HMSI ( Honda Motorcycle & Scooters India ltd.), the brand which consistently has been on the lips of the two wheelers enthusiasts and consecutively being serving to the Indian market since past many decades. En number of product line ups, mesmerizing technologies & features, and the reliability of Honda made it world’s most demanding two wheeler manufacturing brand. Indian automobile market has always been the most potential market for the two wheeler manufacturers and Honda has realized it and made the most of it. It has created an amazing bench mark in the segment of scooters here in India. The legendary and the most demanding scooter Honda Activa has truly diverted the mindset of the mileage seeking riders and took the segment of scooters to a whole new level. Soon after the grand success of Activa other brands too entered into the segment and even the International racing brand Aprilia too has come up with a 150cc scooter named Aprilia SR 150.
After the immense and dominating success of the Activa, Honda has kept on working for the same segment and brought some other scooters too like Honda Dio, Aviator, Activa 125, Honda Navi, and Honda Cliq these were the scooters offered by Honda to its Indian riders amongst which almost every scooter got a great response by the market. Honda Navi and Cliq didn’t get much response due to their small and compact sizes. Everyone loves to ride a beefy machine no matter whether it is a motorcycle or scooter. Finally here is the new scooter from Honda has arrived into the market and they have named it Grazia 125.We have done the Test Ride Review of it; let’s go through what Honda has offered to its riders with this scooter.
Styling:
All new Honda Grazia has got really cool and astonishing looks. The very first look of the scooter somehow reminds us of Honda Dio from the front and the rear end. Actually the whole scooter looks like Honda Activa has worked out, took heavy diet and transformed. Beautiful fine lines and bulky yet aerodynamic front of Grazia mesmerizes the soul. Its wide and long seat satisfies that the ride is not going to be burden for the rider as well as for the pillion. Gorgeous LED headlamp with white DRLs and indicators, spacious foot-board and strong grab rails can truly attract anyone. The most impressive feature Grazia has got is the full digital meter console.Instrument Cluster and Switchgear:
Coming to the Instrument Cluster, as mentioned before the all new Honda Grazia has got really gorgeous meter console and it is the first scooter in its segment that has got full digital meter console. With the upgraded technology Grazia has got the Odometer (RPM meter) which is too absolutely new in the segment. Well this isn’t enough; the scooter has also got three Eco meters which show that on which mode the rider is going on.Actually the whole Instrument console has divided into two parts the upper one shows the speed and RPM while the lower one (equipped with pale orange LED) hoses clock, fuel meter, and a trip meter. On both the sides of meter console, indicator lights (glows green), upper light (glows blue) for the head lamp, a button to trip the meter and on the top there is the Eco meter (which too glows green when we accelerate). The most attractive feature I liked is the Odometer which looks like a pro racing motorcycle and I fallen in love with that.
Let’s go through to the switchgear, getting on the scooter and putting the key into the lock of the vehicle is the initial stage of riding and here the very first step shows that this is a new scooter from the house of Honda and not the regular ongoing one. There is a switch given to open the seat locates just beside the lock switch and the lock switch has got three steps.
In order to open the dickey you have to rotate it clockwise and press the button, the seat opens and in order to switch the ignition on, you have to rotate it one more time. Apart from this the scooter has got the self start switch on the right side of the dashboard just beside the accelerator and on the left side it has got upper and dipper switch, horn switch, and again a different feature the choke switch has placed just below the horn switch, as most of the motorcycles have got.
Honda has actually changed or we can say assembled some features differently like most of the scooters now a days have got the mobile charging slot under the seat but Honda thought that it is an important gadget used frequently and must be in front so it has placed it at the left side of the scooter just below the choke switch. It has got a pocket and a charging slot inside so that you can charge your phone and keep it there only but the quality of plastic used in this particular might have been improved. Also the under seat capacity is so spacious that a full sized helmet can be kept with no trouble. Ergonomics:
Every rider seeks for the comfort in his vehicle no matter whether it is a scooter or a motorcycle. Rides must be safe and comfortable. Honda has kept these criteria upfront and made its new 125cc scooter accordingly. The long and wide seat with soft foam has decreased the harshness of the roads while the short handle is placed finely which actually completes the scooter, ergonomically. Having just 107 kg of kerb weight this scooter makes itself different even from its younger sibling Honda Activa. Wide and flat footboard in the middle of the scooter helps in keeping bags and belongings easily. The rear foot pegs looks as strong as they can carry heavy legs over them. Engine and Performance:
Having the same technology and displacement as Activa 125, the all new Honda Grazia is equipped with 125cc air cooled CVT engine directly taken from the Activa 125. The engine is capable of producing the power of 8.52 BHP @ 6500 RPM and 10.54 NM torque @ 5000 RPM. Well most of the riders don’t want to go through the figures so for them I must tell that this scooter has really touched my soul. The refinement of the engine and smooth ride made me its fan. Personally telling, I have never enjoyed the scooter ride as I did on the Grazia ever before. The powerful 125cc engine has a lot for you; the lightweight body of the scooter aids to its handling and acceleration. Aerodynamic built and powerful engine made this scooter away from becoming a toy in the hands of kids.
Brakes and Suspension:
For a safer and comfortable ride suspension and brakes of every vehicle plays a vital role. And Honda seems to have never compromised with the safety of its riders. So with this product it has insured the level of safety by equipping the scooter with Telescopic fork as the front suspension and spring loaded hydraulic suspensions at the rear. While leaning any scooter or motorcycle on twists and turns, suspensions take all the tolls and if they are good in quality or worth according to the weight and power of the vehicle then they give a great confidence to do so and this is what I felt with the suspensions of Honda Grazia. The suspension setup gives you immense confidence while riding the Grazia on various kind of turfs.
Apart from the suspensions the most important tool of riding and driving any vehicle are Brakes. Actually there is no use of more power if the brakes of the vehicle are not worth, and I didn’t feel anything wrong about that on Grazia. The scooter has got 190 mm disc brake at front and 130 mm drum brakes at the rear. And I must tell you the small disc brake cannot be underestimated, though it is small in size but works absolutely perfect. It actually gave me the confidence of going higher than the average speed even in the city riding condition. Also its 90/90-12 tubeless (front) and 90/100-10 tubeless (rear) MRF Zapper tyres are worth to mention. The tyres are paired perfectly with brakes setup to face any kind of road conditions.
Verdict:The all new Honda Grazia is apparently a new scooter but technically it is the updated form of Activa 125. Technology used in this scooter is being borrowed from the Activa 125 but looks, design and some features like full digital meter console are bunch of the features which make this scooter absolutely different from others.
The Honda Grazia has been priced at Rs. 57,897 (Ex- showroom, Delhi) for the base version. With all such amazing features, technologies and en number of color options, it seems like Honda is going to repeat the history with the same segment of Urban Scooter but not with the Acitva, this time it has named the weapon Honda Grazia.
By: Haroon Mohd. Khan
