I bought unicorn on nov 6 2006 after 2 months of research and not to mention the number of sites I hav browsed through. I knew that bike is 2 and half year old from its launch and no upgrades but believe me guys the technology in the bike is good 5 years ahead of the current players in the market..
STYLING:
The unicorn styling is CONSERVATIVE rather than the aggressive looking PULSAR or the sharp looking APACHE The front fairing is descent if not sedate, I feel the rear part of bike is much more stylish and attractive than the front fairing and I hate the sticking job of Honda , its simply bad I would rather want the bike to be naked than with absurd stickers .I Hate the fuel lid its so old styled
ENGINE N XPERIENCE
I have done 4000 km alto gather of which 500km on the country side, 500 on the highway and the rest 3000 km on the busy roads of Bangalore city. The bike has excellent acceleration and pickup .I would be the first to disappear. As soon as the signal changes The bike generates 13.5BHp at 8000 RPM and the torque of
12.8Nm at 5500 RPM so guys high performance at less wear and tear .The torque is still highest in the class .so in long run it would leave other bikes behind .Ultimately torque matters in the long run but for intial acceleration power matters
The super silent engine is a pleasure for me to ride . and the butter smooth gear adds joy to life (flip side of butter smooth gear box is that because of me acclimatized to changing gears with minimal force, i use the same amount of force to go to 2nd to 1st so sometimes land in neutral , so butter smooth gear box deceives me to false neutral sometimes)
especially I love to cruise at 60-80 km on Bangalore roads ( sounds paradox but believe me guys there are certain stretch and time on my way to work where I can achieve the same)This instance particularly speaks about the great control, maneuverability and ease of handling (I am 5 6 and i had previously rodethe
2002-03 pulsar model found riding it very uncomfortable to handle)
The top speed till today I have reached without pillion is 109-111 kmph at 7200-7400 RPM still could do around 10 km but ran out of road and with pillion around max of 102-103 kmph had still around 700 RPM left all these on NH-7. Themileage I am getting in city is around 52-54kmph .Most of the times my speed is
in range of 60 - 80 kmph
The Unfair advantage in all the above cases is I use SHELL SUPER UNLEADED which is 2 bucks higher than normal fuel but worth it. The break’s are best in business and in its class
Cons of the bike*
1)lack of parking lights, trip meter , side stand indicator , lack of alloys
2)Irresponsible Honda service
3) gearshift from higher to lower in a emergency situation is problematic
4)Not so powerful headlight and horn
5) parts are pretty expensive
6)My bike has a cold engine need to use choke in early morning
7) Have reservations about tuff up tube coz u need to throw the tube once it gets punctured
Conclusion
I paid 62 grand just for its engine, gearbox, break’s and its handling , nothing else matters to me coz my riding pleasure is purely dependent on these parameters rather than anything else
My suggestion to wannabe bike owner’s is wait for new unicorn with cosmetic changes u will never regret it .coz its a MASTER PIECE and try to purchase a bike which match u’r requirements