Car & Bike Honda Unicorn

all cons and no pros in my view...

usually honda and HH's spares are very costly. Check the service given in your area. it depends a lot on that.

people select hondas just because of the engine refinement, but the engines of other vehicles are not bad either. in my opinion, apache and pulsars have more vfm.

my list would be:
1. apache RTR
2. pulsar 150
 
I got a Honda Unicorn in Jan'08... So far there are no disappoints from my side… I got the Unicorn since I wanted a bike that would last me atleast for a decade… reliability and stability were the two things that helped me finalise my choice…

Overall I feel the bike has the best engine… even at 60-80km/hr it does not vibrate… after 90km/hr it starts vibrating a little. Compared to the pulsar it definitely has better ride stability at high speeds. Although the bike has a 150cc engine it is comparable to the Pulsar 180cc (personal citation from a friend of mine who has a Pulsar 180cc and has test ridden my Unicorn)… It revs up to 60km/hr@4500rpm and 80km/hr@6000+rpm

Another point to be noted is that Unicorn is a bigger bike than its competitors i.e. Pulsar and Apache RTR. Unicorn is heavier, bigger and the seat is much higher. After riding the Unicorn… a Pulsar feels too small ;)

My advice to you is test ride all the bikes before buying a bike… it generally depends person to person…
 
booo said:
all cons and no pros in my view...

usually honda and HH's spares are very costly. Check the service given in your area. it depends a lot on that.

people select hondas just because of the engine refinement, but the engines of other vehicles are not bad either. in my opinion, apache and pulsars have more vfm.

my list would be:
1. apache RTR
2. pulsar 150
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b00 you idiot, you are raghunandan, arent you?
 
^^^ what happend :S are you having lot of fight with him

pls tell me the stories about him :p

for budget bike you can get pulsar 125 :) less engine cc and more mileage
 
I have a Unicorn - self start model. I like it a lot. :)

Pros:

  • Super stability under various riding and braking conditions
  • Great engine response and smooth ride
  • As someone already mentioned, vehicle dimensions make it comfortable for tall ppl. Comfortable seating.
  • High capacity tank. Although advertised as 13 litres, I have filled a lot more. Good for long distance biking.
  • Decent and mild horn. I just hate the way Pulsar owners honk away to glory adding to the noise pollution.

Cons:

  • Had gear issues for almost a year - shifting from 1st gear upwards and back wasn't smooth at all.
  • Sad service from Honda. Tried at least 4 different authorized service stations - all of them suck big time.
  • Some of the exterior parts are cheap quality and tend to break easily. So do the indicator lights.

:)
 
I have the 1st gen Unicorn (without the decals). I had bought it in 2005. And i have never been more satisfied with any bike tht i had before, as i am with the Uni. :p I had a Pulsar 150 DTSI b4 it which i sold off within months as the gears were pathetic, false neutrals were so common and the bike was not at all comfortable at high speeds..i always had this feeling tht it was going to topple over..:lol: Short stance didnt help much either and the smaller wheelbase didnt help at all with ride stability. And the plastic parts wud vibrate so badly after a few months..quality control of bajaj sucks big time..:no: Mileage drops after a few months too..:no:

Sold it off and bought a glinting red Unicorn..and the first thing tht struck me was the butter smooth engine, the gearshift which was just so positive..and the bigger dimensions of the bike helps inspire confidence at high speeds..cross winds are just not an issue with the uni..u feel firmly planted..all thanks to the weight and longer wheelbase..Road holding is awesome and i never ever felt tht bike was vulnerable at high speeds..not at all.. Performance is adequate..i've taken it to 110 kmph..Overdrive and BSmotoring figures say tht it can go upto 115 kmph..but didnt want to strain the engine..so i backed off..:p

Mileage is an average 50-60 kmpl which is alright..depends on your riding style. :p The bike hardly makes any noise...and thts what i like about it...it doesnt show off the power it is able to churn by making loud grunts..:p

Also, the seating position is very comfortable..u can take it for long highway rides without feeling any back pain at all..try to do tht on a pulsar and u'll know..sporty riding position of the pulsar is only good for short stints..on the highway, it just strains ur neck and back and u feel tired after a few kilometers on the highway..:no:

Quality control has never been an issue with honda and even after 3 years, there are no squeaks or unwanted noises from any of the plastic parts at all..it does feel really well built..:) All i have had problems with it is a blown rear brake lamp..:p thts all..:lol:
 
First of all, Thanks a lot to all.

No one mentioned about single shock absorver & for which i was very much attracted.

Waiting for some comments about single shock absorver. boz i use in rough roads, shifting from Bullet.
 
gcbeldar said:
First of all, Thanks a lot to all.

No one mentioned about single shock absorver & for which i was very much attracted.

Waiting for some comments about single shock absorver. boz i use in rough roads, shifting from Bullet.
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There is practically no difference with the monoshock compared the normal suspension setup of other bikes....

It was and is just a marketing ploy.

It was slightly better than the Pulsar's suspension but only till Bajaj introduced the Nitrogen filled shocks.
 
I'd suggest a Pulsar 200 or RTR 160, the Unicorn seems to have gotten a little outdated and performance isn't all that great anymore, besides spares and service will cost you a bomb as others have stated.
 
Anish said:
I'd suggest a Pulsar 200 or RTR 160, the Unicorn seems to have gotten a little outdated and performance isn't all that great anymore, besides spares and service will cost you a bomb as others have stated.
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Pulsar 200... but only if mileage wasn't a issue
 
the unicorn was the first ( and last ) bike i ever rode. was a joy to drive- so stable. felt very relaxed riding it. pity it couldnt go above 107 :(
 
see gcbeldar if you want more mileage less on looks then definetly you should go for unicorn but if you are looking for good looks and decent mileage then i would suggest you to go for pulsar 150.
about 4-5 months ago i was in same situation as you are and after checking all the pros and cons only, i went for pulsar 150.And iam happy that i made that decision :)
 
$nick$ said:
see gcbeldar if you want more mileage less on looks then definetly you should go for unicorn but if you are looking for good looks and decent mileage then i would suggest you to go for pulsar 150.
about 4-5 months ago i was in same situation as you are and after checking all the pros and cons only, i went for pulsar 150.And iam happy that i made that decision :)
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hey $nick$ u said unicron has less looks where are u on earth, unicorn looks sexy if one could remove the headlight and go for round ones like the ones one yamaha RX 100 ,the vehicle looks like Honda Twister ,and pulsar is supposed to be crappiest vehicle ever released ,coz the most no of accidents are in pulsar no road grip no stabilty its the crappiest nike i have ever ridden engine noise is high and every part in the vehicle vibrates :mad: ,i ad one sold it off in and have Karizma ,ma younger bro has unicorn its sexy :hap2:

PS : dont get Pulsar it has gear problems get a unicorn new one especially the limited edition one.
 
greenhorn said:
my only problem with the pulsar was that my b@lls hurt after riding one all day :p
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Thats a problem with your b@lls :p not the Unicorn.

The unicorn seats r on quite a slope and its not very comfortable for the pillon.

The bike just doesnt feel powerful.

Edit: I dont drive rough.... but I take the bike out only once or twice a week and never gave it for servicing. So I guess my opinion wudnt count compared to well oiled/maintained bikes...
 
I would rate the unicorn a notch higher than the 150 pulsar for 3 reasons - riding comfort, smooth gearshift and better mileage. I own a P150 and my friend a unicorn, and i ride his bike whenever we meet. It just feels more comfortable. As always, it would be better if you can ride both and decide for yourself. I haven't seen any serious problem in the unicorn on the whole
 
The one thing I hate about Hondas, hero hondas and pulsars is their disgusting one down rest up or whatever crap shifting mechanism they have, but I seem to be in a minority in this. Why can't they just have all down?
 
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