Found some time today to test ride this beauty and came home a satisfied man. The showroom experience was smooth and uneventful. Just gave them a call in the morning and was asked to come in. No delays at all once I reached. In 5 minutes, I was sitting on the bike - With a pillion of course. He was wearing a helmet.
Now, a few words on my opinion about the bike. I currently ride a CBR250R and have owned a Duke 390 in the past. Add some borrowed rides on the Ninja650.
Engine and Transmission
Being a Honda, it has to be refined and boy, does it live up to the name! Typically starts in a single crank and there are no vibrations felt at all across the rev range. The exhaust note, as said by many, is muted on idle and opens quite well post 6k RPM. But at city speeds and traffic, it is so smooth and muted that you won't notice the engine is on!
The transmission is smooth and slick. Shifting at lower RPMs in city traffic was no issue at all. The gearing is spot on! First and second are relatively short and the third is quite long. The third gear is perfect to potter around in the city and it can pick up from as low as 20kmph without engine lugging or clutch riding. The bottom-end torque and consequent in-city rideablity is surprisingly good.
The clutch is on the heavier side when I compare it with my 250R. However, compare it with the Benelli 600 or the Duke 390, it is light. In a nutshell, the clutch is not a hindrance to ride in bumper to bumper traffic and your hands won't hurt.
Braking, Suspension, Handling and Ride Quality
C-ABS comes standard on this bike and I was very impressed by the bite and feel of the front. The rear brake felt a little woody, but since I predominantly use the front, it does not matter to me. The ABS light glows after starting the bike and goes off once you cross 10kmph.
For a 230kg bike, it feels quite nimble. It did not feel heavy or tough to manoeuvre in traffic. However, while taking standing U-turns, the handle comes uncomfortably close to the tank, but it is not a deal breaker. The test ride stretch was a straight road, so I can't comment on the corner craving ability.
The suspension is on the softer side and the ride quality is plush on city roads. Gobbles up the undulations quite well and feels planted. I presume, this would mean it's not a bike you can throw into the corners, but it will be quick for street riding standards. Will be interesting to see how the Dunlop rubbers hold up.
Seating Position
The moment I sat on the bike, I felt at home. The posture is very similar to the 250R, but you bend a wee bit more. But it's absolutely comfortable. The seat is well cushioned and plush. The pillion seat looks soft, broad and comfortable too. The mechanic who sat behind me on the test ride never fell on my back and shoulder. The pillion grab rails are integrated into the fibre panel underneath. I can safely say, this is a comfortable two-up tourer.
Even though the seat height is about 810mm, it is well tapered at the sides to ensure shorter guys have no problem. At 5'7'', with my Woodland shoes, I had no issues to even push the bike back while seated.
Console and Switchgear
This is one thing I hated, both in the pictures and in flesh. The console looks horrendous in my opinion for a bike of this segment. It is impossible to give a quick peak at the tachometer as it is digital and is in the left most corner of the left console.
Also, they have omitted the coolant temperature display bar. This means, you will only see a light glow if/when the coolant temperature crosses the threshold and overheats.
The switchgear feels premium quality overall and also durable. The headlights are DRLs, which means you will not find a dedicated switch to switch the headlights off.
The LHS consists of high/low beam toggle, indicators, horn, hazards (all 4) and the RHS consists of EKS and starter.
However, they messed up with the positioning in two ways.
1. The horn button is placed above the indicator switch. I kept searching for both in traffic.
2. The horn button is placed to the rightmost corner, which means I had to move my hand towards the right to press it! Absolutely stupid and illogical!
Here's a pic.
To summarize,
- Tour two-up comfortably. The muted exhaust note will be a boon for mile munchers. Decent wind protection too. However, watch out for those monstrous speed breakers. You only have a GC of 130mm.
- Commute fairly comfortably. However, in B2B traffic, you will feel some strain on your wrists.
- Can be a lot of fun on those weekend rides.
- A perfect upgrade for people upgrading from the 250s and the 300s and looking for an i4.
- Top notch quality and Honda's bullet-proof reliability!
Some other pictures I clicked on the phone and a few comments on them.
The clutch wire is left exposed! Come on Honda, you could add a rubber bellow to cover it! Your Unicorn has it!
Looks very proportionate IMO. The swing arm and the integrated underbelly exhaust look beautiful.
The rear looks very bland IMO and could have been much better. The flat tail light reminds me of the first gen HH CBZ!
The caption, in all probability, was inspired by the exhaust note.
The pilots are white and the headlights are yellow! Looks like an after market job half done!
One pose picture please!
Hmm, that price tag justified? Perhaps, yes, but debatable!
Some more random pics below!