Hey Bikers and Bike Lovers! I’m Royson D’souza from Mangalore, Karnataka and am writing this story for all the readers and bike enthusiasists. I really appreciate your decision for choosing to read my review. Firstly I would like to thank Deepak for creating this amazing blog (BikeAdvice.in) for all bikers and bike lovers to share our personal experiences.
Unlike many bikers I don’t own a masterpiece bike but I own a piece from The Master (Honda). I own CB Unicorn Dazzler (I know, A long unsuitable & inappropriate name) so I call her “Dazzy”. I’ve specially written this story for all those who are living in the bubble of confusion about “Dazzy” and are inquisitive to know its features.
Some wonder. Is this bike worth it? Is it better than other 150cc bikes? Can it survive for more than year? Not to worry. I hope u have all your questions, doubts and confusions about “Dazzy” cleared by the end of my review. If you wish to read only the features and experiences with my “Dazzy” you can skip to The Discoveries.
Chapter 1 – The Beginning
My Story Begins with this small seed of bike enthusiasm being sowed in my life last year during the month of May. I came to Mangalore regarding further studies in 2009. I was in Middle East since birth. There was not much of biking craze over there as there were not sooo many bikes on road, it was only about cars and I was one of the car crazies but it all changed last year.
I joined a College (St. Aloysius College, Mangalore) and the first thing I noticed on the first day was the parking lot filled with bikes. I don’t just mean filled, It was “Packed” as though a second hand bike sale was taking place every day. Anyways, this didn’t get me crazy about it.
It was when I saw Yamaha FZ (Cyber Green) in the parking lot that got me thinking “Do I need that?” I disregarded that thought thinking on the pain of getting a biker’s license since I was new to the city and didn’t know the local tongue so it would take a lot of time for me. Weeks past by and one day all of a sudden this bike came in front of me.
I couldn’t get a clear image of it. All I could remember was a side cowl looking like a Wing. “AaH forget it. Not again with this bike thingy” I thought! Soon my eyes caught on this hefty looking lion parked in the stands named “Royal Enfield-Bullet”. Man I was completely blown away with its looks. It just reminded me of Harley Davidson (Respect).
Months later I grew sick of seeing the number of bikes on road (how ironic for me to say this line and owning a bike now). R15 blew the hell out my brain when I saw it on road, Fz was a Fierce Beast unleashed, Pulsar was well, Common everywhere (but an awesome & powerful bike).
My biggest problem during those days were traveling, and not just traveling, it was traveling by BUS! Sheesh! I just couldn’t bear it! I had to travel 30kms up and down to college from my house where I live as a paying guest. Not only that but I had to wake up at 5 in the morning regarding the schedule for bus or else I was a Dead Meat in College and also reaching home late also drained my energy completely for the day!
Finally I said “I’ve had enough with this” and decided to buy a ride free from the schedule, free from sweaty smelly dirt covered people pushing and laying their hands on me.
I couldn’t nurture the thought of buying a car in Mangalore with my folks working back there in Gulf with so much difficulty so the only option was “The Bike”. I wouldn’t want to talk about the details of how I got my license then, so skipping that, after finally getting my license I called dad and said “I Want a Bike” guess what? He agreed to my decision after I was done explaining the reasons for my decision.
Chapter 2 – The Real Pain
I Wanted to Purchase my bike with my own money but I was too busy with my life and college that I just couldn’t find the right time. Anyways the next thing was a pain for me. Which one is going to be “The Bike”? As any person would drown himself to the depth of search engines and surveys pursuing the right bike for him so did I. I spent almost 4 months since September 2010 on the quest for “The Bike”. I had fixed my budget from anything ranging between 65000/- to 75000/-.
I started my survey with friends from my class then family members and then it was obvious I had to search online. By the end of quest I was narrowed down to two of the No.1 Brands in Biking – Yamaha & Honda (even Suzuki is). I was stuck between FZ and Dazzler. My demanding features included what most of the people desire.
- 150cc powerful engine
- Fuel efficiency of at least 40kmpl and above(top priority of all)
- Excellent road grip
- Smooth handling and feeling of the bike
- Good Braking performance
- Stylish and Macho looking
I know which one you are thinking of, its dazzler isn’t it? Who am I kidding? You were thinking of none other than FZ, right? Even I was thinking of her (FZ) at the end of my quest. I made almost 4 visits to the Yamaha showroom in 3 days (more than the rate of visits with my girl) regarding the features and the booking schedule and then the test drive.
I decided with dead thoughts that no matter whatever happens I am going to have her. I couldn’t sleep for weeks having dreams of it. Though I was aware of the weak mileage she (FZ) had I couldn’t resist her. I even began building my body to match with her looks. I was almost on the verge of having her when days later the news broke down and shattered everything I dreamt – “Petrol price hiked” God damn it why?
Why did it have to be just before I had her? And not hiked by a close margin but by 12%. Fuel budget was a major issue for me according to the pocket money I collected and the price of petrol had increased from 57.8/- to a jump at 65/- here in Mangalore. My daily trip was 30kms and I knew I couldn’t afford it.
The real pain was born. Finally after convincing myself I let her go off my mind and as every heartbroken lover goes under depression I never got myself out of the pain for weeks. I lost the enthusiasm for body building now that my purpose was gone. I lost 8 pounds of muscle weight I built during the month just within 10days.
Chapter 3 – The Coming of My Savior
After being devastated for weeks I couldn’t bear the thought of replacing her (FZ) with anybody else. But I needed a bike and so my only last option was to resort to Honda Dazzler. I didn’t entertain and rejoice myself with the thought of finally purchasing my first bike since it wasn’t the dream that I wanted.
I made my visit to Honda Showroom eventually and saw her (dazzy) giving a seducing pose in striking black pearl shine like she was saying “come ride me” (two meanings – you choose which one). I approached her (dazzy) and touched the fuel tank. I felt like the machine speaking through the tip of my finger where I had placed.
But still I didn’t keep my hopes high on her (dazzy) like I did on FZ. She (dazzy) was new to the market so I just accepted the fact of not keeping high expectations. I booked her (dazzy) on 20th January 2011 and came home, laid on bed thinking that I was brining someone else’s dream and not mine. The waiting period was 15 days and I was neither anxious nor enthusiastic like any biker waiting for his dream ride. I felt those days to be as normal as any other day. I wasn’t even excited about the fact of having my first bike.
After having saved 25000/- from my pocket money to contribute for purchasing “The Bike” I felt a bit satisfied that though I didn’t earn anything on my own I had at least taken the pain to save 25000/- Rs in 4 months in spite of getting 5000/- as pocket money every month.
You might not be convinced with the fact of how I managed to save 25000/- in 4 months, well the answer is I used my earlier savings money along with this. But still there was pain in controlling my spending and expenditure in those 4 months. I didn’t want dad to pay the whole amount. I wanted to contribute because that was the least I could do as an earned and deserving person.
Finally at the end of the waiting period I called the dealer inquiring about the delivery and he said that it had been delivered an hour back and was kept in the Go-Down. I felt a bit happy. I didn’t care of the past then. I had only one motive in life “Don’t try to lift something that is dead hoping it will revive, its Dead, bury it and move on”.
I went to the showroom and made the full payment in cash, filled all the formalities, signed here and there, with every move I made my heart beat began increasing. Finally I saw the coming of my savior in front of the showroom in black pearlescent shine with those words hovering in my mind “Come ride me”.
The very striking shine of black just swept my mind and fled the thoughts of my past to vanish completely. I called it savior because it brought me back from the shell of depression. The dealer gave me the key along with some guidelines and shook my hand wishing “Have a safe and happy riding in future, all the best!!” those words ran through every nerve of my body pulsating & making me feel as though I’m being gifted with a shield.
As I was about to sit on my “dazzy” it suddenly struck me with the thought “side cowl looking like a Wing?” I smiled to this and started the engine, slipped the gear to 1st and gradually gave it a bit of throttle. As I was riding, Deepak’s words started circulating my mind “maintain your speed at 40kmph only and not more”.
The ride was beautiful. The feeling of my first bike was ecstatic. I never thought about my past again. She (dazzy) was indeed seductive in black. After following the family tradition of blessing new vehicles I took her (dazzy) to the nearest church. I went home satisfied and very proud. I accepted her for whoever and whatever she was.
And till today she has never disappointed me. Instead she surprised me with her power and features. She was indeed my savior. But there are some things I discovered and I’ve mentioned them below in The Discoveries especially for those who are looking forward to purchase this ride.
The Discoveries
Engine – 150cc
At the beginning you will sense and feel your engine to be a bit weak in power due to fresh start of the bike. So don’t expect quick result in its power. It has just started to walk so don’t force it to run. I would also like to mention that in order to derive excellent performance in future please don’t cross, I repeat Don’t Cross above the speed of 40kmph during the run-in period and maintain your RPM at 4 (this applies for all bikes).
Normally it is said that the run-in period is marked till 500kms odometer reading or till your first service but I best suggest keeping it till 1000kms. After having crossed 1000kms I’ve felt a good progress in its power keeping in mind the decision I stood by.
Now compared to other bikes like Apache, Pulsar, FZ the engine is weak in power but I can assure you it is much reliable than any other brands you can think of. Trust me you cannot debate on this topic. We have a clear winner for the best reliable engine – Honda. I use “choke” every morning, it does not start at once due to cold weather in the morning.
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Fuel Efficiency
I have achieved fuel efficiency of 51 – 53kmpl on roads which are sometimes heavily trafficked or clear enough for a smooth ride without unplanned stops. Then again I would like to request the same as I did above to please maintain your speed at 40kmph during the run-in period in order to attain excellent mileage.
Other Dazzler owners claim to attain mileage of 55 – 57kmpl. This is possible if you do as I suggested and not do what I had done. I began to throttle at high speed after my first service and therefore got what I deserved (mileage is a big concern for me). I’m speaking out of experience. You can question your teacher but u cannot question your experience. I learnt my lesson.
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Braking
The braking of my dazzy is tremendously accurate and awesome. There are no flaws in its function as it is loaded with dual disk brake option. The only pain is to replace the disk pads every six months which will cost you approximately Rs.900 – Rs. 1400/- depending on the amount of wear and tear. The chances of skidding on sudden braking are very less to what we anticipate. Instead you can enjoy the extra 35% of quick result from the rear disk brake compared to drum brake.
Any dust settled around the pads may result in squeaking of the disk and may even cause scratches on disk. So I recommend washing it every 2 – 3 days. After washing you will experience squeaking noises when applying brake which is assured to be a normal tendency for every disk brake optioned bike. After washing you might not experience the same accuracy of braking compared to what you used to for a day or two.
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Suspension
Dazzler is built with mono rear suspension. Frankly speaking it’s not amazing as I thought it would be instead I get bad butt aches from long rides on uneven roads.
Then again I cannot blame the mono suspension alone for those butt aches. Maybe I need to adjust the suspension to medium or soft. I’ll figure that out soon. But other than that it works just fine as any racing mono-suspension. The front suspension works great as a telescopic fork. No problems with that.
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Handling & Road Grip
The handling of Dazzy is very good and comfortable for better cornering. Handling is quite easy on roads. The tubeless tyres provide excellent road grip and performance on roads when braking and throttling. But no matter how well the grip of the tyre is you are bound to skid on sand (even sand particles on road) so I suggest reduce your speed when cornering or turning if you notice sand on road. Do not judge the grip quality of tyres on such conditions.
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Chain
Since it is a half chain case it will produce chain noise while riding, though you will not experience it while riding but others riding beside you on road and even the pillion will. There is nothing to worry about the noise from the chain case since it is fitted with right measure and the chances of having it slipping off its position is near to impossible.
Instrument Panel
The Inst Panel looks weak in design and style and could’ve been better. It includes an analogue RPM reader and a digital panel to display speed, time, odometer, trip & fuel meter. It doesn’t looks as great as TVS Apache’s but then again it looks better than the one on FZ. The instrument panel displays Neutral Light, Pass by light and the indicators of course.
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Gear
The gear shifting technique has been designed based on the present sport bikes gear. 1 down and 4 up. Now speaking about the gear, I’ve encountered some minor problems. The gear is pretty rigid and feels gritty while shifting from 1st gear to Neutral while you are stationary on ground i.e. while your bike is in no motion and parked.
It tends to slip directly to 2nd gear. They say you’ll have to move the vehicle back and forth in order for the gear to switch. Although I haven’t encountered any sort of such problems while in motion or riding.
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Style and Looks
Well in my opinion, it hasn’t got the heartthrob macho looks like the FZ or the sporty design like Apache or hunky looks like the hunk. It’s just a Dazzler, yes truly said, it dazzles the people to constantly gaze not for the looks but the shine.
Although I like the fuel tank shape and the wing design, and adding to that the 3D Honda emblem. But overall it looks incomplete because of lack of style at the tail. The headlights too are somewhat ordinary, only some highlights like the side visor. The exhaust muffler looks quite impressive.
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Addition : A helmet holder facility is provided which is common in present bikes and a button lever is present right behind the holder which results in opening the seat.
As I come to the end I conclude saying that dazzy will not disappoint you nor will leave you with an atmosphere of regrets provided that you only want this bike for the sole purpose of commuting, riding and cruising (though it’s not a cruiser). Don’t have your hopes high on this bike if you have a fever of racing, constant flow of adrenaline rush, street racing, etc because it is not built for such purposes.
I strongly urge you not to try such activities because it is very dangerous, and I’m not saying just for the sake of formality but I’ve seen bloodshed in front of my eyes because of their lack of control and utter carelessness. I’m not offending Indians who are pro bikers and stunt maniacs (I actually feel proud to have bike maniacs in India), but I have to advice you as long as you are not an official pro biker do not lose your control of your adrenaline rush on regular Indian roads filled with traffic and people.
Even If you disregard your life there is always someone who cares for you and your life, it’s not only your mom and dad, but maybe your friends, your wife, your girlfriend (unless she loves your wealth). This is Royson D’souza appreciating you for your valuable time and patience in reading this review despite being long and boring at some points. I apologize if I made any technical mistakes and by any chance provided improper or misleading facts. Please do make any suggestions if you believe I’m wrong somewhere.
Thank you,
Wish you a safe and happy ride. With the wind side by side.
Regards
Royson D’souza
