Model: Nov 2003
Place: Bangalore
Purchased From: CITI Honda (St Marks Road)
Sales Man Conduct: Good
Sales Man Technical Knowledge: Satisfactory
No of Services: 3
Reason We purchased this vehical: To Cut expenses on Autos, and to have easy ride
Service Man Conduct: Satisfactory
Service Man Technical Knowledge: Not Up to the Mark
Kilometers Run: Around 8000 KM
Handling: Single Hand Riding (Only I use it)
Single/Double: Most of the time travel Doubles (Pillainer) both of us put together 140 kgs
Roads Traveled (Areas): Bannerghatta Road, Lalbagh, WilsonGarden, BTM, ShivajiNagar, Basavesweranagar, Rajajinagar, CoxTow,
ITPL (International Tech Park Whitefield), Inner Ring Road, Outer Ring Road,
Average Speed I Travel: 30 - 50 KMPH (30-45 city Roads) (50 on Ring Road)
Average Mileage I have got:
Before 1 Service:
With normal HP Fuel: 39 KMPL
With HP Power Fuel: 45 KMPL
Vehicle not used On the Ring Road
Before 2 Service:
With normal HP Fuel: 39 KMPL
With HP Power Fuel: 45 KMPL
Vehicle not used On the Ring Road
Before 3 Service:
With normal HP Fuel: 40 KMPL
With HP Power Fuel: 45 - 47 KMPL
Vehicle occasionally used On the Ring Road (for around 50 km)
After 3 Service:
With normal HP Fuel: 46 - 48 KMPL with in the city limits
On Outer Ring Road ITPL to Wilson Garden (via outer Ring Road)50 - 52 KMPL
Some Good things I Like:
Good Pickup even with 140 - 150 Kgs (Especially with HP Power Fuel)
No vibration or Noise when u ride (as long as you reach 50 KMPH speed, beyond which there is vibration)
Bright and clear Side Indicators.
Some Things I am NOT OK With:
Mileage: 45Kmpl after third service in the city limits is bad
Manual Start:
I always use kick start when the engine is cold, and use Electronic Start in the traffic signals
COLD START IS THE BIG PROBLEM, ESCAPED ATLEAST 4 TIMES BY GETTING HIT BY A TRUCK OR A CITY BUS:
I have to ride the vehicle up to 1 Km with the choke on, what ever the solution given by the Service Center never worked on my vehicle like (keeping the vehicle ON for 1 min with the choke on during Cold start etc....). If I do not ride my vehicle for first 1 km with the choke ON it shops the movement u slow down
Cold Start: On a Average it take 5 - 8 Kicks to start (that to with the choke on), this is true when ever time the Engine becomes cold either in the morning/evening or even in the afternoon with hot sun around.
Warm Start: Never Tried.
Freeness of the Vehicle: As what I Know, this vehicle work with rubber belt inside, so when you deacclerate the vehicle, it immediately slows down which I feel is a great loss of momentum at which the vehicle was traveling. Engine does
not releases the wheel the moment you deacclerate, If the engine has to release the wheel, your speed should be less the 5 KMPH, I feel one of the prime reason for the vehicle to have less of mileage, I feel if this is worked out it can at least
gain another 3-5 KMPL on an average.
Electronic Start:
Cold Start: I have keep pressing the Start button for at least 30 - 130 Sec (on an average) with the choke on.
Warm Start: It is good
Seat: Not very good, When I apply breaks suddenly or when every the vehicle get into a small pot rings, I slid front wards, because the seat is slightly slanting towards front and it is very hard (not very comfortable for long ride)
Space below the Seat: Not enough, Most of the Popular Standard Size Helmets Cannot be kept inside, I use Globe Formula F-16, which cannot go in the space provided under the seat.
Breaks: Very Bad, Breaks are useless when u r at a speed of 40 + KMPH (with single it is ok, but with some one sitting behind it is very very bad specially with both of you put together are around 140Kgs+)
Front Suspension: Suppose to be better than Kinetic Suspension, but my vehicle it is very very bad even a small pot rings 1 cm depth, 6 cm diameter (aprox) gives a solid rock to the vehicle at a spead of 40 KMPH.
Back Suspension: It is Ok, but I am not satisfied, because it is not comfortable for the person who sits behind.
Weight: Non Geared Vehicle the weight is little on the higher side
Horn: Ok, at times the tone of the Horn changes, it is different when u start the vehicle in the morning, when u are using the vehicle in the noon or in the evening on the same day the tone of the horn change it becomes little low, I guess
there is some problem with the load distribution in the electrical circuit; I have not reported this problem to the service center because when ever I have reported any problem, it is made much worse and some more problems have cropped up because of there service once such case I have explained below. When the vehicle is kept in the heavy rain for a long time horn reduces tone by up to 90%.
During my third service I had reported that with around 5 liters for fuel (with the reserve fuel) the Needle of the fuel gauge goes beyond the markings, so instead of telling me that that is how the fuel gauge work, the service people changed some thing called as a rubber floater in the fuel tank, I had given the vehicle for free servicing and there was around 3 liter of fuel in the tank, the needle was pointing to the center on the fuel gauge.
When I received the vehicle I saw the needle is not moving beyond the red mark, So I had to sought at the service center for the same and asked for the fuel lose and they decently paid it, but my problem started after that, It was a Saturday I Just put another 1 Liter for the day and continued my riding, next day when I put 4 Liters of fuel I see that the floater does not move beyond the red mark and I had to keep track of the fuel manual by opening the tank every day.
Next Saturday when I took the vehicle the service center (as I work in a office so could not got the service center during the wk days), They said it was working and other dramas were played, then when I remained them about the money what they paid last wk when I said I had 3 liters of fuel, they agreed to check and they came back to me saying that the new floater which they had replace is bulged or swollen because of bad fuel I had used, then I had to tell them the fuel gauge was not working when I took the vehicle from the service center and that is the reason all though there was fuel in the vehicle the gauge was not going beyond red.
Finally they replace the floater and strictly warned me not to use SPEED fuel as it damages the vehicle, I do not know how much of this is true, I tried writing about the same to Honda India Pvt Ltd., but it is been one month, there is no reply on the same. And I repented why I ever said
that the fuel gauge is not working properly. and there after to be on the safer side, have stopped using HP Power fuel.
There are n numbers of instances like this with the service center.
But still I feel this vehicle is ok for family people (very good to carry monthly consumables etc.,). For girls or ladies or guys looking for non geared vehicles. But you and your pillinar weight put together should not be more than
130kgs, because beyond this weight the vehicle is not very comfortable and not very safe, I am referring to the suspensions and breaks.
And for most of the people who are looking for a scooter with reliability I think this vehicle is OK
Please remember I have just shared my 8 Months experience with the Activa, some may be very particular to my vehical, Any way I am in look out for a Good Bike, once I find it we will give away Activa.
