Given the approach Honda has taken, the Activa comes across as a competent performer rather than an outstanding one. But the stakes were always too high for the Japanese numero uno to surmount in one fell stroke all obstacles given its previous contretemps with the Kinetic Hondas.
  
The package is well sorted out, simple though it is and the common sense approach to many details is worth marvelling upon. However to some it might come across as a plain Jane but then the solid ones always appear thus. On the flip side is HMSI's typical Japanese mentality of not providing a side stand or an oddment box on the front shield, both of these coming as optional extras.
  
However where the bike scores is in the fact that she is perceived as a harbinger of change for the scooter segment. It might not be so evident as of the moment but let us give it time and take a call on that later. While it might not set the sales charts on fire, it will of course help hasten the demise of the side engined machines, at least those which haven't been improvised as yet. And if it can replicate - even partially - the success of the Hero Honda, it would have done scootering and its maker a big service. Watch out for this babe coming down your street, she sure means business in the nicest possible way!
  
HOW DOES HONDA DO IT?
It is not just that Honda has got it all down to a 'T' on the technological front with its first four- stroke scooter offering but also that it has been able to offer it at a lower price than the older generation two-stroke scooters which its erstwhile partner Kinetic Motor Company Ltd continues to churn out even today. With Pune being one of the most important markets for gearless scooters (along with Bangalore and Ahmedabad), I happened to take a rundown of the price lists of the Kinetic bikes as also of the Bajaj Saffire. The base Kinetic bike sold in Pune is the AX which has an OTR (On the Road) price tag of Rs 38,392. The Kinetic DX sports an OTR price of Rs 40,109 while the top of the line Kinetic ZX can be yours for Rs 41,572. The Bajaj Saffire has an OTR price of Rs 34,573. In comparison the Honda Activa sports an OTR price of Rs 37,811 which is less than all the Kinetic scooters mentioned above but slightly higher than the Bajaj Saffire.
  
Is it just an introductory price, like many Japanese firms have done to get critical mass On the Roads or is this a well calculated move where the pricing is just right vis-a-vis manufacturing costs? I was at the HMSI plant at Gurgaon a month ago and what I saw was truly good thought and planning at work. The Activa comes with a near 97 per cent local content, Honda obviously having brought into play the experience of component makers and suppliers from their earlier Kinetic Honda days. HMSI officials informed me that unlike other scooter makers who import CRC sheets for their body panels, they make use of such steel sheets from Indian companies such as TISCO and Jindal. If that is not all, to keep the project costs down, and thus the OTR pricing competitive, apart from two crucial capital intensive plant machinery (the pressure die casting machine for the aluminium cylinder head and the gear shaving machine, both of which come from Japan), everything has been locally procured. Even the dies for the body parts have been developed locally in India - by Godrej in Mumbai - and the Japanese have been pretty satisfied on all the Performance parameters. I think that Honda seems to show more faith in Indian firms for specialised equipment than many other Indian OE makers! At least that's the impression I deduce.
  
Making up the three per cent non-localised content on the Activa are the drive belt and the crucial roller weights in the variator system, the cam chain tensioner for the engine and three lock nuts where the engine mounts on to the frame. Honda says that despite their best intentions to source these from Indian firms, they have yet to come across suppliers who could match up on quality and longevity levels with the imported items. Knowing the way Honda does business, I for one am totally convinced that one can expect 'correctly priced' two-wheelers from this company rather than anyone suggesting the early pricing is an introductory one and such. I would hate to be proven wrong!!!