I just bought Unicorn and did away with damn passion plus. You can read my review on PP to know where I come from! Before PP I have rode RXG135 and Bajaj Super for a long time. I opted for Unicorn after going through severe torture from PP. But even then my selection of new bike went with regular considerations.
Criteria priority-wise: Comfort, stability, mileage, quality. Power wasn’t really a criteria and I just wanted an engine that won’t disappoint me at critical hour. My daily driving being 60km+ and 150km+ on weekends; I don’t indulge in racing. Also I had no particular demands for style. I have been frequent pillion on unicorn so I already knew its performance.
I drove out of showroom with the bike in just couple of hours. This time includes sell of PP and payment. I didn’t really expect a spot delivery. I was unprepared to take charge of new bike! I was worried about predictability of new engine and specially disk brake that I never used earlier. But all that vanished just in first 100m. Clutch setting was gradual and I didn’t creep even once in 7km drive to my home. Same goes for disk brake.
Next morning I went for a 20km ride just to see what the bike does! Kick starter is very long and difficult to take out with foot unlike other bikes. But on the flip side it takes least possible effort to crank the engine into action. I habitually warm the engine on choke for 15-20 seconds in the morning so there wasn’t any hiccup on the road. Transmission and gear shift fulfils Honda’s promise of smooth engines. Even then it takes some time to learn its neutral gear. From second gear it naturally goes to first gear with regular foot-pressure. It needs a more than gentle pressure to put it in neutral. Secondly, gear lever swing is longer than other bikes, that is, movement of foot is more to shift gears on unicorn. Gear shifts are feather-touch just that one has got to push the feather a bit further! Engine sound vanishes after 40-45kmph. Monoshocks make you aware of bumps that are more than a couple of inch high/low; smaller bumps are not realized at all. On speed breakers and ditches, it maintains it posture but never sends a jerk till the spine. Turns of angle 30-45 degrees are managed easily at 50kmph. Bike seems to follow the road on such turns without conscious effort on rider’s side. Disk brakes understand whether one wants to reduce speed or come to a halt. There is nothing like ‘touch me to stop’ about this disk brake. It behaves according to the pressure one applies. Styling wasn’t my buying criteria but after taking a close look- unicorn has unbeatable finishes and attention to details-workmanship.
Of course there are shortcomings: switches and key-holes are poorly made and I can foresee trouble in them within a year. Missed features are engine-kill switch, position lamp and lockable small storage. I am impressed with the engine so I consciously ignore these things.
All said and done, I don’t find a logic possessing a bike with aggressive racer looks, a few extra BHP etc and end up with back pain! I prefer earning more money to buy a real sports bike and race on a dedicated race track than putting my own and others life at jeopardy in day-to-day traffic.
There must be readers who need to make choice between cbz-x, rtr and unicorn. As a matter of fact, cbz-x uses same engine that of unicorn and in that case comparisons of engines ends! Couple of bhp’s could be added to unicorn too with very simple changes in carb settings. But be prepared for a mileage drop. So why not to go for better suspensions of unicorn!? Do some google search about Honda CBF150 abroad and try to understand where Karizma and CBZ come from as far as designs are concerned. I preferred the original! Apache RTR is good bike and highly appreciated too. RTR’s engine is powerful but not as refined as Honda’s. RTR’s lower seat makes it more maneuverable but you shall miss the confidence of monoshock’s balance. As far as Unicorn goes: it was designed as an ‘executive commuter bike’ and that’s what she delivers genuinely. Other competitor’s claims about masculinity and racer looks are nothing more than marketing propaganda. Honda didn’t pay me to market their product either, so instead of recommending them I shall ask you to use your own discretion. Please compare all bikes as packages instead of bias towards some brand image. For example, I won’t mind if the bike I have now is named after ‘your own surname’ as long as the quality is maintained.
I am driving unicorn in run-in stage so I cannot tell you what it does beyond 50kmph, but I shall post my full review in less than a month.
Always wear helmet, give way to stupid pedestrians, keep distance from rickshaws and care for ‘life’. Think twice because life comes once.