The Introduction
The most awaited bike of the year is finally out... Honda Unicorn. This 150 cc, 4-stroke, 13.3 BHP bike is Honda Motors and Scooters India Ltd’s first foray into the Indian motorcycle market.
Honda has traditionally been a very conservative company, and especially so in India. It also understands the psyche of the average Indian 2 wheeler consumer-who looks at value for money products and though this has been a disappointment for the handful of purists in the country craving to see the familiar Honda ’’Wings’’ emblem on something sportier, something more exclusive. Its first offering Activa was all what Honda stands for- reliability and value, and included a few innovative features such as the CLIC(convenient lift operation) and tuff up tubes.
Dio addressed the clamor for style, but wasnt a run away success as most Indians still prefer the conservative lines of the Activa. Honda has played the same card in the motorcycle market this time round into offering a product that is not exactly awe-inspiring, but an improvement over the competition in every respect, well almost every...
The Name
The Unicorn is not a snazzy name, nor does it inspire a lot of imagination or of anything associated with biking, but then it is distinctive...and people will probably get used to it, as we got used to Karizma.
The Looks
One word to describe the looks of the bike- elegant. There is elegance written everywhere.The front faring, which is Karizma inspired may look rakish from the front but looks great side on. The seat is long and comfortable. The tank is shapely, and knee recesses are apt for the average Indian male height. The three pod instrumentation cluster again is elegant, with one large speedo console, and two smaller consoles showing the fuel gauge and tachometer.The tail light, again Karizma inspired, looks good. The overall built quality of the bike is excellent, paint, fit and finish being of a very high order.
The Innovations
The most obvious is the rear mono shock which does a great job in making the ride smoother and strain free. The Unicorn is also the first motorcycle in India to come up with puncture resistant MRF tuff up tubes. A special diamond frame chassis makes for breezy handling.
The Engine
As usual, Honda has furnished a gem of an engine in the Unicorn. Though it does not do any pathbreaking - like the Bajaj DTSI or TVS VTI engines, it does offer some new things- a CV carburettor offers smooth power supply through all rev ranges, a 2 way cooling jacket provides effective cylinder cooling, thus aiding in a stable pickup, an offset crank reduces friction losses. Multi mapped CDI ignition ensures optimum fuel combustion which ensures higher mileage and better power delivery.The engine also features tumble flow combustion chamber which maximises fuel combustion, and a roller rocker arm in the camshaft to again reduce friction losses.
All these small but effective features, in addtion to an aerodynamic body and higher gearing compared to the competiton (read Pulsar), gives the Unicorn best in class 0-60 kph performance, in just over 5 seconds, and deliver an effective mileage in city of 55 kmpl and in highways-60 kmpl. These figures are the very good, more so keeping in mind the smooth manner in which the power is delivered across all rev bands, and acceleration is class leading.
The Gearbox
The gearbox is a conventional 1 down 4 up pattern. Slick in every aspect, no false neutrals whatsoever. The gearing is taller, so no need to shift gears when in low speed. This feature is a boon to stop and go city traffic.
The Ride
The mono shock, along with the diamond frame makes light work of potholes and bumpers, and the well padded seat offers good backside support. The riding position is comfortable with handlebars a bit on the wider side. The front disc brakes add to the brilliant stopping powers in the machine. Top speed is expected to be in the 100-110 kmph range.
The Service
I found the Honda service people to be an unfriendly lot. They are adept at their work, but perhaps they were not ready for the amount of publicity the bike has generated, and I find them harried and snappy. I think Honda needs to do some serious retraining of their staff and also need to expand staff in most of their showrooms to cope with the increased attention so that prospective customers are not driven to competitors. The Unicorn is booked for the next three months, so be prepared to wait.
The Cons
There a few things that I would have liked in the bike. For starters, better quality switchgear. The switch gear supplied on the Unicorn reminds of bikes that are a decade old. An airplane type fuel cap is being offered in the 100 cc machines, and hence should have featured in the Unicorn. The horn is squeaky and 100/90 tyres would probably have further added to the handling package. But the cardinal sin as far as the Unicorn goes is the lack of an electric start, at least as an option. Honda says it will offer one soon.
The Competition
The current bikes in the 150 cc segment are the Bajaj Pulsar 150, TVS Fiero F2 , Hero Honda CBZ, LML Graptor, and the Kinetic GF 170 (it is a 170 cc). The Unicorn bests the Fiero in handling, power delivery, looks and style. It beats the CBZ in top end power delivery, mileage and initial pick up. Graptor is good, but build quality is suspect and the GF 170 looks dated. That leaves the current leader in the premium segment-Pulsar. Again the Unicorn wins in almost all fronts- including pickup, power delivery, handling and mileage, except for street presence. The brutish, devilish front fairing, and the huge muscular tank in a Pulsar still attracts more glances than the conservatively styled Unicorn.
The Price
The Unicorn has the Pulsar squarely in its sights, and the pricing, all over India is Rs.200-300 +/- Pulsar DTSI prices (the non electric start version that is). In Chennai its on road price is Rs. 54, 900, which, considering the competition is unbelievable value for money.
The Verdict
As far as my personal opinion goes, the overall package in the Unicorn is excellent and sure to cause Bajaj some consternation. Honda is here to stay, and that is why it is looking to build up volumes first. A 150 cc machine is sure to be followed by more exciting launches in the coming years, and that probably makes me give a thumbs up sign to the Unicorn.