The Shining
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the new 125cc motorcycle from Honda for India. Named the Shine (Jesus, what's with the name?). Honda's press release says the motor is all-new and at the very least, it will be refined. It uses the 'Air Jacket' system like Unicorn for better cooling and has the extra long exhaust system as well. People who have seen the bike in the flesh say it is a mini-Unicorny sort of machine, quite substantial for a 125 but otherwise not even slightly anything to get excited about.
A dealer friend I spoke to said it's a non-starter. Honda intends to start sales with the kick/drum bottom version, which is bad news for dealers. They are going to have to turn away excited prospective buyers saying, 'no, it does not have electric start, disc brakes, or even alloy wheels.' To add insult to injury, the price announced appears to be in the top end of the 125cc segment.
Specs, then. The Shine displaces 124.6cc and makes a class-standard 10.3 bhp (@7500 rpm). It also makes 10.9 kgm (@5500 rpm) which is a fairly high number, no doubt the power delivery will be like the Unicorn, with a strong bottom end that comes with a slightly out of breath top end. It gets a four-speed gearbox, three-step adjustable twin shock rear suspension (What? No monoshock?). Ignition is via a multi-map digital CDI (they won't say how many maps yet). The bike is supposed to be quite quick, managing 60 kph in 5.3 seconds from standstill. It gets a puny 2.75-18 at the rear. I guess, there isn't much more to say. More after I get to ride it.
Other posts about
All the 125s: Table
Yamaha Gladiator: Images Launch Expo photos Expo text Compared to the Shine
Suzuki Heat: Expo text Expo photos Zeus Ride Report
Honda Shine: Mumbai launch TVC criticism Launch Compared to the Gladiator
TVS Victor Edge/GLX: Launch
2 comments:
hi buddy,
u have done a gr8 work yaar by giving all those pics and reviews , no one else has done with such realistic . its was good read all the materials u provided for us to go through, but, tell me dont u find zeus much more exciting than honda shine . by looks and specifications both. plzzzzzzzzzz reply .
No, I don't find the Shine exciting at all. And the same goes for the Zeus. I'm not excited by either. However, I've spent the last week and a half trundling along on the Shine, and I'll say this, grudgingly, it is a nice enough bike to ride. It won't arouse any strong emotions, but it gets the job done very smoothly.
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