New Honda Dio Review

The new Honda Dio is the Dio that went into Honda design studio for a makeover. The color schemes are fresher and more appealing as well and the graphics enhance the motoscooter's looks further.

In fact, as we see the new Honda Dio is touted as one of the best in the gearless scooter segment and the nomenclature 'Dio' is derived from the word 'Dyonisiac' or Cupid, which is nothing but the name of Greek god who symbolises love and is also the son of Venus.

But one need to know the bike's specifications and technical details to actually fall in love with this vehicle, which is specially remodelled keeping the young Indian city commuter in mind.



The Honda Dio is a combination of style, performance and the light body weight enables better handling of the vehicle. The fact that the Dio is gearless itself is a big advantage for young riders and is definitely an appealing factor because the riding automatically becomes hassle-free.

Styling and looks of the new Honda Dio
As for the looks, the body panel is lightweight, which is the major appealing factor. The body styling of the Dio is an attractive feature with mounted headlights and sleek indicators are the stand out features. The sleek and stylish aerodynamic design fits the European styling choice. The low positioned seat has enough ground clearance that enables easy riding as well as handling of the scooter on the Indian roads. The vehicle is slim enough to ensure you to glide through the heavy traffic. It also means that it will not over drink the fuel. The wide footboard is of great comfort for the rider, and there is also a bag hook near the front end of the seat to carry light luggage. The low-quality plastic that was used in the old Dio has been retained in the new one too.

Engine and Performance of the new Honda Dio
The new Honda Dio is fitted with a 102 cc, 4-stroke, single cylinder and an air-cooled engine. However the new Dio already received a minor at the engine front to comply with the Bharat Stage 4 2010 emission norms.

The maximum power output is around 7bhp at 7000 rpm and the torque is around 0.8 kg-m at 5000 rpm. The V-matic transmission oriented Dio is available with self-ignition and kick-start options. The sudden braking is not all a problem in the Honda Dio, as the effective shock absorption feature keeps you well balanced in the emergency situation too. The front suspension is supported by a long stroke and the rear suspension has a unit swing loaded with a spring-loaded hydraulic damper. However, it is a certain disappointment because while its competitors offer telescopic front fork suspension and also disc brakes in the front the new Honda Dio stuck to old ones. It certainly lets down fans when the competition gives the same at almost same price. So where is the point to prefer this over other 100cc scooters?

Handling and ride comfort of the new Honda Dio
The adjustable fender aids in escaping from mirror damage.



The vehicle's with is slim and that is the great advantage to manoeuvre the vehicle easily in any traffic situation and you can ride through comfortable for long hours, as the seats are very comfortable. The underseat space can fit your helmet, raincoat and other essentials, which makes up for the overall handling of the bike convenient and easy. A pair of foot pegs for the passenger would have been very convenient; especially for short people absence of the foot pegs is a lot of discomfort.

Mileage, price and color availability
The Honda Dio has a fuel tank capacity that can store 6 litres of fuel that can a give a mileage of 50 kmpl for city riding.

The Honda Dio is priced at Rs 41,400 and is available in the following colors; black, grey metallic, candy blue, metallic pink, red and moon yellow.

Final word about the new Honda Dio
The Honda Dio is a great combination of good looks, performance and is a easy to handle. Especially for women riders this vehicle is no doubt a boon for being light in weight and the feature enables them to glide through the urbane roads and cruise well through the traffic.

Riders who have been using old TVS Scooty and Kinetic for a long time and looking for a change, the new Honda Dio could be a refreshing change. But the new Dio is a disappointment as more was expected of it as compared to the old Honda Dio. Nine years down the line, there is not much that is changed with the scooter.

Did Honda lose an opportunity to woo the young girls and guys scooter market by conservatively tweaking the Dio? There is no radical changes one can expect in the new Honda Dio, but the motoscooter is certainly YO with the college goers.