The legend of Honda Activa

In the recent few years the Indian two wheeler market has seen a wide variety of scooters from almost all the brands like Honda, Suzuki, Mahindra, TVS, Hero and now Yamaha has also joined in by launching a 125cc scooter Ray. The question arises which is the best scooter and the most recognisable scooter in the Indian market is no doubt Honda Activa which is more than a decade old but has it still got enough to compete in the market? Well the Honda activa recieved an update on April 2009 by increasing of dispacement by 8cc and 1 bhp power combined with better mileage.
At the first look one would notice that activa doesnt come with any fancy equipment such as mobile charger, digital speedo, telescopic suspension, alloy wheels but its my opinion that none of this features are essential for a scooter. Activa has got the best engine in class its 110cc power plant puts out 8 BHP while most others put out only 7 BHP the only better performing scooter is suzuki access which in turn compromises on fuel efficiency. The engine is the most refined and it produces hardly any vibes and pulls cleanly till its indicated red line at 80kmph.
After owning an activa for four years and putting it through almost all kinds of terrain and usage it has never given a problem although the Honda service is pathetic most of the times there has never been a major problem with vehicle and i hardly find such reliability in any other scooter. After riding other scooters like duro, wego and access i still feel that activa is the better pick as incase of duro both pickup, topspeed and mileage are diappointing when compared to activa and in wego its pickup and mileage are the prime issues. My second choice would be access as it is nearly as good as activa the only issue being it feels bulky and refinement is low but its covered well by higher top speed and better acceleration.
So in my opinion the activa is the better scooter overall and continues to be the best and most complete package with good fuel efficiency and the highest resale value and if you are looking for a rugged commuter there is nothing better than activa as i have personally put it through its paces and am totally satisfied with it.