Saurabh has submitted this review in our Ownership Review Contest No 13, ensuring himself an assured prize. The contest also offers a chance to win Riding Jacket, Helmet and more.. You can submit your review to us as well. Here are all the details.
Hello all. I am Saurabh Belsare from Nagpur, Maharashtra. A Student of third year mechanical engineering and an automobile aficionado. I believe that there’s a certain amount of romance to bikes. They are both beautiful and utilitarian. This is my 1st review. The feeling of having your hands on your first bike is an enduring moment in our lives. And, I was fortunate enough to have been blessed with the mean machine in very 1st year of my college days.
Selection & Procurement of the bike:
Prior to having my black beauty, I was riding my fathers Hero Honda (now Hero Motocorp) Passion plus. But, “ yeh dil maange more”….. So I requested my dad for a 150cc bike. My father was also in concurrence to my thought, but my mother being protective about me, She was not in favor of giving her beloved son a “150cc” bike. So our options were limited to “125cc” category.
And I shortlisted these bikes:
- Honda Stunner
- Bajaj pulsar 135LS
- Honda Shine
- Yamaha SS125
- Hero Honda Glamour
- Yamaha SZ-R ( had a hope that I could get one)
I fought tooth and nail for SZ-R but. Alas!! I lost the fort. Yamaha SS125 was a good option but, I didn’t like its mature looks. Also, I took a test ride of new glamour and I was impressed by its smooth performance, but due to the unavailability of spare parts, I had to drop the option. My father doesn’t trusts Bajaj bikes, so Pulsar was out. At last I settled down for Honda stunner.
When I saw her first time in showroom, I was bowled over by her sheer charisma of the beast. The aesthetics of the machine played a vital role in helping me cement my purchase decision
She surely looks more powerful than actually is. I was getting smoothness of Honda shine with and extra 5th gear. And dashboard looked awesome with RPM needle.
Immediately I rushed into Honda showroom and took a test drive. Something clicked into me. My heart said, Yess…This is what I want. Immediately booked my black beauty on 21st December 2011. Delivery was promised after a week.
My father asked me to have bike in New Year (i.e. 2012). But I was so eager to have my bike that I didn’t listen to him. And I was restlessly waiting for my black beauty.
Bringing her home:
That one week felt like one month and I was anxiously counting days. As promised, Honda guys called me on 28th December 2011. “Sir, your bike is ready”. I jumped off my seat and immediately rushed for Honda showroom. Completed the required formalities and there, there was my stunner waiting for me on gate.
I switched on the ignition and as soon as I started the engine, I felt the adrenaline rush through my nerves. The feeling was overwhelming. The ride from Showroom to home was a short stint, but, I savored every single moment of it. The bike definitely feels enjoyable to ride and feels quite in sync with its sporty visual aura.
Engine and Performance:
A 124.7cc engine lies in the heart of bike. It is 4-stroke air cooled OHC engine generating peak power of 11Bhp at 8000RPM and 11Nm of torque at 6500RPM mated to a 5-speed constant mesh gearbox (Short gear ratios).
Power figures may look less but this entire setup enables her to do a 0-60 KMPH sprint in 5.2sec ( 6 sec with my bike ) . I am happy with the performance considering its engine size.
One can easily cruise at speeds as low as 20 KMPH in 5th gear without having to shift down.
Run-in period:
I completed the run-in period of 500 KM in exactly 1 month. It was difficult to limit myself on 4K RPM. But I never broke this rule. Thanks to bikeadvice as technical articles available here helped me a lot about run-in care of bike. I got mileage of 54 KMPL in city driving.
A proper run-in is required as it determines the future health and efficiency of engine.
After successful run-in, 1st servicing was done at Honda service center. Engine oil was changed and bike felt much smoother. I was really happy with my choice.
Ride and Control:
After 1st servicing, I started opening up the throttle.
Upto 2500KM => 55KMPH @ 6000RPM.
After 2nd servicing at 2500km, I again raised the top speed reached.
Upto 5000KM => 87KMPH @ 8000RPM
The bike was getting more smooth with each servicing done and after doing my 3rd servicing at 5000km, I opened up throttle completely and reached a top speed of 110kmph @ 10000RPM. Felt proud for my bike. According to me, Its appreciable performance for a 125cc machine.
Few observations about bike are:
- Engine is silky smooth throughout the rev band.
- Progress is quite fast till 85kmph after which it slows down till 100kmph and finally reaches 110kmph.
- Few stunner owners reported vibrations after 60kmph. But in my case, very little vibrations were there after 60kmph.
- After 90kmph, vibrations are dominant and engine produces a strong note.
The riding posture is comfortable for daily as well as highway cruising. One can go 100km’s easily without a back-ache. However, the pillion split seat is not that comfortable. Extra layer of foam serves purpose upto some extent but not completely.
Brakes do offer sufficiently strong stopping power with front 240mm disk and rear drum. And thankfully, I never faced any accident till now.
Recent long rides:
I learned driving bike on passion plus but this was the bike on which I learned Riding. I love going to long rides on stunner. The first one was to jamsavli, Madhya Pradesh.
I also made several rides to Aadasa ( Famous Ganesh Temple near Nagpur) and Khekranala ( a small dam on Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border and a beautiful place to visit). Every time during riding on highways, my black beauty never failed or punctured. The mean machine gave him the confidence to push the limits of speed and terrain with great success.
In 2nd year of my graduation, due to some emergency, I had to go to Wardha (80Km from Nagpur) but before leaving, I found a iron nail penetrated in the rear tyre. Time was running out and I was unable to wait till its repair. I decided to trust God and my stunner both. Just filled air in both tyres. (30psi front & 40psi rear) and headed toward wardha. Road was good till halfway and damaged in-between. Still my stunner took me to my destination in 1 hr 45 min. All credit goes to tubeless tyres.
One of the most memorable ride is to Chikhaldara (Hill station Near Amravti- 250km from Nagpur). The road was Awesome and I cruised at constant speed of 70-80 KMPH. Reached chikhaldara in exactly 4 hrs. It was my first ride in ghat section and stunner never got out of my control. Handling was really good.
I got overall mileage of 56 KMPL.
I would like to mention one thing that avoid un-necessary over speed and zig-zag driving.
I left 150cc segment. Felt a bit sad but mileage figures returned by my stunner really made me happy. Following are the maximum mileage figures after each service (solo ride):
- Run-in Period -till 500KM : 54 KMPL
- After 1st Service -till 2500KM : 59 KMPL
- After 2nd Service -till 5000KM : 62 KMPL (Maximum)
Mileage drops to 57-59 KMPL when Riding with a pillion in city.
After 15000KM’s also, I get the same fuel efficiency 61KMPL (Solo ride) and my stunner is still capable of hitting 110 KMPH. Only on highways, I get less fuel efficiency of around 55 KMPL as I always ride at 70-80KMPH with a pillion.
Here are few tips to improve your mileage:
- In city driving, always ride in top gear & try to maintain 4000-4500 RPM. If Tachometer is not there on your bike, ride at 35-45 KMPH.
- Maintain your tyre pressure on recommended level. More tyre pressure will give you more mileage but less grip and vice versa.
- Remove un-necessary items like sari guard. It will again reduce weight by3-4 Kg.
- Don’t shift gears until you need it as excess use of clutch leads to poor mileage.
- Don’t use brakes until you need it, instead try to make use of engine braking.
- Set idle engine speed to 1200RPM or as recommended by manufacturer.
Pros:
- Good performance with great looks in its category.
- mileage – saving on fuel
- Comfortable riding position
- Braking power
- Tachometer – a wannabe in this category
- A refined Honda Engine
- Good service support
- DC Headlamp
- Handle bar weights – reducing handle bar vibrations
Cons:
I have mentioned small things I didn’t liked about my stunner based on my observations.
- Even after shifting on top gear, a need of extra 6th gear is always felt. (Short geared)
- Headlight is not bright (35W Halogen). (Upgrading to HID bulb will solve this issue).
- Pillion seat is not comfortable.
- Screws of front fiber crowl need to be tightened once a month.
- Vibrations after 90 KMPH.
- Exhaust sound doesn’t go with looks of bike.
Major Maintenance costs:
Not a single penny spent for major repairs. Only after 10000KM, Spark plug and air filter was changed (as scheduled).
Cosmetic care:
After two years, still my bike looks like new one. Here are my suggestions:
- Wipe your bike with a soft cotton cloth everyday.
- Wash the bike every week with good quality bike shampoo ( Neutral pH).
- Apply Moto max wax polish on every alternate bike wash.
Follow these simple rules and love your bike. She will remain new forever.
Final words:
This is perfect bike for those who don’t want to compromise on looks and mileage both. Specially for college going guys like me. After successful completion of 15000Km’s, I can definitely say that I am proud of my bike. Honda Stunner is perfect combo of style-performance-fuel efficiency and I have found a perfect companion of my college days.
Request to all:
- Always wear a helmet even for small distances like 100m.
- Ride safe. Avoid rush driving.
- Follow traffic rules. They are made for our safety.
- Don’t listen songs with headphones/Bluetooth headset while driving.
- Don’t drink and drive. It’s dangerous.
That’s all. It was my pure ownership experience with my Honda Stunner. Thank you bikeadvice for posting those all technical articles which helped me to choose, maintain and ride my 1st bike.
It is my first review ever on my first bike. I thank the readers for spending your time to read this article. Kindly provide your feedback regarding the review. Thank you BikeAdvice.
“Ride safe. Live free “
Thanks,
Saurabh Belsare
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