Go and get one . Review on Hero Honda Achiever

Hi All,

I'm Ilyas from Bangalore. I am new to mouthshut.com, today I will review my Achiever. I have driven many bikes belonging to my friends and relatives namely Chetak, M80, CD100, RX100, Pulsar twins,Suzuki Fiero, Discover, Zeus, Splendor, Ambition, Unicorn and CBZ. My last bike was Pulsar150 without DTSi which I sold it in Jan.2006.

Decision to go for Achiever (with disc brakes) was family decision ( my brother and cousins), this bike is used by four members and I feel overall Achiever is the best in 150cc (Unicorn comes close next). Our household still have 1989 RX100 (used rarely nowadays) & 1991 CD100 Delux, I feel RX100 is undisputed No.1 when it comes to performance & The original CD100 is the best value for money bike to roam Indian roads.

About Achiever after 14,000 kms, Smooth Engine needs first mention, I really feel Hero Honda has further refined Unicorn Engine. Gear Shift is also very smooth, I had lot of problems with my old Pulsar. Achiever's mileage is a happy news for all of us, in city driving conditions it will NOT return less than 50 kms/liter of BPCL Speed. Achiever can easily achieves 65 kmpl in highway, that's my feeling (and not fact).

My cousin's Unicorn used to return 45 kmpl in city condition. Achiever is superbly built , once I lost balance while parking and hit a pole-headlight taking all impact, amazed to find that there were no scratches. If it was Pulsar I would have lost full headlight system. The bike has not lost power, mileage and performance upto date. But I could feel this in my old Pulsar. That's huge difference as Hero Honda puts best quality parts into their bikes. That's the reason Hero Honda bikes last more than other competition.

My uncle's splendor has crossed 1,21,000 kms in 9 years of use and is still used. Riding position of Achiever is not as good as Unicorn. For long highway ride Unicorn wins over Achiever. For solo & doubles Achiever feels good and for doubles Unicorn is great, Unicorn ride is not so good if Solo is less than 60 kilos.

Servicing is ok at Majestic Mobikes (I know 2 mechanics in this showroom) but in the III service, engine sounded bit harsh but later it became smooth. My Pulsar maintainence cost was ver high some times crossing Rs1500/service with regular parts change. Achiever's cost is Rs.250 only. The bike's reliability is better because so far I have not seen any untoward behaviour, as of now I have replaced rear brake, dip light, tail lamp wiring(damaged by rat/s). Ride control is better than pulsar in many ways, Disc works very effectively and no skidding and loosing control as in Pulsar. Lastly, looks , In this review, I will submit myself to the stereotype branding by every one that it doesn't look good :)) fact is hero honda has clearly lost sight of younger generation requirement.

Personally I DON'T feel it looks bad, People identify you by 'you' and not 'bike's-look'. Hero Honda can easily modify this bike for better looks and can make it a big winner in 150cc segment. 150cc belongs to young and one has to meet their requirement to survive otherwise Achiever could well become a flop in the making. CBZ Xtreme picture is here below, it looks lot sexier in RED & BLACK, much better than Achiever.

Finally, I recommend this bike for those who need powerful & decent commuting. For racing I would recommend RX100, older RXs are available for 10000-15000 (take it to specialist mechanic and spend 10,000 more, you can easily attain 120 kmph and gush your adernaline), don't spend 63K on 150cc 4S bike. I believe Hero Hondas traditionally gives distinct advantage of longevity, low maintainence and super mileage. Choose this as a decent commuter.

Finally a comment for Hero Honda : The reliability of older CD100s are not there in any of the present bikes, you need to give a bike which would last 15 years with peace of mind. Your bench mark should be older CD100's quality +reliability (typical Japanese) and not number game.

Thank you,

Mohamud Ilyas

Bangalore