Honda's 125cc contender is set to roll down the Unicorn trail.

“Honda claims the new Shine will deliver 65kpl in city conditions.”

Codenamed MC2, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India’s (HMSI) second bike for India, the Shine, is the latest entrant into a packed 125cc segment.
The Shine, which will hit shelves within April 2006, is a significant bike for Honda, for it’s evident that given some time the 125cc segment holds enough potential to grow into the largest motorcycling segment in the market.
Our first impression of the Shine as it emerged through confetti and fireworks at the launch can be summed into two words—cautious and conservative.
Whether that is disappointing or not is for you to decide, as Honda obviously feels this is what a majority of the Indian buyers want. The new Honda comes in twin-colour codes with a tidy
front fairing that harks of bigger bro Unicorn’s beak.
Compared to the Unicorn, the Shine has instruments that are boring, though the bike does well for itself with neat switches. A hefty and cleverly chiselled fuel tank comes with well-designed knee recesses and a familiar filler-cap in chrome. Accommodating 11litres of juice, this tank blends into boomerang-shaped side panels that lead backwards into a smooth brake-warning lamp. The Shine’s grab rail is straightforward and non-alloy. Lending relief lower down is a shiny chrome silencer heat shield. While the Shine will not immediately offer an electric start option, HMSI has announced this will form part of its package in July.
The bike’s four-stroke, air-cooled and single-cylinder engine has been termed ‘Optimax’ by the marketing brains, and is broadly a scaled down version of the Unicorn power plant. Power output is 10.3bhp at 7500rpm, a full bhp lower than its direct competitor—Bajaj’s Discover. One can expect the near vertically mounted 124.6cc Shine engine to offer refinement typical of Honda, although we must reserve any further comment till we actually test it. A CV type carburettor performs mixing duties on this bike, and breathes into the cylinder via a purposely long and thin induction manifold—that’s for faster air-fuel intake velocity and subsequently better volumetric efficiency.
The Shine’s rubber-damped alloy-cylinder is built to permit beneficial tumble-flow character, which allows burning of a leaner mix. As on the Unicorn, there’s an offset crankshaft to minimise piston and cylinder friction, while the cylinder head is cast with twin-air channels that aid prompt cooling.
Roller bearings are incorporated on the rocker fingers of this engine, while a multi-map CDI system factors throttle angle into delivery of the best spark intervals. A clever feature on the Shine is Honda using a specifically lightened drive-chain to help transfer final-drive rights to the rear-rim. The heel-and-toe shift operated gearbox is four-speed and shifts all-up.
Brawny power delivery low in the power band is a much-needed feature on Indian roads, and Honda says it has got that covered. At the same time, their R & D team has been on the ball and has used slightly taller gearing allowing the bike to hold higher velocity at lower engine speeds to stay as fuel-efficient as possible. Claimed mileage from the factory is a sensible 65kpl.
A single downtube frame skeleton holds the Shine together, and bolts its engine on as a stressed member. At front there are telescopic forks for suspension, while the rear curiously does not deploy a cutting-edge monoshock as found on the Unicorn. Honda has decided in favour of boring hydraulic twin-shocks, spoke-equipped rims and an outdated tubular swingarm for the Shine. Puncture resistant 2.75 x 18 inch tyres are the norm front and rear. The seating position is visibly upright and commuter-friendly, with a seat that does look broad and feel well-padded to touch. The Shine sells with a front disc brake and comes in red, blue, purple, grey or an attractive black paint scheme.
The Shine enters its segment priced significantly higher than the class-leading Bajaj Discover—in spite of that bike offering further value for money with twin-plug technology, a box section swingarm and alloy rims all as standard fare.
Will the intensely value-conscious customer still prefer the wing badge on his tank? We’ll Sherlock that mystery for you in just a while.