Background:
Got this machine on the 15th of Sept, in exchange for my Hero Honda CD-Deluxe, which was meant to be a "stop-gap" bike till I found a job and settled in Pune.
Bought it from YASH Honda (Hadapsar) because they had stock & contrary to popular belief, I have been on the receiving end of some very good customtakeouter service from the Honda showroom. The Sales person (Prashant) was very amicable and I did not have any issues throughout the purchase and delivery process.
Having said that, I don’t have any service centre experiences yet as the bike is up for its first service tomorrow @Pashankar, Kothrud (nearer to my place), so let’s see how that pans out.
*==The Bike:
==*
1. Self-start
I’m ’kicking-off’ (pun intended) my review with this as I’ve seen a lot of people express concern over the fact that this bike comes without a kick starter. Lets face it, I had my doubts too, in-fact, due to this factor alone, I was considering the CBZ Xtreme over the Dazzler.
So let us talk about starting problems. Well, there are none to speak of @ all. I use this as a daily commuter and I have never even had to use the choke in the mornings. The only time in the last 1 month or so that I did have to choke it is when we received delivery on my wife’s Aviator and the Dazzler sat there over the weekend (2 full days).
So baschandru021y, if you use it every day or every alternate day, a single touch of the button is enough to get the engine purring eagerly.
Warm it up by holding it to on 1500 RPM for about 1 minute and you are ready to zap the streets. Its recommended that you keep it under 3.5 – 4k RPM for the first 5 minutes, but I’m still in the ‘run-in’ period so I follow that all the time anyway.
Will it still be like that after 5 years? That’s pretty much like asking, will mankind survive global warming? Well we shall wait and see!
2. Build Quality
This has been another common concern while going for a Dazzler. Personally, while I agree that some of the plastics could have been fitted together in a better manner (the digital console inside the ‘naked fairing’ or the exposed wires near the clutch for instance), these little annoyances can be easily fixed by the service centre (or by us) and if you look at the big picture, are a very small chink in the Dazzler’s otherwise solid armor.
Engine and chassis-wise, I think this carries on the same level of refinement that earned the mighty unicorn its heavyweight title in the Indian bike market.
2. Ride Quality, Handling & Acceleration
I have ridden the “Vanilla” Unicorn a fair few times and I have to say that if you compare the Dazzler to its predecessor, you will definitely find the old Unicorn to be slightly more stable and planted on the road.
The Dazzler, however, was the result of many people wanting a sportier, zippier bike which instilled the same level of confidence in the hearts of its owners as its forefather in terms of reliability & durability.
It weighs roughly 10-12kgs less on paper & the suspension setup does feel a tad firmer than its ancestor. Having said that, due to a shorter wheel-base and a slightly sportier riding position, the Dazzler is a lot more maneuverable in traffic and you will always be thankful for this when the odd canines, ‘rickshawalas’ or other similar creatures decide to intercept you randomly as per their whims & fantasies.
As for acceleration, I haven’t actually given my bike “a-go” (so to speak) because of the run-in manners we are meant to follow. Having said that, even within the permitted RPM range, I can tell that the Dazzler takes off a lot faster than the Unicorn on an open stretch, no rocket-science required there. The difference is however, more than just the 0.7bhp (14 vs 13.3). The Dazzlers engine also seems a lot more rev-happy and ’eggs you on’ to push it to its limits.
To sum it up, I would say that while you really get the “shake-me-if-you-can” essence on the old Unicorn, the Dazzler takes some part of that and blends it with a “catch-me-if-you-can” flavor, and serves it to you in a nice frothy mug.
P.S After writing the above sentence, I now feel an insatiable urge to have beer ;-)
3. Braking
The brakes on the Dazzler are good enough to bring you to a standstill from a reasonable speed (<100) in a matter of seconds. There is a slight softness to the brakes and on my bike, I feel as though I have to press the rear-brake down too far for it to actually clamp the disk completely. My brake fluid levels are fine and the braking hasn’t worsened since I bought it, so I think this is an issue with adjusting the brakes to reduce the travel distance of the brake pedal. Will provide an update on this after my first servicing.
4. Fuel Efficiency
I’ve only tanked up twice so far, and while the first tank seemed to empty rather quickly (still @ an F.E of about 45), the second re-fueling that I had, the meter shot up to 5 bars. I’ve done precisely 202 kilometers so far and it is now starting to occasionally drop to 3 bars (on inclines). There was a phase where I was starting to get worried over whether the meter is stuck because it just wasn’t dropping as I had expected!
With most bikes & cars though, at least older models, these meters are not linear (i.e. they drop faster in some parts of the spectrum than others). I would appreciate any info/insights people may have on this topic (relating to the dazzler).
Anyway, to sum it up I think its reasonable to expect an F.E figure of no less than 45-50 from the dazzler if driven normally (i.e. not in “Moto-GP” mode).
4. Minor Issues
Console vibrations at certain speeds. I successfully fixed this issue by temporarily inserting a small piece of rubber between the fairing and the digital-console (at the top). Having said that, I spoke to the service center about it and they said they would definitely take a look and possibly put some additional packing around the console to dampen the vibrations. If they don’t fix it, I probably will.
Slightly soft feeling while braking. I think this is a matter of adjustment and is also something that I’m hoping the service center is going to address.
Chain noise. I have some of this right now & I think my chain needs lubrication. I’ve bought the TVS chain lubricant spray, but I’m yet to put it to the test.
Overall Impressions
The Dazzler’s looks emanate a certain sophistication combined with a charmingly brutish attiMr_customtakeouter. Its like a bouncer dressed in an Armani suit. It feels exactly like that on the road too. If you want to meet and greet, it will purr silently under the hood, but if you wish to take it head-on, its not too shy to lose its manners and give you a fair run for your money !
This is my first bike review ever and hence I certainly welcome constructive comments.