Honda Livo

Honda Livo is a commuter with sharp, sporty features. At the front, it gets a stylish new headlamp, a black windscreen on top of it with fin-like air-ducts on the side. The curved fuel tank gets an aggressive shroud that extends into the long and sleek saddle. A grabrail on top of a compact taillight finish the look of the bike. While the bike looks appealing, the instrument console comprises of two rather odd looking hexagonal shaped analogue units. The Livo is available in six colours: black, white, brown, blue, red and grey.

The single-cylinder, 109.19cc, air-cooled engine produces 8.3PS at 7,500rpm and 8.6Nm at 5,500rpm, mated to a 4-speed gearbox. For suspension, it uses telescopic forks at the front and adjustable dual shock absorbers at the rear. For braking, the commuter employs 130mm drum brakes at the front and rear. You can also choose to get a 240mm disc at the front. The bike gets 18-inch wheels shod in tubeless tyres. The Livo returns a claimed mileage of 70kmpl with a fuel tank capacity of 8.5 litres and reaches a top speed of 86kmph. The bike is extremely light and the disc variant stands at a kerb weight of 111kgs.

TVS Victor: The TVS Victor is TVS' rather premium offering in the commuter range. It comes with a 109.7cc engine that churns out 9.6PS of power and 9.4Nm of torque. It offers a slightly better mileage than the Livo at 72kmpl (claimed). The bike gets a drum brake at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear. The Victor offers a front disc brake as an optional extra.

Hero Splendour iSmart 110: The Hero commuter too gets a 109cc engine that puts out 9.5PS of power and 9Nm of torque. It looks and rides a lot like the Livo and since Hero is a more prominent name in the motorcycle market than Honda, it is a fit rival for the same. However, the mileage on offer is low at 61kmpl.

The Honda Livo is a good entry-level option for youngsters with its sporty looks, good mileage and decent pricing. It can also do well in towns that require long distance travelling from place to place. The bike is BS-IV compliant and gets features like Automatic Headlight On, along with a low-maintenance battery and filter. However, optional ABS could have been a plus on the bike.