Friends, today we will do seven Indian bikes comparison between the most popular and growing 150cc segment bikes in India. You can call it best Indian motorcycle review of 2011 or top all round 150cc motorcycles in 50 to 70K or a review and comparison of Honda Hunk vs Unicorn vs CBZ vs FZ vs Pulsar 150 vs TVS Apache vs Suzuki GS, whatever you want but it is for sure that we cannot include Yamaha R15 in this bike review as it is far more expensive costing more than rupees 1 lakh, so we will include the above mentioned bikes namely:
- Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler launched in May 2010
- Hero Honda Hunk
- Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme
- Yamaha FZ 16/FZ-S
- Bajaj Pulsar 150
- Suzuki GS 150 R
- TVS Apache RTR (not the fuel injected one to be fair)
I will rate all these bikes on various parameters like power, acceleration, fuel efficiency, comfort, handling, braking, maintenance, engine smoothness, ability to rev high, high speed stability, mile munching ability, resale value, brand value, etc. So here is the review vroooom:
Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler
Positives: Handling, stability, monoshock suspension, commuter friendly seating, good for long nonstop highway cruising, due to long gearing a very relaxed highway cruiser, rear disc brake, smoothest engine in any category at any RPM, free revving engine, Honda brand image, best fuel efficiency, and good resale value.
Negatives: Little power upgrade, high gear ratio not so good for city though having good torque it manages to keep up with other 150ccs, only four color options.
Hero Honda Hunk
Positives: Handling, comfort (gas charged shocks), high speed stability, high revving engine, great pick up due to shorter gearing (second only to Apache RTR), Hero Honda brand image, largest service network, and very good resale value.
Negatives: Due to short gearing, top speed not the best, gets really harsh at red line, no digital gauges yet.
Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme
Positives: All the positives of Hunk, except gas shocks and 0.1 second slower in 0-60, LED taillight treatment, and the best look from rear.
Negatives: Again all the same as for the Hunk.
Yamaha FZ16/FZ-S
Positives: Monoshock suspension, great handling, widest rear tire so best grip, good low end torque, and excellent stability.
Negatives: Harsh at top of the power band, no edge in power compared to rivals, price is a bit high considering competition matches it now on almost all parameters, fuel efficiency.
Bajaj Pulsar 150
Positives: One of the cheapest 150cc bike in India to buy, good comfort (gas shocks), DTS-i tech for low end torque.
Negatives: Looks outdated now, handling, high speed stability, too soft suspension not good for aggressive riding, engine harsh most at red line, too common on roads, good at everything, excels at nothing, competition offers everything better at a negligible price hike.
Suzuki GS150 R
Positives: Smooth engine, 6thoverdrive gear. That’s it.
Negatives: Again like Bajaj, does everything good but nothing excellent, poor service network, too simple style.
TVS Apache RTR 160
Positives: Hooligan to drive, excellent dynamics, most flickable in city, most powerful engine, quickest and fastest.
Negatives: Though it has gas charged shocks, the ride is the most bouncy and uncomfortable tires, not great in handling all that power (TVS), engine harsh at red line, drinks fuel like it is available at Rs. 10/ltr., due to aggressive weight forward seating posture, not good for long highway cruises as causes lots of ache in wrists over a long drive.
So finally, CBZ Xtreme looses because Hunk does it all whatever it does and has gas shocks too, so nothing so special, except that LED tail treatment.
Yamaha FZ looses because though good on handling, grip and power, today competition offers it all and is better priced too. It sips fuel as it is 180cc and delivers performance which is good but it is not the most powerful 150cc, though it is most expensive.
Bajaj and TVS loose the battle even without fighting as competition is better in every aspect, be it looks, performance, fuel efficiency, dynamics, stability, brand value or simply any parameter you want to apply, these both need serious upgradation.
So overall if we boil down all the positives and negatives of all the bikes, it comes down to Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler, Hunk and Apache RTR who are the top three final contenders so among the top three, everyone has its own appeal. so buy anyone and you would not be disappointed.
But for me, the winners come in this arrangement.
No. 3: TVS Apache RTR: It has great performance and handling but is marred by tires, poor fuel efficiency, and poor long distance driving ability.
No. 2: Hero Honda Hunk: It looses to Apache in Performance but by a fraction of second only, rest it does everything better, be it handling, dynamics, comfort, or comfort with long drives in seating position. It has better brand and resale value too but looses out to the winner in terms of refinement, smoothness, and still has analogue instruments.
No 1: Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler: It may not have the edge in performance, but it manages to keep up with the top performers and is not far behind, rest it does everything even better. It has monoshocks, in fact Honda Unicorn Dazzler is the first bike in India to have monoshocks, it has one of the finest handling and stability package, now has disc brakes at rear too for added braking power, nothing can match the butter smoothness of this Honda bike, revs freely and very high and remains vibe free throughout its rev range, now has digital instruments too, is the most frugal on fuel and now looks even better with new styling, is priced at par with the other 2 contenders, has famous Honda wing brand and it does it all in the most fuss free manner so my money would be on the Unicorn considering that except performance (that too it is not far behind), it does any and everything better than the others. Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler is the new champ in 150cc class. Now I need some comments whether you agree or not that Honda Dazzler is best 150cc Indian bike in rs 50000 to rs 70000 budget
