Honda Activa 125

• The Honda Activa 125 has been on sale for more than a decade now and has developed a loyal customer base in India. The Activa name has always been associated with reliability and still continues to do so. But, is the Activa 125 still relevant to the market and to the consumer?

• The Honda Activa has a very typical scooter design that has carried some of its traits from its smaller 110cc sibling.

• The scooter gets bulky body panels with a very appealing design and is preferred by generally every type of buyer.

• The scooter has been updated recently, while it maintains its original silhouette, it has got some subtle changes like LED headlights and alloy wheels.

Safety

• For the safety aspect, the scooter does get side stand cut-off, tubeless tyres and a front disc brake for increased safety.

Convenience

• The scooter gets an all-LED lighting setup for increased visibility during low light conditions.

• The scooter gets a 4.2-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and also gets turn-by-turn navigation and call and SMS alerts via the Honda Roadsync app.

• The H-smart version of the scooter gets  advanced features like keyless ignition along with other tech features.

Rider comfort

• The Activa 125 gets a long, single-piece seat that is wide, comfortable, and a bit soft. 

• For short, urban rides, the Activa 125 will not give you any troubles and will provide comfort to the rider quite well.

• The rider also has a good seating position and sits at a slightly lower height with a decent view of the traffic ahead.

• Also with the automatic transmission, there is no need for any gear changes, adding to the comfort of the rider.

Pillion comfort

• The pillion seat is quite wide, and accommodates the pillion well. Though I think a bit more length to the seat could have made it more comfortable. 

• Since the side is wide, the pillion may need to sit with their legs spread out more than usual. 

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• Although it may not cause any discomfort on short distances, long rides can be a bit painful.

The Honda Activa 125 is generally considered very easy-to-ride and is powered by a smooth and  refined OBD-2B-compliant 123.92cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine producing 8.4PS and 10.5Nm. It is paired to a CVT. Here are the performance figures of the scooter from our real-world tests:

City Performance

• The Activa 125 does urban commutes very well.

• The scooter feels at ease while commuting in the city with minimal vibrations.

Highway Performance

• The Activa 125 will comfortably cruise at 60 to 70kmph all-day on the highway.

• Anything beyond 70kmph will feel strained and uneasy;small amounts of vibrations start to creep in.

Mileage

• The Honda Activa 125 is very fuel efficient in the urban environment and returned a mileage of 52.63kmpl in the city and 51.23kmpl on the highway ,in our real world tests.

• The Activa 125 gets a telescopic fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock, which feels a bit soft. 

• The softer suspension does give it a decent ride quality but compromises on the handling front. A little bit of speed and the rear of the scooter will start moving.

• As far as Indian road conditions are concerned, the Activa 125’s suspension fares quite well and leaves very little to complain

• Its heavy weight and bulky size affect its handling and also the braking characteristics.

• It gets a 190mm front disc brake that is quite good but the rear drum brakes could have been better. The rear brakes do not inspire confidence and are a bit spongy.

• The Honda Activa 125 has been on sale for quite a while now and does a lot of things well and for every type of rider.

• So, if you need a very practical scooter with a lot of utility aspects, the Activa 125 is the best fit for you.

Which variant of the Honda Activa 125 should you choose?

• The Honda Activa is available in two variants: DLX and H-Smart. The scooter is priced at Rs 95,140 for the DLX variant and Rs 99,146 for the H-smart variant (both prices ex-showroom, Delhi).

• If you want a very practical scooter that is smooth, refined and fuel efficient, the DLX version will fulfill all your needs and is the version to go for.

Suzuki Access 125

Reasons to consider

• Makes a little bit more power

• Gets a cleaner and more classy design

• Quality levels are better than Honda

Reasons to ignore

• Lower fuel economy

• Better service from Honda 

TVS Jupiter 125

Reasons to consider

• Gets a more modern design

• More underseat storage

• Slightly better fuel economy

Reasons to ignore

• A less comfortable riding position

• Honda’s service quality and network is better than TVS’