Honda Activa 6G

Customers in the mass-market two-wheeler segment in India are quite conservative about how they want their two-wheeler to look. Classic examples are the Honda Activa and the Hero Splendor. Both have remained more or less the same in terms of design, but have racked up incredibly consistent sales numbers over decades and are the undisputed sales leaders in their respective segments. 

Any drastic change in design can be shocking and might hamper brand recall for these conservative customers. The idea is to not mess with a formula that has worked so well for so many years and continues to work even today. So usually, changes are limited to minor updates. In the Honda Activa 6G, there’s a more pronounced crease at the bottom portion of the apron that flows into the front fender. The side body panel gets a single slit for ventilation in place of split ones. Thanks to the new external fuel filler, the rear looks broader than before and the tail lamp is a lot more pronounced.

In a nutshell, the motor works exactly how it should. The Activa is a city runabout. That means it’s not happy being ridden too fast. Stick to under 60-65kmph, and the motor doesn’t complain one bit. There's a nice surge in acceleration up until 40kmph but the momentum thins down from then on. It is best used in tight urban spaces. While the fuel-injection smoothens out the throttle response, it feels a little too stifled in terms of progression. The rate of acceleration feels more or less the same no matter how much you open the throttle. Here are the numbers:

Honda has FINALLY equipped the twenty-one-year-old scooter with a telescopic fork! Acche din aa gaye! But not entirely though. While the ride quality is leaps and bounds better than the woefully obsolete, rudimentary trailing link suspension of the 5G, it is still a little on the harsh side. One workaround is that you can tweak the 3-stage preload-adjustable single shock absorber to the softer side, which should help the ride quality become a little more supple, at least at the rear. 

The chassis feels very well balanced, as I was able to take tight ‘figure of eights’ gleefully. Even high-speed stability is commendable, thanks to the larger 12-inch front wheel (takes a really long time to get to high speeds, though).

Honda seems to have to have gone the ‘why-fix-something-that-ain’t-broke’ route for the brakes. They’re the same as the ones on the Activa 5G. Pair this with the increased rolling inertial of a larger front wheel and you’ll realise that this 6G is a wee bit harder to stop. There’s a trace of weakness in the bite from the front brake too. The rear drum works brilliantly though, thanks to the smaller 10-inch steel wheel. And Honda doesn’t offer a front disc even as an option. As disappointing it may be, it is understandable considering that would require alloys to fit in the disc brake assembly, since steel wheels don’t get disc mounting points. As usual, the CBS works quite well. You will just have to tighten the adjustment screws regularly, though.

The 90-section MRF tyres offer decent grip and fit the bill rather well. You also won’t have to worry about scraping the underbody either, as it comes with a 171mm ground clearance -- claimed to be the highest in segment.

Honda has tweaked the design a bit to accommodate the external fuel filler (a first for a 110cc Activa). The lid feels flimsy though. That being said, the external fuel filler greatly reduces the effort to refuel compared to underseat fuel fillers, which force you to get off the scooter. The fuel filler cap can be opened via the apron-mounted switch, making it all the more convenient. Interestingly, despite relocating the fuel inlet, the underseat storage has remained unchanged at 18 litres. Unfortunately, there’s no boot light or even a USB port as an option. Also, Honda’s accessory apron-mounted basket looks very tacky. I am confident that people will pay a bit more and get a third-party lockable ABS plastic compartment.

Another grinch is, Honda has replaced the lockable hook with an open one below the seat. This can make some people really nervous about hooking up groceries if they’re going over bad roads. The apron section continues to use an open hook.

The instrument cluster is an all-analogue unit, with a speedometer and a fuel gauge. The brand has done away with a semi-digital layout (available in Activa 5G DLX variant). To be honest, the geek in me would've preferred a real-time mileage indicator on an analogue-digital console rather than an ACG starter. I don't mind cranking up a motor traditionally. But to each his own. That said, the ACG starter works magically well. Press the starter button and the motor comes to life silently and in an instant! The switchgear and the overall build quality feel pretty solid, plus you get an all-metal bodywork for extra toughness. Honda has also finally equipped the scooter with a pass beam switch -- a first for the 110cc Activa. It is integrated into the high-low beam switch.