Honda Activa 125 long term review

No other personal mode of transport offers quite the same amount of relief that automatic scooters do, when commuting in the city. They blend in and help negotiate aggressive traffic with relative ease and without driving up your fuel bills. 

We've had the Honda Activa 125 for some time now and I've been using it quite regularly within the city as well as for the occasional trip out. Here's how it's performed so far.

At first glance, the Activa 125 is similar to its older stablemate, albeit with an added dose of attractive styling, helping it stay appealing to a wide, diverse audience. Chrome touches up front and smoothly flowing lines are inspired by Honda's current crop of larger bikes. Bits like the 125’s functional mirrors, decent quality palm grips and nice brake control levers lend the Activa 125 a polished feel; expected of a comfortable automatic scooter from the big H. The digi-analogue display is clearly legible on the go, and the Activa 125’s headlight does a good job of illuminating the road ahead when riding through an inky night. The lack of a rear brake lock clamp, however, did sometimes compromise my desired parking spots and Honda would have done well to include this feature on the premium Activa 125. 

Like most automatic scooters, the Activa 125 idles silently, with minimum vibrations. But to start the scooter, the left brake lever needs to be pulled in really hard and almost all the way back to the handlebar, which is sure to be an irritant for some riders, and makes life very difficult for members of the fairer sex. Also, the choke lever could do with freer action here, as this proved sticky early in its life, and required lubrication a couple of times.

Once on the go, the Activa 125’s light throttle is a delight to use, and the user friendly scooter darts in and out of gaps in traffic effortlessly. It’s not just the engine power output that is impressive, but the urgency with which it responds at low revs, making for a tension-free ride, every time.