I bought this bike in February this year and have done 5, 000 KM. I will come straight to the points and leave poetry that is so much common with writing praises (or curses) on bikes.
LOOKS: 2.5 / 5.0
Its no stunner. But looks good. Particularly with its tall stance.
DRIVE-ABILITY: 3.5/5.0
Its very good but not great. I personally believe that it has a lot to do with the steering handle design.
In fact the bike’s engine is tuned to be biased in favor of fuel efficiency and it requires some frequent gear changing.But do not let this discourage you. I live in Delhi. The drive will be amazingly better and different for people using it in smaller cities or on highways. It will be much smoother and sharper
Power: 3.0/5.0
Its adequate for a 150 CC engine. But the total package has a kind of brilliance that makes me wish it was a bit more powerful. I feel it lacking onthe 2nd and 3rd gears. But then for a mass commuter which is expected to giveoverall performance, its not bad. I will give her 3 out of 5 on power.
Road Presence: 3.5/5.0
It is great when it is new. Theone that I have has alloy wheels and that gives it a better character. Its tallstance makes it look like a proud horse.
Sound: 2.5 / 5.0
Great or ugly pick your choice. The engines refinement is so good, thatat better roads with a greater stretch, you will feel as if you are driving asilent 2 stroke bike. It floats. The sound is blissful for me as I am not crazyfor roars and growls. Still respecting the devils amongst us
Reliability:2.7 out of 5.0
Its very reliable generally. However it gets nervous in rain. The engine juststops, even if you have not been through a Nallah or a pit full of water. Itsshy of water spray and those who have experienced driving it in heavy rainsknow that the engine just stops. Its pretty awful and scary because you candrain all electrolyte in battery and grease in your knees trying to bring itback to life. I wonder if the electrical get exposed to water splashes?
Similarly in winters, its lazy to fire up and takes time in getting warm. Iwould advise warming it up to the right RPM Idle speed , always andparticularly in winters, before she stretches her legs. You will be doing a bigfavor to the engine.
On a general dry spell , say 30 to 35 degrees C temp day, its great inreliability. And even no nonsense.
Fuel Consumption: 3.5/5.0
A lot depends upon the tyre pressure (I recommend refilling air every 150 to200 KM, even earlier), engine tuning (get it serviced every 1500 to 2, 000 KM, Driving in right gears, and mastering the art of applying minimum breaks. Yousee if you break it just near the red-lights, your engine is still revvinghigh, drinking fuel, but if you can practice coming to near idle speed about 30to 40 meters from the red light, there will be a great amount of saving in aday with typical about 100 KM drive. Same thing for using high octane petroland driving it mostly under 4, 500 RPMs. But taking everybody into account, itstill provides a respectable 45 may go down to 40 if used rough. Especially ifshe run on less air.
Comfort: 2.5 /5.0
Height:
At about 5’10" I am just about touching my feet to ground comfortably, just about. But I think the HH-hunk on the other hand, with bigger depressionin the seat makes 5, 6" guys feel a little better.
The handle bar:
The handle design makes the thumb pain after say half an hour’s drive. I haveto keep my thumb above the handle. I wish the handle was a bit straighter (Itsthe same story with their ACTIVA, same family , same genes) And also if you canfind a good position to readjust the handle position (Just go to a mechanic , who will loosen the handle and adjust to your own liking) try new adjustments afew times, take a round and finally settle on the one that you find mostconvenient. The Pulsar handle gives you a better grip and view of the road, nowonder people keep pressing throttle on Pulsar and end up poorer in pocket.
Seats:
The Unicorn seat is hard and not welcoming. The suspension is good but notgreat. But do not blame Honda for this. There is no uniformity of roads, theroads in Delhi may be smooth to very rough in a course of day and its quite achallange to design the level of hardness or mildness. You may however adjustthe single shocker, make it harder or softer as your road demands say. But inDelhi, I suggest leave it as it is.
Resale value: 4.0/5.0
You see Unicorn is like old wine. It gets better with time. I believe this isthe case for at least 20or even 30000 KM. If you service it in time, keep theair pressure okay. be religious, it will work and sound better at 20000 KM thanit used to at 1, 000 KM. Its true. The quality is great. Power train is greatand THAT contributes to its Long life. Hence good after sale value.
Over all I can not but give Honda Unicorn, 3.5out of 5.0. Which is at very good level and just short of excellent.
There are a few issues, which if Honda will listen may improve the overallownership experience greatly.
- Service center:
The visit to service centers is a nightmare. I can as well write a new reviewon this. At least this is the story in Delhi. Visit to their service center islike waking up from a rather beautiful dream and finding yourself abandoned onPatna Bus stand.
- Paint quality:
The paint/ sheen rubs off after about days. Its supposed to be better. That canmake you feel, ummn still in contention.
- Handle design:
The handle design can make revolutionary changes in the way the bike drives. Itcan make its turning razor sharp from smart, and make the overall driving veryexciting and pleasurable.
4: Seat and Tank design: Someaccommodation here can make it more aggressive not only on looks but also in drive.AS the driving position will change. Also to be remembered is that averageIndian male is not as tall as a European. A swede will love its height. I sayre-design the seat to make it more comfortable and making ordinary legs reachthe mother earth more easily.
Seat has to be more comfortable. Pl design it to last 100 KM ride and not 15.
- Vibrations :
There are vibrations that rattle the plastics and fit quality is in demand. Thesilencer hangs on few strings and keeps rattling.
Hope this review helped the reader.
I will definitely recommend buying this bike.
Its still the best bet in 150 CC segment.
