Words: Bill Hunter.
Ever since this ridiculous fiasco began with that ‘madman’ in the USA, and Iran, fuel prices have basically increased by 30% +/-, and not just for South Africa, so thanks for that Donald. Anyway, that’s my personal rant over.
However all is not lost and maybe Honda SA has the answer to save fuel regarding short journeys to the shops, school, or anywhere for that matter with their new Activa 125 scooter? Yes the Activa has been around for many years but this year it has adopted fuel injection and a few other attributes. So we decided to try it out for a week to see what’s changed.
The 2026 Activa still has its 125cc, SOHC, two-valve, air-cooled motor, churning out 8.5hp@6,200rpm and 10Nm@5,000rpm. For 2026 Honda has installed their PGM-Fi system feeding power to the standard CVT V-Matic transmission. It also now has e SP (enhanced Smart Power) technology, which I believe assists with fuel consumption and reduced mechanical internal friction. Has it made difference, most certainly? The motor is now super smooth with perfect fueling and it’s extremely quiet. When you first start it you have to give the Activa a quick rev to see if it’s actually running. Once on the move it’s respectably brisk and delivers a top speed of exactly 100kmh, where it seems to be restricted to that top speed, and you can view this on the massive speedo with a small LCD inlay for range, consumption, and the like.
Not sure if Honda has changed the suspension but it feels far superior than the model before providing good damping and in turn nimble handling, helped by a wet weight of only 106kg. The brakes seemed to be more aggressive too, using Honda’s CBS (Combined Braking System), linking both front and rear. There’s also a handy USB-C charging port for stuff that needs, er, charging.
One thing that did stand out was this striking pearl/metallic white paint, some of the best I’ve seen on any scooter. At the front end there’s new ultra-bright LED lighting and the same at the rear. The rear end is still a bit ‘boat-like’ though and could have done with a bit of trimming down I’d say.
So how much petrol does it gobble up you ask? Honda claim between 45-50km/litre, impressive figures for sure. The worst I saw riding it flat out, everywhere, was around 38km/litre. So with a little restraint you can easily get into the 40 plus zone, which means the 5.3 litre tank will propel you to well over 200km, I’d predict. All in all a cool fashionable and friendly scooter with a commendable update and, for R27,999 with a two-year Honda warranty, it’ll surely fit nicely into anyone’s ever tightening lifestyle.
Go to www.Honda.co.za. For more information on this model and more.
