The BS-6 scooter dilemma: Activa 125 vs Jupiter 125 vs Access 125

I've excluded Yamaha Ray-ZR as I feel it's design suits better a target audience way younger than I am.

BHPian fash_1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

In the market for a gearless scooter and after going through reviews of BS6 scooters, I've realised that I have massively underestimated the selection process.

My typical usage is about 200km/month (about 6-7km/day).

My requirements, in order of priority are:

• On road budget upto 1.10L max
• Reliability and hassle free ownership
• Ride quality
• Fuel efficiency
• Storage space
• Service support

Not particular about power, cubic capacity, resale, etc.

I had shortlisted, in order of preference:

• Access 125
• Activa 110
• Jupiter 125
• Dio 110

I've excluded Yamaha Ray-ZR as I feel it's design suits better a target audience way younger than I am.

From the reviews I've watched, looks like every scooter shortlisted above was relatively reliable in their pre BS6 avatars, but all of them seem to have reliability issues (mostly starting and missing issues) in their BS6 forms. Is that really the case with BS6 scooters?

People who own/use BS6 scooters, how has your experience been, and what would you suggest for my requirements

Here's what BHPian ani_meher had to say on the matter:

I haven't heard any particular problem in bs6 scooters, perhaps they got smoother!

I will recommend following:

• Retro: Access 125 - new dual tone looks good
• Big: Burgman 125 - large enough for man, but not updated since eternity
• Big: Jupiter 125 - new one looks nice but I haven't tested it
• Slim: Activa 125 - really nice with keyless entry, very smooth engine
• Suzuki Avenis 125 - Smaller version of Burgman.

Check your requirements, whether you need big carrying capacity or can do with a small one. Top suggestion will be Burgman or Activa 125 keyless entry version.

Hero xoom 125 is supposed to launch soon. With big tyres of 14 inch, it should have better riding thhan most existing scooters.

Here's what BHPian Proxima had to say on the matter:

As an owner of the latest Activa 125 and the Access 125, I'll stongly recommend the latter

• more powerful engine (I've felt it when I take a pillion and kids)
• feels sturdier (The mechanism to open the under-seat feels sturdier and the front hook feels sturdier too)
• bigger seat and floor board.
• absolutely problem free

This may be unpopular but I recommend the version WITHOUT keyless entry, touchscreen and front discs. In my opinion, scooters need to be reliable and these so called "value adds" may not work great after several years. I'm also against front disc brakes for scooters because its more dangerous in the hands of inexperienced users and is frankly not needed.

Here's what BHPian bijims had to say on the matter:

Low usage or high usage, I would suggest you go for an EV, there are a lot of options under 1.10 lakhs on-road Bangalore, a few of them are:

1. OLA S1 X

If you are sure you will not need it for longer runs, the 2 kW variant would suffice, else the 3 kWh variant would be the better option, if you want maximum range, the 4 kWh variant would be the way to go, However when going for Ola, don't expect build quality and fit and finish, panel gaps are the norm and Ola is only an option for those who want to get from point A to point B and don't care much about aesthetics. Prices on-road Bangalore for the variants are 4kWh: Rs.1,12,000 (approx), 3kWh: Rs.97.000 (approx), 2kWh: Rs.87,000 (approx)

2. TVS iQube 2.2 kWh

The recently launched TVS iQube 2.2 kWh with 75 km of range costs Rs.95,000 ex-showroom and should fall within your budget on-road as well. The iQube has the typical scooter look and doesn't stand apart from the crowd either, it has 32-litre under-seat storage and is a practical family-oriented scooter worth considering.

3. Hero Vida V1 Plus 3.44 kWh

The Vida V1 Plus comes at Rs.94,700 ex-showroom (on Flipkart) after a cash discount of Rs.25,200. even after factoring in Insurance, RTO and other charges, the price on-road falls below Rs.1.10 lakhs making it a value-for-money buy, with 100 km of range and Hero's wide dealership network, service isn't a hassle either. It is an option worth considering indeed. Moreover, the Vida is the only mainstream scooter that comes with removable batteries, making charging easier as well.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.