30 May 2006

Hero Honda Pleasure Review

Bought a Hero Honda Pleasure last week. Here is my experience with the whole buying process and the riding experience.

I have been riding a Kinetic Honda (March 2001 model, 2 stroke) for the last 5 years. I just dumped it and went for Pleasure. So, most of my comparison of Pleasure is with Kinetic.

I was in two minds about TVS Scooty Pep Plus and Hero Honda Pleasure. I visited a TVS showroom and the person there was not even interested in giving me the details of Pep Plus. Then I visited Hero Honda showroom. The sales person that struck the deal is a totally ignorant lady. She has no clue about the pricing, spare parts, cost of spare parts or anything else for that matter. Besides, she totally misleaded me. She said "I'll give you 5% discount on accessories". Only after I booked the vehicle did she say that I've to be a member of their club which costs Rs.250/-. She also said that the foot mat is a standard part which will be given at the time of deliver. But at the time of delivery she says I have to buy it. Best of all, she confidently denies saying any of such things. She even said she is fed up of convincing me! I haven't heard any sales person talk like that to a customer.

Anyway, I test drove it, got impressed with the pickup and decided on Pleasure.

First of all, its overpriced! Also, the saree stand and the side stand (which are standard with Pep Plus) is not included with Pleasure. The sales lady gave me a list of accessories. I enquired at other shops and found the prices there 40-50% lesser than the Hero Honda prices. The helmet (another accessory) does not have a face cover. I decided to use my old helmet. Its slightly big and does not fit in the space under the seat, but thats no big deal.

The seats are wide. The controls are similar to Pep Plus. Pick up is very good. Engine sounds better than Kinetic. Probably, I got bored with Kinetic's sound after 5 years. The handles are not as wide apart as Kinetic. So, I find a bit uncomfortable. Its just a matter of getting used to I guess.

On both wheels there are two marks which show the status of your break wear. When the two marks meet, its time to change your break shoe. Also, there is a mark on thread wear on the tyres. It is not seen on new tyres. When the thread wears, the mark is seen and its time to change your tyre. The head lamp has a nut below it which can used to adjust the focus (no need to open the head lamp assembly to do that). I found these after I read the manual (Yes, I read the whole manual!).

There is no engine oil indicator. Kinetic had a red indicator. Here you have to manually check the oil and fill it when it gets low. The manual says if the engine oil is too low, the engine will get screwed. And you are supposed to check the engine oil level everytime before starting. The manual also says that if you do not follow the instructions on the manual, the warranty is void! A simple oil indicator would have solved this problem. Or is that very expensive to implement?

The sales lady blessed me with Rs.250/- worth of free accessories. So, I decided to go for a side stand(Rs.80/- + bolt & spring Rs.20/- = Rs.100/-), a buzzer (Rs.55/-) and hand grip (Rs.65/-) (Total Rs.220/-). The side stand looks sturdy, but the spring is very delicate and loose. The stand moves up and down too easily. Parking on the side stand on a slope facing downwards can bring it off! The buzzer feels like its crying every time I turn on and turn off and the hand grip is made of some cheap rubber and smells very bad. I have to wash my hands after every ride. Was it all worth Rs.220/-? Well, when they are giving it for free, they can quote any price and you can't argue!

Hero Honda claims powerfull halogen lamps for Pleasure. At the time of delivery, I checked the head lamps. The power comes only at full throttle. If you lower the throttle, the head lamp's power dims. The mechanic who fitted the accessories says, the head lamp is not connected to the battries and runs on the "coil" directly. Thats why it does not even turn on until you start the vehicle. The battries are used only for the indicators, break light and buzzer. I had the same issue with my Kinetic too. So, I had asked about headlamp dimming at low throttle to the sales lady. She had confidently said "Pleasure has no such issues". But I still have my fingers crossed. I am hoping that the mechanic was wrong and when the battery charges fully, it'll power the head lamps too.

It also has tuff-up tube which are punchture resistant. Holes upto 3mm are automatically sealed by the liquid in the tube. This will allow the vehicle to run for 5-6 kms. You have to get the puncture sealed by that time. The puncture can be sealed by any roadside shop. There is a small nit though. While sealing the puncture, the rest of the tyre has to be below the level of the hole to prevent the liquid from coming out and spoiling the sealing piece. According to the mechanic at the Hero Honda showroom, you can't refill the liquid. At every puncture, some liquid inside will get used. So, with every puncture, its "puncture resistance" will decrease. Sounds logical. He also said that there are no replacement tuff-up tubes. Its only one time. That does not sound logical. This the first machine from Hero Honda with tuff up tube. Probably it'll take time for the spares to arrive. Also, the sales lady told me that spare tuff-up tubes are available. I don't know if I should believe her...

The rear view mirrors are too small. It covers a very small area behind you. I always use both mirrors. Without two rear view mirrors I find it very uncomfortable to ride. The rear view mirrors are a dissapointment. I wish they were expensive accessories. Then I could have bought a better one from some other shop for a lesser price.

While booking the Pleasure, the sales lady asked me if I want to get "teflon coating". It costs Rs.350/- and they would polish once in 3 months for free for a year. I was not interested. Thats it. They did not even clean my vehicle during delivery! It was all dirty. The silver coloured plate on the silencer and the hand grip over the tail lamp had scratches and the paint had gone off at some places. I had to ask them to replace it before taking the delivery. The delivery process took 3 hours!

I had to fill out a survey. One of the questions was "I am buying from Hero Honda because.." and one of the options was "Low prices". I felt like ticking it.. just to mislead them in their data analysis..he he he... Anyway, I didn't.

So, the buying experience was very bad. The sales folks are ill informed and they are ready to mislead the customers. Be careful of what you hear from them.

The riding experience was good. Now that is a new vehicle, I have to drive below 40km/h and I should not accelerate very fast. I have not driven with a pillion till now.

There is a difference in how Pleasure and Kinetic handle the neutral gear. In Kinetic, reducing the throttle to zero is like neutral and the vehicle glides on neutral. In Pleasure, reducing the throttle to zero does not shift to neutral immediately. It takes some time. The higher the speed at which you stopped throttling, the more time it'll take. The feeling is somewhat like engine breaking in my car. Its like, the neutral is choosen only when the vehicle is running below a particular speed. I had driven Honda Deo once. It also had the same property. I guess its the same with Activa too.

Today there was a traffic jam. I had problems with this engine breaking property of Pleasure. The traffic was moving very slowly and it was an upward slope. If I reduce the throttle, it breaks and if I increase it, I suddenly pulls. Then I had to drive down another slope. The vehicle finally fell to neutral and it was going down smoothly. I decided to increase the speed and slightly twisted the throttle. Suddenly the vehicle slowed down with the familiar engine breaking sound!

I don't know the advantage of this engine breaking property. Was this design intentional? I think I need to get used to that critical position of the throttle to make the vehicle move smoothly in variable speed traffic. Also, I still don't know how to smoothly drive down a slope.

Well, its only the first week of Pleasure. And it hasn't been very pleasurable. I couldn't even enjoy the pickp as I am not supposed to until the first service.

I'll update after I drive around with a pillion and after I get used to this vehicle.

27 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi,

I am planning to buy Hero Honda Pleasure and was trying to catch as many reviews abt it as I can. Happened to come across yours. It looks like its been more than a year since you bought the Vehicle. Can you tell me about its performance so far? I am trying to decide between pleasure and pep plus. Havent heard gr8 abt pep plus. Heard all good things abt Pleasure so far. It would really help me to deciede if I can talk to owners :) Looking forward to your review. Thnx. Sirisha.

Jayakara Kini said...

Yes, its almost a year since I bought Pleasure. I have been treating it very badly. I have run it though dirt, slush, rain, long drives and its bearing everything! I hardly wash it. And you know what? I have not given it for servicing even once! I know thats very bad of me, but still its going great!

I get a mileage of 35 kmpl. I don't expect it to go higher even after servicing (and city driving).

After my experience with Hero Honda sales guys, I don't trust them anymore. Thats why I have been skeptical about going to their service station. I think I have to make up my mind sometime and see how trustworthy they are...

.. and I still find it expensive.

In short: Pleasure is a Fantastic vehicle! Just be careful about the people who are selling it...

Unknown said...

Hey hi,
Thnx for the quick response. 35 kmpl is too less. Give it for servicing. If you dont like the showroom guys, find a private mechanic and get it serviced. It will help improve the performance. Thats what I did with my scooty ES. I get abt 42-45 kmpl even after 6 yrs :) I have heard that Pleasure is supposed to give atleast 45-50 kmpl. Right now it costs abt 44grand in Hyd and scooty pep plus costs abt 41k. So I am still debating :)

Jayakara Kini said...

I know 35kmpl is less. I'll give it for servicing soon...

Many accessories are included with Scooty Pep Plus in that 41K including fender gaurd, hand grip, seat cover, side stand and 'ladies pillion side sitting footrest' (whatever thats called). If you want to get the same accessories for Pleasure, it'll cost you a few K's more.

If you are looking at the cost, then add the costs of all the accessories you want for Pleasure before comparing with Scooty Pep Plus. I'm not promoting Scooty or anything. That was just to get a fair comparison...

Unknown said...

Hi,
For some reason, this blog of yours did not open up yesterday. The cost that I gave was onroad cost (inclusive of accesories + tax + insurance). And I have read somewhere that Hero Honda guys have a spl programme for ladies, akin to passport (for all hero honda bikes). They promise to cater to ladies exclusively, when in trouble on road, with Pleasure. No idea how effective that is though. One thing is certain, I dont see as many Pleasure vehicles on Hyderabad roads as Pep +. Looks like Pep + is the fav, could be because of its long standing presence in the market. It is true that its only been 2 yrs since Pleasure was launched?

Jayakara Kini said...

Anybody will help a lady in trouble ;). You don't need Passport for that...

On a serious note, I think its a marketing gimmick. I get their monthly newsletter once in six months or so which talk about movie shows and discos that they arrange in different towns. Nothing in Bangalore.

They also have a points system with gifts. I found that also to be not really a value add.

I find both the Passport and the points scheme like the famous stint by Hyundai. They promised full tank petrol with every Santro. Their sales went high for a while, but soon people realized...

I haven't seen many Pleasures in Bangalore either. I believe its not a hit with the ladies.

To give an example, in the last one year three of my colleagues bought a two wheeler. All of them considered Pleasure. All of them bought Pep+!

Pleasure was launched in Feb 2006.

Jayakara Kini said...

I asked my three friends (all ladies) why they chose Pep+ over Pleasure. I got the same answer from all three, which you already know: Pep+'s long standing presence in the market!

All of them considered Hero Honda to be a 'boy's company' which produces machines only for boys. They were kind of skeptical in accepting that this brand can cater to ladies.

Unknown said...

Well, if you were to ask me, I would have said Better Mileage is the reason, coz pick up is quite Ok with the current Pep+, though not as much when compared to Pleasure, ofcourse! I am disappointed @ Pleasure's Mileage. I checked with another friend here n got to know that its giving 40 kmpl. The company claims 50kmpl. Thats a major major disappointment for me !

Mokshi said...

Hi,
I am from bangalore and am contemplating buying my first two-wheeler. I have never driven before in my life and am planning to learn driving before buying any vehicle. Pleasure sounds good, from whatever I have read so far..but your review has made me think again.. do you think it is a good choice for a first vehicle? Is it easy to handle, etc.? Also, considering all the basic accessories, how much constlier is it than Pep plus?

Thanks,
Mokshi

Jayakara Kini said...

I bought Pleasure over one and a half years back. Please check the latest prices from the showroom. I heard another company is launching a automatic vehicle soon which has a better fuel efficiency.

shubi_crypto said...

hi,
I bought a Pleasure recently and its great having it. This is my first two-wheeler, but that doesn't mean that I am too excited to think about the cons. The best thing about Pleasure is the look and feel. Mine is dual-tone black color (black with purple). Looks stylish.
The pick-up is good. It gives me a mileage more than 45kms. So I'm very much satisfied about it.
Another good reason which makes me feel happy is, I am able to keep my helmet inside the under-seat storage space.

What made me feel bad was the irresponsibility of the sales guys. They didn't provide any proper instructions about the vehicle. I myself had to know the specifications from the net. They delivered my Pleasure full of dust. I had to clean it before taking it to temple for a pooja.

Before buying Pleasure, I thoroughly checked with many of my friends owning Scooty Pep Plus and Activa. Only then I chose this one.

I think I should wait for a month's time to know the performance of my Pleasure.

To conclude with, I am really having fun with my Pleasure.

Unknown said...

Hi,
I am in Dilema - about Pep Or pleasure?
Price in Pune seems to be more or less same - around 37K.

What's the avarage you get?

What about driving comfort?

Any service troubles?

SHIVPS said...

I purchased pleasure two weeks ago for my wife. It was running fine till today; mileage was around 35 Km per liter. Today while my wife was going to a near by place it suddenly stopped and refused to start again. My wife could somehow managed it to take it back to my apartment. Now the Hero Honda dealer is not sending any mechanic to see the scooter. I even talked to Hero Honda area manager. He is not now even lifting my call. Now I am in trouble as I am going to office and my wife is not able to take it to the dealer. The dealer spoke in a very harsh tone and said that I should take a day off if I want my scooter to get repaired.

In past I owned three bikes and a scooter. I never faced this problem. I am from Hyderabad.

Your comments are very right. The Hero Honda dealers are worst and even Hero Honda officials are not consumer friendly.

Anonymous said...

hi,gr8 indian ladies,
i m also in the very same usual dilema pep+ or pleasure.i want 2 buy it 4 my mom(47).she is d first time rider.5" tall.suggest me d best 4 her.im more inclined towards pleasure due 2 its highly growing number in pune and mumbai.one thing is 4 sure hero honda dealers and officials are the worst chaps around the globe.we shud do something about these non hopeless people......
...nikhil patil,dhulia(northern maharashtra)

Anonymous said...

hi,gr8 indian ladies,
i m also in the very same usual dilema pep+ or pleasure.i want 2 buy it 4 my mom(47).she is d first time rider.5" tall.suggest me d best 4 her.im more inclined towards pleasure due 2 its highly growing number in pune and mumbai.one thing is 4 sure hero honda dealers and officials are the worst chaps around the globe.we shud do something about these hopeless people......
...nikhil patil,dhulia(northern maharashtra

Anonymous said...

i bought pleasure last week,but have doubt about its prices.it costs me 43.5k including acessories & rto & taxes.
Dealer gave me invoice of 40k+insurance of 1k+taxes of 2.5k .
I think we got it in high price...
can any one tell about exact prices in pune..?

Anonymous said...

I bought it for 43.5K in Bangalore. Its a premium distribution by Hero Honda which is primarily bikes and not scooters. I don't think they'll ever bring down its price...

Anonymous said...

I'm planning to buy a Pleasure soon. I hope things have changed in two years..

Unknown said...

hi,am vritika(21)
I am planning to buy Hero Honda Pleasure..bt the prob. is i dont know how to ride it???????? can you please help me out..!!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am planning to gift a good scooter to my parents and have been going thru the sites, finally zeroed on Hero Honda pleasure and Kinetic's Flyte. And now in a dilemma , which shud i opt for ? Flyte, has some edgy points over pleasure , 125 cc, front fuelling, mobile charger , suspension etc etc almost for the same price ...but its from Kinetic ...and i haven't seen any good remarks on Kinetic's products. Does any one comment?

Liju Benziger said...

hi,
I am using hero honda pleasure for last three months, and its seems to be a nice vehicle for indian roads. What i like about pleasure is it's cool look and smooth riding experience. i am getting 35kms pr litr and i thing it will be up after next two services. for persons who are planning to buy a gear less vehicle, pleasure is the right choice, it is such a nice vehicle, and don't review the product looking on the showroom guys, treat the vehicle better and it will treat you better. don't even compare pleasure to pep+, i hadn't seen such a bad vehicle in my life, trust me if you buy a scooty pep+ after six or seven months you will fed up with the vehicle. I am from kerala and here it costs only 35K(on road price) and i think it is not a big price compared to activa.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I found very good reviews about Pleasure everywhere in Pune, and finalized to go for it in next week. But can any one please guide me about Pune on road price? Dealers offering me it for 43.5K but as Pleasure's concerned its showing very less than this. Please let me know with the updated price as its varying from dealer to dealer too.
Thnx!! Snehal

Anonymous said...

hi i have pleasure but my back break hardly works i mean i have to press front breaks to stop it
is it made that way or i have send it to repair it. plz tell me

Anonymous said...

Can any one tell the current cost price of pleasure because its varying from one dealer to another

Fazil said...

hey my pleasure succeeded in mileage its mileage after second service 50km.so iam expecting after its third and forth service it will get 55km.
even i altered my pleasure before second service with airhorn in its front side with help of a clamp also.

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody
I am planning to gift a two wheeler to my wife and hence was checking for the reviews. Looking at all these reviews and from other sites pleasure seems to have capture market over pep+ in pune.
Planning to go for honda plaeasure in next month.
Thanks Ani

kumar kartik said...

Pleasure is very nice. I own it from last December. JH 05AB 3381. Smooth, good looking, good grips on road, heavy and handling so easy. I ran it abt 1900 kms, without appearing at first free servicing and no problem till then.

But the problem starts when I moved my bike for first free servicing. I came there at 8.30 am. The registering person recorded the kms traveled 1320 in my favour. Then I was waiting there. All of them were busy with “PAID SERVICES” neglecting the serial nos. They started opening my scooter at 12.30 pm (in my personal request) and finished the servicing at 4.00 pm (a very long waiting). The tools they were using are good enough but the mechanics lack experience (or they do not want to do more with free services)

While writing this review, status of my hero honda pleasure is
(KM reading is 2250, I ran it around 350 kms more)
1. Few body nuts and bolts disappeared on road.
2. Back side brake light is always on (when I run my scooter)
3. My 2 years son can also start the scooter (Switch Start (Ignition) button is working without pressing the rear brake, it is not safe)
4. More bad sound of engine.
5. Reduced mileage.

Hero Honda gave me the Pleasure, real pleasure for 1900 kms
Service stations lack in 350 kms only – - – :(

Never go for service centre for free. Repair with well known mechanics of local.