Honda Unicorn – Decent bike with great mileage
Honda Motor Company Limited, founded by Sir Soichiro Honda, is a well-loved and renowned Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures automobiles, including motorcycles. The Honda brand has a high level of brand recall, product reliability, and overall refinement of its vehicles. All of these attributes would fit well in a market like India. Over time, Honda motorcycles have become a true choice for riders, ensuring safety, economy, durability, comfort, and style.
The CBUnicorn is a motorcycle from the Honda company that perfectly defines all of the above attributes. In 2005, Honda’s Research and Development team in Japan designed and developed a new engine in-house called the CBF 150M. They put out several bikes based on this engine and the Unicorn was foremost among them. The letters CB denote the name of the engine and are placed before all models that use this new engine. Sportier versions of the Unicorn have appeared since 2005, but the basic technology has remained more or less the same to date.
The Honda Unicorn, better known as the CB Unicorn, is powered by a smart, air-cooled, 149.1cc SOHC four-stroke engine that has swirl induction for better performance. This engine produces a maximum power of 13.48 hp at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 12.8 Nm at 5,500 rpm. It is rated for a smooth five speed constant mesh gearbox. The bike has a top speed of 114 kilometers per hour and has acceleration from 0 to 60 kilometers per hour in just 5 seconds. It produces an actual mileage of 50 to 55 kilometers per liter, although the company claims a mileage of 60 kilometers per liter. The fuel tank has a maximum capacity of 13 litres.
It has a distinctive sporty, macho design with a masculine front end and knee-grip fuel tank. Other special features of the CB Unicorn include a front disc brake, single shock rear suspension, digital speedometer with analog tachometer, star alloy wheels and a digital fuel gauge. The monoshock rear suspension ensures a smooth ride on all types of roads. The seat is positioned in such a way that the driver feels quite relaxed. There’s also improved ride and handling. However, the absence of a digital console can be said as a minus in the Unicorn.
A standard Unicorn is available from Rs 63,000 in the market. Cost may vary based on additional features provided. It is available in Pearl Igneous Black, Space Silver Metallic and Pearl Siena Red shades. Honda CB Unicorn competes quite well with other popular ones in the Indian bike market like Bajaj Pulsar 150, Hero Hunk, Yamaha SZ-S and TVS Apache.