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The long overdue ownership review of my 2007 Honda Activa

12th July 2024, 10:33 by Rahul Nagaraj

Activa was retired in 2013 to make way for a Vespa VX125, but re-acquired it later.

BHPian GreasyCarb55 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is a story that's very close to my heart and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Chapter 1 - History

Back in 2007 like many Indian families do every year, we were looking for a scooter. My dad's previous experience with Honda at the time was with a black/orange 1998 Hero Honda Splendor that he had bought used after he got his first job and a few years later was replaced by a brand new Hero Honda Ambition 135 both bikes performed their tasks phenomenally. So the choice was obvious, the 100cc Activa "1G".

After almost 7 years of flawless service, the Activa was retired in 2013 to make way for a Vespa VX125. Instead of being sold, the Activa was given away to someone the family knew for practically free. Around October 2022 my uncle was looking for a used scooter to use around Bangalore and came across well, our 2007 Activa. After reacquiring it he decided to restore it visually while also giving the scooter a mechanical refresh. In the end, my uncle took the Vespa and we kept the Activa because at the time I was in Odisha and my parents weren't using the Vespa much.

Fast forward to February 2023 and I had decided to drop out of business school to pursue Filmmaking and my primary source of transport during the few months in between was the Activa. Smooth and flawless to a fault it did its job of being a way of getting from point A to point B with ease. In July I moved to Mumbai for film school and usage of the Activa dropped like a rock. Fast Forward to September 2023.

Chapter 2 - The September and October breaks

Towards the end of September, I was back in Bangalore for the weekend and I came back for a week in October. Not much adventure but I got the chance to rediscover Bangalore as a city. Loitering around Church Street with friends, rushing to CTR in Malleswaram for that picture-perfect breakfast, and hanging around my friends' place in JP Nagar. I also went back to a place that I hold close to my heart, New Shanti Sagar in Vijaynagar (between Vijaynagar and Sri Balagangadhara Natha Swamiji metro stations). In the late 2000's almost every Sunday like clockwork, my uncle would take me to New Shanti Sagar for breakfast. The Butter Masala Dosa and the Filter Coffee from this place are still a treat. CTR may be better but this place will always hold a special place in my heart.

But these two trips weren't completely devoid of adventure, I spent a good amount of time exploring the backroads around Bangalore University for a couple of days.