Honda Dream Yuga Road Test and Review

“Commuting bikes are those which doesn’t seek much attention..!!” That was the attitude I always carried through my life. But, sooner or later I knew that would change, the time came when I tested Honda’s least costing and highest fuel efficient bike in India, The DREAM YUGA.

Honda’s latest 110cc fuel efficient bike in India in 2012

Dream Yuga inherits a detuned version of CB Twister’s Mill, which is tuned for better fuel efficiency. It looks very similar to the Honda’s CB Shine, so more or less it is a mixture of Honda’s two very successful models, the CB Twister and the CB Shine. So what is this Dream Yuga all about? Read below to find out how it performed during our test ride.

(Note: There are 3 variants of this bike, the one which we tested was the top variant.)

Design:

 

Dream Yuga comes with a Diamond type tubular frame which is very light and easy to handle. It looks like an uplifted version of CB Shine, which is more stylish with its attractive graphics and stylish edges. The alloy wheel also adds up to its stylish looks and also allows in slight weight reduction.

As looks are completely an individual’s choice, I wouldn’t like to speak much about it. But, would love to say, the fit and finish of the bike is great and I loved it. And to add to it, it is really an attention grabber. There was a time when a traffic cop stopped us to enquire about the bike, while a lot of others too did the same.

Engine:

As I said earlier, it comes with an air cooled, 2 valve, 4 stroke, Overhead Camshaft 110cc CB twister’s mill detuned to produce 8.5BHP at 7500RPM. The engine is brilliantly tuned and is very refined. We had a fresh beauty, just rolled out of the showroom, ready to be tested. There were no vibrations till the bike touched 70kmph mark and after that, you do feel some vibrations which may fade away after a few clicks on the Odometer.

Gear box is typical Honda with its butter smooth operation, which does nothing other than what you expect it to do. The 1st gear almost seemed useless as it is very short and with the high torque the bike pulled easily away from a standstill in the 2nd gear. The 2nd and 3rd gear are pretty perfectly placed and the top gear, i.e. the 4th gear is so tall that you could actually fit in another couple of gears just within it. The engine is brilliant as the bike could actually do 25kmph in both the 1st and the top gear without any knocking sound in top gear. For those who don’t like to clutch and change gears much, this is really bliss to ride in the traffic.

The power delivery is very linear and smooth. The engine never runs out of breath for normal commuting usage. Though I had revved up the new bike quite hard for about 30+kms, the engine heat dissipation was very less than what I expected it to be.

Handling:

Speaking about the way it handles, you need not be a Rossi to control it. It’s really light and has a very small turning radius, making it very easy to zip around the bike in the traffic. Trust me, you could take a complete U turn in just a little more than 1 lane.  It comes with a tubeless MRF Zappers sized 80/100 on both front and rear, which not just lasts long but are also quite sticky enough on both dry and wet tarmac. Honda scores an additional point here against many of its competitors.

Speaking about Suspensions, Honda has a big leap when compared to its competitors. It comes with a 120mm Front and a 5 step adjustable, 94mm, both sides operational, rear suspension, making it one of the most comfortable bike on the messy Indian roads.

Riding comfort:

With its brilliant suspension settings, it’s really one of the most comfortable riding machines I have ever ridden in this segment. It comes with an Up-right sitting posture and seats are wide enough to fit 2 completely grown adults very comfortably with ample of space and padding. The thighs wrap the tank easily and grips good.

City Riding:

As this was a commuter, I kept most of my testing period within the city limits and took the bike to the closed empty roads only for photographs and high speed tests. The low end torque makes it very easy to pull the bike out on the traffic signal and is completely smooth. Maneuvering in the traffic is fun and inspiring as you can easily zip around whether it is bumper to bumper traffic or normal busy streets on those Indian roads. The clutch is light to use, the power delivery is smooth and all together it is really a very comfortable and fun machine to ride in the city limits. Finally, Horn sounds good enough for a Honda bike.

The mirror though stylish and designed well doesn’t provide the complete rear view as expected. And the front brakes seemed under powered as it did not have much of the stopping power once the bike cruised past 50Kmph.

Honda Yuga Top Speed:

The top speed of the bike was close to 85kmph when we tested it. With a few more clicks on the odo, I guess it might go up.

Top speeds in each gear were:

1st gear: 28kmph
2nd gear: 46kmph
3rd gear: 70kmph
4th gear: 85kmph
(All these figures are of a brand new bike and it may vary as it runs more)

Dream Yuga Mileage/Fuel Efficiency:

Another important aspect which really surprised us is the fuel efficiency. It returned a whopping 65+kmpl mileage which was quite astonishing. I was quite shocked to see Honda claims of 72kmpl, how can 65+ be practical? that’s when I had a deeper look and realized, the 72kmpl mileage is not at IDEAL conditions but is measured at simulated, actual riding conditions. Quite impressive work here by the Honda again.

Miscellaneous:

It has quite a good amount of storage space in the toolkit box. You can easily put in a few important papers and a foldable pocked rain coat within for emergencies. (And surprisingly Honda has confused its switch gear with that of its CBR150R I guess.) It has a pass switch while the premium models don’t.

And the tail grab is very comfortable to use and is quite grippy. The light weight of the bike adds up to its superior parking capability by easily lifting the rear of the bike to get it in any angle you would wish to. In fact, I could make 360 degree turn by lifting it just thrice and that too without my thighs support to lift it up.

Honda Dream Yuga Variants in India:

It is available in 3 variants named,

1. Yuga KD spoke: Which comes with kick start and spoke wheels.
2. Yuga KD Alloy: Comes with alloy wheels instead of spokes and Kick start
3. Yuga SD Alloy: Comes with both Self-start and alloy wheels.

Honda Dream Yuga Colors:

It comes in 5 colors, which are Monsoon Grey Metallic, Alpha Red Metallic, Maple Brown Metallic, Force Silver Metallic and Black.

Dream Yuga Price in India:

The (Ex-Showroom Bangalore) prices of the 3 models are, Rs. 47294, Rs.48813 and Rs. 49934. The On road prices are Rs.53870, Rs.55573 and Rs.56832 respectively.

The price difference between the models are not much and you can select which ever would suit your requirements quite easily.  To add to it, there is no waiting period, Book it today, and ride it home tomorrow.

Dream Yuga Pros:

• Beautiful fit and finish
• Refined Engine
• Long and comfortable seats
• Tubeless tyres
• Suspensions
• Fuel Efficiency

Dream Yuga Cons:

• Brakes were disappointing, Disk brake should have been there at least in the top variant
• Expensive compared to its competitors
• Misses on LED Tail Lamps, Engine kill switch with that price tag

BikeAdvice Verdict:

For those who are looking for a highly reliable, fuel efficient, comfortable and stylish ride, this is the bike for you. Honda has earned its name for refinement and reliability and this gets reflected in Dream Yuga. It’s a great companion for daily and heavy commuters alike.

Check out the Dream Yuga images from our road test below: