Hi! I am Motilal from Chennai, here to share my Honda Shine (which I purchased during Jan 2007) ownership experience with you all. My speedometer has crossed last week 33,333 Km. Hope my review will help some of the prospective buyers who want to select a bike among 125ccs. I am going to summarize my own experience with this bike and not to give technical details which any one can find thro number of web sites.
I previously owned Hero Honda Passion which I purchased in 2002. When I wanted to buy a new bike of 125cc in 2007 for the exchange of my passion bike, I considered the following bikes: Bajaj Discover, TVS Victor GLX, Yamaha Gladiator, Hero Honda Super Splendour, Suzuki Heat/Zeus and Honda Shine.
I went through reviews/user feedback through auto magazines and had test drive of all the above bikes. Based on the reviews/user feedback and test ride, I eliminated the following from the initial list:
- Suzuki Heat/Zeus for its low BHP and pick up.
- TVS Victor/Bajaj Discover for its poor reliability, resale value and inferior parts quality.
- HH Super splendour for its bland look, low BHP and odd exhaust note.
And I finally narrowed down between Yamaha Gladiator Vs Honda Shine. I preferred to buy Gladiator for its majestic and sturdy look, five gears, more horse power, more kerb weight, wider rear tyre and positive reviews and user feedbacks. But the exchange price what Yamaha dealer offered for my 5 year old HH Passion was Rs 3,000 less than what Honda dealer offered. So I had to compromise and finally settle down with Honda Shine.
It is almost more than 45 months after I owned my Purple colour Honda Shine, with electric start, disc brake and spokes wheel. I need to say about the way I ride and maintain the bike. I am a normal rider with rarely exceeding 60 KM/hour, most of the time riding without pillion. However at time I also tried in highways at 90 Km/hour. I spend more on maintenance, with regular engine oil changing (every 2000 KM) and routine service at every 2500 km with expert road side mechanics. I also serviced my bike once with Castrol Bike Zone who did a good job.
Design & Ergonomics: I am of 172 cm tall and 73 Kg weight. The seating and handle bar position is excellent and does not create any fatigue for long ride. The seat design is comfortable for both rider and pillion and petrol tank design (recess) perfectly fits the knee. Grab rail is sturdy. The front and back mudguard protects the rider and follower from throwing water during rainy seasons. Speedometer console is ordinary. However no trip meter is available. Exhaust design is good. Small box is provided underneath the seat to keep tool kits and Xerox copies of vehicle documents. Head and tail lamp design is good.
Design & Ergonomics: 8/10
Engine, Ride and Handling: The riding is good up to 40 Km/hour, that when ridden solo. Up to this speed, when ridden as solo, it is joy to ride. The pick up from to 40 km is amazing and engine runs very smooth. In heavy city traffic conditions like Chennai, where one will need frequent acceleration (overtake), this bike will do the job effectively. Another positive factor is front and rear suspension. It causes no back/hip pain, even after continuous riding. After 40 Km speed, the pick up is not commendable.
And the comfort level goes off when the road condition is bad with lot of potholes and bumps and of course when tyre pressure is not maintained properly. The presence of thin rear tyre also aid in reducing the bike stability. After 50 km/hour engine noise starts to build up and at above 60Km, noise increases further and vibration also starts to set. At above 60 Km / hour, riding becomes uncomfortable and unstable. The comfort level goes off when ridden with Pillion.
Engine: 8 /10
Ride and handling: 7/10
Mileage: This is the important aspect based on which I purchased Shine. 90% of time I do solo riding. The mileage I get from my bike is around 55-58 Km/liter. At times for months when I repeatedly measured mileage reserve to reserve, I got around 63 Km/liter. I am using selected petrol pump outlets in city where I have experienced good fuel quality consistently.
Mileage 9/10
Quality of parts: In this 45 months, I changed battery, switch for engine starting, rear bulbs, air filters, apart from front and rear brake pads/shoes. To my knowledge, the quality of parts is typical Honda quality – that is excellent. The quality of Paint finish is good. After water service and cleaning, the bike looks like a new bike. No holes/cracks appeared in petrol tank or exhaust. I have not changed the indicator lamps so far. After owning the bike for 45 months, after doing regular service and water service, the bike looks and runs like a new bike. I have seen similar old other 125cc bikes on road and the looks/conditions are not satisfactory.
Quality of parts: 9/10.
For the benefit of the readers, I list out the Pros and cons of the bike.
Pros
- Smooth riding up to 40 Km
- Good acceleration and pick up up to 40 KM per hour
- Build quality is excellent
- Seating position is good
- Suspension is good. No back/hip pain
- Indicator, head light on/off, horn switch is good.
- Gear shifting is fine
- Electric starting is good. Creates less induction noise
- Quality of parts/paint is good
- Closed chain guard ensures lesser maintenance and longer life
- Front fairing design and tank size is adequate and appealing
Cons
- Engine noise increases after 50 Km and vibration felt.
- Riding with Pillion is uncomfortable
- Braking is not good after 40 Km/hour
- Tends to slip in wet surfaces
- Head light beam is not OK.
- Cold starting trouble exists
- No trip meter.
- Speedo meter and fuel indicating meter is conventional type
Overall Conclusion:
In spite of the above cons, I don’t regret having owned Shine. I am much satisfied with my Shine because of the above mentioned Pros.
Overall Satisfaction rating: 8/10
And in my opinion this bike will be suitable for those one:
- Who rides without pillion most of the time
- Who would like to ride between 30 to 50 Km speed most of the time
- Who will be roaming in congested city most of the time
- Who would need to make frequent overtaking in heavy city traffic.
- Who would like to have good resale value.
- Who does not want to spend more on maintenance.
- Who wants to get mileage of 55 to 60 km/liter in city riding conditions with more bhp than 100 cc vehicle.
- Who is not interested in odd vehicle looks and appearance.
- Who wants to have comfortable seating space for rider and pillion.
What do you think about my review? Leave your comment below… I am expecting your comments 🙂
– Motilal
