Honda revived the Indian Gearless 2wheeler industry when they first launched the Activa. Since then, Honda has not seen back, and today they have come to a stage where 1 in 2 Mopeds sold in India is a Honda Activa 4G with the 110cc mill. Sales of Honda Automatic scooters grew by 40% Y-o-Y this July. Currently, Honda has a 57% market share in the Automatic scooters segment in India, with the 110cc Activa4G itself having 43% market share of all Automatic scooters sold in India. In 2016, Honda came up with a whole new concept with the Navi, a bike-inspired body design on a scooter platform with minimalistic size and body weight, specifically designed & targeted towards the cities. A year and a half later, Honda tried to woo the rural market with the Cliq, a moped designed to serve the vast rural landscape of India. And today we ride the Honda Grazia, the 8th offering from the HMSI stable, and 2nd offering in the 125cc segment, after the Activa 125. Honda claims, that the Indian market at this point of time needs a powerful & peppy scooter, targeted specifically for the style & feature-conscious youth customers, and the Grazia is Honda’s solution to fill this gap.From the looks of it, Grazia looks like an upgrade to their proven war-horse, the Dio. The Honda Dio was one of the most preferred mopeds when it came to the youth. And the Dio was pending for an upgrade since long back. So how does the Grazia feel? Is this the right choice to make? Well… read on and you shall know about it.
Design
The all new Honda Grazia sports an all new, sharp curved design element when it comes to styling. Based on the same Activa125cc underpinnings, the Grazia has received substantial upgrades when it comes to body design and looks. First of all, the metal body parts are now out, and plastic ones have made their way in. This has helped keeping the weight of the Grazia limited to a mere 107kgs.The all new LED headlight with huge side indicators occupies approximately one third of the new designed apron. The new design looks to be inspired from the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. Grazia is the only Indian scooter today to offer a LED headlamp. The lighting setup is housed into Matte black & silver brushed panels. The new body design looks neat, and the build quality looks premium. The mirrors seem to be carried forward from the Dio.
The rear body of the Grazia adds to its sporty feel. Sharp curves continue from the front apron to the rear end. The floorboard and other matte black panels have a good finish and feel. The chromed monogram Logo on the rear side panels adds to the premium feel of the bike. Also, the footboard now gets a Honda lettering sticker, which was till now an after-market accessory. The split grab handles look like an extension of the side panel itself, blending them within the body design. The Grazia is generously-sized and gets the same seat from the Honda Dio. The seats are wide & can easily accommodate an average Indian rider. The tail section of the Grazia houses the large tail lamp with integrated side indicators. The tail lamp itself covers the complete tail section, making the Grazia immediately visible on roads. Though we would have loved to see a LED setup here too, the Grazia misses out on it, and comes with the conventional bulb setup in the tail lamp. The exhaust looks sporty and comes with a heat shield. All black body panels and the exhaust setup come painted in carbon fibre texture, adding to the sporty looks of the Grazia.
The Grazia is available in 6 different metallic paint schemes
• Matte marvel blue metallic
• Neo orange metallic
• Pearl amazing white
• Pearl night star black
• Matte axis grey metallic
• Pearl Spartan red
Grazia certainly looks premium & sporty! What about the features?
Features
Now we come to the discussion…What makes the Grazia stand out from the crowd?Grazia comes loaded with features to woo the style & performance conscious customers. The list of features includes a ‘1st in class LED Headlight’ which is surely going to be a head-turner on traffic signals & parking lots. Moving on, the Grazia comes equipped with a new ‘3 Step ECO speed indicator’ which is basically 3 lamps placed right above the speedometer. This 3 Step Eco Speed indicator demands the rider to ride at a constant speed for a certain time, before all 3 led indicators glow. Basically, riding at constant speeds and throttle will ensure efficient combustion and result in better mileage figures. Another useful feature we loved on the Grazia was the ‘Utility box’ in the front apron. This space includes a special pocket to store your mobile phones safely. A 5.5 inches mobile fits in with ease, so should not be a problem. This utility box also houses the USB charging socket, which sadly, is only available on the top model. What we loved about it is the angle of the charging mount, very accessible and very easy to use too.
The Grazia is the only Indian scooter to have a fully digital instrument cluster, and it is a console we have never seen before ever. The primary cluster houses the digital Speedometer, while the secondary console houses the digital clock, fuel gauge and the odometer. Honda has surely moved up the benchmark in terms of features with the Grazia. Adding to the list is the 1st in class Seat open button, which basically replaces the existing lock & key setup. Honda has designed this new Seat opening button, which will allow you to open the seat without the hassle of changing key holes, just by turning the key in the ignition itself. The seat lock now comes integrated into the new 4-in-1 Ignition lock, and Honda has proved a separate Soft button to eject the seat open. The Grazia is equipped with a Under seat storage of 18 litres, which quite frankly, is sufficient for your bagpacks and other stuff, though afull face helmet will not fit into it.
Another additional feature for the Grazia is the Nissin Disk Brake system (only on top model), offering a CBS system developed by Honda. CBS basically engages both the brakes simultaneously when any of the brakes is applied, helping to improve the braking performance without sudden jerks which can destabilize the rider. What about performance? Is the Grazia powerful enough to suit its youth-inspired styling? Does it provide you the adrenaline rush?
Engine
The all new Honda Grazia comes home with the same 125cc mill from the theActiva 125. So, is this the same old engine? Well, the platform on which this 125cc mill is based on is a tried and tested one, has proved its worth in the past few years on the Activa 125cc. So yes, it is the same 125cc mill from the Activa125 and it produces 8.5Bhp at 6500rpm and a torque of 10.54NM at 5000rpm. This mill is fused with a Constant Velocity Transmission, tuned to offer good initial and mid range power. On the Grazia, the same engine from Activa125 feels much more refined and peppy, owing to the weight loss due to the new plastic body panels, and the all new Air filter and Air intake ports. The Grazia comes with an all new ECO High efficiency air filter and a new ECO Air Intake port design to improve the breathing of the engine, which inturn allows the same engine to perform better than earlier. We managed to touch a top speed of 90 kmph and were able to cruise easily at 70-75kmph, which was not the case with the Activa 125. At cruising speeds, the engine was not at all stressed, and the power delivery was linear and refined. The Grazia also comes with a new ‘3 Step Eco Speed Indicator’, which Honda claims will help the rider to ride better and get better mileage figures. This new system demands the Rider to ride at a constant speed for certain time, before all 3 led indicators glow. Basically, riding at constant speeds and throttle will ensure efficient combustion and result in better mileage figures. Honda claims that the Grazia has mileage figures ranging from 45-53kmpl depending on the riding conditions.
Handling & Braking
The Grazia is ergonomically very stable, with the new front fender and cowl design. The new design improves the overall riding experience of the scooter. The Grazia is quick, agile and peppy, suits perfectly to our daily commute needs. With the seat height of 766mm, it is quite accessible to a majority of riders out there. On the front, the Grazia houses a telescopic forks suspension setup with 80mm of travel and has a mono-shock on the rear. The travel offered by the suspension allows negotiating bad, cratered roads easily and ensures a plush comfortable ride for the rider. Grazia comes home with Tubeless 12inch MRF Zapper FG tyre on the front and 10 inches ones on the rear. The top model of Grazia is equipped with Nissin Disk brake system on the front and a 130mm drum on the rear as a standard while the lower variants have 130mm drum brakes on both the ends.Braking performance is outstanding and flawless, and offers good bike even in emergency braking situations, thanks to Honda’s CBS – Combi Brake system that engages both the brakes seamlessly to offer better braking response. The complete setup sort of inspires confidence in you to twist that throttle and have a little fun.
Conclusion
Grazia has certainly stepped up all the benchmarks, be it in terms of technology, performance or styling, the Grazia will surely attract the youth in India, and attract even more eye balls, thanks to its unique styling and features. The Grazia will be available in 6 different colour schemes to suit you as per your choice. The lowest variant of Grazia with steel rims and drum brakes is priced at Rs.57,897/-, the middle variant with alloy wheels and drum brakes is priced at Rs. 59,827/-, and the top model, the Grazia DLX variant with Disk brake is priced at Rs. 62,269/-. If you are looking for a stylish & powerful moped, capable of highway cruising and zipping across the city with a reliable engine and a good mileage figure, go Grazia..!
Words & Photography by Smruti Gaimukhe