 The
one flawless asset on the Unicorn is its Honda power pack. And
Hero Honda’s move to use that tried-and-tested formula
with the Achiever is both wise and welcome.
Precious little separates the two motors, except for a negligible
0.1bhp increase claimed for the Achiever over the older Unicorn’s
13.3bhp at 8000rpm. Peak torque achieved on the new bike remains
1.3kgm at 5000rpm, which is creditably made a useful 500rpm
lower than on the Unicorn.
The Pulsar 150 DTS-i outputs the maximum power of the trio at
13.5bhp at 8500rpm, with a max torque of 1.25kgm at 6500rpm.
All three engines have heads and barrels constructed of aluminium-alloy,
and are four-stroke, air-cooled, and twin-valve equipped. The
Hondas show off slightly larger common capacity bores with 149.1cc
over the Bajaj’s 143.9cc. Bearings are deployed on the
rocker arms of all three bikes, and so are CV carburettors.
Honda has chosen a pleated-paper air filter element for breathing,
and uses an integrated two-way air-jacket for better heat dispersion
from its cylinder-heads.
 The
Pulsar goes one up with its proven Digital Twin Spark ignition
(DTS-i) technology and twin spark-plugs firing in the same instant.
This provides opposing flame fronts on the combustion stroke
for maximum efficiency. Precise ignition is provided via throttle-related
CDI systems on all the bikes, while the Pulsar draws strength
from a tuned resonance chamber on its silencer that aids low-end
torque.
Gear ratios on the Achiever and Unicorn are significantly taller
than the Pulsar, and we liked their five-speed, one-down and
four-up shift patterns better than the Pulsar’s all-five-down
system. And though one can get used to living with the Pulsar’s
not-so- precise gearshift and the occasional false neutral,
this Bajaj is hardpressed to match the impeccable shift quality
offered by the Hondas.
Clutch feel is equally good on all three motors. On
the Road, the Unicorn engine is easily the most silent
of the three, with the Achiever a close second and the twin-plug
Pulsar the most vocal performer. All three well-behaved and
willing motors are enjoyably smooth and vibration-free in operation.
But the  Unicorn does somehow manage to pull an imperceptible
refinement edge over the Achiever and the Bajaj.
The
Achiever loves being ridden hard. This enthusiast's delight
revs high and hard, bulldozing into its rev-limiter around 10,000rpm
and injecting heady dozes of adrenaline into the rider’s
bloodstream along the way.
Yet the reality is that the shorter-geared Pulsar manages to
hit 60kph faster than its rivals at 5.35sec. The Achiever comes
in just shy at 5.63sec, and the Unicorn follows at 5.86sec.
At the 100kph mark, however, the Achiever grabs pole position
at 17.82sec as compared to the Pulsar (22.03sec) and the Unicorn
(22.64sec).
Top speeds are more evenly matched, with the Unicorn peaking
at a saturated 113kph, the Achiever managing 109kph and the
Pulsar 150DTS-i 108kph. |
December 2005