I bought my Achiever (black with disc) on 14th Feb2006 and as of now it has run 9, 200 kms, I considered following bikes before going for Achiever.
Achiever – Smooth Honda engine & smooth gearbox, good avg.
Unicorn, - poor service and spare parts costly
Enticer, - power, avg, service – all are poor
Avenger - city avg very low, service not OK
Pulsar DTSi, - gearbox/clutch problems, service not OK.
F2 : lower power, four gears only, was not popular at that time.
But I finally went for Achiever - bcos I was attracted to the engine of Unicorn that is put on Achr. This bike meets my requirement of commuting which is approximately 50 kilometers per day without any hassles and right through difficult trafic of Bangalore. I have taken this bike on long trips also, 2 times to Mysore and once to Kemengundi and the bike is very smooth even at 70+ kmh, no vibration no noise. I have never tried to go above 85 kph so far. The riding posture may have to be adjusted according to the user, initially I had back-pain, but after re-setting the handle bar, the riding position is nice. In city driving conditions it gives me an avg of 50-55 kmpl without fail and on long rides (I measured when I went to Kemmangundi) it gave me an avg of 65 kmpl, I use only Shell Ultra un-leaded. I’m a rather slower rider and use bike’s full power only in heavy trafic and to overtake 150cc bikes (in trafic). There are 3 Hero Honda servicing centers close to my house and I leave at Sri Ganesha Service Centre on Thippasandra Main Road, this one is only servicing center (no sales) and is deserted most of the time and these people do good job.
Here’s brief sum-up,
Good: Mileage, Power, Engine (Honda Unicorn engine), Smooth Gear shift (was hard during first 1, 000 kms), good quality parts + built is very sturdy (had minor accident with a Splendor, but did not spend a single rupee).
Bad: Graphics/Looks of the bike is not good. Chain loosening (tightening-oiling it every 750 kms), Aero-dynamic plastic part under the tank has no any function; I removed it very first day. Also, only Black Achr looks good, other color combinations are not looking good, side stand indicator is absent.
Overall, I am more-than happy with the Achiever and it still gives me the feel of new bike, I strongly recommend this bike to prospective buyers especially who wants to commute and associate with the bike for longer time, not for racing
Thanks for sparing your time!