Honda Aviator: Ridden

To be honest, I didn't quite know what to make of the Honda Aviator. It was supposed to protect Honda's massive lead in the scooter segment, but with the Activa now looking its age (although still going quite nicely, thank you) and the Dio never really having taken off, you would think Honda would need something spectacularly good right?

Actually no, they would just something that would put the upstart Flyte and the dowdy-perky Access into their places. Is the Aviator that machine?

What is the Aviator, let us start from there. The Aviator is Honda's fourth scooter offering, and their third twist-go format product. Like the two that went before it, it is very much an Activa platform product, which means engine and chassis have come from the venerable, wildly successful scooter. There are minor changes. The engine was tweaked in the sense that the air cleaner and associated plumbing is slightly different. It evidently does not change peak power or torque, but gently boosts the low-end torque just the slightest little bit. Since the Aviator now sports a telescopic front fork and in the top model, a 12-inch alloy front wheel with a disc brake, there are minor changes in the headstock area, aimed at accommodating the stanchions.

Add in the body panels, and well, Bob's your uncle. The big change, styling, actually does have a purpose. Honda says the Activa is perfect compromise. It sits bang in the middle between male tastes and female and bisects traditional values and youthful looks as well. The Dio, is more male, more youthful. The Aviator, in that perspective is an all-male product, aimed at mature (30-ish) males who would like an upmarket looking scooter in their garage. In addition, we were told at the Auto Expo, to a Honda Civic. What, you think I'm making this up?

The telescopic forks and the brakes are actually a subject matter of mucho laughter on my part. You see, years ago, I had the privilege of attending the local launch (Mumbai) of the Activa where a certain Japanese gentleman dismissively told me that Honda knew better. That tele-forks and disc brakes on a 7 bhp scooter were overkill. On the same scale as using a Sidewinder or HellFire instead of the horn. That Honda would NEVER add either to anything this puny, by policy anything under 100 kph top speed did not merit either. On an Activa? Pah-san.

Well, it come full circle, innit? Mr Unnamed San? Yes, this 7 bhp Honda scooter, sports both. For a premium price tag, but it does have them.

Anyway, rant over and let us return to the Aviator. I'm not put off or impressed by the looks. I think the rear-end looks a bit hotch-potch, especially the flat part that sits right next to the curvy lights and panels. And I think the front looks, um, okay.

On the move, though, this is an impressive scooter. The tele-forks, praise the lord, make a huge, big, massive difference. Here, then, is a scooter that easily has the best ride quality on offer on any two-wheeler sporting sub-13-inch wheels. It does not thud through bumps like the Activa and is better than even the Flyte and Access, both of which also sport tele-forks. Braking, of course, is superb with the discs, although, as usual, I would have liked more bite. Then again, I always want more bite. In feel, the disc brake feels like an immensly powerful drum brake, which I suspect, is exactly what it's supposed to feel like.

The engine, of course, is butter smooth, almost transparent in use. The Aviator, despite giving away 1 bhp or more to the newly introduced competition, does not feel slow. I rode the Access right before I got on the Aviator and while the Suzuki is definitely the faster scoot of the two, the Aviator does not feel sluggish. In traffic, there would not be much in it.

As a male scooter, the Aviator does seat you taller and I quite like the new ergonomics.

Um, what else? Oh yeah, Honda said bigger underseat storage, but I forgot to look. They claim a full face helmet will now sit under the seat in comfort. Well, I haven't still tried that, but I'm not buying.

Finally, the base version of the Aviator (12-inch steel wheels with a drum brake) is Rs 47,200, which is Rs 5,900 more than the Activa in Mumbai. The full-options gets alloys and disc and costs a hefty Rs 4,000 more. As you can tell, that is a heck of a lot of money. The top-model, the one that does actually have useful extras, is almost as expensive as a top-line 125cc commuter.

And yet, like the 150cc-rivalling Blaze, I think the Aviator should do rather well in the market. I think the scooter market now has people who are, in fact, looking for a slightly larger, newer product with more features, and consequently (justifiably, even) have a larger price tag. Which, if you come to think of it, almost describes the Aviator. Almost? Yes, if it did actually sport a 9 bhp 125cc four-stroke engine, instead of 7 bhp 102cc job, I think it would have been perfect.