Honda Grazia Review
Bike Tested: Honda Grazia; Road Test No. 881; Test Location: Navi Mumbai
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 68,700 – 74,100/-
The Grazia is a blend of the Dio and Activa 125, offering the best of both the scooters
The Honda Activa was first introduced to India in the year 2000 and has been one of their highest selling scooters since then. With sales reaching higher than all of its other 2-wheeler products combined. Like me, you probably thought that, does Honda really even need to try? I mean the Honda Activa had barely changed according to 2017 standards and over the course of seventeen years, it has started to seem dated. Even then it managed to create its place in all our lives.
Everyone knows what an Activa is even though it has got not a lot but its simple promise of reliability and ease of ownership, which as you can see ends up favoring a machine a lot more than fancy features. We expected something different from the Activa 125 and we don’t always get what we want but Honda seems to be in a generous mood and has been listening. Giving us the Honda Grazia that they like to call an Urban Scooter. Now the question is, does it live up to our expectations?
Motor Quest: The Honda Grazia uses the same 125cc motor found on its sibling, the Honda Activa 125.
This scooter has such a bold design
Styling – I remember telling myself the first time I saw this scooter in the flesh “This looks different” and different it does look, starting with the headlamp. This is one beautiful and menacing looking headlight design that instantly catches your attention with or without the lights on and that’s saying something. The headlamps are located at the bottom unlike the Activa’s and are a full LED units with 2 LEDs for the parking, 2 for the high beam and 2 for the low beam. Also during high beam, all 6 lights go on. Now if you ask me, it’s about time that we Indians were offered better lights as standard for our poorly illuminated roads. Kudos to Honda for leading the change. The front is a V-shaped design in matte black with a vent in the centre, with the indicators located on each of its sides. The indicators aren’t LEDs which is a small gripe. The front fender has angular lines making it sharp and edgy with a reflector on each side. The handlebar too has this layered design.
The LED tail-light looks good and compliment the sharp rear end
This modern design by Honda shows us a peek into their future design language
As you come to the side, you start seeing the similarity between it and its younger sibling the Dio which isn’t such a bad thing. The chunky 5 spoke 12-inch front wheel grants it a nice stance and helps make the overall front design bulkier. The layered design continues to the sides and all the way to the rear. It gets these fake carbon fibre inserts on the sides which does help make it look more sporty and youthful. The carbon fibre treatment also finds its way to the exhaust which is a slim unit and finished in black. The pillion footpegs can be folded and are finished in aluminium and look quite upmarket. This scooter gets the Grazia badge on each side and is placed right under the beautiful upswept twin grabrails that look quite cool. The tail-light uses LEDs and looks sharp, the only thing that ruins the rear is the extra long mudguard which houses the license plate holder.
First in the segment and a real joy to use even on sunny days
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The instrument cluster is a fully digital unit with a tachometer which is a first in its segment. It tells you the speed, RPM, fuel reading, one trip meter and has a new feature called the 3 Step ECO mode indicator. It’s basically three bars of light that change based on your riding style to tell you how much efficiency are you extracting out of the engine. Three bars meaning best possible mileage and no bars meaning worst possible mileage. The cluster is pretty bright even in broad daylight as it is quite attractive to look at. The buttons are of good quality and feel good to use except for the parking brake, it ends up feeling very cheap and tedious to use. Another first in the segment is this nifty new button to open the under seat, gone are the days of having to remove your key each time you want to access the under seat storage.
The riding position and seats are quite comfortable
Ergonomics – The wide leather perforated seats are of good quality and are quite comfortable for both rider and pillion. The footboard has a hook in case you wanna go grocery shopping. The Grazia also gets a small glove box under the handlebar that has a provision for a USB charger which is handy and the glovebox itself is big enough to house a big smartphone with ease. Both the mirrors provide good visibility unless you’re not wearing a thick jacket or have extremely broad shoulders. The 18-litre under seat storage is decent but isn’t big enough to house a full-size helmet but a half face helmet should fit. A major miss for this scooter is the lack of an exterior fuel lid, the addition of which would make this one truly practical machine but I suppose you win some, you lose some.
The design makes it appear faster than it is
Performance – This scooter gets its engine from its sibling the Activa 125. The motor makes 8.52 BHP @ 6500 RPM and likes to build its power very progressively. Wack-open the throttle and you’ll end up feeling the 10.54 Nm of torque gently glide you forward once past 5000 RPM. This machine starts to run out of breath once you reach 83 km/hr but still pushes to as much as 94 km/hr. I love how the powerband feels so usable in the city and overtakes at city speeds are effortless. This powerplant feels vibration free at all times and there are no rattling sounds either.
This is probably the most comfortable top speed run I’ve ever done
While accelerating you’re gently gliding down the road instead of any sudden bursts of acceleration
The sound from the exhaust too builds up once you pick up the pace and it actually sounds nice. The linear power delivery never gets boring and performance always feels punchy, this is one fun scooter to ride. When ridden with a light wrist, the mill pulls slowly and as soon as you twist your wrist, there is power available right on your doorstep. This machine has great low end and mid-range, it’s just the top end that feels a little hollow which isn’t a gripe, to be honest. Expect 35-38 km/l of mileage from the Grazia in the city, stretching to almost 40 km/l on the highway.
This machine handles well and stays agile through leans and traffic
Riding Dynamics – The Honda Grazia feels light on its feet and always eager to change direction. I’m not really a scooter person, as it’s been a while since I properly rode and got used to one. When I got on this scooter, I was a little nervous at first as I wasn’t used to the dynamics but 10 minutes down the line and it felt right at home. I started feeling a lot more comfortable with changing direction and chucking it deeper and deeper into corners, enough to scrape the main stand. The top spec variant with us here gets 190 mm front disc brakes that have a really good bite and I felt extremely confident braking late and or just simply tapping the levers to break momentum, the lower spec models get 130 mm drum brakes and CBS as standard. You will find the same on the rear of the top spec and the braking is progressive yet surefooted. This is a very comfortable machine with the suspension being softly set up and the ride quality is extremely complainant even on bad roads. Finally, we have telescopic front forks and spring-loaded hydraulic suspension, but at higher speeds, the ride feels too wobbly. It’s best to ride this scooter in a calm way if one wants to simply glide through their commute.
This scooter is the most modern in its segment and raises the bar higer
Verdict – The Honda Grazia is the scooter that a lot of people have been waiting for. A machine that doesn’t compromise on illumination, comfort, performance and practicality while still being attractive. If you’re a teen, working person or even a senior citizen, this so-called urban scooter lives up to its name and is quite literally ahead of its game. This is a good alternative over a Honda Activa and quite an attractive offering from Honda while being priced quite well. Perfect for the hardware, mellow on comfort and an engine that makes a lot of sense. It’s a Hooonnnddaaaaaa to look out for.
This is a really cool feature and shouldn’t have taken this long to arrive
What’s Cool
* Has a really comfortable ride quality
* Attractive design with LED headlamp grabs attention
* First in its class digital instrument cluster is a personal favourite
* Surefooted, perfect dynamics and braking feedback is on-point
What’s Not So Cool
* Not meant for high-speed riding
* Parking brake and no external fuel lid are a letdown
* Going all LEDs even with the indicators could have been better
Notice the extra long rear mudguard that ruins the look a little
Honda Grazia Specifications
* Engine: 124.9cc, Air cooled , 4 Stroke, SI
* Power: 8.52 BHP @ 6,500 RPM
* Torque: 10.54 Nm @ 5,000 RPM
* Transmission: V-Matic
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Frame: Under bone
* Suspension: Telescopic Forks (Front), Spring Loaded Hydraulic (Rear)
* Tyres: 90/90/12 (Front), 90/90/10 (Rear)
* Brakes: 190 mm Disc (Front), 130 mm Drum (Rear), CBS
Honda Grazia Dimensions
* Wheelbase: 1260 mm
* Ground Clearance: 155 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 5.3-litres
* Kerb weight: 107 kgs
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