Aviator 110 first ride review / road test

The tall boy scooter (finally) gets the new Activa’s 110cc powertrain

Words: Mihir Gadre

Photography: Eshan Shetty

Enter into a Honda dealership, glance around and you feel like all the different Hondas on display are members of a plain, simple, pleasant, square family. But then your eyes fall on that orange Aviator in the corner which stands out like a lanky rebellious teenager with an earring. With the Aviator, Honda has rather uncharacteristically ditched the safe, boring, ‘mass-appeal’ approach and gone for the bold, adventurous one.

Last time round when I was entrusted with the task of comparing three big scooters, the Activa 110, the Access 125 and the Aviator 100, I found out that none of the three were really perfect and the real winner would be the Aviator if and when it got the Activa’s powerplant. So now that the scenario has materialized, does the lofty Honda live up to the expectation?

Style, Build and Ergonomics:

When Honda launched the Aviator last year, the styling felt a bit too radical to stomach. But since then, the Aviator’s styling has grown on me. The more I stare at it the more I appreciate it. It is styled with a certain panache incorporating some bold flame surfacing cues from its 4-wheeled counterparts. I love some of its quirky details like that smart front garnish, the gorgeous floating fender, a bold, old-school, 3-D chrome decal and the fact that it does without any tacky stickering. However, I still find some of its details a bit hard to stomach, especially that outrageous tail end with its oddly shaped light cluster and the tail panel that sticks out like an integrated spoiler. But one thing’s for sure, love it or hate it, it is definitely not boring. It is the only Honda made in the country which can claim to be related to the new VFR and kudos to HMSI for that!

Our test bike did have some minor issues, the mirrors kept undoing inspite of repeated tightening, and the underseat plastic panel always got into the way while shutting the underseat storage. A couple of plastic bits looked too low-rent to belong on a Honda. But these are just minor irritants compared to the otherwise marvelous engineering that has gone into making this one of the best built bikes in the country. The Aviator has that light and lithe yet sturdy, Japanese, precision feel to it. And having experienced the Honda’s foolproof reliability first hand for the past eight years I completely understand why people swear by an Activa.

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Related posts:

1. Mahindra Duro – First Ride review and road test
2. TVS Jive first ride review and road test
3. Aviator 110 coming on October 27
4. No clutch, no kach kach! TVS Jive first ride review / road test
5. Aviator 110 launch on 27 October

Related posts:

1. Mahindra Duro – First Ride review and road test
2. TVS Jive first ride review and road test
3. Aviator 110 coming on October 27
4. No clutch, no kach kach! TVS Jive first ride review / road test
5. Aviator 110 launch on 27 October