Car & Bike Getting a 125cc gearless two-wheeler (scooter)

Which 125cc gearless two-wheeler would you recommend?

  • Honda Activa 125

    Votes: 4 17.4%

  • TVS Jupiter 125

    Votes: 9 39.1%

  • Suzuki Access 125

    Votes: 6 26.1%

  • Yamaha Ray ZR

    Votes: 2 8.7%

  • Others

    Votes: 2 8.7%
  • Total voters
    23
G

gourav

Skilled
Location: Mumbai

Hi friends. I'm planning to get a two-wheeler within the next month or two. I am looking at 125 CC scooter under 1 Lakh.

I really like the features of the new Jupiter 125. The main points that I like are:
  1. Longer wheelbase and bigger rear tyre compared to other scooters - makes the rides that much more stable and comfortable
  2. Massive boot space - I have to often carry some stuff, and this scooter can fit a backpack under the seat
  3. Front storage - when I used to ride a two-wheeler in Chennai, I always wanted to keep a water bottle in easy read, but there was no front storage for it. Weather is similar in Mumbai (at least for 4 months in a year), so this would be a good feature to have
  4. Front external fuel filler, meaning I don't have to get down from the bike
  5. Good mileage (reported)
Apart from all the above, I used to own a Jupiter in Chennai earlier (2018-19) and I really loved the feel of the scooter. It felt really stable and I felt confident while driving it. Unfortunately I never experienced any other scooter, but one of my friends, who owned an Activa, drove it a few times and said she too liked the feel of the bike and it felt more comfortable than the Activa. Only problem was that her Activa was 4 years older than mine, so it might just have been the age of her bike.

The reason I'm asking this question, and not simply going out and buying a Jupiter, is that my experience with TVS's service was pathetic. The shop I bought my scooter from simply denied free service. I had to go to another shop which would deny every time for various reasons and I had to argue for 20 minutes before they would agree. One time they simply told me that they are no longer authorized for free service and sent me to a service center 8 km away. Worse still, when I got there, I found that the service center had been closed down a couple months ago.

While I love the scooter and its features, I would hate to have a repeat of that experience. So anyone can chime it with what your experience has been like with TVS scooters.
 
I will recommend you to go with
TVS Jupiter 125 Classic. I am using a non classic one and it's maintenance is so low and it has two modes eco mode and turbo mode which automatically switches according to its speed.
 
I purchased the Jupiter 125 last month (already own Jupiter ZX at home) and it is very practical. The concerns with service are always location and dealersip specific. Since you're going to be dealing with a different dealer the experience is sure to vary. I have not had any service related issues with TVS in Pune or Jodhpur.
 
I bought the new 125 Jupiter a few months back, was among the first batch of people to get deliveries. All the points that you mentioned are absolutely true in real daily usage. Huge boot space, front fuel cap is very ergonomically placed. Good stability at high speeds, though I recommend staying in the 60-70 sweet spot. Led lamps give a unique signature to the bike at night time.

I haven't checked the mileage yet, but it should be more than the old Jupiter that it was replacing, considering I fill the same amount of petrol at the same time interval for the same amount of travel. (Given the increase in petrol prices, so concluding it goes more distance in less fuel)
 
From having driven most of them for quite sometime, while I like the Jupiter too, I think I would vote for the Suzuki considering the peppy engine (better than Ntorq in certain areas) and the rock solid reliability of Suzuki engines.

I have used 3 jupiters and 2 accesss over a 7 year period (bought for office use) and feel there's little to choose between the two.

While I like the looks of the Jupiter better, the power delivery, refinement and handling of the access are ever so slightly better.

Personally, my daily two-wheeler driver (insofar as I use private vehicles) is an Ather 450x with the Jupiter and Access doing part-time duties.
 
The thing which helps Activa is long term maintenance. Honda scooters really run long without major issues. I have an Activa 110cc from 2010, it was not the best scooter in terms of fuel efficiency or boot space or comfort or performance back then, Access 125 was better. But even after 10 years, no major issue. Starter gives issues at times, but kick-starter works as intended when self one doesn't. That's all.

I have heard stories of poor after-sales & maintenance of TVS vehicles, but my relative's exp was for an Apache 160. It was not regd. not honouring free service though, but about parts & quality of servicing (latter can vary from service centre to service centre though). I have surely heard a lot of good things about Jupiter. In a way, long term reliability is a bit dependent on luck as well. In any case, do test-drive all scooters in consideration as on paper comparisons doesn't work for vehicles.
 
ajinkyapatil said:
I haven't checked the mileage yet, but it should be more than the old Jupiter that it was replacing, considering I fill the same amount of petrol at the same time interval for the same amount of travel. (Given the increase in petrol prices, so concluding it goes more distance in less fuel)
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Which city are you in and how was your service experience with the old Jupiter?

soulweaver said:
From having driven most of them for quite sometime, while I like the Jupiter too, I think I would vote for the Suzuki considering the peppy engine (better than Ntorq in certain areas) and the rock solid reliability of Suzuki engines.
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I am getting a lot of recommendations for Suzuki. Burgman and Avenis are out of my budget. But I'll definitely give Access a try. Will see if I can get a test drive.

soulweaver said:
Personally, my daily two-wheeler driver (insofar as I use private vehicles) is an Ather 450x with the Jupiter and Access doing part-time duties.
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I was looking at electric vehicles too, but I live on the fourth floor on rent, so home charging is not possible. And the grids are just too small as of now, nothing near my house either by Ola or Ether. Also, I just hate Ather's subscription model. I'd probably not buy just because of that even if they were available here. Given my daily commute is pretty small (~7 km), the cost of ownership is likely to be much higher with Ather as compared to a Jupiter. Will probably work out favourably for someone who travels 20-25km daily.
 
gourav said:
I am getting a lot of recommendations for Suzuki. Burgman and Avenis are out of my budget. But I'll definitely give Access a try. Will see if I can get a test drive.


I was looking at electric vehicles too, but I live on the fourth floor on rent, so home charging is not possible. And the grids are just too small as of now, nothing near my house either by Ola or Ether. Also, I just hate Ather's subscription model. I'd probably not buy just because of that even if they were available here. Given my daily commute is pretty small (~7 km), the cost of ownership is likely to be much higher with Ather as compared to a Jupiter. Will probably work out favourably for someone who travels 20-25km daily
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend Burgman. Atleast for me the handling wasn't what I wanted. If it were a B400 (which I have driven for over 300miles in Europe) the story would have been different. The watered down, front heavy Indian version handles like a sofaset.

Avenis, I have no clue about.

Ather or Ola don't make sense for your daily commute or if you are in an apartment without the infrastructure (plug points etc).

As for the Subscription plan, you really don't need that to use the vehicle. I have been using mine for over 9 months without it. I just cannot be bothered. And I barely use the navigation features. I drive maybe 25 to 30km a day and have gone fully solar at home, so it makes sense for me.

Do take Access out for a good, long spin. I am sure it will at least make you rethink.
 
I have purchased suzuki burgman, issues faced after 1 year, very poor service by suzuki (tried 2 / 3 dealers) also battery died just a week after one year warranty.
Pathetic customer care from suzuki.
 
The Bergman with the 125 is definitely not worth it . For that size it should have been 200 cc engine for India atleast . People fall for the increased storage and better looks (a relative term) of the bike failing to understand a 125cc must be light weight to make it easy to handle and more fuel efficient .
 
I use a Wego110, it's essentially a Jupiter with a metal body and smaller. Prior to this, I owned 2 more TVS products. The service centers in Bangalore are mostly a joke. I get them serviced at FNG considering these are largely mechanical and easy to fix. If you have access to a decent FNG (post-warranty) you should pick the Jupiter for the package it offers.

Otherwise, nearly all 125cc commuter scooters are identical. If you need peppy performance, look at NTorq or Aprilia Storm.
 
I have both Suzuki access 125 and Honda Active(Non-125). I have found suzuki to be better in all aspects. But access has a slightly taller seat and hence you should be above 165cm to ride it comfortably.

My friends are telling me that TVS Jupitor has better comfort and lower maintenance.
 
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It also depends upon dealers. Normally for me all dealers did good service either its Honda or TVS or Hero. It might even depend upon Area to area also I think and primarily dealers
 
Don't get the Burgman. Go for the Jupiter. For Activa for me personally the last good reasonable model was the 3G which I own. Newer models have little to no benefits but they come at a huge costs.
If I were to buy a scooter right now I would look for a used Honda Dio 2015 model or Jupiter.
 
iPwnz said:
Don't get the Burgman. Go for the Jupiter. For Activa for me personally the last good reasonable model was the 3G which I own. Newer models have little to no benefits but they come at a huge costs.
If I were to buy a scooter right now I would look for a used Honda Dio 2015 model or Jupiter.
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With inflation & BS6, obviously, scooter prices are higher compared to what it was even 5 years ago. Post COVID 1st wave, a lot of raw materials cost also increased.

Used market is always a gamble. So not everyone might be willing to take the risk.
 
I do feel that Honda has become very formulaic and they're scared to make any real updates to their ageing Activa, just because it's worked so well for them.

I will probably not go for used. Prices are definitely higher, I bought my previous Jupiter for 72k fully paid. But now the 125 cc is likely to cost 1 Lakh or might even exceed it. I have budgeted accordingly.
 
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