Feb 18, 2006 01:38 PM
9166 Views
(Updated Feb 18, 2006 01:38 PM)
First things first! Before getting into so called “review” (or praising most likely) let me do some number crunching…
91% recommendation based on 170 reviews, which means only 15 out of 170 “do not” recommend the bike, mostly because of the obvious reason – after sales service. No other bike on Mouthshut (with over 100 reviews) has come even close to 90%.
This is by far the best result for a bike that is just about 17 months old. I’ve been reading all (well, almost) the reviews posted on this site about Unicorn (along with comments of course) and even before taking a test ride, I was clear on which bike I was going to buy.
Disclaimer: I am not going to comment on its technical specs or performance or compare it with other bikes. Whatever mentioned below is purely based on my experience and feel of the bike.
FIR (First Impression Report) on the bike:
Believe it or not, first time I saw this machine parked outside the showroom, I was disappointed, not because of its style, but its “size” as it was really difficult for me to handle such a huge monster. I am not a regular biker (as I drive the car daily) and was really taken back by the sheer size of the bike. At that time, I was caught up in two minds - to buy or not to buy. I however, decided to have a look at it anyway (one of many right decisions I took).
Test Ride:
If I have to sum it up in one word then here it goes – A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I was nervous initially as I was about to ride a bike after four years. The pickup was amazing and the gear switching was “as good as it gets”. Never once I felt like riding a heavy monster. It just took 7-8 seconds on the bike for me to make up for the initial disappointment.
Post purchase report:
I bought the bike on 2nd Feb and done only 170 kms (As I am still getting used to riding it in Bangalore’s traffic). Let me share my experience with the bike in simple terms:
Pride of ownership: I read someone saying it has bland styling. Believe me it is a head-turner. I realized it on the very first day. You will notice at least one head turned towards your bike at the signals I am proud to be owner of this bike, at least because of the bike I am being noticed in the crowd!!
Riding pleasure: It cannot be explained in words. You got to ride it to have the real feel of it. It is so smooth, that one of my friends (pillion) asked if the engine is switched off when I slowed down the bike.
Power: It begs you to give more throttle, literally. I feel pity for the engine for the first 1000 km, as I am strictly following the guidelines given in the manual and not going beyond 50 kmph. It surely is an “extreme machine”!
Starting:I never had any problem with the electric start. It starts the very first time I press the button, even though the idling RPM is set to 1100.
Having said that, as you all know no bike on this earth is perfect, even my machine had couple of problems (I am feeling bad calling it a problem) early on.
The fuel gauge was not working for first 3 lts. Then I added 3 more lts and it started working.
The front disc brake used to make slight noise when used continuously for more than 3-4 seconds. However, this is rectified automatically (thankfully!) as I no longer hear any sound from the brake.
Showroom and Service:
I’ll feel I have done injustice if I don’t mention about the Showroom and the service people. I bought the bike from SILICON HONDA, Bangalore. The pre-sale experience has been very good as the customer care person did know enough about the bike. He even sat behind me while taking the test ride and agreed to go for a longer test ride. Every person with whom I interacted there were courteous and helpful.
After sales service: It would be too early to rate this as I have not visited their repair shop even once. I will definitely update the review after completing the 1st service.
As they say –“Everything that has a beginning, has an end”, even my review has an end. All I would like to say is that this is an extremely good bike and has all the ingredients to be a C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N on Indian roads.
Comments are welcome.
P.S: Please drive safely and don’t forget to wear helmet.
