Honda’s presence in the 110cc scooter space is formidable, to say the least – after all, they sell more Activas a month than my local grocer manages to sell candies in a year. But, they haven’t been able to replicate the same success in the 125cc space. And that’s even after capitalising on the Activa name with a 125 offering. And now, they’ve decided to give it another shot with the Grazia.
While the Activa’s conventional design has worked with mature buyers, the Honda Grazia needed to be a bit more contemporary. And that it is. The sharply crafted ‘Venom’ like face, with the LED headlamp, does give it a wide and snazzy appeal. The fully digital instrumentation looks neat and well-spaced. The quality of plastics and materials all around is reasonably good too.
The Grazia uses the same motor as the Honda Activa 125. The 8.5bhp motor feels fairly refined and has a typical Honda feel to it. The age-old V-matic transmission is a bit of a let-down in terms of performance though. Despite being lighter than the TVS Ntorq, the Grazia was quite a bit slower around the circuit during our track test. The ride quality suffers a bit too, as the stiffly sprung suspension makes the Grazia feel a bit too jittery over bad roads. The seat, however, is long, well cushioned and comfortable.
With the Grazia, Honda’s intent to expand their reach in the 125cc space is absolutely spot-on. And it seems like a competent scooter too. It looks sharp, comes backed with the Honda trust and does a decent job of performing daily duties. But, while it doesn’t do anything inadequately, it isn’t exceptional either. Priced at over `64,000, the Grazia also demands a premium over its rivals. In fact, after the launch of NTorq, the Grazia feels just that little bit too pricey. With its debut in the 125cc segment, TVS has already revolutionised the class and set new benchmarks, so-much-so that it makes other products in the category look a bit ordinary.
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