Hero Honda Hunk Ownership Review by Dinesh

Hi, I am Dinesh from Chennai and I am a mechanical Engineer technically. This review is very special for me since it is my first review about my first bike. I will try to keep it as simple as possible. The entire review is purely based on my own experience with my Hunk.

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Early Bike Experience

It’s all started with TVS Champ when I was in 3rd grade. Then followed by TVS SuzukiI Max-R 100, TVS Victor, Hero Honda Splendor (old tri colour stripes) simultaneously with Bajaj Discover first model. And now I am with my Mighty Hunk.

Selection Phase

It is quite obvious from my early experience that I have never rode any powerful cylinders before. Soon the time came for me to buy my first Bike in my own salary. But I was much confused which bike should I buy, which bike would suite for me, for my needs, etc… Since there are plenty of bikes available in the market.

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My initial choice was Hero Honda Karizma ZMR. But then I thought it was not wise to jump directly from 100CC bikes to 220CC bikes without having any experience in higher CC bikes. So I settled myself with midrange 150CC bike. I didn’t except any advanced technology in the bike, all I needed is, the bike should satisfy my needs.

Why Hunk?

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Soon after lot of research I came down to,

  • Hunk / CBZ
  • Fz
  • Apache 160

But my requirements were very clear. “I need a bike which has good performance, low maintenance, good mileage, good engine refinement, and good look ”. In short I need a complete package. I dint go for Unicorn since it looks pure commuter and lacks power. So I ended up with Hunk/CBZ. Both the bikes has good mileage, comfort, less maintenance, good look.

After riding CBZ I felt the comfort level and turning ability is better in Hunk than CBZ along with better mileage Moreover Hunk looks bigger in size and the masculine appearance really attracted me. I’m 6feet tall and I really wanted a big bike. After lot of R&D for two months I booked Hunk Ebony Grey and I was very particular in that colour. So I had to wait for 6 months for getting that colour and finally arrived on December 2011.

Break-In Period

Break-in Period is like; let’s say Childhood stage, where it needs utmost care and guidance. I kept my bike under 45km/hr for 500km then under 55 km/hr for 1500km. While shifting the gears I always raise the engine a bit then I shift the gear. I also followed smooth throttling and I tried to avoid unnecessary braking.

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But unexpectedly for the first few hundred kilometers, I felt like I have made a wrong choice. The gear shifting was hard, not a good mileage (40-45 almost same as FZ’s), vibration problem, most importantly poor pickup. My expectation about Hunk was teared apart. I felt like there was no hope. The only satisfaction is the look.

The bike looked really big and tank shoulder adds more beauty. I also felt good about the sportive seating position with elevated handle bar. When I approached few Hunk owners about the poor performance, they told me “ Be patient, wait until 3000KM or so and then look for the improvement”. But without much hope I continued to first service.

Those Magical Moments

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To my surprise, those magical moments happened. My Hunk was getting better and better with each service. It surprised me with its performance with each day passes by. The gear shifting became smooth, pickup improved a lot. Good mileage. No vibration at high speed. I felt like I have got my breath back. The actual performance was attained 5000KM onwards. And now I am very proud that I have made the best choice in my life so far.

Performance (9/10)

The heart is borrowed from CB Unicorn with slightly tuned for more power and speed. The Engine is more silent and really defines the meaning of butter smooth. The bike has got wonderful low end torque which makes this bike a lot quicker and has good pickup due to shorter gear ratio. One can really feel the torque rushing through the piston and you will feel like you have been pulled by a strong force along with the bike.

The throttle response is very good, of course only behind Apache. Though I never tested the top speed, once I reached 105Km/hr with pillion; still I can feel there is more power and torque left in the cylinder ready to rush through the piston and waiting for my throttle but the road limits it. But frankly I never needed those fancy numbers, so called ‘top speed’ since iam not at all going to be in track.

Handling (8.5/10)

The handling so far I felt is really good. The cornering is very comfortable and easy, Suspension is really good and doesn’t reveal you the real hardness of the road. The turning ability is really good and is one of the most admiring things in this bike. The Center of Gravity is well balanced that, while hard braking, the bike stops at straight line without any wobbling.

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Even one can ride really slow, say 2 km/hr without balancing with their legs and it is really helpful in traffic. Since the bike is heavy, it makes the bike more stable at high speed. I was wondering how these Hero Honda guys were able to achieve such a good handling & comfort without having any mono suspension or wider tyres.

Comfort (9/10)

When comes comfort, the bike really scores well. This bike is really comfortable for long and short trips. Even at 100km/hr, this bike doesn’t vibrate much and it is rock solid. I went one step further to test how far it is solid at high speed. I took both my hands off from the handle bar when I was going at 97km/hr (without pillion), believe me, the bike kept a strict straight line travel without dragging to the either sides.

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Right from 0 till 100 this bike is rock solid. Most of the time I felt like I am going in a car. The seating position is in between sportive and commuterish but with elevated handle bar which makes the ride really comfortable. The tank shoulder doesn’t bother my knees though I am 6 feet tall. Regarding vibration, I feel tuning fork vibration at 50-60km/h and at 100+ km/h.

Mileage (8.5/10)

Here comes the million dollar question; What is the Mileage of this bike? For my riding style iam getting on an average of55-60 km/lit in highways ( < 80km/hr) and 47-50 km/lit inside city ( <70km/hr) and 50-55km/l with mixed ride. I am very much satisfied with the mileage it is delivering. Its all depend on the break-in period and riding style. For the pure mileage concern, riding in-between 50-55 kmph would be ideal for this bike.

Look (9/10)

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Well, this is purely my opinion. This bike is designed in Italy. It looks really big and bulkier. Tank shoulder and headlight visor arrangement is much attractive. Mine is a digital-LED version and it really looks cool. Many feels that rear portion doesn’t look great, but in my opinion, Hero Honda tried to give the bike a bull look and that’s why they have considered projected tail which looks overall good.

Pros

  • Excellent in all departments.
  • Good low end torque and initial pickup
  • It has one of the best Engine transmission systems in its class to achieve performance as much as closer to the theoretical value.
  • Very comfortable for both short and long rides.
  • Very stable at high speed.
  • Weight is well balanced which helps in braking.
  • Good throttle response and good acceleration due to shorter gear ratio.
  • Butter smooth and silent engine & smooth gear box.
  • Comfortable for pillion rider.

Cons

Just like two sides of a coin, I felt there are few things that can be still improved.

  • As a typical for hero honda, had to change my headlight bulb and Horn for the betterment.
  • My bike has no Kick option. Hence when I took my bike after a month or so, the battery drains and I got to push and start my bike. But the new Hunk has Kick start and is very useful.
  • Paint quality is not much admirable. My paint coating in the engine has peeled off at some places within a year

Conclusion

The above said facts and ratings are purely based on my personal experience with my Hunk. I would say my bike is performing exceptionally well. Most owners would agree with this except for mileage which may differ. If someone comes and asks me “how is the Bike.?”.

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I would proudly handover the keys and let them feel the awesome experience. Never judge this bike through the theoretical figures, but how far the engine spec is achieved in reality is the major concern. In a nutshell, If you are looking for a good all-rounder (at least 8.5/10), then this is the bike for you.

This review might be long, but I tried my best to express everything in word so that reader may get complete detail about this bike. Based upon the feedback received during my bike selection phase I would say, “Hunk: One Of The Most Under Ratted Bikes In India”.

Some Useful Tips

  • Always wear helmet. Please remember being stylish is not so important than being Safe. I know a guy who lost his life while riding just at 30km/h.
  • Maintain correct tyre pressure. This plays major role in reducing vibration, mileage, tyre life, acceleration and comfort.
  • Take good care of your bike. Spend some time in cleaning your bike. I used to clean for nearly 3 hours.
  • Always warm-up your bike in the morning before taking rides. Its simple and effective but most of us don’t follow or aware of it.
  • Check the engine oil quality and quantity periodically. It plays major role in keeping Engine and other mechanical systems healthier.

Regards,
Dinesh