BS6 Honda Grazia vs rivals: Specifications, price comparison

Last month, Honda launched the BS6 iteration of the Grazia. Considering its styling, performance and the demography it attracts, it finds itself in the company of some other sporty 125cc scooters, like the TVS Ntorq, Yamaha Ray ZR 125, Suzuki Burgman Street and Aprilia SR 125. These scooters bring fun and performance into an otherwise practicality-oriented segment, and we decided to compare what they have to offer, on paper. Here’s how they fared:

Styling and tech

With the update to comply with BS6 norms, Honda also tweaked the overall design of the scooter, lending it a sharper stance. The headlamp is a sleeker LED unit and higher up on the front apron, the new Grazia gets LED DRLs, much like the Dio’s. The handlebar cowl has also been redesigned slightly, with sharper lines and edges. The body panels on the side of the scooter look sharper as well, while the tail section and brake-light assembly have been redesigned, too.

TVS followed a similar approach with the design on its Ntorq. The scooter has contemporary and sporty styling and is also available in more colour schemes than the Grazia. The Ntorq is available in a Race Edition as well, which gets a redesigned headlight and bold chequered-flag vinyl across its body panels. The instrument cluster on the TVS is considerably more advanced than its competition; the screen features Bluetooth connectivity and can display engine oil temperature, average speed and navigation. It can also display information like incoming calls and SMS, and phone signal strength.

The third scooter here received the most significant cosmetic update of the lot when it was last updated. The Yamaha Ray ZR’s design is sharp and it's this design edginess that makes it quite striking to look at. Design elements like the dual-tone front apron and the little windscreen on the handlebar, with an integrated LED position lamp make the new Ray ZR stand out from its competition. Yamaha also introduced a Street Rally variant of the Ray ZR, which is essentially the ZR with some adventure-ready bits such as hand guards and block-pattern tyres. It also gets rim stripes and a red-coloured rear shock, which should appeal to people who like bold colours. The ZR's instrument cluster is a basic fully digital unit.

Moving on, the Suzuki Burgman is the only scooter here – and in our market – to feature a maxi-scooter design. Typical of the Burgman family, the Street is elaborately styled and features a unique front end, thanks to its large apron and windscreen. The seat – going by Burgman family traits – is wide, with a pronounced step between the rider and pillion pads. Overall, the Burgman has a rather bulbous design and despite not having received an aesthetic update, still retains its uniqueness.

Lastly, there’s the Aprilia SR 125. The SR 125 looks identical to every other Aprilia scooter that’s carried the SR moniker in India, namely, the SR 150 and the new SR 160. The design has been around for some time now, but it still remains one of the sharpest looking scooters in our market. One of the elements that plays a major role in this is the 14-inch wheels that lend it a unique stance, unlike anything seen in the rather crowded Indian scooter space. 

Scooter power

The BS6 Grazia shares its powerplant with the BS6 Activa 125; their BS4-compliant counterparts also share the same engine. On the Activa 125, the single-cylinder, fuel-injected engine produces peak output figures of 8.29hp at 6,500rpm and 10.3Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. Meanwhile, the Grazia makes an almost identical 8.27hp, though it is produced lower in the rev band, at 6,000rpm. Peak torque, however, is identical. The Grazia has one of the lowest power outputs in this group – just about the same as the Yamaha Ray ZR. However, the Grazia weighs a whole 9kg more and as a result of this, it has the lowest power-to-weight ratio here, while the Yamaha has one of the highest. 

Powering the new Ntorq 125 is a 124.8cc motor that produces 9.4hp and 10.5Nm of torque. This gives it the second highest horsepower figure of the five scooters. However, the Ntorq also happens to be the heaviest scooter here; at 118kg it weighs just as much as the SR 125. As a result of this, its power-to-weight ratio is lower than the Ray ZR that makes less power than it. 

On the other hand, despite weighing the most here, the SR 125 has a 0.5hp advantage over the Ntorq and this enables it with the highest power-to-weight ratio of the lot.

Should you be interested in the new Grazia?

The Grazia may not be the most powerful or feature equipped scooter here, but it has all the virtues of a refined Honda machine with the added bonus of an appealing design. With prices starting from Rs 73,912, it’s also one of the more affordable options in the category. The Grazia offers a fine balance between performance and practicality, and in its new avatar is one of the freshest scooters in the 125cc segment. However, the rest of the competition does have a fair share to offer and we’ll have to find out how they fare in the real world to see which one comes out on top.