Battle Of The Affordable 100cc Commuters

The Honda Shine 100 is the new contender to take on the Hero HF100, and here’s how they stack against each other

Hero MotoCorp has the most affordable commuter motorcycle in our market – the HF100. Now, there’s a new contender in the market – the Honda Shine 100. But how do these two most affordable offerings from these brands fare against each other? 

The Honda Shine 100 and the Hero HF100 have eerily similar designs. Thanks to the dual-tone colours and the premium black paint, they look good. However, the headlight design, the side panels, the tail light and even the five-spoke alloy wheels are identical.

These are price-sensitive products, so they get halogen illumination all around. That said, the clear indicators on the HF100 look more premium than the orange ones on the Honda Shine 100.

The Honda Shine uses a 99.7cc air-cooled engine that makes 7.61PS and 8.05Nm. Meanwhile, the Hero HF100 uses a 97.2cc sloper engine from the Hero Splendor Plus and makes 8.02PS and 8.05Nm. 

The Honda Shine 100 and the Hero HF100 have similar underpinnings with a telescopic fork and dual shock suspension setup. However, while the Hero commuter gets preload adjustability at the rear, the Honda Shine 100 doesn’t.

The Honda Shine 100 and the Hero HF100 have different tyre setups. Honda has used 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends while the HF 100 comes with 18-inch units, seen on most commuters.

The Honda Shine 100, despite not having any substantial advantage over the Hero HF100, still carries a premium of Rs 8,000 over the HF100.