What makes Honda Activa 125 so damn good!

There is a reason why Honda Activa 125 is among the best scooters in the Indian market currently, says Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com. Read on:

The Honda Activa has for the longest time been the default choice for a majority of scooter buyers in India.

It also managed to displace the Hero Splendor as the highest selling two-wheeler in India (in March).

To further boost the appeal of the Activa and to reach newer customers, Honda has launched the 125cc version of their best selling scooter, which is also their first offering in the 125cc scooter space.

The Activa 125 has been highly awaited and it's finally on sale.

The Activa 125 has evolved from the Activa 110 with many styling cues being common between both the scooters.

The front has a chrome panel strip with a sort of Y shape while the side panels are long and flat.

The rear sports a large tail light and the alloy wheels give the Activa a very neat appearance.

The grab rail is big but the Activa 125 simply doesn't appear as a premium scooter as far as the styling goes.

Honda has given the Activa 125 a very modern instrument cluster.

The console has a large speedometer in the centre and the needle swipes from 0 to 100 km/hr on start-up, a feature usually seen on motorcycles.

The fonts are fresh and the amber back-lit is super cool too.

The Activa 125 gets a digital screen which displays the odometer, tripmeter and fuel meter.

The seats are long and wide, offering good amounts of comfort.

The Honda Activa's seats are comfortable for short journeys.

The scooter gets an 18-litre under-seat storage and the footboard is wide enough to carry luggage.

The ergonomics are good with an upright seating position.

The handlebar is slightly raised and manoeuvring the 125cc Activa is easy in city conditions.

The aluminium grab rail is chunky and easy to hold.

Powering the Honda Activa 125 is a 124.9cc, single-cylinder, 2-valve engine which belts out 8.6 HP of power at 6500 RPM and 10.12 Nm of torque at 5500 RPM.

The scooter is quick off the line, taking just 8.01 seconds to do the 0-60 km/hr sprint.

Pulling power is ample and the Activa 125 moves ahead effortlessly, revving freely and feeling peppy at all times.

The low and mid-end performance of the 125cc Activa is excellent.

A mileage of 45 km/l is expected from this scooter.

Honda has finally given the Activa a telescopic front suspension.

The scooter is stiffly sprung but ride quality is still very good and compliant.

The Activa 125 gets a 12-inch front wheel and the top-end variant also gets a 190 mm front disc.

Both variants get CBS as standard, which is combi-braking system, enabling safer stopping.

Braking performance is easily the best in the segment.

Handling is good and the tyres are grippy, the scooter feeling stable at speed and changing directions swiftly.

The Honda Activa 125 is offered in two variants -- Standard and Deluxe.

While the Activa is priced more than its chief rival, the Suzuki Swish, it offers more bang for the buck.

Not only is the Activa 125 more practical, it has better performance, stronger brakes and more features too.

At Rs 69,500 for the top-end variant, the Honda Activa 125 is among the best scooters in the Indian market today.