Bike India Team

Another upgrade for the Hero Honda Hunk
Words: Piyush Sonsale  Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Another upgrade for the Hero Honda Hunk
Words: Piyush Sonsale  Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Hero Honda have further embellished their 150-cc style statement, the Hunk. This motorcycle shares its engine with  the CBZ X-treme, but has an upmarket appeal with a glossy finish and muscular look instead of the CBZ X-treme’s sporty one. The Hunk’s power plant still produces 14.4 PS of power and 12.8 Nm of torque and retains its old chassis. Though a good performer, the Hunk isn’t the most frugal 150-cc bike when it comes to fuel consumption. However, it now comes with the option of a rear disc brake (for an extra Rs 3,326) while tubeless tyres are a default.

The revised Hunk has an all-new console with a digital display  for the odometer, speedometer and time. The console has an orange backlight, which is bright enough during the day and looks brilliant at night. At the centre is a big analogue dial for the tachometer and an analogue fuel gauge is located on the left. The neutral gear indicator is located below the tachometer and the turn signal and headlight beam indicators are placed above the tachometer dial. Not so cool, though, is the chrome finish bordering the circular tachometer dial.

The cosmetic changes includes an LED tail-lamp, a re-designed visor and front mudguard, body-coloured mirrors, a sticker of raging bull on the  huge tank cowl and a new exhaust cover. The Hunk is available in six different colours – silver, grey, two tones of red, black and brown – and carries a price tag of Rs 68,827 (OTR, Pune) without the optional disc brake. Hero Honda have again managed to upgrade their product while keeping the price competitive, but, as usual, the changes remain skin-deep.

The SZ-R is a sporty variant of Yamaha’s latest 150-cc utility bike. Better late than never, says Piyush Sonsale
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

The SZ-R is a sporty variant of Yamaha’s latest 150-cc utility bike. Better late than never, says Piyush Sonsale
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

Yamaha have finally
launched a new variant in the SZ series with some essential upgrades and an ‘R’ added to the name. The SZ-R is mechanically the same as other SZ variants. However, it has the much-needed single front disc brake, which SZ lacked earlier. The disc brake goes miles in inducing confidence while riding. The bar-end weights, also part of the ‘new’ list in the SZ-R, have increased the stability of the handlebar. The sticker on the SZ-X says, ‘Power and comfort’, while the one on the SZ-R says, ‘Power and sport’. And truly so. Yamaha have given the bike a sporty edge with a new, two-layered tank cowl sporting the Yamaha logo, a tachometer to show the engine revs and side panels. While the front shock-absorber has changed colour, the turn signal indicators have clear plastic instead of orange. The colours on offer are red, black and blue.

When a person wants to buy a bike, s/he is willing to stretch the budget by one or two thousand rupees. The SZ is priced at Rs 55,186, which is Rs 2,286 more than the YBR 125 (prices OTR, Pune). The SZ-X has been priced at Rs 58,506, an increase of Rs 2,306 from the SS 125. The 125’s have better fuel efficiency, but the winner in the performance and looks category is the SZ series. With such close pricing, the products have thin boundaries in terms of the price. The buyer then has three parameters to choose from within the same brand – engine capacity and design or fuel efficiency – and ends up confused.

However, the SZ-R, priced at about Rs 60,000 (OTR, Pune), has a clear appeal. It might steal some of the SZ-X buyers, but at an increase of approximately Rs 2-3,000, you get a sporty bike with a disc brake. It is considerably cheaper than most of the 150-cc bikes and is a joy to ride, though an engine kill switch, present on the YBR’s and the SS, is still missing.