Honda CB Shine SP – Road test review

There's a small segment of motorcycles that sit between the basic 110cc and the ever popular 150cc motorcycles. That’s the 125cc segment of motorcycles. They bridge the gap between the two and let you have that little extra power while still being able to give you excellent fuel economy. Well Honda have taken their most popular model the Shine and given it a whole new look. This is the all new Honda CB Shine SP. 

The Pros: Refined engine, good braking power and great mileage.

The Cons: Old switch gear.

The Crux: It’s a great value for money package.

Design and features – The Honda Shine gets a new lease on life as it now follows Honda’s new design trend. The ‘SP’ in the name stands for ‘special’ and Honda have made sure that this motorcycle out shines its competition. Upfront, you’ll notice that it sports the same headlamp unit as on the Honda Livo but gets a meatier cowl surrounding it. The tank too has been re-sculpted along with the side panels to give it a sportier look. The pillion grab handle has now been covered with a PVC material to make it comfortable to hold. The new alloy wheels and the chrome finish muffler cover add a premium look to the Shine. It gets a new digital analog console that is neatly laid out with an electronic fuel gauge, odometer and trip meter.

Engine and Performance – The Honda CB Shine SP is powered by the same 125cc engine that powers the current Shine. The single cylinder engine churns out 11PS at 7500rpm and 10Nm at 5500rpm. Now that’s a decent amount power and torque for a 125cc motorcycle but where the CB Shine SP really stands out, is its gearbox. Honda have reworked the gearbox to make it even smoother and have even added a 5^th gear. Adding a 5^th gear to the mix takes the Honda CB Shine SP to an all new level. The previous models of the Shine used to feel stressed out at higher speeds and even in the higher rev range. But with the addition of the 5^th gear, the motorcycle now cruises comfortably even at 80m/h without any stress on the engine and without any vibrations. This has also helped improve its fuel economy figures and it returned an impressive mileage of 75km/l.

Ride, Handling and Braking – The Honda Shine is already a popular motorcycle owing to the level of comfort it offers. It’s straight up commuter riding posture leaves you relaxed while riding and it helps that weighs only 124kg. The motorcycles light weight combined with its slightly increased ground clearance of 160mm make it a good motorcycle for city commuting. Ride quality and handling are two areas where the CB Shine SP excels. It’s quick and easy to manouver and has a good turning radius which comes in handy when you need to squeeze through traffic. The suspension setup is a little stiff for our liking but it can be adjusted to a softer setting. We tested the CBS variant of the Honda CB Shine SP and were impressed with the amount of bite from the front disc brake.

Verdict: The Honda CB Shine SP comes in three variants – the Standard(STD), the Deluxe(DLX) and the CBS. The standard is priced at Rs 63,713; the front disc brake Deluxe version comes for Rs 66,283, and the CBS variant for Rs 68,340 (all prices ex-showroom Mumbai). Now the CBS variant that we have here is just Rs.3,000 more than the regular Honda Shine. So that’s not a big leap as far as price goes. The Honda CB Shine SP is a great motorcycle for commuting in the city and will keep happy on the highways too. If you are someone who commutes a lot in the city on a regular basis and you want a good looking commuter motorcycle that gives you that little extra punch but can still return a high mileage, then the Honda CB Shine SP is definitely worth looking at.