Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Hi all,
I recently got my bike serviced at Motul bike care center, Goregaon, Mumbai. It is the same place which is suggested by several Xbhp members in another thread. There are 3 main guys who do the work. Janardan, Reddy and Imran. They have a helper as well.
Total bill was Rs. 4690. Got discount of Rs. 90. Below is the itemized bill for parts and labour -:
Servicing 500
Engine Oil (Honda mineral oil ) 370
Cone set 460
Cone set labour charges 450
Brake Oil 40
Accelerator Cable 115
Choke Cable 85
Clutch plate 840
Press plate 160
Clutch wheel 285
Clutch hub 280
Clutch work labour 250
Carburetor slide 620
Rear brake shoe 235
I am satisfied with the service and the work done. They really spent time on each and every thing. I am not sure if the cost is higher or comparable to Honda ASC. But I am happy with the work done. After long time the bike feels like new.

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Spares cost is same as ASC few of the items I have enquired before and it's same as above. Cone set needed replacement ?? How much kms you have in your odo ?

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Hi all
I bought the Unicorn 160 bs4 Matte grey this month after intense research and my requirements. Here are my findings:

My requirements were:
-Powerful engine
-Comfortable seating
-Raised handlebar
-Average fuel economy
-City commuting
-Modern looks
-Good suspension

All my above requirements were fulfilled by my bike except stiff suspension in single riding.

I had some questions for my experienced friends:
1. When I go for filling fuel and open the fuel cap, I find some drops of petrol around the rubber. I have not filled the tank more than 2-3 liters. Is this normal?

2. Will shifing the pre load to position 1 turning clockwise soften the rear suspension in single riding?

3. If I give ASC oil bought from my side (shell or motul 10w30) break the warranty?

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Okay. Good to know that I was not over charged for spare parts. I had done 33382 kms. The mechanic was infact surprised that I didn't change it sooner. As per him we need to change it every 10000 kms. One thing is for sure after these changes the bike feels very smooth. Feels like new.
Today, I changed my tyres as well (from Bombay tyres, Thane). Had done 33550 kms on stock tyres. Replaced both front and rear together. MRF ZAPPER C 110/80 on rear and MRF ZAPPER FS1 80/100 on front. Same as stock tyres. Total cost Rs. 4000 including installation. I am going for a 1500km trip so didn't want to carry the old ones.

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Hi Arya809,

Im new owner of UNICORN 160, i shall give my opinions for your questions after completing my 1000kms ride going for first service in couple of days.

1. Low end torque is okay. The bike handles easy to manuer and i feel for city rides in traffic it often require 1st gear to handle the situation unlike other bikes which can do the same situation in 2nd gear.

2. Regarding shock adjustment i dont have any idea... But what i noticed is that the shock absorber is super gud to comfort the ride. Unlike the conventional spring suspension this one just handles good even with pillion.

3. As a new bike, i find Gear shift is smoother than wat i noticed in Apache rtr160. Some odd cases downshifting needs trick like releasing half clucth and reengage for gear change.

4. Balancing at low speed is okay. As the bike often requires 1st gear in city rides, i feel the riding posture of Apache much better balance than unicorn where the weight is fully on the handle bar. And the 1st gear ride can done effortlessly.

Those are my initial observation. Could be wrong with persons experience. [emoji106]

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

will changing the rocker set
or tightning the tappets
make sound of engine more smooth??

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Tightening tappets , Valve gap adjustment every 6000 km or 6 months is recommended by ASC.

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Guys, after extensive research, I've finalized Unicorn 160. I'm 35 years old, married, need a 150cc bike for 34-km daily commute, out of which I'm happy to say 30 km is highway, and riding a bike here is PURE BLISS. I test drove the Hornet and it was a really good bike, but I didn't like the leaning posture much.

Really looking forward to owning this AWESOME MACHINE and be a part of this thread

PS: By the way, I know the difference is just 3k, but is it worth it getting the CBS version with only the front disc brake?

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Any reviews here from short-time and long-time owners? Would appreciate it.

Also, what's the average FE that you guys are getting?

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

It's a nice and decent bike. Having owned bikes like Duke, karizma, bullet, ex etc, the unicorn 160 is a welcome change for me in terms of FE, smoothness and reliability. I've clocked 12000 kms and no problems so far.

I'm getting around 45 kmpl, roughly..

Cheers,

Karthik

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

Thanx a lot for the feedback.

A weird thing I noticed today. Since the official Honda showroom said there's a 5-month waiting list, I visited a few bike dealers, and almost all of them recommended me the Unicorn 150 and said that Unicorn 160 is a "failed model" and has "flopped", etc. Some were even questioning the durability of the bike (in comparison to the 150). After I insisted that I want the 160, all of them said that they can arrange the bike for sure but would advise against it.

Maybe they have a low margin of earning on that model, I don't know. What do you guys think? Any truth to this?

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

I dont think its failed model. I have seen many new unicorn160s in my place. I own this bike for around 3 year now. This bike hasn't given me any problems. For the segment this bike gives better FE and power. The downsides i faced r...poor headli8 visibility, hard suspension apart from these bike is good

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

I bought the Unicorn 160 bs4 one month ago. Before buying I went to 2-3 Honda showrooms and everywhere sales people told that bike has a waiting of 1-2 month. Unicorn 150 was readily available but I wanted to buy 160 as there was just Rs 2000 difference between the two and 160 is a better package with tubeless tires, powerful engine etc. On enquiring via phone one day to a dealer they said that 160 is available and you book it ASAP. I booked the bike immediately and took delivery.

Now, the reasons 160 is not available in showrooms easily maybe:
-*Scooter first policy of HMSI*. They are running all the assembly lines (which they are short of) giving preference to scooter segment. If they increase their manufacturing lines mayby they give preference to bikes.
-*Promoting Hornet over Unicorn 160*. Hornet has same engine with different tuning and maybe HMSI want to sell Hornet more.
-*People not getting over Unicorn 150*. I talked to a service guy at service center and he tod me "sir, logo ko aadat lag gai hai 150 ki, vo hi reliable lagti hai par 160 acchi bike hai"
-*Particular segment of people buying 160*. There are very particular group of people with well defined needs who buy 160 reducing its domain. Unicorn 160 having a heel and toe shifter was a deal maker to me :P

Opinions expressed are personal and will update if I find any new detail.

Chao.

Honda Unicorn 160

160 motor is indeed powerful but has some quality issues. Check hornet thread and you will get to know.

Some major issues with gears and water leaks into engine and poor power when engine is hot.
Not sure how many are facing these issues but the number is big. Mechanics are suggesting not to touch 160 at all in any form.

On the other hand, the old 150 is a gem. Dimensions are very similar to karizma. Tires and chassis are very similar to karizma. Wouldn’t be surprised if they are same.
Long wheel base. Ultra relaxed cruiser under 70 or 80. Reliability king. So, people still prefer to buy old one.

Saying as per what I see. Feel free to correct if I am wrong.

Re: Honda Unicorn 160

I own unicorn 160 snce April 2015 and have clocked 36000 kms so far. Have done 3 long distance tours ( each 1300 kms +) on it and my daily commute is of 50 kms.
Never faced any issue other than normal wear and tear. So I can vouch for the reliability of this bike. Mileage is about 45 kmpl. But if you ride sedatly it can go up to 55 kmpl easily.
It's a smooth engine and best commuter bike in my opinion. I would have loved to get disc brake and fatter tyres which hornet has, but I don't like the seating posture of hornet due to footpeg position.