Words- Firdaus Shaikh
‘I love my Honda... like I love my Ganja’ is presumably a cult song for Honda lovers, which I got to hear some time back. My love with Honda began when I first straddled the Honda Unicorn back in 2005, soon after the bike was launched. It was the first bike to give Indian masses a taste of mono-shock suspensions, but also raised doubts about its reliability on India roads. But these doubts were soon cleared owing to the splendid quality and comfort of the Unicorn’s unit, for which Honda is well known along with performance which was until then catered only by Bajaj and Hero Honda. Owing to performance, comfort and fuel economy, the Unicorn soon climbed up the sales charts and earned respect in the premium 150cc segment. The Unicorn also has been one of my personal favourites, owing to its comfortable seating position. But unfortunately for enthusiasts, the Unicorn’s styling has always been plain-jane with the bike seeing only minor face-lifts in the form of fresh graphics, addition of alloy wheels and a black powder coating for the engine. The only show stopper it produced was the Limited MotoGP edition Unicorn with a paintjob replicating Honda’s MotoGP machine – the then RC212V. Over the years Honda realized that minor face-lifts would not be all to keep the Unicorn brand going and that it needed a serious overhauling if it has to survive in the intensely competitive Indian two wheeler market which also happens to be the largest in the world.
So come 2010 and Honda introduces the all new sleek avatar of the Unicorn, rechristened as the CB Unicorn Dazzler. The CB Dazzler ditches the plain-jane looks of the Unicorn for a more sporty form with a new headlight, tank flanks and tubeless tyres further complimented by a digital speedometer and fuel efficiency indicator. At first glance the Dazzler may not really appeal owing to the radical styling, with overgrown tank flanks borrowed from the CB Twister. But rest assured, the looks will definitely grow on you once you spend some time in the saddle of the bike. Besides working on the looks, Honda has also worked on the engine to enhance performance. Power output for the Dazzler is now at par with competition at 14.1PS, and is developed at 8500rpm now, as compared to the Unicorn’s 13.4PS at 8000rpm. The torque rating remains unchanged at 12.7Nm, but now kicks in at 6500rpm as compared to 5500rpm on the older bike. The overall length of the bike has been reduced by 22mm, and is now down to 2073mm from the earlier 2095mm. The wheelbase too has been shortened to aid handling; and now stands at 1328mm, as compared to the earlier 1340mm. This has made handling the bike in city traffic a tad easier for girls like me, as compared to the Unicorn – further aided by the smaller 17 inch wheels on the Dazzler. The Dazzler has also undergone a strict diet, and has shed about 8 kilos, to come down to 138 kilos. Fuel tank capacity again is down, from 13 litres to 12 litres, which has helped to make for a sleeker fuel tank, as opposed to the Unicorn’s bulbous unit. The Dazzler’s seat on the other hand feels slightly stiffer compared to the Unicorn’s which could make you uncomfortable in the saddle after a while. The 240mm hydraulic disc brake unit on the Dazzler is the same as the Unicorn’s, and is still one of the best in the business, making for safe and sure stops. Coming to the all important aspect of pricing, Honda has played a clever game here. Honda has not stopped production of the Unicorn, and is selling the Dazzler alongside the Unicorn. The Unicorn retails at Rs 63,620, ex-showroom in Mumbai, whereas the Dazzler is priced at Rs 67,079, ex-showroom in Mumbai. This means that if the plane-jane looks of the Unicorn do not really suit you, all you need to do is shell out another three and half thousand to get yourself the same reliability with added performance and better styling. So what’s gonna be your pick?
