Well, I went through thousands of reviews and then decided to get the Honda CB-Unicorn... I don't dislike any other bikes BUT will write the GOOD/ BAD things from my experience on all the bikes I rode.. of course including Unicorn... Going through so many reviews gave me a very good understanding of the choices anyone has to make and WHY they make these choices. Thanks to all the mouthshut guys... CHEERS!
From my understanding, below is the listing of WHY people choose these bikes!!!
HH Splendor (long life), Suzuki Max100, Bajaj Platina, TVS Victor and the likes - Low budget and they look for ECONOMY
HH Passion, Glamour, Old Unicorn (Engine, Gearbox) and the likes - Somehow manage to get the budget, have a taste for some style, long life... and of course Economy
Pulsar 135 (baby pulsar as they call it...), Stunner, Gliadiator, Twister and the likes - Concentration more on style with a limited budget
FZ, Apache (vibrates a lot) - Styling is the top priority and they compromise in terms of economy... but who cares... they are the gen-x guys!!! Cheers
RX 100/135, Bajaj Avenger 200 - A mixed bag of budget constraint and passion
Pulsar (upto 180cc), Honda CB-Unicorn, and the likes - Style is a concern but they don't want to leave the ECONOMY part neglected. Budget is managed with a little patience... (Beg, Borrow, Steal... but have to get this bike... lol). DIFFERENCE: Pulsar owners have the mindset to sell the bike max by 2 to 3 years... Unicorn owners look for a life-partner (atleast 5-6 years)!!!
Suzuki GS 150 falls in the above category but then with those RUSTY tanks and parts in the initial version, has a very bad name... and who will put his hard earned money to experiment. Overall (if long life and quality is to be gambled/ risked), it is a good package... but still needs to prove itself and better left for a few years now!
R-15 - Closest match to Unicorn in terms of smoothness and has great technological features - Its a great buy but Overpriced
Pulsar 220, Avenger 220 and Karizma ZMR (one of the best tourers): Style is the biggest concern and they feel that this bike will make them stand out of the crowd.
Yamaha RD-350, Honda CBR 250, K Ninja, Royal Enfield (All versions..) I personally love the NEW Classic... Have to be a Punjabi to underatand the hidden Passion... Budget is not a concern but if it is... still they manage... these guys have a lot of patience and are really the top breed in the INDIAN biking scenario... You guys rock the road... 3 Cheers
Guys buying Harley Davidson, Honda/ Yamaha/ Kawasaki 1000cc bikes and the likes - No budget constraint and are having a lavish life... so I would just say that I cannot afford these bikes but wish I could... ENJOY!!!
I know I can't cover all the bikes and maybe I forgot a few... Apologies
Look into some other threads for SCOOTY info... this is not the right place for you...
Now coming to my bike. I got my Honda CB(Cross Beam)-Unicorn 150cc (Black) in 48 days from booking (8-Aug-11 - 77k OTR full cash and no external contacts... lol). Saphire Honda, B'lore. With all the thoughts about the run-in period and exitement of owning a 2-wheeler, I went to the showroom... the service guys behaved well and I was done with all the paperwork in 10 minutes... I was sad to pay 710 more as they said that rate has increased and delivery date rate would apply ... nevermind, then I waited for another 5 mins and the bike was infront of me and the guy called for the demo... All done and I was asked to take charge...
Sad part, I left my new helmet home (around 8 kms) with two traffic checks... Started the bike and slowly rode it... I don't need to say much... but definately the most smooth engine sound with an equally smooth gearbox and cozy seat... Yes, I felt that the electrical switches could have been of a better quality and also I hate the horn... Its feeble for a majestic vehicle like this... will change ASAP! Took the bike for puja and then rode 55 kms by the time the day ended (to nowhere and everywhere). Pickup is amazingly smooth and great in all gears and is progressive. The chain was making some noise and instantly from the knowledge I gained from allll these reviews, I knew the chain was loose and need to be tightned (got it done the next day... to get the best response from service guys... try to be the first customer and speak only to the top officials). During the time that I was waiting for the showroom to open... made friends with the security guy... I was updated that never leave more than 1 ltr petrol when giving for service and also mark your battery to be unique coz it might be replaced with a old/ cheap one. He also told that the service is name sake and it is useless if you pay any extra amount to the guy.. with more than 200 bikes a day... its more a quantity check rather than quality. He also insisted to service the bike with some local mechanic after the free service. I have been maintaining the bike below 5k RPM and below 60kmph (I know its a little high but lets see...) Filled 7 litres normal petrol (with 1 ltr from the showroom already). It has been four days and I will try to update this review every week...
Happy riding to all and Cheers!!!
Will look forward to your valuable comments!
Update 16-Aug-11
I have clocked 400 kms and have booked an appointment for the first service on Sat... wondering about appointment...??? Yes! you need to take an appointment for servicing due to rush (atleast two days before). Now coming to my Thunder - 'Unicorn', It has been a wonderful machine and it has given me the confiedence to manuveur it and proved that I made the right choice! Torque, pickup in every gear, braking, comfort (top class)... just great!!! superb control and that great smooth sound. I am just loving every moment of it... my wife and son too!!!
Currently I am maintaining 4.5k RPM and below 60 kmph... usually btween 50-59kmph. (my friends say its high b4 first service.. but I am giving it a try...!). Current mileage is roughly 42-45 kmpl. After the first service, I will maintain around 5.5k RPM and 70-75 kmph... I hope it works out well... I am not sure how many ppl will read this, but for sure - I will update it regularly for all the ones who are going to buy a new two-wheeler and have to run-in (doesn't matter which bike), I will try to address all the points that I felt missing when I was going through all the reviews as well as share all my GOOD/ BAD experiences!!! bye for now!
A small update! 18-Aug-11
I have decided that I will maintain 4.5k RPM and keep it below 60 kmph upto 1000 kms... WHY?.. because I momentarily forgot that an experienced buddy told me to maintain it at this pace for the first 1k kms and then raise upto 6.5k RPM for the next 1000kms.
Guys, its not the speed that we should concentrate on, rather its the RPM. Keeping it below 4.5k RPM will automatically take care of the speed limit but any amount of SPEED will not take care of the RPM. Ppl might clock higher RPM with a limited speed by accelerating hard, so be cautious about the RPM.
Happy riding to all. 1st service, 2nd service & all other updates in comments below!
