[Vista]

!! Finally !!

The day has come and it gets me extreme delight to share my bit on the latest buy. After 3 month long extensive reading on the gearless scooter thread I made up my mind to go for the Honda Aviator Scooter.

I thank every member for their valuable comments on the Scooter which really helped me decide on buying this one.

So, I'll first let the pictures do the talking and further keep building on my buying experience and the journey so far and counting.....

[abhinav.s]

Congrats on your new acquisition mate!! Nice pics. The body guards in steel are actually an eye sore, but that's my personal opinion. You could have gone for the powder coated black ones. I totally prefer to not have any guards on my scoots [Dio & Flyte].

A delivery experience & also how u arrived at your decision would probably help other prospective buyers too.

Congrats again and ride safe!!

[beejay]

Congrats on your ride. Looks neat in black.

I would like to know your strongest point to choose the Aviator over the Activa? If I have to replace my Activa, I was wondering if Aviator would be a better buy.

[somspaple]

Originally Posted by Vista

!! Finally !!

The day has come and it gets me extreme delight to share my bit on the latest buy. After 3 month long extensive reading on the gearless scooter thread I made up my mind to go for the Honda Aviator Scooter.

I thank every member for their valuable comments on the Scooter which really helped me decide on buying this one.

So, I'll first let the pictures do the talking and further keep building on my buying experience and the journey so far and counting.....

congrats Vista!

just a query.. if 'm not wrong this looks like the 100cc engined Aviator. new 110 cc ones are available with a waiting period of 1 month.

[Vista]

!! Many Thanks !! ==> abhinav.s, beejay and somspaple..

abhinav.s - Thanks again for choosing to opine on my post. You are very correct. I was against my mind before finally being convinced by the dealer to have the steel guard fitted on the scoot. I would'nt prefer a steel guard either but the dealer made me see the factuals of the place where I live in and the parking conditions in the vicinity. I did want to opt for the powder coated set but as a extra loyal customer I went by my dealer's opinion again. He had some kind of a conviction that the powder coated ones doesnt last long !! He could be incorrect. Honestly I'm unsure

Absolutely i'll keep posting along to cover my entire experience before the coming Monday !!



beejay - Thanks again for choosing to opine on my post. I would be sharing my entire experience before the coming monday. Looking at your question makes me more interested to get my experience and the notions out to yourself soon.



somspaple - Thanks again for choosing to opine on my post. You are correct. It is indeed the 100 CC set. The 110 is yet awaited I believe and the price is about a 4 grand higher than the 100 cc. I'll attempt to post all that I am able to gather on the 110 one.

[somspaple]

Originally Posted by Vista

!! Many Thanks !! ==> abhinav.s, beejay and somspaple..

abhinav.s - Thanks again for choosing to opine on my post. You are very correct. I was against my mind before finally being convinced by the dealer to have the steel guard fitted on the scoot. I would'nt prefer a steel guard either but the dealer made me see the factuals of the place where I live in and the parking conditions in the vicinity. I did want to opt for the powder coated set but as a extra loyal customer I went by my dealer's opinion again. He had some kind of a conviction that the powder coated ones doesnt last long !! He could be incorrect. Honestly I'm unsure

Absolutely i'll keep posting along to cover my entire experience before the coming Monday !!



beejay - Thanks again for choosing to opine on my post. I would be sharing my entire experience before the coming monday. Looking at your question makes me more interested to get my experience and the notions out to yourself soon.



somspaple - Thanks again for choosing to opine on my post. You are correct. It is indeed the 100 CC set. The 110 is yet awaited I believe and the price is about a 4 grand higher than the 100 cc. I'll attempt to post all that I am able to gather on the 110 one.

100cc mill is The Proven engine on Indian roads. i don't think there would be much difference in hauling power.
you are right new one is around 50K on road (3k more than new Activa) and 55K with disc and alloys. waiting period is 1 month as opposed to 3 months for new Activa.

Aviator in black looks great!! congratulations once again

[amtak]

Congrats on the buy. One question though - Why are you hiding the dealer name from the seat cover?

[Vista]

Originally Posted by amtak

Congrats on the buy. One question though - Why are you hiding the dealer name from the seat cover?

Thanks Amtak A good catch by you. Yes I did shade over the dealer name at this point and would love to disclose in my future posts.

The reason being - my future posts would reveal not all experiences from the dealer were a delight

[sathyaprakash]

I think you should have waited for the new Aviater which comes with 110cc & Dual Braking system any way nice buy how much mileage do u get in the city?

[Vista]

Okie, from this point onwards let me start narrating the saga of the
planning, buying and the user experience of my black Aviator thus so far. i've added emotionals parts while going over the explanation. Please bear with me....I've gone down to the minutest of the details on my forthcoming Saga....so do let me know if you need me to curtail it. !!

*** Please Note - In all my relative narration leading to the ulimate
choice and usage of the product i lived through a series of emotions good,
better, best, bad, worse & the worst. Hence any depcition of an emotion is a direct personal experience and not a generic verdict. Hence I beg pardon in advance if facts I reveal as we read further falls in a displeasure at your end. My direct intent is to furnish my personal opinion before the potential buyers and in no way persuade them to change their mindset for a certain product.***

!!Phew !! - Okie the disclaimer is done...I feel so lighter

Planning:
An Information Security Professional working in a MNC for the past 8 years allowed me to travel is seprate parts of the currently before finally settling in a suburban town close to Mumbai. When one is away from the family and totally on your own then you must choose your daily products quite wisely in the sense that not much time is lost on a goodie just because you dont have the time !! In my days before the final settlement I finally derived to a ideology that if I need to travel long distances everyday, I must choose a motorbike over a scoot for ease over my pocket (good average) and ease to maintain. However for absolutely as I am - I would travel short distances and most of the times juggle through the traffic, do day to day grocery shopping, get the set of wheels for servicing, go to office - cent percent all by myself !! Hence I would want a SCOOT cuz it allows me to carry luggage, allow me easy handling, get me a not-so boring look from the onlookers, gets me to drive above a little not so very slow speeds (BTW - do we really have roads to ride bikes safely at high speeds just for the thrill sake of it the bike potentially has to offer to you? I don't think so. One must really take the bike outside the city to really enjoy a RIDE ! ) and above all a desirable comfort !!!

!! SO...The Hunt began !!
Before settling in Mumbai I had the Kinetic Zoom 110 CC to my luxury. The scoot bought in 2002 gave me very good support whenever it was need felt to carry luggage. I stayed for 3 years in Gurgaon away from the family and the scoot came very handy for my day to day use. During my long drive with my friends for eg: frequent weekend getaway trips to Jaipur; point to be noted - I was always the one trailing !! with me on Kinetic and others on Pulsars & etc. So when I looked at other products around I did feel the need for some missing factors currently then. To name them --> even better suspensions, a little quicker response after I engage the throttle and even better braking !!

The wicked part - So with obvious reasons above I was waiting day after day for my Kinetic to get older and older till a day when I decided that the first thing I would do after migrating to Mumbai is ---> GIFT ME A NEW SCOOT <--- Yay ! BTW - I did 2 Delhi-NaniTal-Delhi trips on my 5 year old Kinetic then. Though Slow - I enjoyed the trips with no major technical hold-ups by the bike !! So Overall a very reliable product for low speeds and patient people is how I rate the Kinectic Zoom 110 CC set as !

The brainstorming part - The day finally came when I migrated to Mumbai and the phase began to choose the new SCOOT for me. I started my search along with a very close friend. We started off with Kinetic (Mahindra), Suzuki Access 125 and the Hondas.

The Kinectic Flyte part - This part I would also like to abbreviate as --> THE HORRID PART <-- Owing to already owing a Kinetic Product it was pretty obvious for me to go back to them owing to loyality values. Over my 7 long year of ZOOM ownership I've seen days where after sales services experienced werent of a good professional value from Kinetic . I was strained many a times to hunt for one in first place. The showroom i bought it from did shut down soon after I bought it. The road side mechanics are the best engineers of the product. Now - why Horrid? One fine great bright summer after me and my this friend ride on my zoom to the nearest Kinetic showroom now Mahindra 2 wheelers for a test drive. The only leftovers that they had from Kinetic for them to pitch were the Flyte & new Kinetic 4s per my choice list. The lady owner of the showroom expressed umpteen interest in me as a potential customer and offered lucrative options. They were ready to exchange my old Zoom with the Flyte at the exchange price of 6 K. It was ok to me. Then came the time to test drive the 125 CC Flyte...and she tells me they have no test drive scoots. At the same time a Flyte owner comes asking for getting his set to be serviced. He had come for the very first servicing of his Flyte. The owner requested him to allow me to ride his bike to Test it !! SHOOT !! I was stunned by this offer and I refused upfront saying that I couldnt allow a stranger test my bike !!!

IMAGINE....

(to be contd.)

[Proxima]

Having an Aviator and an Activa, I would recommend the Aviator any day because it rides MUCH better and looks MUCH better than the Activa. It is priced lower too and has no waiting period. A no-brainer IMO.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by Proxima

Having an Aviator and an Activa, I would recommend the Aviator any day because it rides MUCH better and looks MUCH better than the Activa. It is priced lower too and has no waiting period. A no-brainer IMO.

The 110 cc Aviator STD costs 2k more than 110 cc Activa STD while for the deluxe version the Aviator is costlier by 6k.

[DAutobot]

Originally Posted by beejay

I would like to know your strongest point to choose the Aviator over the Activa? If I have to replace my Activa, I was wondering if Aviator would be a better buy.

Congratulations on your buy Vista. The black colour looks neat.

In fact I would also like to know if the Suzuki Access was compared and what made the Aviator the first choice.

[Vista]

Hello All. I am sorry. I took a break from in here as I had to prepare for a certification Exam.

!! The Saga !! resumes...

The Suzuki Access part - After a serious setback on emotions and self pride at the Kine Outlet, the same day I and my friend...marched towards the Suzuki showroom. Over all it was a decent experience. it was my first time face to face with the Access 125. The sales person was good at his job. He readily agreed for me to take a test drive. Personaly I liked the Scoot. The ground clearance is the best factor on this product than any others in the fray.
BUT - I didnt very quite a charm about its styling. It appealed to me of a regular convential scooter looks than something special that ignites a spark in you.
RESULT - Idea Dropped

The weekend was over and I had to wait for the next one to resume my hunt again.

The Honda Activa Part

Bare Fact - HMSI has seriously got to think about expanding their network in response to the popularity of their product. My day 1 experience at the Honda Outlet close to the outskirts of Mumbai (the place where I also live) killed the courage in me to go back to that place again. THERE IS NO ONE TO ATTEND TO YOU. Soon after you enter the showroom its all people around and the showroom officials running helter & skelter. You would have to actually queue up before a sales guy attending to someone before you to be able to get some info out on the range they offer.

Never mind - As an ardent fan of an Aviator I became right after the first lok of it I kept enquring about the best multi-bike dealer in my locatity and after good public opinion I went into one. I got a good, calm and a peceful service from the sales guy there who took all the time in the world to allow me explore the Activa and the Aviator.

Making a Choice - I liked Activa for the ride quality. however the new model of it looks a wee bit blank from the front and correct me if I am wrong...hasn't it got a oval egg shape from the rear !! The preset Aviator in my mind was finally the one I sat on and took a feel of the mini beast...It gave me a very confident sense of height ! muscle ! and next gen design. Then n there I chose to freeze on my thoughts and hunt no further...

Next thing - I'll be posting my buying experience.....

[Vista]

The Buying & Dealer Experience:
The dealer I had gone to remember was a multi-bike dealer and not the one dealing in just Honda Scoots. The dealer was indeed an experienced chap in 2 wheelers and provided me the best deal with the free goodies as follows:
- Teflon Coat
- Helmet
- Grip cover
- Seat Cover
- Body Cover
After getting convinced of the best deal I got, I decided to get the booking done and close the deal. After a week my mini black beat was ready for delivery.

The delivery day pictures: (MyRed Kinetic Zoom in the pics below is the one I was talking about in my ealier post)