Bring home the Unicorn!. Review on Honda Unicorn 150 cc

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India?s first salvo in India, in the Motorbike segment, has created ripples amongst the Motorbike lovers in this country. The launch of this bike was eagerly awaited by many for close to a year and yours truly was one of such persons who paid regular trips to the HMSI showroom in the Hyderabad city for any information that could be available. But, the people concerned shut up like a clam the moment I mentioned the ?Unicorn? as if any discussion on it fell within the purview of the Official Secrets Act.

Well, with the kind of intense competition Indian biking is witnessing these days, they are not to be entirely blamed. At last, the bike is out in the open in flesh, and therefore, providing a chance for me to test-ride it.

My first impressions of the Honda Unicorn motorbike are mentioned here-under:

1. ERGONOMICS:

At first glance, the Unicorn looks very much like the CBZ. The front bikini fairing, the exhaust end-can, the seating posture all will remind you of the classic CBZ. The tail-light is very much like the Karizma, though with a single bulb. However, a closer look reveals that the tank is differently sculpted, and the cowls underneath are missing. There is a substantial gap between the tank and the side panels and this important piece of real estate on the bike is taken up by black moulded plastic.

Due to this, the tank doesn?t seem to merge smoothly with the side panels. The CBZ too is similar in this aspect, but it has a more aesthetically looking tank with cowls underneath to override this deficiency. There is, also, an old fashioned lid cap sticking out of the tank which does nothing to enhance the looks. The grab rail at the end is stylish though, but doesn?t protect the tail light. The monoshock is hidden beneath the tank attached to the top end of the chassis with the other end attached to the swing arm. I believe the monoshock is not state of the art but a pretty basic one. Absence of the regular twin shocks gives it a sportier look.

The console sheltered by the fly screen is a three-piece one with the two side pods slightly fusing into the large central speedometer pod and looks snazzy. The indicators extend from the body as in most bikes. Overall, the bike is not a stunner as you would expect, but nevertheless, a decent looking bike.

I give 7 /10 for looks.

BUILD QUALITY:

The Unicorn has excellent build quality as you would normally expect from Honda. More emphasis has been laid on build quality than on looks. The welding of joints is top class. The paint job is real good and the materials used such as the nuts and bolts, plastics and rubbers are to top quality. Honda patented tuff-up puncture resistant tubes are used for this bike.

The bike gets 9 /10 from me for the quality of materials used and the top class finish.

PERFORMANCE:

It is very difficult to judge a bike, in terms of performance, on a test ride. You don?t get more than a kilometre to test ride the bike. But then, this is common for all bikes. My observation from the test ride is that the engine purrs smoothly, the transmission is also very smooth; gear-shift is a delight.

The pick-up is the best among the 150 cc bikes with a 0 ? 60 in 5 seconds (the mechanic sitting behind me was throwing all sorts of tantrums; but to no avail). The top speed is 101 Kmph which is not much different from other bikes in this segment. However, the mileage of 60 Kmpl is something you can go about town shouting your head off.

The light throws a steady beam and the electricals are okay. The suspension is good and the bike maintains excellent balance. Though I did not try any sudden breaking, I could feel the bike responding nicely whenever I tried to slow down. This bike comes with a primary kick-start which means you can start the bike in any gear by dis-engaging the clutch. Hopefully, in a few months time the company should be able to launch a thumb-start version.

I give the bike 8.5/ 10 for overall performance.

PRICE:

The ex-showroom price is approximately Rs.51000/- which is very competitive indeed. The aggressive pricing by HMSI is going to cause a lot of sleepless nights to Bajaj Auto, Hero Honda, LML and TVS.

The bike gets 9/ 10 for pricing.

CONCLUSION:

I wouldn?t call this bike as the most attractive bike on the Indian roads. But it is distinctive in its styling with major attraction for buyers being the monoshock. Nobody ever bothered about monoshocks in scooters, but, when a motorbike is launched with monoshocks everyone?s sanity has gone for a toss. Then you have a 150 cc mill capable of developing a thumping 13.1 bhp. The best pick-up in its class. Zapper tyres at both ends inflated with tuff-up tubes (could inflate your ego too). Add to this heady concoction the brand name of Honda with its globally recognised emblem of ?wings?, for decades the symbol of quality and performance; what do you get ? a bike that is the most desirable in the 150 cc segment.

Yes go ahead, become a ?Wing Rider?