Scooter Rivalry : Upcoming Hero Duet vs Well-Established Honda Activa 3G

Is the much-awaited Duet from Hero MotoCorp capable enough to snatch away the throne from its biggest rival - Honda Activa!

Hero’s much-anticipated offering in the scooter segment, ‘Duet’ is all set for its arrival in the country on this coming 29th. Its closest competitor, Honda Activa is watching the on-going preparations silently along with enjoying its latest record of achieving 1 crore unit sales and the fastest sales of 1 million units in just past 5 months. Now the big question is - Which one of the two will dominate the other? Can Activa save its crown or will it surrender to the Hero. Let us find out in this short comparison.

Styling and Appearance:

The midweight automatic scooters in India get a very basic body design with some slight curves here and there. Honda Activa was the first to witness this when it arrived in the nation back in 2000.



The unisex scooter from Honda went through some much needed changes just at the right time that made it the most successful automatic scooter in India till date. Honda Activa features an edgy headlamp section that comes integrated with clear lens turning blinkers. The front apron in the upgraded version has been slightly changed with twin air vents embedded within. The side panels also received an upgrade that now says “Activa” bold and clear in a 3D fashion. The rear end of the scooter has been altered a bit that now comes with a stylish trapezoidal tail lamp unit and pointed turn indicators.



Hero Duet on the other hand, is the latest offering from the country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer and is all-set to be in the limelight on 29th of September. As seen in the spy images, this 111cc scooter shares its body design majorly with the above stated Honda Activa. However, the front profile gets a curvy headlamp along with some chrome element that looks really appealing. The rear is inspired from the Maestro with a broader end with a wide tail lamp assembly and obviously, clear lens blinkers.

Comfort and Convenience:



The Activa scores well in terms of comfort as it comes fitted with a longer and wider thickly cushioned seat. From the visuals, it seems that the scooter has been equipped with an equally comfortable seat just like the Activa but still nothing exact can be said on this till we can take it out for a ride.



Coming to convenience features, sadly, the beloved Activa lacks on this front and the manufacturer boasts of some elements that don’t have much significance when it comes to convenience. So, this is where, Hero takes the lead here as it has come up with some real innovativeness in the Duet. The upcoming player features a digital analog instrumentation with service reminder, first-in-class external fuel fill with buzzer and a combination lock. Besides this, a mobile charging USB port and an underseat storage lamp will also be present in the Duet. This will give an edge to Duet as these features are not available in Honda Activa. Both these two wheelers have tubeless tyres to provide convenience in case of a puncture.

Engine and Transmission:



Although both scooters have the same engine configurations, the slight difference remain in the kind of technology used by the respective manufacturers. The Honda gets a 109.2cc, four-stroke, air-cooled engine that generates a peak power of 8bhp at 7,500rpm with a maximum torque of 8.83Nm at 5,500rpm. The refined motor has been coupled with Honda Eco Technology (HET) that ensures an improved mileage of 60kmpl, as claimed by the manufacturer.



Hero MotoCorp, on the other side, has its Duet ready with a 110.9cc, four-stroke, air-cooled engine that pumps out a maximum power of 8.4bhp at 8,000rpm with a peak torque of 8.3Nm at 6,500rpm. The Duet has no such technology involved to deliver an enhanced fuel economy, hence it will be interesting to see which of the two leads in terms of running more kilometres in a liter of fuel. Honda Activa and Hero Duet, both come with an automatic CVT transmission to ease up the riding job and make them proper unisex scooters that fits well for everyone’s usage.

Chassis and Engineering:



Both the scooters have been bolted on an underbone type frame to give a tough skeleton to their bodies. Hero Duet has been equipped with telescopic shock absorbers upfront and hydraulic twin spring shock absorbers at the rear. While Honda Activa 3G still gets bottom-link shock absorbers at the front and the rear continues with the same twin spring hydraulic shock absorbers.



For braking purposes, these two get 130mm drum brakes at the front as well rear end to ensure safe and precise braking. Honda has refined the braking experience in Activa by assisting it with Combined Braking System (CBS) that applies both brakes automatically while pressing the rear brake lever only. Hero Duet has also the same facility and the company names it as Integrated Braking System. Honda has fitted 90/100-10 tyres in the Activa at both ends that offer a superior grip. Hero Duet, on the other hand is expected to come with 90/90-12 front and 90/90-10 rear tyres.

Prices and Verdict:



Honda Activa 3G presently comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 49,400 (Delhi) and offers a plain, neat body design along with reliability. While the upcoming player from Hero MotoCorp - Duet is awaiting its launch in the country and its price is expected to be somewhere around the Activa to stay competitive.



Being a latest entrant, Hero Duet has a bunch of interesting features, a few of which are not found in any other scooter till now. According to us, Hero Duet emerges as the clear winner here due to the convenience it serves and the innovativeness involved along with some first-in-class features.

Hero Duet Image Courtesy: GaadiWaadi.com