Let’s face it, it isn’t the most outstanding of names – Honda Unicorn. I think the internal designation, CBF150 is far, far better. Then again, we Indians seem unable to purchase any numbered product. However, the motorcycle the name points to is something quite special altogether.
To be frank, the fascination of the Honda Unicorn is practically lost on the spectator. You can look, stand back and squint for all you’re worth, and all that registers is that ‘bloody hell, that paint’s got a deep gloss, and the build quality is just too good.’ But that apart, the Unicorn nearly fails to impress on the styling front. Honda have chosen to play it very, very safe with the Unicorn, like they did with the Activa. The motorcycle is styled to be contemporary and more importantly, acceptable to everyone. The former it is, but only just. At some level, I am disappointed that Honda chose to burst on to the Indian scene with a motorcycle that looks as meekly compliant as this.
But hold your horses, for the action is yet to begin. The kick lever is irritatingly tall – you just cannot get to it with your foot. But after you’ve extracted it with your hands, only a half-kick is needed to wake up the all-new 149.1cc Honda motor.
And what a motor it is. The idling note is all but inaudible, and when you do hear it, it has a deep, gruff note that speaks of personality and upstanding moral character. Honda designed a motor which puts the emphasis squarely on making as much torque as possible, at as low rpm as it can.
So it isn’t a surprise when you note that the class-best 1.3 kgm is available at a surprisingly low 5500 rpm. What does take a bit of getting used to, is how well that works in traffic. In any gear, with the revs just below the half-way mark, plug the throttle and the Unicorn surges forward purposefully, delivering a smart turn of speed with minimum revs, a deep throaty engine note and no lag of any sort at all. The surges are quite addictive – instead of settling down to a steady, fast commute, you keep accelerating hard and then braking hard, just for the heck of it. When you do exercise some amount of self-control, the Unicorn makes a superbly efficient city cruiser, that will surf the traffic without any apparent effort. Part of the enjoyment are the brakes too. The 240mm KBX unit looks identical to the Pulsar’s, and delivers a rich world of feedback and has a strong progressive character that inspires trust.
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