The number HR 26 AD 826 is familiar to the local traffic police on route to the office. They let me go without questioning the Haryana registration number. It wasn’t always like this though. Initially, they stopped me almost every day demanding papers like the NOC certificate from the Haryana RTO and the likes. But now, after having primed them for over six months or so, they just wave me past. Sadly, all of it will have to be redone, because our long-term Honda Shine bearing this number is now going back. But this is not the only reason why I’ll miss the bike - after all we have spent over 11,000km+ of quality time with each other in this past year and it has proved to be an almost perfect companion.
The thing I love about the Shine is it almost always seems to have a bit of reserve power, no matter which gear you are in. Open the throttle and you can feel that slight surge. However, once you get to anywhere near 70kmph, things start to get uncomfortable. It begins to vibrate and sound harsh and begins screaming for a fifth cog.
I would nevertheless, have to give it full marks for its city compatibility. Not only is it really quick to get off the mark (a necessity at traffic lights if you want to save yourself the bruises from fellow impatient riders), it’s equally competent when it comes to city handling. The short gearing helps here, as it keeps the bike in the powerband without having to try too hard. It harnesses the engine torque well, and also saves me the effort of frequent gear shifting during the long traffic snarls. On the other hand, the eager nature of the engine makes riding for fuel efficiency a difficult task. With all the throttle wringing and a cupboard full of traffic light MotoGp trophies, no wonder the fuel economy on our Shine is down a bit. Throughout its stay, the Honda returned in the region of 47-50kmpl, with the exception of one month when it returned close to 60kmpl, ridden of course like a typical 125cc.
You also have to hand it to Honda for the quality levels on its bikes. On the maintenance aspect, apart from regular servicing including oil changes, only the front fairing has seen a replacement courtesy a snapped plastic connector, besides of course, the rear tube. You see, the bike couldn’t have possibly run on the same tube after four punctures!
The Shine could do with a few improvements nonetheless. The styling for one needs to convey more. The Honda currently looks like the entry level Hero Honda, especially after CD Deluxe’s recent upgrade. At the time of writing this, there was news of a Shine upgrade’ hope it sports alloy wheels and a new more upmarket sticker job. Dear Honda, there’s little to complain about when it comes to quality or even performance (to an extent) of your products. What they lack is flair. Hope you can give us stylish, more lifestyle sort of designs in the future, much like the Dio in scooters.
