Hero Honda Hunk User Review
Hello Readers, I am Rabbani , Assistant Engineer, West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd.
Today I am going to describe my experience with my 10,000 Km old Hero
Honda Hunk. Lets see my Hero Honda Hunk user review.
Feeling of First Ride:
The first biking experience is one of
the sweetest memories of my life. It was when I used to go high
school. My uncle gave me his bike Yamaha 100 to start. I started
keeping my uncle as pillion with a great excitement. It was in the
school field, so I was not afraid about the accident. According to my
uncle my balance was good as a beginner. That’s how my biking career
started.
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| Hero Honda Hunk User Review |
How I Choose My Bike:
Since I am above six feet high, so I was
looking for a bike that suits me. Power was also a requirement. I was
not so worried about the fuel efficiency because I knew that the big
boys eat a lot. My main concerns were cost and control. Before choosing
my bike I had experience using Pulser 150, Discover 135, Yamaha FZ and
Yamaha Fazer. Primarily my choice was Bajaj Discover 135. But
Unfortunately It was not available then in the country. So I left that.
Pulsar 150 was a good bike having a
great down force and a very popular outlook. But It’s center of gravity
towards the front reduces the control over the bike. Because the overall
body work doesn’t support that. The effect will be cleared if we see
that, in the statistics the most accident causing bike is Pulsar 150.
With due respect to the Pulsar family I have to say that Pulsar has a
lack of control in urgent circumstances. Another point can be noted.
When the bike becomes older the neck joint creates problem. The
maintenance frequency is another point to be considered.
TVS Apache RTR is also a good bike. But I
don’t like the height and the outlook. Again the seating arrangement is
not comfortable rather it creates back pain.
Both The Yamaha brands took my heart.
But when I saw the price tag I became hopeless. Added to that the fuel
efficiency was way under tolerable limit. So what did I do?
Then in one evening one of my closest
men Pitar gave me his bike to ride. It was Hero Honda Hunk IPL edition.
It was an old bike aged about 20000 km. But When I started, I felt
something different. The control was just above awesome. Even with two
pillions in a busy city road, I felt like in full control. The
acceleration was little slower but it was enough. The bike was so silent
that the other bikers couldn’t realize the position if the horn switch
wasn’t pushed. According to my friend the fuel efficiency was
surprising. It was 50 km/liter!! Can you believe? Besides the market
price was under my budget. So I decided to buy Hunk. In my time IPL
edition was not available so I had to buy Hunk with double disk brakes.
Design:
The design is quite admirable. The bike
has a muscular fuel tank with a pair of extra tank kit attached to both
sides. Those kits have some aerodynamic functions. Though I have doubts
about that. The white rear lighting arrangement is the first introduced
style in the country. The pillion seat is little higher from the
driver. It has digital speedometer with analog rpm meter. It doesn’t
have any engine kill switch though I don’t find any significant
usefulness about it. It has rear nitrox suspension with the rear wheel.
A big problem is having AC driven front
lighting bulb. So the light intensity changes with the throttle. The
mirror size could have been bigger. The available colors are black, red,
silver, olive, white and midnight black. The last two colors are not
available with Hero Honda but with HERO.
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| Hero Honda Hunk User Review |
Engine Performance:
If it is needed to feel the engine then
the best way is on long road. The acceleration is seemed to me little
lower compared to other bikes. But after 60 km/h it becomes something
different. It has 5 speed transmission system. The shifting of gears is
little rough. The first gear has low working span. That’s why you have
to change that immediately after starting.
The second gear is smooth and you can
get 35-40 km/h in 5000-6000 rpm. The third gear can be used both for
pulling to high speed and for city ride. But As I said earlier that this
bike is for long road so it becomes tricky to use it in busy road. You
will feel urgency to change gears between 1-3 frequently. The fourth
gear is basically for pulling to high speed up to 80-85 km/h within a
very short time. The fifth gear is the finisher.
I got 114 km/h as the top speed. The
above speed limits with different gears can be changed depending how
frequently the bike is used. If the bike is not used regularly then
those limits can be difficult to achieve. The fuel is an important
factor. The compression ratio of hunk is 9:1 that can be satisfied with
octane. So Hunk fueled with octane will behave differently.
The manufacturer did a fine job with the
exhaust pipe. It creates very small amount of sound which becomes
negligible after wearing helmet. The engine vibration is very low. At
55-65km/h it vibrates a little more but after that it becomes low again.
I found an interesting behavior of the bike. That is when you will
start in the free way the bike will insist you from going fast in the
first place. But if you ignore that then it will provoke you to go real
fast.
Controlling & Comfort:
This is the best part about the bike. I
will give “A+” easily in this part. The center of gravity is a vital
point about this bike. It will give you extra privilege in controlling.
The weight is distributed evenly. As a result the handling becomes
easier. This gives the rider an advantage in the busy road. The height
of seat and the handle position make a critical angle which gives the
biker a huge comfort.
Bikers sometimes do complain about back
pain after a long journey. But I can ensure you from my experience that
you will feel almost nothing after a long journey. The suspension system
is better. The pillion gets extra comfort for this. Because of the even
distribution of the weight the bike doesn’t shake in high speed unless
you wear a loose outfit. After 75 km/h you will feel like the bike is
standing still on the road.
I have a complain about the chain.
Because I don’t know somehow the chain becomes dry and loose frequently.
So you have to check the chain regularly. I have another point to be
considered here. Without proper tire pressure in both wheels you won’t
get the desired comfort and controlling characteristics.
Braking:
The latest Hero Honda Hunk has disk
brakes in both wheels. So the braking becomes easier then past. But it
do create problems for the people who take the braking seriously. I
recommend using both brakes at a single time. You can control the bike
confidently even at 80 km/h. The rear tire width is little low. That’s a
problem in slippery road.
Because it lacks of grip in wet
condition. But if the rider can use the brakes simultaneously with
controlled lever pressure that it doesn’t create much problem. So it
needs experience in the wet condition. The braking system could have
been better with wider rear tire. Some riders change the stock tire with
wider tire but it becomes impossible for those having rear disk
braking. I think the manufacturer should think about this modification.
Mileage:
I am satisfied about the fuel
consumption rate of my bike. I get 45-50 km/L in the high ways and 35-40
km/L in the busy roads. The fuel efficiency depends a lot on the fuel
quality. I use octane in the first place. That people who ride most of
the time in busy roads, this bike is not for them to consider.
Engine oil:
Hunk recommends Jeso Ma 10w30 SJ grade
engine oil. But I find better performance with Castrol Active 20W40 SJ
grade engines oil. There are other brands which work ok with this bike.
Honda and Mobile 1 Racing 4T are better.
Modification:
There are many sections in hunk that can
be modified. A R15 front kit can be attached. A dc system can change
the front lighting system. The use of hero extreme handle or bajaj
pulser handle replacing the stock handle can be better. If anyone wants
to get instant pick up then he can change the air filtering system. But
all of them must be done with expert hands.
Conclusion:
Some people say that HUNK has everything
in average level. I partially agree with them. Because It’s better to
have grade “A” in all subjects. If you get “A+” in one subject and “F”
in another subject then the result is ultimately a failure. We do have
an economic condition in our country. Again we don’t have to race here.
So It’s desirable to have friend rather to have a beast on the road. The
durability and performance depend mostly on the biker. If a person
considers his bike as a pet and takes care of it as it desires, then
surely it will responds whenever the owner wants.
Finally Some Tips To Share:
- Always use high quality engine oil
- The engine oil must be changed regularly
- Don’t use modifications that can create negative effect to the performance
- Try to keep the bike clean as best as possible.
- Remember the limitations
- Don’t ride rough frequently
- Always wear helmet.