Dear Reader,
Let me just be frank with my past 20 months of riding experience. This bike is excellent. When I first visited this site, not even a single review was there. That was in Nov, 2004. And now there are about 200. That speaks of its success........... Then why the hell am I writing this review after all the 200 reviews? I feel that NOW I am confortable speaking about UNICORN after running about 10, 000 KMS (very less for 20 months but yes that all I use it for)... There are many great features and few negetive features....so lets get started!!!
The most amazing features...
a true wing rider
Unicorn is a true wing rider. Why? Simply because of its smoothness..... When u ride it you can hardly hear the sound. For those of you who feel that a bike requires a kick or punch, this is definitely not your bike. I remember when I had to ride from Bangalore to Mysore and back, I could hardly feel that I had travelled 270Kms. I was almost at speeds b/w 80Km/h to 105Km/h. Even at that top speeds no viebration, no knocking, no sound. Truly a wing rider..
raw power for a city
On a sheet of paper it says 13.3 bhp. Don’t take that. Test ride it (when is say ride, I mean ride, not drive). You will be shocked with the pickup. For a city, where there are frequent signals and traffic jams u have the exact amount of power that you require.
more smiles per litre
Unicorn has an excellent fuel efficiency. It gives anything b/w 58 to 61 Km/l. Now if you had expected more than that, take my word - choose a milage bike. I have never seen a bike that gives such high power with such high fuel efficiency.
rock and roll on the roads
The bike is heavy. It might be difficult to handle for the weak guys. But then it gives you an excellent road grip. The bike has broad puncture resistant tyres. I wanted to see how long it can run, so I did not fill air for about 5 months. Finally it gave up. So if you maintain it, it is going to run, real long. The back wheel is broad enough to do your juggles. No more comment. Check yourself…
Some features that u must make note of before you buy.....
spare part costs - spare your pockets
The cost of the spare parts is really very high. Not that you have to change it all the time. becuase the quality is also very high. But lets say, ur indicator light rubber has come out. You will have to shell out about Rs100 for that. Anyways, good things don’t come cheap.
mirrors for you - not for roads
The mirror suppot bars a very short. As a result, when u adjust the mirror at its best, when u ride, u see your shoulders or arms cover half the mirror and the other half will show the road behind you. It is cometimes good because in heavy traffic, generally the mirror is the first to get hit. It is not the case with Unicorn.
the seat is just like a permenant one
They say that the seat is removable. Ya it is true, but you cannot keep any ting in it except for papers or a small piece of cloth. Even if you keep that it might be difficult to close that. On top of all the materials inside may block the air flow to the engine. It happened to me once. It took almost half a day for the mechanic to find that out.
Some features I found negative…
mono shocks – a marketing gimmick
If you would have seen I have given the comfort level as 4 out of 5. Why? Because I believe, mono shocks are not the best for the Indian roads. It has a setup of soft, medium and hard which you can set up on your choice. Give me a break!!!. Do you think, we are going to keep setting this shocks, every time we ride. It has decent comfort level and can be put in average or above average category, but certainly not in the best.
the loose parts at the back
The back light is held very loose, or at least you feel that when you jump over the bumps. There is no way to tight that up. Perhaps it is a problem with older unicorns. I have never heard this problem with the new ones.
One to one Comparison...
I know that when u come to check for review, u also want to compare with the other products that are there in the market. A review does not have the scope, but I will try to help you out...
I believe the only bike in comparison today to HONDA UNICORN is BAJAJ 150 DTSi. The others either come below the two or much above the two...
HONDA UNICORN VS BAJAJ 150 DTSi
EVEN MATCH
Same power -Same torque
Styling - Unicorn has streamlined look while Pulsar is the tough guy
UNICORN Scores
Excellent Gear box
Smoothness of the ride - there is no match to Unicorn. It stands bay hoooooooooondaaaaaaaaaaaa. smoothness.
PULSAR 150DTSi Scores
Shock absorbers excellent - The ride is far more smooth on pulsar than on unicorn when on a rough terrain.
This is my personal experience. U have to make to choice. ALL THE BEST