Nov 03, 2008 06:39 PM
3422 Views
More than two and half years and still growing awesome: To tell u the truth, the accountability of this bike on face of adverse riding situations of city like Pune is simply fabulous. It has never ditched me till date: be it oozing out last drop of oil when the tank dries up or be it a puncture at midnight. Am growing possessive about it day by day ;)
The good side:
1> This is one machine that grows more refined as it ages. Engine silent as breeze and the clutch-gear system smooth as cheese on hot pan. U cannot find a more smooth engine than this. Impossible to make out if the engine is ON when bike is static and it will not give u even a minute vibration when running on 90+ speeds.
2> The mono-suspension is one adage that gives u the control that cannot be matched with its other kins in the 150kg segment. This with its Diamond frame chassis gives you the superb power to swing and cut through traffic like a bicycle at pretty high speeds even after its bulk.
3> U can pass through any jerk / bump with single handed driving without loosing control. Best part of the suspension is u can even adjust the sensitivity of shock absorption as per your body weight!
4>. The mileage never dropped below 53 for me even in the worst of traffic thats at Pune.
5> The mono-suspension owned by Honda is a challenge that even Hero-Honda has been fighting with till date. In case you dont know, all the racing bikes have only mono-suspensions which is an utter necessity to control the heavy machines at gruelling speeds. So compared to that, the 150 kg unicorn with the mono gives u a feather-light handle and easy swing-stunt power. Compare that with a pulsar, start riding and u will immediately feel the 150 kg load on ur arms.
6> The max speed I could experience is 100 without a pillion. Thats pretty impressive given the smoothness of engine and superb breaking ability.
The bad side:
1> Slim tyres. It becomes scary not to have 3inch+ tyres on deep curves and wet roads for such a powerful machine. This is the only reason I have rated it 4 out of 5 in the Handling and Control parameter.
2> The head lamps too are not worth enough. Honda should provide a better gleaming light. I found the light poorer than Scooty!! :))
Turn Offs :(
1>The major turn off about unicorn is its pickup. U better dont squeeze the throttle if there is someone racing you at the signal on a pulsar or cbz. Once u start off, then they better watch out the Honda power!
2>The looks could have been quite more sporty. Unicorn has the poorest looks in the 150 cc segment. Though earlier, bike enthusiasts used to be happy with Uni as compared to Yamaha atleast. But the latest Yamaha models have pulled lot of attention though the power and performance still lags far behind the benchmarks created by Uni, Pulsar and CBZ. Thanks to Honda that it finally came up with alloy wheels and a clean no-graphics model now. The graphics in past models were so pathetic that I stripped them off with scars on my bike's body :(
3> Its high time that Honda pays attention to its showrooms and service centres. Showrooms are not at all attractive and the staff is rude and un-attentive. The cervise centers are too few and thus the people there are not polite enough. The servicing done too is not upto the mark. They note down the complaints but it will be your luck if its rectified :))
Finally,you have to understand that when u buy a new bike, it gives a lot of resistance in all its parts and its only after few months of running that you start to get the feel of engineering that goes into manufacturing such a machismo. Unicorn is a sure winner on the road be it city traffic or a long drive on highways.
The above review is my gratitude to MouthShut.com which was a big conributor in finalising my decision to go for Unicorn after all my homework on the 150 cc bikes 2 and half yrs back. Thanks for your time :)
