safety guards on dio.Would it save it from a crash??Zeroed down on activa but still have my eyes on Dio(cant resist the orange one)

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Some problem while posting through thats why so many posts being posted [MENTION=23793]mod[/MENTION]s do remove the unnecessary posts thankyoy

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

It would be a very rare case if the block/piston needs to be replaced so early on. These honda engines are known to clock many more miles before having to be rebuilt.
Honda will only replace the parts/repair it, very unlikely for you to get your money back or a new scooter. At best depending on how you push them (legal action, written complaints via email) they might just replace only the engine. But again most likely outcome is replacement of the parts needed and not entire engine.
Without checking the scoot it is not possible to say what is causing the sound.. and did he notice any smoke in the exhaust ?

Maybe get it checked at another svc or local mechanic (don't fix it, just get another opinion).

those 'safety gaurds' are useless, in fact they might cause more damage by breaking the actual mounting points of the panels.
it's your call if you want to be conservative and get the activa or be sporty and get a dio (and risk the expensive panel replacements if it crashes). Also the dio doesn't have a good resale value.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

Thank you Sid for quick reply. Appreciate it mate. You made a very valid point of smoke, if there is a problem with engine then there would be smoke. I will ask him if he see anything of that sort. My friend is pretty much gutted to say the least. Just 4 week old scooter and major problems. It is his first bike / scooter. I will keep you posted what happens next.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

not necessarily.. there are a number of other things that can go wrong like bearings, timing chain etc, and you may not see any smoke.. If you see smoke of any color then it sure does require a major repair like replacing the block/piston or valve kit.

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

I test rode both Honda activa 125 and Suzuki access 125 BS4 models. I am now in a confusion. If it's just performance I'd go with access 125. My confusion is not with just that. I already have a Suzuki gixxer and the resale value for it in the market is very low - less than 40 thousand rupees and the takers on classifieds are also very demanding and less in number - private buyers who are not brokers.

However, if you consider activa - both 4G and 125, they get sold for the same 40 thousand rupees, irrespective of whether it's just 4 months or 4 years you've owned. There is also so much demand on classifieds. The reasons people attribute this demand to are their metal bodies and brand value.

I am aware Suzuki is as reliable as Honda even in scooter segment but the depreciating value makes me wait and think twice, irrespective of exchanging my bike or not. There is also a problem with Honda dealerships here in my city - they are giving me standard 30 -45 days waiting period in all parts of the city. The spares are too costly in comparison and dealers are lethargic. They're probably like ferrari dealers of the scooter world - until you wave money at them and dress like rich fellas they don't even receive you properly in the showroom.

On one hand I am inclined towards the solid product, activa 125. It's better built than access and also has better resale value after years of ownership. It looks like something that as a family we can keep for 10 -15 years. However not as solid as the 1st generation ones. On the other hand, keeping resale value aside, access seems like a long lasting product with good engine but the fibre body does not give that sense of solid feel and age-proof ownership experience.

In Chennai - activa 125 BS4 retails at 78 thousand rupees with all accessories and benefits. Vespa LX 125 is 83 thousand rupees on road and it's not so far away :P

Access 125 BS4 retails at 72 thousand rupees with all accessories and benefits.

Previously I had plans to exchange my Gixxer and get any of the two scooters; but now I feel like I should buy without exchanging my Gixxer - use it as much and after years sell it for whatever amount it goes. I had brought that vehicle for recreation and I no longer go on long rides. That makes me feel I'll have it in my home and do storage maintenance once I get a scooter for city commutes. Also, everyone else in my family is intending to use the scooter so for them metal body and the bulky feeling due to added weight give a sense of security. Heart says access and mind says activa. I'm impatient to wait - to find a good buyer for my bike and to wait 1 month for activa 125.

What do I do? what helps in the long run?

Previously I had owned an RTR 180 ABS - used it to heart's content and sold it for a good value in the market - reasons being metal tank and flat rear seat.

Kindly help me with your opinions.

The best scooter I had ridden in my search so far is Yamaha Alpha - perfectly under your control always and good for short and tall people alike - throttle response is amazing. But you don't want to pay 71 thousand for the BS4 model because everything is plastic in it and sometimes you think it's engine is plastic too :P

Re: Honda Dio, Activa and Aviator

My personal favorite would be the Honda Activa, bullet proof reliability, easy availability of spares (even in local shops) and a solid body that can take some abuse and still hold up. Apart from that, as you said the resale value is a bit higher for the activa's. Scooters with a lot of plastics are a pain (including the honda dio) and if I were you, I would avoid them.
btw, i own a dio that's 10yrs old and not a single repair on the engine (70k km).. only routine maintenance.. just that the body has taken a beating due to a couple of recent falls and plastics atleast on the dio cost a bomb (13k for the body kit).
I've noticed that some of these other scoots do not age as well as the honda's, just my observation.. Call me a honda scoot fan boy, i don't mind .