you must have always imagined how life would be on a bike without the need of changing gears every now and then...in this precious time you could have thought more about the office project
you must have dreamed of not pressing the clutch every now and then on your bike instead saved your energy for the more demanding bodybuilding gim visit
And
you must have given given a small thought what a world could be on a bike without the need of changing gears ,without the need of pressing clutch in every 5 seconds and just twist and just ...go
Well my friends(i am referring to only male friends here, not the elder citizens whether uncle or aunty ji,not the young girls and boys who take it to their school and colleges and of course to the nearest malland not the married women who usually use this wonderful bike [every thing on two wheels is a BIKE, whether cycle or motorcycle or ... scooter or cruiser,so says the the Wikipedia]for the usual trip to the grocery shop or to pick up their cute nursery kids studying in a nearby school) I guess I have to tell you something about from my view of point because ....i got one of these !!!
the machine of our concern is the first scooter from the honda company in indiawhen the company ventured into the two wheeler business in the year 2000 after a successful foray into the four wheeler market in India with honda city that is also the best seller in the indian market just like its little brother on two wheels that is the Honda Activa.After the end of craze for bajaj chetak for which your respected father would had surely relied on two things ,the lottery or the patience he had possesed in about 30 years back in time,...the motorcycles took over, preferably the splendor from the venerable Hero Honda company; Honda hit the bulls eye with this scooter with a four stroke motor displacing a modest 102 cc which churns out a satisfying 7.2 of a very useable BHP; 0 to 60 kmph is a homely 12 seconds by my calculations which very good considring that even 10 year old barbies dont have any problem zipping around the city with a 8 year old little soldier as a pillion;this is quite common in Agra and Jammu ; the whole body is made up of durable steel metal which is according to me looks good in black color in Jammu city and it weighs only a bit more than a ton which is very good for the whole family and of course puttering around the town I live in.
ENGINE
The Honda guys are known for there craft and finesse they poses for every model they get for us,which is also the case with the activa , the motor here is butter smooth like a hot knife over a butter, ekdum malayi markarwhich I enjoy the most, the motor gets a variomatic gear system;in simple words it means '''twist and go'',the machine is very reliable, more reliable is the defunct model Eterno but the Activa is more practical and user friendly; the motor is a four stroke one which is good for fill it shut it logo, not like the one which was called kinetic Honda '; which was of course a two strokewhich required constant mobile oil with petrol which in the advent of four stroke vehicles from HH became quite irritating,that was the only succeessful scooter from the long gone company now bought bya suv giant,M&M ,
useability of this machine is as simple as turning on a tv with a remote in your hand,in this magical machine...
1.you dont need to change gears,because its variomatic gears that spells automatic.
2.you dont have to press clutch because its clutchless read that as the throttle does all the hard work for you
3.the right side brake for the rear brake is the left side lever for accomadating your legs very well and also to reserve some space for your luggage,that leaves your right leg free and tireless.
4.just switch on the keys,press the right lever for the electric start to fire up the engine,wait for a minute if its morning then...just twist and gooooooooooooooooo !!!
FUEL EFFICIENCY
no matter how hard you try,you will never get a 60+ kmpl average from this scooter that is easily delivered by a 100 cc commuter motorcycles, the Activa delivers a very acceptable 42kmpl in city conditions; thats a price you pay for a easy commuting without to worry much about the traffic or the cumbersome work of engaging all four parts of your body's extension that is a pair of hands and two legs my friend,yeah the fuel efficiency told here is constant even after 8th year of service to my family
RIDE AND HANDLING
Its no unicorn to start with, lest you start hitting the corners and meet your troublesome destiny hidden behind an unwanted accidents or skids,its a scooter with a good handling and a comfortable ride with its hydraulic suspension upfront and a very stable and non-bumpy shock absorber at the back which actually works better than the eterno which is stiff and bumpy when it comes to ride, the upright position is also a boon for long rides read that as tireless commuting
pros of possessing this two wheeler machine
1.your left leg would always be free because you dont have to change gears because its a no gears scooter....remember !!!
2.your right leg is also free always on this scooter because the rear brake lever is situated on the left side handle bar....point to remember
3.only if you want to apply the rear brake should you press the left lever otherwise its a clutchless wonder...so you surely dont have to overwork the left hand leaving it free as well
4.Now the fourth one that is most enjoyable I found on this small wonder, while I am riding this bike,i feel that the traffic is less and quite manageable which is in my view is fantastic !!!
cons of owning this scooter
1.the locks are not upto the mark,wether it is a dicky or front dicky or even the handle lock,it always throws tantrums at me ...not good
2.cold starts is a mission that I have to accomplish every day to get it to life every morning which is irritating beyond belief ,i have to get it moving by kicks only,the self start is of no use in the morning.
3.the load carrying capacity is a concern for me specially when I and my sister are trying to go the upward road,thats where it runs out of breath very soon,i can blame the puny engine for that or the nearly two ton weight we both siblings posses here, this was not the case with the eterno or even the chetak.
4.now let me tell you something that may be a bit of a surprise to you, the scooter can get so boring after a time that you have to marry speed to enjoy riding the scooter and divorce alertness and cautiousness...not good for the kids and youngsters as this often leads to very bad situations
summing up time
the best scooter to happen in indian history that rejuvenated the scooter craze and availabity after the death of legendary chetak ,the company actually made its presence felt by this brand only in india. lastly you wont regret a single day owning this bike,its reliable,its easy and comes with the top notch quality from the Honda company and a Honda batch to be proud of,nothing on two wheels is easier then this one except a cvt honda city with air con on !!!
CONTINUED ...
