brother.... thanks for ur reply but it wud be helpful if u cud elaborate....
please tell me what mileage u get.... what is the ownership cost ... etc
what do u think on handling on comparo basis???
please elaborate bro.... this kinda posts confuse me and nothing else

no bro... this decision i cannot make in hurry i know..... i ve waited a long time ..... so one month is nothing...... its the ultimate experience that counts

Dude, y arn't u considering GS150R. Ive test driven both the Unicorn & the GS. Felt that overall, the GS was a better package. I also dint like the toe gear shifter on the Uni. GS has the best console, smooth engine comparable to the Uni, gr8 mileage and decent looks. Cant say much abt Karizma. Its mileage is too low is never considered it. Ofcourse its a 220cc bike and ppl who own it swear by its performance. So i feel u shud decide if u want a performance bike at a premium price and higher running costs or an allrounder with good performance and lower running costs. I recommend that u take a test drive of the GS150R and then decide for u self.

OT:

i have taken the test ride of gs bro..... it is good when ur at high speeds..... then u dont feel the weight.... but at low speeds u feel its terrible heavy weight man..... while cornering at low speeds is a night mare .... it instills 0 confidence.... infact one of the xbhpian fell from it while doing the same in a test ride.... also a superbly strange thing is that the gs has some problem between the 3k-4k rpm.... thou some gs owner tell they feel it ... n some dont.... but it is THERE!!!...and what pissed me off is that the sc guys had no idea bout it..... even the zma weighs same as gs .... but it does not feel heavy while taking u turns etc.... also i loved the bike in some aspects like the console.... but it does not appeal that much to me..... i am a performace person..... if u gimme a unicorn with a rx speedo console i ll happily take it instead of gs if i feel that the performance of unicorn is much better ..... suzuki has come up in hurry to compete with the unicorn seriously..... i wud have been much better if they waited another year and released a real COMPETITOR ...... also there is some prob wid the handle lock thing.... mileage is awsome man i do agree...... and the engine smoothness...... no one can comment on it in a single test ride that is what i think unless n untill one has the minute knowledge of bikes,,,, i wud have done with everything if only zuki had distrubuted its weight well .... and the problem in mid range.......... as we knows... proper design and weight distribution is also a part of bike engg

sorry for this long lecture.... but tht i need to tell u

bro,trust me on the uni...
it's like ur bi*#h...
no maintenence,and no worries abt the milage even if u rip it past 110...
as for as the suspention,feels like foating in air at 70~80,no engine sound,no vibes,and no bothering abt the pot holes tooo... with a 200kg plus load on my uni even today,never haer any big thuds for huge pot holes...and my ride is 4yrs old,50k on the odo,crashed her 7~8 times(majour),but still has'nt lost the touch,moves like the wind... also the spares are not so costly...
handling at 126 - the only thing u can hear is the engine sound... no vibes,no wobbling... i do almost a 120km+ every day to-fro to my coll,nothing to complain abt...
take care of her and she'll be ur dog...

and i don't know much abt the zma but heard that the milage is quite low and the spares r costly...

There might some understanding issues here, either they didn't understand your question or, maybe you didn't understand their answer..

Or, maybe things have changed now.... and service and consumables charges vary from region to region.. but, that's insanic change and sound wayy too costly.

You should try talking to their seniors or some other dealer, if still no help, write to Honda -
Honda


Ownership cost is the on-road price of the bike, after paying which you can become the owner of it.

The power of ZMA doesn't come out of thin air, it is from the fuel consumption. In my opinion, you should best expect 25-30kmpl in city from ZMA, and 45-50kmpl from Uni. Handling, reliability and comfort of these machines shouldn't be..

I think, you should ask yourself, what are you looking for? Power or Economy? Noting - these are inversely proportional.

Ive been riding a first gen Uni (Aug 05 model) for the past three years and switched to a Zma a month ago

Here's me passing judgement now:

1). My Uni was a drunakrd right from the start. Although, ive never shied away from giving her the stick
The mileage has always been in the 40 thereabouts. Managed to get a best of 45 as per my records.
The Zma over the past month has been giving me a mileage of 35-40. A best of 40 and a worst of 32 is what Ive seen. My daily commute to-and-from my college is around 42kms and ive already witnessed quite a few tankfuls. The average is roughly 38kms to the litre on the Zma

2). The Zma feels like a grown-up Uni with a lot more punch. The typical Hondaish manners are however the same. Things never get hairy when your not riding like on a deathwish.


Hope Ive cleared some doubts. Please do feel free to post up for some more mythbusting

Cheers !

^^ 1) +1 ~ 38 kmpl is the overall achieved. have obtained 42 once, and even 32 on one ride.

^^ 2) +1 ~ ride her well and she'll treat you back doubly well. most comfy indian bike.

ur requirements say u're inclined towards Uni. every owner will say their bike is good. I own neither of them. so i advise- be firm on ur requirements. otherwise there's danger that u will regret on ur choice. zma is no doubt awesome bike... but smoothness of Uni is something like flying in heaven

Zma cons- 1.heavier 2. no monosuspension 3. no leg guard ( safety aspect ) 4. less mileage

Uni cons- 1. less power 2. bland styling ( if u consider older models, rectified in new)

Uni's rear suspension performance is much better because of its monoshock & is one of its strong points. thats why it feels so much comfortable compared to other bikes with dual shocks.

rest is upto you to decide

The 4kilo penalty on the Zma makes purely an academic difference man
The mono-suspension aspect however is quite valid. The Uni's ride-handling is well nigh impossible to beat but the Zma's rear suspension is a terrific compromise.
Doesn't falter on the handling front and keeps the Zma comfy even two-up, on bad roads etc. The mileage and considerably higher costs of owning one are the key factors methinks.


@Shadowfox: The Zma is every bit as refined as my first gen Uni mate. The newer batch (V3 if you will) has traded in some spunk for a little more refinement.
If one isn't planning on painting or writing a book while riding, the difference will be nigh imperceptible


Cheers !

thanks bro.... i have sent a message to honda of the dealer over pricing here... hope it works.....like gimme a break .... even a decent high quality oil cost somewhere near 800 bucks as far as i know ....
man this is day light robbery and the most amazing thing their arrogant dialogue when i doubted the prices is " APKO LENA HAI TO LO NAHI TO MAT LO.... APKI MARZI"... this is what the answer i got
thanks bro...... ya you have cleared some of my doubts surely.... thanks for participating and writing in n not being a silent spectator....
got the same info from a zma owner in my complex.... he said that if i ride at 60kmph smoothly i will definitely get 40kmph but if rash rip then forget what is mileage... but then who buys a zma to ride at 60kmph???,,,, but tell you what LOVED the TORQUE..... but then again someone told me that even uni has gr8 low end torq from 0-60..... man people always have contradictory talks.... which confuse but yeah this post surely cleared some myths ..... some more left please find time to clear them also
writtn them in the next post

well brother.... what do you mean by riding well???? riding smooth without punches and sudden accelerations or what??
what conditions where the 42 and what type of riding when 32?
n thanks
u said it brother..... u said it..... thats what my DAD also told me...... afterwards dont regret and even if u do so..... dont come to me... so from hella list of bikes..... acc to my liking i have short listed these two....
thanks for writing in
OT:
have seen u lurking in the gsx 150r thread from a long time ..... even i was doing so.... ru having eyes on it BEST OF LUCK BUDDY FOR YOUR CHOICE.... hope ur not confused like me

well so acc to mavrick46..... unicorn has good handling when compared to zma rite bro???

and what about performance in the rains??
any problem faced in electricals or skidding problems

also what are the initial mods required in both

as far i ve researched
1. zma throws light in a diff direction that ur moving
so will have to rectify it
2. in both will have to put up good bulb .... osram nightbreaker and horn
in zma it is direct fit without alteration.....uni dont know
may need coil rewinding .... but dont know what it actually means

@Outwordly:
Not an issue man. My 32kmpl figure was during the Nandi hills ride with the GIR team. During the ride, i was instructed (I just might have bought some leg-pulling sessions by OF for this) by Old Fox sir to take her upto say a 100k's and then bring her down to 60 or so. The reason being that, the engine must experience moderate-to-high loads during the running-in period. However, stagnant high/low revs would equate to loading the engine constantly and lead to glazing as a new engine tends to heat up pretty quickly

So, my trips to 6000 revs and then back to around 3500 revs, repeated during the entire trip meant that my Zma drank quite some fuel. Hence, the sub par 32kmpl.
In normal city conditions, i never need more than 4000RPM on the Zma. As, 4000 revs shoves the Zma to a tad above 60 clicks !
And thats certainly the best i can manage in Bangalore traffic.

Finally, there are absolutely no electrical issues with the bike whatsoever. Nothing thats a known issue in any case.
Hope ive been impartial enough to prevent clouding your head from exploring other options over the Zma

Cheers !

EDIT:
The rear tyre is inadequate in slushy conditions. But the Zma and the Uni both come shod with 100/90 18" MRF Zappers.
And both bikes feel very safe even in very slippery conditions as one can feel the rear stepping/trying to step outta line. Either you plonk for better rubber or ride decently when the skies open up
And im not saying that the Uni handles 'better'. All im saying is that, a mono-suspension shod vehicle definitely does find it easier to straddle the line between handling/ride quality extremely easily compared to one with twin springs.
A Nightbreaker on a Uni will definitely mean kissing the battery goodbye in a few months. Besides, even on a Zma, the Nightbreakers are useless unless you tour extensively leading to some major night rides. Drop the idea altogether in any bike if you aren't gonna be touring much after sunset.
The Zma's reflector ensures that there are no lighting problems due to the 'fixed headlight'. Also, if one analyses this 'problem' that many seem to point out, you'd realise that one never takes a corner with the handlebar turned significantly unless you are practically crawling. Which wouldn't be the case if you are worried about sufficient illumination at cornering speeds at night.

Phew. My that was some typing
Just go out and buy the damn Zma will you !!

Ride safe.

man
then what rubber shud i look for??

and
the lines
And im not saying that the Uni handles 'better'. All im saying is that, a mono-suspension shod vehicle definitely does find it easier to straddle the line between handling/ride quality extremely easily compared to one with twin springs

did not understand


very sorry