No fuss-No Frills-least effort !. Review on Honda Activa

Honda’s maiden offering since it launched independent operations, is the Honda Activa. With a gentle twist of the throttle it smoothly purrs off the ramp and is the first off the block at the green signal although it does get overtaken by the big brother kinetic Honda which is a wee bit faster due to more cc. But still it is definitely more smoother and refined than the Kinetic and lets say a four stroke does not quite pack the punch of a two stroke but it does provide me with effortless riding comfort and a negligible pollutant engine, besides ease of handling and turning heads and second glances.

At every signal, I have been asked one question-how is the average ?

Let me answer this honestly. I have been riding this bike since Diwali and I have been averaging just 35kms to a litre of petrol-which is pretty bad, but the guys at Honda have assured me that the average will go up to 60 kmpl after about 700 kms of driving, at present I am around 200 kms done. I am willing to bet on their word and wait.

The Honda Activa comes with a no-nonsense and no fancy frills approach. It has a very snub-nose and smooth contours but the plastic finish is yuck and gets filthy and is uncleanable without use of some fancy cleaning agent like ‘son of a gun’. The controls panel is basic and the petrol gauge shows the quantity of petrol even when its switched off without even the key being inserted. The horn, headlight, dipper and indicator buttons are easily accessible and quite a dream to use.

It doesn’t have a petrol open/shut off lever, so that’s one thing I don’t have to bother about. In the mornings I have to use the choke to start off. The self-ignition is good and responsive to a touch. There is sufficient storage space below the seat and the petrol tank is also accessible by raising the seat.

I had to go out and purchase some essential accessories like a storage box in the front (pretty useful), a side stand (which should have been provided as standard equipment), a ladies step for the pillion rider, the front and back number plates (now that’s a surprise omission from Honda – it should have been there in the first place) and also a bumper and rear metal tube guard—all this put me back by another cool Rs.3000/-

And the cost of this bike-Rs39,000 plus on the road. Almost 40,000 odd.

A comfortable and pleasant ride experience with ease of use – a child can drive it without any supervision.