My colleague bought a new Honda Unicorn and brought it to the office. I am not exactly a bike enthusiast but I needed to buy a bike too as my present bike was 6 years old, and I promptly asked for a test ride.
Well, the bike is solidly built and as heavy as the Kinetic GF 125, but not as heavy as the pulsar150 cc. It has central steering lock and the Instrument console is standard, not very impressive like the Hero Honda Passion Plus etc.
It doesn?t come with the Electric Start. I think these days it should be a necessity rather than an option, the Bajaj Discover has Electric Start as standard option.
It feels comfortable to sit on the bike and you don?t have to stoop for the handle bar like the Bajaj Pulsar while riding. The kicker is a bit high and with two kicks it started, maybe new bike and I didn?t know the force to kick-start the bike etc.
It?s got the Yamaha gearshift 1 down and 4 up; I put the bike into gear and started off. The bike feels smooth to ride, very silent bike you can hardly hear the engine both when it?s on as well as on the run.
The acceleration is good, very good, and since it?s lighter than the pulsar you feel like the bike flies, not in the actual sense, but with the pick up and cruising speed, the horn is loud enough.
The brakes are good enough, I test stopped the bike (sudden brake) from a speed of about 50 kms per hour as it is the usual speed you ride in Bangalore, it stopped within 2 feet.
The Unicorn starts in any gear just by holding the clutch, this is a very important feature especially if the engine stops suddenly either due to sudden brake or when the bike comes to reserve.
The lights I am told are not as bright as the one in TVS GLX series as the lights are brighter and better focused in TVS GLX.
You don?t feel the weight of the pillion on the Honda Unicorn; its acceleration is good even with a pillion rider. But like the pulsar the pillion is slightly higher placed than the rider, even though the company claims that the pillion seating position is equal to rider, it is not so.
The mono suspension on the Unicorn is touted as the best technology in the world what we need is whether we are comfortable with it, the ride is comfortable but cannot be described as superb .
The company claims the Unicorn will start even if the bike is left in rains for a long period, if proven true; this is very very good and extremely important to me. Personally, my bajaj boxer if it gets wet in the rain it wont start even if the world is coming to an end and I have to run.
Mileage in the Unicorn I am told is about 50 kms to the liter of petrol, the bike hadn?t completed even 300 kms when I took it for a test ride. The mileage remains to be tested yet.
The Unicorn has lot of plastic or fiber on the sides with dull finish, which actually dulls the look of the bike, on the other hand a pulsar DTSi will actually gleam in the sunlight especially Black color.
The best colors of the Unicorn I think is either black or red
The price is Rs 56000 on road in Bangalore.
Cons
If you are married and plan to take the wife on the bike, beware there is no handle or grip for the lady to hold onto, the chances of a saree clad lady falling off the bike are very high, in fact its dangerous and the back of the bike is tapered off too so, the pillion cant take support from the bar at the end of the seat, this is a very severe draw back for a family man.
Mono suspension doesn?t allow for any fittings like saree guard of carrier box
No Self Start- they company says it will be released in a few months time, the self start itself may cost Rs 5000 more, but self start is a necessity and very convenient.
In terms of looks- doesn?t look grand for Rs 56000/- more a dull looking bike (we need a pulsar like gleaming look for the hard-earned money we pay)
Conclusion
Go for the bike if you?re single or don?t have to carry things around the place like groceries etc. Wait till they give self start as standard option, looks have to be improved, plastic should be removed and replaced with gleaming finish metal, we as customers should demand the best.
The Unicorn has good pick up, speed, smooth ride and good brakes. Traveling distances with the bike will be a piece of cake because of pickup and speed. Technical specs can be obtained from brochures etc, I have given the review from the user point of view.