Car & Bike Passion Pro or Honda Shine ?

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harry_houdini

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Hi friends,
I am in a dilemma here. I need a bike to travel around some 10% urban and 90% rural roads and a mixed bag, but mostly it will be rural uneven roads.
I test rode both and both seemed fine to me. A couple of local mechanics say Shine is much better in terms of maintenance and Pro is not so good compared to shine.
A friend who has shine is full of praises for his bike which even I find too good even after 4 years of use. Though he has not munched much miles, 20000 kms in 4 years.

What I found a bit uncomfortable in Shine is the rear suspension feels a bit stiff while Passion Pro has a superior cushioning effect in rural roads. Is it possible because of time and use the suspension has lost some effectiveness or that's how it is. To be frank tilting a lot towards Shine, but still need your help to have a clear mind.

Also if possible can you also please share your experiences with this bike for a short or a long time. It would really help me.

Thanks
 
Shine is 125cc engine bike . I my self used it for an year and switched to Unicorn dazzler just for the better road grip. Trust me Honda is much better than any other. I never had even a minor issue in 2 yrs, except for the poor service guys.

Pros:
Smooth and reliable engine.
Honda make
Decent mileage

Cons:
Back tyre


Passion is just 100 cc bike.

pros:
Reliable engine ( honda)
Mileage ( people claim they are getting 70's but I really don't believe. Hero themselves do not put any figure on paper)
People acceptance

Cons:
Back tyre.

AS your driving conditions are more in to rural where the road grip is important, i would suggest you to get the one with better road grip.

good luck.
 
thenvk

Thanks a lot for the brief reply.

Well mileage is not a concern for me when we are comparing between the two ofcourse. I wont be able to use a heavy bike like unicorn in the conditions i mentioned. I have tried using unicorn many times but its just too heavy. I feel I need a light bike for such roads. Main concern here is the comfort and suspension.
@Hacker
Thanks for the reply
The Gladiator has peak torque at higher rpms which is not what would be ideal in rural uneven roads. Thou it might do the job, more low end torque is more suited.
 
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well, looks like you want a commuter bike & already shortlisted 2 of them but i would suggest to go for Hero CD Deluxe, around 51k on road & gives a good mileage of 65kmpl +

My cousin bro uses one since a year.
 
Hero CD deluxe is a bit short. If you are tall its not a worthy option. I would suggest you to test drive the Bajaj Discover 125st. Its got mono nitrox suspension, 4 valve engine and disc breaks too. Since you mentioned rural areas i thought better suspension would be a good option.

Many people might say Bajaj not good. I dont know much about that background but i myself have a discover 100cc and its really good gives me 65 kmpl.
 
And between the two options shine is a lot better. But don't expect a stellar mileage from shine in the initial period as "Honda bikes are like wine. They get better with age" :-)

The problem with the suspension of your friends shine can be rectified. You just have to tune it up according to your needs.
 
I have a Year 2000 Model Splendor, the second model with air cleaner, my daily ride is 60kms, still gives me 60Kmpl + :)

I have well maintained it, still haven't opened a thing.
 
Both are good bikes man.. They were proved as best sellers... test ride the new ones from showroom and decide.
 
malhotraraul said:
well, looks like you want a commuter bike & already shortlisted 2 of them but i would suggest to go for Hero CD Deluxe, around 51k on road & gives a good mileage of 65kmpl +

My cousin bro uses one since a year.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,
Yes looking for a commuter mainly for rural roads.
Well the problem is I wont be the only person to use this bike. The other person is hell bent on a passion pro or Shine, leaning highly on Shine.


benryu said:
Hero CD deluxe is a bit short. If you are tall its not a worthy option. I would suggest you to test drive the Bajaj Discover 125st. Its got mono nitrox suspension, 4 valve engine and disc breaks too. Since you mentioned rural areas i thought better suspension would be a good option.

Many people might say Bajaj not good. I dont know much about that background but i myself have a discover 100cc and its really good gives me 65 kmpl.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,
Well bajaj has come a long way , even bajaj vehicles are quite reliable now. But it is a matter of image and perception. Honda's reliability does not help bajaj either. My friend's shine is 4 years old but is still super smooth, not a bit of rust to be seen anywhere. The discover with mono which you are talking of has suspension tuned for city streets. Meant to be sporty, not well suited on rural roads, atleast thats what I felt. Discover 100cc is simply awesome for mileage but its a bit too lean and the other person wont allow me to go for it . Otherwise with the turtle speed I ride, I easily muster 70kmpl from my cousins discover 100 .

aquaticbullet said:
Say no to Bajaj.
Also check out suzuki hayate.
And why no splendor?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,
No trust on Suzuki!. No splendor because it feels archaic, and it is a bit lean again and self start is a must requirement.

aquaticbullet said:
And between the two options shine is a lot better. But don't expect a stellar mileage from shine in the initial period as "Honda bikes are like wine. They get better with age" :-)

The problem with the suspension of your friends shine can be rectified. You just have to tune it up according to your needs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,
Yea you are right. The suspension can be tweaked a bit my increasing its height. But what I have found is if you move your suspension settings from the default level. You lose maneuverability which I dont want.

malhotraraul said:
I have a Year 2000 Model Splendor, the second model with air cleaner, my daily ride is 60kms, still gives me 60Kmpl + :)

I have well maintained it, still haven't opened a thing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,
:scared14: Yet another Splendor success story. Only between the two mentioned bro. My partner wont allow me to buy a Splendor and frankly I feel the newer passion is a splendor in new clothes with some improvements.
 
Shine is recommended among the two. Both are very decent bikes.
I also rode Super Speldour few times - and that bike is also in the same category.
 
malhotraraul said:
you have already made up your mind, just do a toss & go with one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,
To be frank its not totally in my hands, otherwise I always have an open mind. But the max I can do it choose the best between the two bikes mentioned. Hence even in that I wanted your's and fellow forum members opinion as to which will be better of the two.

Hacker said:
I rode my friends bajaj xcd 125 in jammu, kashmir and ladakh, it did not give a single problem while my other friends who were on thunderbird's faced a lot of issues in the snow.
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying,
thats strange!, infact should have been the opposite:scared14:. If still I had the budget and chance, I would have chosen the TB all the way even with the problems it has :D.
 
Honda Shine has more power and has a better build too, it looks too boring. AFAIK Shine had a defect with it's rear shockabsorbers/suspension and high speed vibrations, honda had corrected the problem in the new generation shine. It will give you not more than 60KM/L .

Hero Honda Passion Pro looks better but is more plasticky than shine and is not as fast/powerful. But it'll give you an average of 65 KM/L over a span of three years, I'm using one so I can confirm it. One of the problem it gets is in the electric start mechanism which may malfunction during rainy season. It has a weird lower gear ratio as 2,3rd gears put too much power on the engine resulting in more than usual noise.

Test drive both of them before buying.
 
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