The Activa 125 is the top-spec model in Honda India’s scooter portfolio. The scooter was recently launched with compliance to the new BS6 emission norms that are due to become mandatory from 1 April 2020. We have ridden the scooter and you can read the road test report here. Meanwhile, here’s a detailed photo gallery of Honda’s first BS6 compliant product in the country.
Design-wise, the new Activa 125 Fi features a subtle design update that would take a keen eye to differentiate. While most of the proportions remain the same, the scooter now has sharp contours that hide the bulk of the rear section quite effectively.
In terms of riding stance, the Activa 125’s seat is huge. Once astride, the seat feels extremely comfortable, well-padded with a soft cushion that cradles the behind well and also provides enough support for the under thighs. The floorboard has enough room to hold a couple of bags while leaving some room to move your feet around.
On the braking front, the top-spec variant of the Activa 125 Fi comes equipped with a disc brake at the front which offers good feel and feedback. The rear features a drum brake, which on the contrary, could do much better with more bite.
The biggest highlight of the new Activa 125 is its BS6-compliant engine which is fuel-injected and this has resulted in a more refined and a smoother sounding motor. It even features an ACG starter which uses the same generator that charges the battery to start-up the engine, thus negating the need for a separate starter motor and making the cranking process very silent.
In terms of specifications, to comply with the emission norms the motor has received a marginal drop in power. The BS6 124cc engine now produces 8.1bhp; which is 0.4bhp lesser than the BS4 version. While the difference might be small, the scooter feels unenthusiastic even with a full twist of the throttle. This essentially means that overtaking in traffic requires a bit of planning.
The BS6 Activa 125 Fi continues to feature an LED headlamp mounted on the steering unit. It is sleek and comes with LED DRLs that complete its look.
Coming to the instrument cluster, it features an analogue speedometer with an LCD below that shows current fuel efficiency, mileage, and range along with a trip meter, odometer, and clock. Besides that, it also has a malfunction lamp and a side stand indicator with an engine inhibitor that prevents the motor from cranking up if the stand is down.
On the comfort-front, the only place when the Activa 125 Fi loses a point is in terms of the seat-opening mechanism. It features a press switch located next to the ignition slot that opens the seat as well as the external fuel-filler cap without the need to remove the key. While this function is supposed to ease the entire process, it was ironically difficult to push the switch to open the seat.
Honda’s scooters are well-known for their fuel-efficient engines; consequently, during the combined mileage run, the Activa returned an average of around 50-55kmpl. With a tank capacity of 5.3litres, it should be capable of running a decent range of 280kms on a full tank.
Speaking of pricing, the base variant of the Activa 125 Fi retails at Rs 67,000 which goes up to Rs 74,000 for the top-spec DLX variant (both, ex-showroom, Delhi). On the competition front, the Activa 125 Fi rivals against the likes of the Suzuki Access 125 and the Hero Maestro Edge 125.
