The Honda Unicorn is a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

developed by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) and introduced in 2004. It was internally called the CBF150M. The engine was taken from the CRF150F post 2005 engine. The previous version of CRF150F was the old CBZ classic. The design of the bike was done keeping in mind Indian road conditions. Many new features were incorporated, including a two-way air jacket and a diamond frame. The first version of the bike featured spoke wheels and

kick start Kick start is a method of starting an internal combustion engine (usually that of a motorcycle) by pushing a ratcheting lever with one's foot. Kick start mechanisms were almost universally a part of motorcycle engines before the mid-1970s, and w ...

with an optional self-starter. Honda claimed the Unicorn accelerated from in 5 seconds. India ''Business Insight'' reported acceleration of in 5.28–5.86 seconds, and a top speed of . (Air filled with Nitrogen.) Honda released this motorcycle to compete with the

Bajaj Pulsar The Bajaj Pulsar is a range of motorcycles manufactured by Bajaj Auto in India. It was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with Tokyo R&D,TVS Apache The TVS Apache (/əˈpætʃi/) is a brand of motorcycle made by TVS Motors since 2006. As of 2020, more than 4 million Apaches are on the road. Currently the company sells five variants of the TVS Apache. The differences between each variant bein ...

. Changes included alloy wheels,

powder coated Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or ...

engine with a polished head, electric starter, new graphics, clear lens indicator lamps, a trip meter, and a slightly smaller rear grab rail. Few performance changes included minor changes in the

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...

overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...

, ignition remap and a rear

sprocket A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel with teeth that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which radial projections engage a chain passi ...

increase of one tooth, which resulted in increased acceleration at the expense of reduced top speed. The air filter was changed from a dry paper to oil-coated to better suit dusty conditions and a new airflow screw in the carburetor. HMSI sold 720,000 Unicorns in 2007. The Unicorn overtook the

Bajaj Pulsar The Bajaj Pulsar is a range of motorcycles manufactured by Bajaj Auto in India. It was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with Tokyo R&D,premium segment Premium pricing (also called image pricing or prestige pricing) is the practice of keeping the price of one of the products or service artificially high in order to encourage favorable perceptions among buyers, based solely on the price. Premium re ...

, in the 2005 Motorcycle Total Customer Satisfaction (MTCS) survey of 7,000 customers conducted by the TNS specialist division, TNS Automotive. Dazzler red

Honda began selling the Unicorn Dazzler variation in 2010. It has different bodywork and uses rear disc brake instead of a drum brake.

References

External links

Honda Unicorn website
{{Honda motorcycles

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

Standard motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 2004