Every morning it needs a few kicks to bring her to life without applying the choke. While playing the part of a daily commuter to office and back, I haven’t had a chance to take her beyond 70kmph.
The curiosity was growing for quite some time. So I took her to the Pune bypass and opened the throttle on a straight patch of the highway. I could get to 95kmph on the clock, and I didn’t try beyond that as the vibrations made me a bit nervous. May be a fifth gear or spacing out the existing gear ratios will help matters. As I look back after clocking the best part of 9000 plus km on the clock, I have only three issues to grumble about – the lack of a fifth cog, vibrations and of course, the drab looks. Honestly speaking, I had expected Honda to bring in a more contemporary styled bike. And given the reactions of people with regards to the Shine, it seems they expected the same.
As for our weekend ride to Sinhagad fort about 25km southwest of Pune city, it was a good mix of twisty roads and steep inclines, not to mention broken, bumpy sections. But the Shine handled all these irregularities with great aplomb. In fact, its torquey engine made negotiating the inclines, child’s play, and 3rd gear is all I needed to chug along.
