I remember, few months back even Yammies have been criticized and ridiculed for their approach. The only difference being that their 125cc and 100cc bikes haven't been doing good either. Don't get me wrong, I am not comparing, lest some nomad sends a pictoral depiction of differences. Infact I am trying to draw a parallel. For people who may have switched their loyalties from Honda to others, trust me it is not the biker who choses the bike but the bike who choses the biker. And if and when Honda comes back with a higher end bike and blows the market away, loyalties again will be restored. Once a Honda always a Honda.. Same goes for Yammie or for a any cult like brand. I am waiting.... and meanwhile adding miles and years to my Uni

when uni launched it had bigger fuel tank unlike other bikes .. and when i was test riding it i had that perticuler ducati look in my mind which was used to be a wallpaper in my pc !after searching abt honda bikes on internet i was more then happy to purchase it as uni seems to be derived from that honda hornet!! and every body quoting +ve abt honda technology!!

Hmm...I did not know that making powerful machines or what is needed by enthusiasts is labeled as "charity".

Know this that Yamaha are laughing their way to the bank and future sales too.

HH and H are clearly manufacturers of "Uncle Bikes"...snazzy paint jobs and RR stickers make a large difference in the way the bike is sold...at least here in India.

I don't think that the sexy 250 v-twin is makin its way to India since it would be quite expensive according to our homologation rules ... If they could make anything based on those models or launch a CBR 150R from other asian countries where they are doing their duty now then honda could enter the real power game else..... like nitrosathya said " dreams sweet dreams"

@Devilpulsarian: ...Yesterday too, in the upcoming P180 thread, Rossiter had to come and delete your OT posts!!! And it seems that you are carrying that legacy in this thread, for which it is not meant to be!

Anyways, in short, Stunner and Unicorn are one of the best choices to go for in their respective segments and better than their counterparts in overall functionality especially Bajaj discovers and pulsar 150. And these motorcycles are not fancy sticker jobs, right!

Coming to Yamaha, they have done a brilliant job with their FZ16 and R15 as they have finally out to regain the lost status after RXs. Frankly, Yamaha didn't have a choice other than to take this aggressive path, 'cause they were so down in the mud that launching another commuter oriented bike might have ended like just another sorry attempt to take on the market! Whereas R15 has no direct competition!

Honda on the other hand has enjoyed decent enough share in the market from their very first product, the Activa. Yes their products are commuter oriented and as much as "uncles" might like them, the likes of you and me are buying them in hordes!!!

Yamaha started their image rebuilding by launching their flagships R1 and the MT01. Hasn't Honda done the same in the recent past? They too have come out with their CBR1000RR and CB1000R, and though they might be out of reach of many but it tells clearly of their future intentions too! So relax, other than the sporty R15 and the RTR, others are commuter oriented motorcycles too!

Stop bashing Honda for what they are not doing!!

Again the same old Bajaj - HH battle started..!! Why dont ppl get over it..!!!!!

@ NV: Sirjee..even bajaj has commuter bikes in the 100cc, 125cc, 135cc, 150cc...i hope you havn't forgotten them..!!

^+1

Business is all aboutmaking profits.. doesn't matter if can be achieved by churning out street/track scorchers or utilitarian 'uncle' type commuters.

There is no mention of HH Vs. Bajaj. Its all about HH and H. Nowhere did I mention the Bajaj name here anywhere.

My point is that if it was some manufacturer that did not have the technology (read Bajaj), it would have been ok...but with the mighty Honda...a company that has ruled the race tracks for decades, if they keep on introducing cheapo models here...its shameful.

Agree with many others that this is "charity"...and many others will say that the Blade and the naked CB are performance bikes...but the gap between what it produces and what it imports is almost ten fold in capacity and 20 times in price.

At the end of it...Honda's stepmotherly, milk the Indians attitude is not really the way.

Bro I own a honda as well....
Dont take things in the way they are not meant to be.
If something is here to be critisized, lets accept the critisism


One or two colorful attempts here and there have been kind of digestable...

But a whole potpourrie of some mismangled absolutely confused colors is a disaster......

Older extreme, hunk, zma were stupendos machines, but painting them with some florocent colors in turn making them horrible.

Anyways, my personal opinion...
Chill..

@Niranjanvaidya: Yes, now it makes more sense

We can praise Yamaha now for bringing the R and FZ DNA in the form of R15 and FZ16. And Yamaha was the one from whom this kind of a move was most required due to their situation at that time. And they did it as they are very much capable of doing so. However, we suddenly cannot start blaming Honda for not doing something similar so far. See, every international manufacturer needs a solid base if they plan to take a decent share in the motorcycle market in India. The Activas, Unicorns, Shines are doing this job for Honda and now Stunner. I am sure Yamaha must have thought of doing something similar but I think may be they realised that it's gonna be impossible to eat into the share of the likes of HH. Hence Yamaha did something which nobody has done before and created a completely new segment with R15 even with a 150cc engine! And it is bringing them the fruits

There are other reasons too for Yamaha coming out with the R15. People were really starting to ignore Yamaha then and they needed much more than just something in direct competition to Xtreme/Unicorn/Pulsar/RTR. And R15 is that product which has actually worked and exploded in the face of the competition and suddenly Yamaha is on everyone's tongue And Honda have never been in a bad or desperate situation like Yamah was in, in India. So its acceptable if they are being slow!!!

So now when Yamaha have done that, let's give sometime to Honda and Suzuki to make similar moves, we simply cannot expect similar response from them instantly even if they have similar products in other countries, I am sure they have seen the success of the R15 . By launching their flagship models, the intentions of Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha already quite clear. Honda has already started to change its approach by giving us one of the most stylish commuter in the Stunner...I mean, a 125cc commuter never looked so good before! And look at suzuki, even they have come out with a commuterish 150cc which many say is a better Unicorn because of gizmos like the digital speedos and 6 gears.

Honda will satisfy the performance hunger now that they have a decent share in the market and majorly due to the success of R15 Well, I hope they do!!! Howeover, we shouldn't really expect an R15 competitor from them for now, may be the RTR competitor instead! Yes

@Devilpulsarian: I am cool man

^ exactly. We bikers (the enthusiasts) hardly make up for 5% of the total two wheeler sales in India. The restr 95% sales come from 100 / 125 and 150cc bikes and that is there the money lies for the manufacturers too. They have to have a good solid base in the commuter segment to earn good money and not just concentrate on providing bikes for the enthusiasts. It is a natural thing.

the fact of the matter is this...

Yes.. launching 100cc may make sense for Honda. Just the way stunner did in 125cc, Honda may be planning for similar 100cc that offers a package like no other existing 100cc may do. There will be many more happy faces they would see, which may not necessarily contribute to a significant number in the xbhp community.

I dont care what Honda does in 100cc. They just aint doin a thing in the segment that I want them to do something. And no body can take my right away from me to crib against that. . I can try and understand Honda's situation. But that does no good to me. I am a Honda's customer and not Honda's spouse. I can be even more demanding

^
Absolutely. But Let Honda establish its base first. Let it have atleast 7 models catering to the masses, then we will get one model catering to perf' oriented people like us. The one thing HH has kept Honda from is the 100cc segment. Let Honda have a better then the rest 100cc bike, get a stronghold, and I am sure they are not ignoring the fact that so many FZ16s and R15s are selling.

Look at their current lineup: Activa(revamped) DIO, 125cc shine, 125cc Stunner, and a 150cc Unicorn. Eterno is discontinued. With just 2 scooters, and one 125cc bike (Stunner was launched in '08) Honda has been making profits. Now all they need is a 100cc mass segment bike, and they are all good to go! Just give them time.

Already a 150cc is being developed. An Fi, 150cc bike and the 120 section tire is being developed exclusively with MRF. Things are looking up.

WHAT! source .. linky????????