Hmmmm....
The Honda Unicorn 150 cc, one of the most awaited mobikes of the season in INDIA.
Frankly, it is a letdown.
It is indeed the best of the 150cc range available in INDIA, but it is not yet at the zenith of what Honda Ltd. can offer even in the value-for-money segment.
Lets start with the exterior, looks.
The bike design is very nice and clean. The vehicle looks wow from every angle possible, left, right, up, down, front, back. maybe that is because it is the nearest design to perfection and simplicity among the contenders for the 150cc crown.
Colours available are decent, although a mild champagne gold colour like that for the Karizma would look awesome.
No Labels/ Graphics except ’’Honda’’ and ’’Unicorn’’ and good fit, finish and build quality as expected from the co.
The ride position is comfortable, though the seat may have to be upholstered a bit for those long mumbai-alibaug / mumbai-pune rides.
The things that really matter:
For the first time we have officially a bike here that has a good adjustable monoshock suspension setup at the rear. It holds up well and has very little feel of letdown. A little stronger setup would be better considering the very rash and rough usage of the youngsters here today. Possibly it may have to be changed every 20k kms or so in very rash usage.
The engine has quite similar displacement to the pulsar 150 but the pulling power is good and the torque curve is quite different. This can be borne out by a simple test ride.
Gears are slick and easy to operate. No false gears have been reported yet and the shift quality is good. Being a new bike, I would not be able to say about the life of either the engine or the gear, although if the co. reputation is anything to go by, this is something a potential buyer does not have to even consider.
To be serious about it, I would not buy this bike now, since a self-start is no longer an accessory but essential device. Booking Q is in the months now at some places, so better to request for a self-start variant while booking since the co. unofficially says it will be launching it soon.
Also the tyres suck and have poor grip at speeds of 100kmph+. best to change then with Michelin, Bridgestone or Dunlop.
A gear 6 would be just fine.
IMHO take only the self start variant, or wait it out for the slugfest between Suzuki and Honda in the higher cc ranges (400-1000cc) if you can afford it.
If you cant wait IMPORT your own bike and kits, I’ll provide the garage facilities.
BTW: comparision with pulsar: NO CONTEST. THE UNICORN WINS HANDS DOWN IN EVERY DEPT. EXCEPT AVERAGE AND LACK OF SERVICE CENTRES.
Comments and questions most welcome.