Honda Activa 125 BS4 (2019)

[SVK]

My current bike is 12 years old, and I am looking for new bike.
I am confused whether to get Honda's Unicorn or Activa 125. Both has their positives and negatives.
Unicorn is reliable bike and recommended by many, but it looks quite old model due to lack of Digital console and other fancy stuff like ABS, Combi-brakes. It may deliver better Average compared to Activa.
Activa gets storage space which is helpful for shopping and also put stuff inside instead on hanging bags outside like bike. But I have never driven Activa or any gear-less scooter before.

In a month, 2-3 times I need to take bike to office which is 50 KM traveling distance both ways, so I am not sure how comfortable Activa would be for that much traveling distance, as roads are really bad.

So which Honda 2 wheeler should I go for?

Bajaj Pulsar 150 is also dark horse alternative for Unicorn.

 

[Sushubh]

100km travel in a day on a scooter would be quite painful on a scooter Imo. Especially on bad roads. Scooters are more comfy over shorter distances.

 

[SVK]

Not 100 KM, one-way journey is around 25, so both ways count 50 KM, though its still very high considering it takes 75-90 minutes for me from home to office or vice-versa.

 

[Sushubh]

Right. In the end it's your comfort factor. Test drive both. Since you have mostly ridden bike, scooter might not be very comfortable at least for a while.

 

[Sai]

Scooters are best suited for short travels, say 10-15 kms per day max. Not more. No matter what others say, scooters will definitely give the rider back pain if ridden for long distance regularly. This is primarily due to the smaller tyres.

My family were long term customers of Honda 2 Wheelers India. Honda Unicorn is a dated commuter bike which should have been discontinued long ago. Its not a performance friendly bike by any means. And the mono suspension makes the matters worse. Especially if you have a pillion; he/she will definitely curse you due to the bouncy ride and weird seating angle (especially for tall people). Also not to forget never ending chan sprocket issues, rusting issues. We escalated things to top level and no solution was given. Since these things gets sold blindly due to "Honda" name they are least bothered about customer service & quality these days.

If I were you I would look at Vespa/TVS & Yamaha for two wheelers.

 

[SVK]

^^^ Then what about Bajaj Pulsar?
For bikes around 150 CC, I need bike which has single seat (not split seat) for traveling with family.
Never tried Yamaha bikes earlier, nor seen anybody owning it in my friends/colleagues circle.

 

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[Sai]

Instead of Pulsar you can consider Apache which performs much better and has single seat.

You may consider looking at these models which don't come with split seats. Make sure that you test ride each one before buying. Each one has different tastes. Don't buy blindly.

TVS Apache RTR 160 | Performance,Features,Colors,Safety & Comfort
The all-new Xtreme 200R by Hero MotoCorp
TVS Apache RTR 180 Bike | Performance,Features,Colors,Safety & Comfort
TVS Apache RTR 180 | Performance,Features,Colors,Safety & Comfort
Suzuki Gixxer-Specifications and Price-150cc Bikes in India-Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd.

 

[Nishant]

My vote goes to the Honda Unicorn (older 150cc variant, which is still in production due to demand). The most refined engine of the lot and is quite comfortable to ride long distances.

 

[Sushubh]

I test drove Gixxer few years ago. Loved it. But of course have no ownership experience. Yamaha FZ16 was fun to ride but frustrating to own coz of crappy service center.

 

[Nishant]

Yeah. Suzuki is also worth trying out. Both Gixxer and GS150R. I won't touch TVS as it's engine, though quite powerful, lacks refinement and that 'makhhan ride' feel. Yamaha is good to ride in traffic due to it's high torque. When my bike (7 yrs old Honda Unicorn Dazzler) had a major issue few weeks ago I was actually considering getting the Yamaha FZ25. Thankfully the bike mechanic was able to figure out the issue and was fixed.

--
Looks like GS150R has been discontinued already.

 

[Sai]

My vote goes to the Honda Unicorn (older 150cc variant, which is still in production due to demand). The most refined engine of the lot and is quite comfortable to ride long distances.

There is no doubt about the refinement of Honda engines. Our problem was with the govt office type attitude of all dealers in Bengaluru/Mangaluru area and inability of Honda to address many niggling issues inspite of repeated complaints. I am done buying Honda 2 Wheelers (I like Honda cars, no issues with them).

Since SVK was considering Bajaj Pulsar, I said TVS Apache RTR can be considered. Present day Apache's are quite refined.

 

[ijsa]

My vote goes to the Honda Unicorn (older 150cc variant, which is still in production due to demand). The most refined engine of the lot and is quite comfortable to ride long distances.

No doubt the engine is good. Had used it for 10years, sold it 2 years back. But the overall build quality of bike is not good.... say in comparision to TVS or Hero.

 

[Nishant]

There is no doubt about the refinement of Honda engines. Our problem was with the govt office type attitude of all dealers in Bengaluru/Mangaluru area and inability of Honda to address many niggling issues inspite of repeated complaints.

Same story everywhere. There are too many Honda two wheelers and they're unable to handle the flurry of bikes coming for service. Here it was so bad that I had to go early morning at 8:00am to get the first token. If you go after 9 or 10am you won't get the bike the same day.

I stopped going to them as soon as I finished the mandatory free service since warranty depended on it.

 

[Sai]

The original Unicorn was gem of a bike with the legendary Honda quality and refinement. Same with the Activa. Couple of years down the line, when things started selling without any effort like Maruti cars are sold now, they started skimping on quality. I have personally seen so many cases of new Unicorns which are barely 2-3 months old and immaculately maintained getting never ending chain sprocket issues, rust on the handle bars, at the place where monosuspension joins body structure near rear tyre etc. Horrible dealership and escalation experience made matters much worse.

 

[SVK]

I agree about Honda that their staff is careless. 2nd time again when I went to their showroom they denied test ride saying that they don't give test ride during monsoon as roads are wet and bike may skid and fall.
Also there is huge rush in showrooms so it takes lot of time due meet salesperson. But all this rush I guess is because Honda bikes are having good quality...

About TVS and Bajaj, I have heard that their engine performance degrades after 2-3-4 years and mileage also lowers over the period, while Honda gives consistent mileage even after 10 years.