Re: Honda CB Unicorn 163cc Launched at Rs 69350 - Live Updates!

Looks alright to me. Though I did not like the side panel(besides the tank). Was expecting a little different design this time.
For the targeted segment, there are not many reasons why they wouldn't go for Apache160(power) or Gixxer(fresh looks). Rest depends on Honda on how they market it.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 163cc Launched at Rs 69350 - Live Updates!

Youth will not go with this one as power difference between uni 160 and gixxer is marginal whereas gixxer will easily beat uni160 in all other departments like handling, flickability, road grip, looks, features etc.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

No I never said everyone who will buy this has a bigger bike. I meant that the age group selected by Honda as the target demographic are not old enough to want only commuting ability, in fact they prefer to have more power with comfort. But all things said we do agree that the bike is under powered (which the original unicorn was not).
As for the reliability of the new mill, I only suspected its reliability as a few of my friends who own Honda CB Twisters have had to overhaul their bikes as early as 30k kms. I personally feel Honda is super reliable (at least when it comes to their engines it is so) but having seen those ill fated twisters I had my doubts about the 160cc mill.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

That is half-correct. It depends on where you live.
If you go to Tier 2, Tier 3 or rural areas, you will see the hard working 25-35 aged middle class people still ride 150cc Heros. TVS and Hondas. They are the target market for 100-150cc commuters and ofcourse the office going junta in big cities aswell who do not want bigger, powerful bikes but instead want more fuel efficient, less maintenance cost and enough juice to carry a pillion everyday and accelerate out of traffic signals or even filter through stranded vehicles in peak traffic jams. This is where small torquey engines come in handy.
Bigger bikes will require a bit more money to maintain and run and defeats the purpose of commuting especially when most middle class people think of two wheelers as an alternative to bus/auto fares.
I am in a Tier-2 city and even 3 years after owning my 250, i still get asked why i dished out so much money for a "bike" instead of buying a "car" to carry 4 people. The perception is still the same. I can only imagine what questions i will have to answer next year when i trade it for the 650

Then there is the problem of styling. If something is too sporty, the old people will ditch it altogether. Big bulky tank looks uncomfortable to them and their family jewel.
And if you style it too conservatively you will alienate the young buyers for it would look too mature for their tastes.
Its a difficult scenario to please every age group with one model, this commuter segment that is.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

looks pure commuter. from distance it looks like HUNK...not much of a eye pleasing design but spec is good. thinking why didnt they give atleast better look.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-


I asked for a 17bhp motor bro not a 70bhp motor. I don't know about others perception but to me this bike would still be a commuter bike if it had a 17bhp engine (albeit a marginally fast one).
People in rural areas prefer anything that is not flashy and happens to be affordable. Most bikes in the 150cc segment fail to serve that purpose. I'm not saying 150cc bikes don't sell in the rural areas but their sales are much lower than 100,110 and 125cc bike sales. And mopeds like tvs xl sell even more. So I honestly don't see why anyone would want this bike in those areas especially when a Bajaj pulsar 150, hero cbz, and the old tried tested and slightly cheaper unicorn 150 is still available for purchase.
And honestly 14.5bhp is not an upgrade in terms of power, especially since the cbz extreme has 14.2bhp and new gen pulsars have 15bhp engines.
I'll tell you who the real target demographic for this bike were, the loyal fans of the original unicorn, like me. It was meant to be a legacy. Something that can be owned by two generations at least. Like the Rx100.
Instead we got this bike. Its not bad but its not the exceptional, game changing product that its predecessor was.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

A 17hp 150/160 cc air cooled motor will be highly stressed, return much less fuel economy and will require more periodic maintenance and will most likely fail to meet stringent emission norms.
Clearly not something a rural middle class working guy would want to own, or previous Unicorn owners would want to replace their ageing bike with.
Also 14.2/14.5/15.0hp figures are really pointless if you're talking about crank horsepower. On the dyno, they will all be in the 12.xx range assuming 15% transmission loss.
The performance gain would be very negligible unless the other bikes have a high weight advantage in this segment.
What would be really important is to dyno all these bikes and verify their power and torque curve. Given that they all make around 12hp at the rear wheel, their dyno graph will point out the obvious pros and cons.
For eg: a bike with a flat torque curve would provide better acceleration and also require much less shifting for city commutes.
Unfortunately none of the automotive magazines can afford a dynojet so we never get to hear the technical sides of any of the bikes being launched in this country.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-



I quite agree. But only going by specs provided by the company I said that the new 160 unicorn is not much of an improvement. As for a 17bhp returning low FE, well the original unicorn was 13.6bhp and returned an fe of 55kmpl in the city, whereas other bikes in this class (barring rare cases) returned 40-45kmpl on their best day with more power and torque on crank. But people still chose these other bikes even in rural areas. And I will strictly maintain that these bikes don't have much of a market in rural or semi-urban India as these markets are dominated by 100,125 and 135cc bikes. As for maintenance of a 17bhp bike, its a 17bhp bike, from HONDA. Non of their bikes have ever needed excessive maintenance. And its not like I'm asking for a liquid cooled, fuel injected engine. So honestly how much maintenance can there possibly be?.

The urban commuter has shown people time and time again that no matter how concerned he appears about mileage, at the end of the day he'll choose a bike which offers decent fe with a lot of bang. So while the 160cc motor maybe more relaxed it will still produce the same power as a 5 year old pulsar. So you tell me why anyone would pay to buy something new that has nothing new to offer over something that is tried, tested, and loved.

Honda failed its best bike's legacy and I stand by that statement.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

I'm 19 and I find this bike absolutely unattractive. How do they expect 25-35 year olds to buy this :/ It's not sporty at all and like the old unicorn it will be a family commuter with middle aged men using it to transport their family rather. It's headlight is attractive from the front but the side looks so bulky and old. Except for the new tail light, everything looks aged. Trigger appears much more attractive! gixxer and rtr 160 anytime over this!!!

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-


You answered your question yourself mate! Not everyone needs a sporty bike beyond a point in life. A lot of them (usually the 28+ and married lot) prefer a bike which looks decent enough, comfortable seating posture, which is reliable and returns decent FE.

Why do you think the original Unicorn launched sometime in 2006 is still doing better sales numbers than the FZ, Gixxer and Trigger put together in a month? The simple answer is, it is reliable and does what is says along with being easy on the pocket. Not everyone wants a flashy bike you know. If you still don't get it, wait until you grow up a bit and start paying your own bills :P

Honda is being smart here catering to a segment which gives them back more business rather than enter a niche segment which will give them less numbers.

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17 BHP is CBR150R territory mate! It doesn't make sense for one of their products to cannibalise the sales of another which caters to a niche segment.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

Spec Comparison: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Vs Suzuki Gixxer Vs Yamaha FZ Fi Vs TVS Apache RTR 160 - Comparison By Overdrive

Spec comparison

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

yeah right, I was just telling it for the targeted audience and its sporty look justified in the launch article. Else I know the difficulty and even faced advices from older people in getting my first bike :P As you said, for them its more of functionality than form.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

To produce 17 bhp in a 160cc bike, it needs four valves, liquid cooling, and a bigger carb; CBR150 already doing that job. The torque would still be low for regular commuting. This 162.7cc motor in Unicorn has same bore as old unicorn, but the stroke is increased to 63mm. With long stroke, the initial torque should be quite strong, along with good midrange. With 135kg weight, this bike should be capable of quick and effort less 0-60 figures. The Unicorn 160 would be a strong commuter with comfort and FE. When its compared with Gixxer, apart from tire size and front disc size, rest of the specs are matched completely, though Unicorn has better torque and power marginally. This Unicorn should be an excellent family power commuter.

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

Well said Ravi, been seeing lots of posts saying Gixxer is the clear winner, so and so...
This bike is havng better torque figures and almost same weight as Gixxer. And no one has even test ridden the bike, but already declared Gixxer to be the winner!

Re: Honda CB Unicorn 160 Launched at Rs 69350/-

To put it exactly, Gixxer is for youth and Unicorn 160 is for a man who needs comfort to commute with family. There is no winner here, both are good with different target audience.