Honda Grazia Scooter Review, First Ride

Honda Grazia Scooter comes at a time when the 125cc market is growing and there are going to be rivals from Hero and TVS as Suzuki already leads the way

Enchanting –

• Well designed premium scooter
• Superlative chassis, brakes, engine
• Essentional and safety features loaded scooter
• First scooter with LED lights

Unsatisfying –

• Could do with 12-inch wheels on both ends
• No DC lighting yet

We may not encounter the ice age for the next hundred years but we are definitely encountering the age of ease right now. Everybody in the world is looking out for ease of use in every particular way. Why make your own coffee when there is a coffee maker. Why shift gears manually when there is an automatic gearbox in a car or in this case a two-wheeler. Honda has been providing with the same since the year 2001.

Half of the domestic sales in the two-wheeler market come from scooters. 9% is the subset market for 125 cc scooters. Honda started to gain this market share with the Activa 125. Something that was a bare basic 125 cc with an affordable price and it now wants to offer the same with a premium package and attract the youth once again as it tries to offer a sporty and at the same time, a lifestyle product with the name, the styling and yet offering a little bit extra.

Incomes the Honda Grazia. A premium 125 cc scooter to take on the likes of its rivals that have been dominating the segment despite Honda’s presence. The scooter was launched last week and soon enough Honda gave us a chance to test ride the vehicle as well. We put it through the testing as we get to test it at home ground to tell you what is the Grazia all about.

Styling

When it comes to the styling it does remind you of the Dio thanks to the stubby and sporty stance. There is a lot of sharpness and edginess in the design that makes it stand out. The large front apron has a broad head light which is an LED unit, the same goes for the rear as the tail light is also equipped with LED unit. The colors such as White red and orange along with blue and black are a good choice for this funky and sporty scooter. Honda has given it black alloy wheels, something that makes the scooter look sporty and attractive to the youth.

The three-tone treatment at the top element of the scooter, The split grab rail gives it a very trendy look. Overall, the scooter grabbed a lot of attention while we were testing it in Bombay and we think it looks good but it isn’t an entirely new design scooter as it does end up looking like a glorified Honda Dio, but for the good. Finish is good, quality is good around as well.

Practicality

Ergonomics of the scooter are good. Upright riding position, low seat height, mirrors are well positioned, seats are supportive for long and short Journeys. The instrument cluster is the highlight of the Grazia as it gets a fully digital instrument cluster with a tachometer that looks inspired by the Honda Africa twin.

There is a three-stage Eco meter, one trip meters, clock, a fuel gauge which has bars that are shaped like arrows. Switchgear and grips are of good quality there is no headlight button because mandatory AHO is part of this new scooter. Boot area is 18 litre and quite accommodating but doesn’t fit a full-size helmet. Feature list also includes seat button near the ignition switch and shutter lock is standard. LED light and mobile socket charging are also part of the package. Latter is an option.

Performance

Powering the Honda Grazia is a 125 CC air-cooled 2-valve engine producing 8.5 PS of power and 10.54 Newton meters of torque. The HET equipped BS IV compliant scooter is very smooth and refined. Power delivery is very linear and thanks to a higher power to weight ratio the performance is very good and on par with its rivals. Power is available throughout the rev range. Low end, mid range power is good and top-end has just about adequate performance on offer. We saw a top speed of 95 km/hr on the speedometer. Part of the riding experience was dealing with the Eco meter which at times felt like the turn signal was left on because it was constantly blinking. Honda tells us you can switch it off.

Dynamics

The ride and handling is one of the best parts of the scooter. Honda has improved the suspension and the brake feel over the Activa 125 in the Honda Grazia. The Grazia is Agile in the corners, nimble in the city and stable on the highway at any given speed. The suspension is stiff, not harsh and it does take bumps really well at low speeds. We wish there was enough grip to exploit the chassis a bit more as the tyre which is slapped on 10-inch wheels. 12-inch wheels would have been a welcome thought. At top speed, the scooter does get unsettled a bit when it encounters a bump.

Honda Grazia Scooter Review, Verdict

Modifications for most of its customer is already standard, which makes it ideal for the young millennials to choose from. Things such as black alloy wheels, LED lights and digital instrument cluster make it stand out. Grazia is a welcome move by Honda. The manufacturers finally offering premium scooters in a segment that needs one at an affordable price tag.

Something the competition is offering but at a cost or performance or vice versa. Honda is also offering all kinds of safety options but they are still not standard. That is something we will have to look forward to in 2019. For now, the Grazia has everything that a premium 125 cc scooter customer looks for.

Grazia Alloy: Rs.59,827
Grazia Dlx: Rs. 62,269
Grazia STD: Rs. 57,897

ex-showroom Delhi