Team-BHP - The Honda CB Unicorn 160

The attached pictures have been shared by a friend on FB. Seems like Honda has refreshed it's oldest workhorse and added a new engine, to give the name a much needed push. No performance specs seem to be out yet, apart from the 160 moniker that points to a 10cc increase, hopefully.

I personally find the timeless design of the older Unicorn better than this one, or for that matter even the Dazzler.

I wonder if Honda will ever understand what the switchgear commands in a premium motorcycle. They're still stuck with the age old switchgear while the competition is on LED backlit switches.

Changes seem to be the Digital instrument cluster and the 10cc increase.

And what is with that god awful 160cc sticker? Looks tacky and appears to be the job of some roadside sticker cutting shop!

Ewww.. It looks ugly. :Frustrati
The first photo looks more in the lines of CB Dazzler.
The short wheelbase and the long seat give a terrible image of the bike.
The fuel tank looks like just a copy paste from the Dazzler.
Edit: The last image shows the short ended wheel, and the protuding rear seat. Looks bad.
The Digital console looks to be a welcome move. Wonder what colour it is, and what all it shows.

The original Honda Unicorn still finds a place in my heart.
I had bought a Yamaha Libero and my best friend had bought a Honda Unicorn in 2004-2005.

I do not very much understand the concept of a 160CC bike. Honda seems to be going the Bajaj Discover way (100, 115, 125, 135, 150, etc etc). A 180 CC could have given some competition to the Pulsar and Apache.
lol:

Honda Unicorn's USP were:
1) NVH free engine.
2) Spacious bike for two- big wheelbase, comfortable commuterish position.
3) 18 inch wheels to give the big bike feel.

Dazzler lacked point 2 and 3, they also removed the kickstart to make things worse. The unnecessary overdone plastics killed the product finally.

Trigger shared the same problem minus the plastics and was ugly too.

I am not able to estimate the size of the bike from the pic. If Honda reduces the wheel base it would work against the USP of the big spacious bike feel. I feel the most that they can compromise is to reduce wheel size from 18" to 17".

The big and beautiful gorgeous shape of the fuel tank of Old Unicorn has been compromised with the addition of those unnecessary fuel tank flaps. The flaps do not enhance the looks of the fuel tank design.

The tail light still seems ok with me. But I would still say the bike looks decent enough not as ugly as Dazzler and hideous like trigger.

Pray the Honda guys have not shrink the bike and not played spoil sport with the wheel base and other dimensions of the bike.

Personally I prefer the long seat which helps make the pillion comfortable.

Another premature flop bike by Honda. Honda is steadily losing its plot. The only successful products in India are Unicorn, Activa 110 and to some extent avaiator. Looks like a cross between unicorn and dazzler. I like to meet the guy who approved this into production. My dream of replacing my trusty GS 150 just went up in smoke.

They should have kept the old looks of the Unicorn and maybe add some features like digital display, 12V Socket, rear disc brakes etc. Also, the switchgear should have been updated and should have been backlit. People want durability in the long run which the old Unicorn had provided.

I remember the first time i rode the original unicorn about 10 yrs back. And I still cant get those infallible and super slick gearshifts out of my head. The smootness levels were unbearable:D (considering my ride back then, an enfield ).
Haunting memories.

Its looks like Honda has mounted a Quick release throttle unit on this one, certainly resembles that. Can someone confirm?

The styling on the new Unicorn evidently draws inspiration from the Honda CB Trigger. Recent reports suggest that Honda may launch their new 160cc offering this month or in December 2014.

Tangible updates on the Honda Unicorn 160 seen in the images, include a new "H" shaped tail light, grey pillion grab rail and a more muscular fuel tank.

Link to Team-BHP news article

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashok_lat (Post 3586503)

There goes my dream of owning Honda's CX-01. A chance to launch best 160cc bike gone. Honda seems to be adopting Hero's strategy of sticker jobs and plastic surgeries..

I feel your pain, bro. I was about to plonk my money on Gixxer when the images of upcoming Honda 160cc appeared which were completely different from this one. I said to myself, there's hope for Honda I think. But no! Now it's time to wait for Pulsar 150ns.

Thing is, as long as Honda rules the roost in the 2 wheeler market, thanks to Activa; they make mind-boggling amount of money, everyone gets to keep their jobs and no one has to anything special that Honda is usually expected to.

Honda Unicorn has a unique design and still even after so many years looks quite good.
We see no advertisement for the Unicorn still there is a waiting time of 2 months.

I think, even if they do some cosmetic updates to Unicorn like digital speedometer, engine immobilizer it would do a good job.

Thanks for bringing the news. I completely welcome this facelift. I really liked the looks. As an owner of CBR 250R for 6 months, I can envision the sort of refinement what this new comer can have. I think, for this segment of commuter bikes people will expect the below features as mandatory.
Comfortable Up right seating position (No forward slant)
No fuel injection system (which helps in getting the bike repaired by any roadside mechanic with minimal equipment)
Kick & self-start
Full chain cover
Toe & heal Gear shifter
Wider & longer seat (No split seat) to accommodate spouse comfortably
(Good to have) Honda Unicorn 160 needed a rear disc break. I think there might be an "option" to avail the rear disc.
I hope the above mentioned requirements are met along with Honda’s credibility. I don’t see any reason buyers will not consider this as a valid option in decision making phase. Any news on the release date in India??