Which 125cc scooter?

Crazy_Eddy

Crazy_Eddy

Staff member
Luminary
Someone I know is looking for a 125cc scooter.
A dealership recommended the TVS Ntorq 125.
Is it a good scooter? What other options should they be looking at?
 
Nothing beats Access 125 in terms of reliability, functionality and resale value in this segment.

I live in an area of Surat, Gujarat which is renowned for hosting one of the India's biggest used vehicle marketplace and 65% of the stock that gets purchased and sold through here is comprised of Jupiter, Access and Activa.

You can't go wrong with Access and it's after sales servicing cost is very reasonable comparatively to its competitors.

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If you're considering a TVS scooter, I'd recommend the Ntorq over the Jupiter. Although the Jupiter has a smooth ride, its build quality is mediocre – my switches and beeper failed within a year.

In contrast, the Ntorq has been more reliable, but requires more frequent maintenance (every 3,000 km vs. 6,000 km for the Jupiter). The Ntorq also handles better at higher speeds (up to 80-100 km/h), while the Jupiter can feel unstable above 60 km/h.

Another drawback is that TVS service centers in my area have been mediocre at best.
 
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I would recommend Jupiter over Ntorq any day of the week, the ride is much smoother, it has much more storage space, bigger seat, and the power delivery is so much nicer. When giving throttle to the ntorq it feels like it's going to fly off, whereas the jupiter is much smoother, haven't had any experience with the access but the Activa is just bad at least from my experience. Regarding the service and maintenance almost any scooter is built to run on pretty much the most bare minimum of conditions from what I have seen and they are generally very reliable but if you don't want to stand kicking your scooter in the middle of the road and don't want to feel like you are sitting on something other than a scooter you should maintain and service them timely.
 
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Honda Dio 125!
Friend had it, and I enjoyed riding it. Really smooth. Ntorq sounds better, and has a better pull, but I enjoyed using the Dio 125 more!

Though, it's not a family scooter, unlike what the Honda tag would suggest. The grab bar at the back is weirdly designed and pretty high, and every female member had trouble getting on or off of it, with their footwear and some dresses sticking to the grab bar. I suppose you should get that changed to something similar to what Activa has. It'd look kinda out of place, but it's so much better for the pillion.

Ntorq seemed the same, but I never had many people sitting behind me who were not riders themselves :P
 
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Own both Ntorq (BS VI) and Jupiter (BS IV). The Ntorq started to give trouble after 3 years even after regular service. The engine suddenly shuts off when at slow speed and sometimes does not start and have to park it for atleast 10 minutes to start again. The service guy told it was due to some sensor problem but they were never able to identify it properly and still does switch off in slow speed. I was told most fuel injection scooters have these kind of problem especially those with BS VI engines. The power and ride quality is good in Ntorq and has a good balance but if I am buying a new scooter now I will not prefer Ntorq again.

Jupiter is rock solid and have been using it for mostly 5 years now. The clutch and brake plates in Jupiter needs to be changed at every service and that is the only problem I see with that old Jupiter but not sure how the new BS VI Jupiter behaves.

Probably Activa or Access should be a better choice.
 
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technofast said:
Own both Ntorq (BS VI) and Jupiter (BS IV). The Ntorq started to give trouble after 3 years even after regular service. The engine suddenly shuts off when at slow speed and sometimes does not start and have to park it for atleast 10 minutes to start again. The service guy told it was due to some sensor problem but they were never able to identify it properly and still does switch off in slow speed. I was told most fuel injection scooters have these kind of problem especially those with BS VI engines. The power and ride quality is good in Ntorq and has a good balance but if I am buying a new scooter now I will not prefer Ntorq again.

Jupiter is rock solid and have been using it for mostly 5 years now. The clutch and brake plates in Jupiter needs to be changed at every service and that is the only problem I see with that old Jupiter but not sure how the new BS VI Jupiter behaves.

Probably Activa or Access should be a better choice.
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I've had the starting issue with my BS VI Jupiter, it happens with the auto stop start.
 
TheNawab said:
Nothing beats Access 125 in terms of reliability, functionality and resale value in this segment.
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Is the retro styling just by design? i.e. is the bike still a modern platform?

kittieswithlazers said:
Another drawback is that TVS service centers in my area have been mediocre at best.
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Which brand's service is generally considered good? Or does it vary by location?

Kaching999 said:
but the Activa is just bad at least from my experience.
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Oh, how come? I remember it used to be very popular. It still seems to be the top selling scooter.

KAKAN said:
Honda Dio 125!
The grab bar at the back is weirdly designed
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Haha yes I know what you mean. I have seen a few and I always take a second look at the grab bar, thinking it is broken.
 
Crazy_Eddy said:
Is the retro styling just by design? i.e. is the bike still a modern platform?


Which brand's service is generally considered good? Or does it vary by location?


Oh, how come? I remember it used to be very popular. It still seems to be the top selling scooter.


Haha yes I know what you mean. I have seen a few and I always take a second look at the grab bar, thinking it is broken.
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In my area Suzuki offers decent service, TVS guys are very pushy on the reviews which is why they have good ratings on Google business. But yeah I'd check the reviews, walk into the service center and try talking to the advisors.
 
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Crazy_Eddy said:
Oh, how come? I remember it used to be very popular. It still seems to be the top selling scooter.
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People in my family have had 2 of them by now one was the second gen and one third gen both had a really bad throttle response, very sluggish and the handling was also pretty bad also it's quite down on power when compared to the competitors and the traction is also bad due to thinner rear tires. I think it's mostly popular as it was one of the first ones which vastly popularized the modern scooters and there is a brand value and name attached to it and it is also a fair bit cheaper than the other options.
 
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Kaching999 said:
People in my family have had 2 of them by now one was the second gen and one third gen both had a really bad throttle response, very sluggish and the handling was also pretty bad also it's quite down on power when compared to the competitors and the traction is also bad due to thinner rear tires. I think it's mostly popular as it was one of the first ones which vastly popularized the modern scooters and there is a brand value and name attached to it and it is also a fair bit cheaper than the other options.
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Activa had a very successful marketing run on its launch and that majorly contributed to its success in the market. I have owned an Activa some few years back and it is not exceptional by any means. I had to sell it off after a couple of years due to recurring expenses in maintaining it. Had a slew of issues ranging from faulty meters to constant engine problems.
 
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Crazy_Eddy said:
Oh, how come? I remember it used to be very popular. It still seems to be the top selling scooter.
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My daily ride right now is a BS6 Activa 6G. It's really alright. And that's about it. It hasn't changed much externally since the past 15 years. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. It's really refined and has been working fine for me for a few years now. I love the basic/analog speedometer and fuel gauge, but that's personal opinion. Easy to maintain as well. Very cheap, in my experience, which does not seem to be the case for many others lol

Aside from that, I have a Hero Glamour FI which has been a joy to ride as well, though not BS6 thankfully (BS6 Glamour kinda sucks). Himalyan got sold, it was okay, but wasn't for me. I've been eyeing the Triumph T4 as my next ride tho :P

But yeah, I'd pick Hero or Honda's fuel injection tech any day over a carburetor using 2 wheeler now. It's just so much more hassle-free for daily riders. Never personally owned TVS' FI tech, so no comment on that.

Crazy_Eddy said:
Haha yes I know what you mean. I have seen a few and I always take a second look at the grab bar, thinking it is broken.
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For real haha. If you go about any of those "modern" design quirks and have female pillions, definitely upgrade to a less broken grab bar xD
 
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I bought Activa 125 last year - One thing I missed is the headlight, it is bad, way too dim to be able to see potholes even in a city. My father's 2010 Activa's headlight is more useful.

Whatever you buy, do a test ride at night & check the headlight.

I decided against NTorq because of mileage concerns. I wanted to try Jupiter 125 but showroom people were not interested in showing me that, instead were pushing Ntorq. Access 125 is considered good, I don't remember why I decided against that. Did not pick Dio 125 because it didn't support those guards over the body towards the front.

Activa is known to just work w/o much concern. The major problem with my father's Activa was cold starting. This is resolved in new models. I get ~50kmpl mileage in Bengaluru, which will drop to 45kmpl if traffic is bad, but have seen an average of 55kmpl when roads are relatively empty (saw this in Dec last week & Jan first week - my commute is just under 40km per day). Unhappy with my local service centre, will change it for next service (kind of a plus point that there are many service centres).
 
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technofast said:
Own both Ntorq (BS VI) and Jupiter (BS IV). The Ntorq started to give trouble after 3 years even after regular service. The engine suddenly shuts off when at slow speed and sometimes does not start and have to park it for atleast 10 minutes to start again. The service guy told it was due to some sensor problem but they were never able to identify it properly and still does switch off in slow speed. I was told most fuel injection scooters have these kind of problem especially those with BS VI engines. The power and ride quality is good in Ntorq and has a good balance but if I am buying a new scooter now I will not prefer Ntorq again.

Jupiter is rock solid and have been using it for mostly 5 years now. The clutch and brake plates in Jupiter needs to be changed at every service and that is the only problem I see with that old Jupiter but not sure how the new BS VI Jupiter behaves.

Probably Activa or Access should be a better choice.
Click to expand...

I had this annoying issue with my BS VI Bullet where the engine would shut down randomly. It was super embarrassing, especially when your bike randomly decides to stop in the middle of railway crossings. My bike still runs even though the kick stand sensor and fuel shortage indicator decided to kill themselves one day for no reason.
10/10 BS VI experience!
 
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