honda cb shine

Yamaha SZ-R Vs. Honda CB Shine

Yamaha SZ-R and the Honda CB Shine are bikes in two entirely different engine ranges. However, I decided to put this comparison up here because I noticed a lot of people looking for this specific comparison. The Yamaha SZ-R is just slightly different from the Yamaha SZX – except for a few changes in the way the bikes look and the accessories made available, both bikes come with a 153cc four stroke air-cooled engine, a power of around 12.1 PS at 7500 RPM and a max torque of 12.8 Nm at 4500 RPM. In comparison to these specs, the Honda CB Shine comes with a 124.7cc engine that delivers 10.3 PS power and a torque of 10.54 Nm.

Specs	Yamaha SZ-R	Honda Shine
Engine displacement	153cc	124.7cc
Max Power	12.1 PS	10.3 PS
Max Torque	12.8 Nm	10.54 Nm
Price (Ex-Delhi)	Rs. 57500	Rs. 54782

Mileage Comparison

The manufacturer claim on mileage is always to be taken on an optimistic note. That’s evident because these claims are tested under “standard test road conditions” which are very different from the regular city roads and traffic we actually ride the bike on. According to Yamaha, the SZ-R is capable of delivering 62.4 kmpl FE. In comparison, the Honda CB Shine with a lower engine displacement is claimed to deliver 65 kmpl. It doesn’t seem like a big difference considering that the power offered by the Shine is noticeably different from SZ-R.

To see what the bikes actually deliver on city roads, let us look at the various test-ride and customer feedback reports. On the IndiaGarage forum, the SZ-R customers report a decent fuel consumption of between 43-55 kmpl. In comparison, the Shine customers on the same forum report 50-55 kmpl on city roads and 58-62 kmpl on highways. So as we can see, the city road performance of both the bikes is not very different.

Let us take a look at the MaxAbout reviews. The website claims that the SZ-R has a pretty good performance on city roads. They claim a figure of between 55-60 kmpl on the Yamaha bike. The report on CB Shine is not too different either and they report 58 kmpl on city roads.

The similarity in mileage delivered on the two bikes is also noticeable on the BikeAdvice reports. A report from one of the SZ-R customers on the website reports a city FE of around 45-49 kmpl. Another reader, who owns a CB Shine reports 50 kmpl – marginally better but not enough difference to make a 125cc value for money compared to the 150cc alternative.

MouthShut has always been a popular place to check out user reviews of bikes. For the SZR, the customers posting on the site report a city fuel consumption of anywhere between 40-52 kmpl. This is a huge range and is not sufficient to draw a conclusion on the bike performance. In comparison, the reviews for the Honda CB Shine are at a more consistent range of 50-55 kmpl. I guess this is the only comparison that makes the CB Shine look like a better bike from a mileage perspective compared to the SZR.

There are several other reports for both the bikes. For the SZR, MotorBeam reports a city figure of 55 kmpl while for the CB Shine, the Yahoo user reviews, the reported number is between 55-60 kmpl. All the reported figures from various sources are tabulated below.

Source	Yamaha SZ-R (kmpl)	Honda CB Shine (kmpl)
Official	62.4	65
IndiaGarage	43-55	50-55
MaxAbout	55-60	58
BikeAdvice	45-49	50
MotorBeam	55	—
MouthShut	40-52	50-55
Yahoo	–	55-60

Overall, I think the mileage delivered by both the bikes is more or less comparable. Honda CB Shine is slightly better. But given that at a price of around Rs. 3000 more, you can get a higher cc engine with much better power and torque, the SZ-R seems to be a better choice. What do you think?

Honda Dream Yuga vs. Honda CB Shine

I don’t recall a comparison between two bikes of varying engine displacement levels previously. However, this article follows the comparison requested by MileageInfo reader Nik in his comment here. Dream Yuga is the least expensive Honda that is currently in the market and is a 109cc bike whereas the CB Shine belongs to the 125cc segment that is priced around 8,000 rupees higher than Dream Yuga.

So first off, let’s take a look at the tech specs of both these bikes.

Specification	Honda Dream Yuga	Honda CB Shine
Displacement	109cc	124.7cc
Net Power	8.6 PS @7500	10.3 PS @7500
Max Torque	8.91 Nm @5500	10.54 Nm @5500
Kerb Weight	108kg	120kg
Wheelbase	1285mm	157mm
Ground Clearance	161mm	157mm
Fuel Tank	8 liters	10.5 liters
Price (ex-Delhi)	Rs. 46150	Rs. 54782

So from a specifications standpoint, it is clear that you get additional value for the extra money you shell out on CB Shine. From a mileage perspective, the first view I get is that the Dream Yuga should be a better bet because the higher power as well as the higher kerb weight on the CB Shine makes it less fuel efficient compared to the Dream Yuga. That is of course assuming both these bikes have similar engines which they are not.

Mileage Comparison

The official figures are strongly stacked in favour of the Yuga. According to Honda, this 109cc bike can deliver close to 72kmpl under standard testing condition. You can say these conditions to what you have on the highways. Under city conditions this is bound to be lower. However, even under these conditions, the CB Shine has a lower stated mileage of only around 65 kmpl.

Let us take a look at what other third party reviews have got to say. While we have not had any common source that has reviewed both these bikes alike (except from the user review site, MouthShut, of course), we have around 4 sources for the Dream Yuga and five other for the CB Shine.

MotorBeam in their review report that they were able to extract 58-60 kmpl on city roads with the Dream Yuga. On highway roads, this went up to 65kmpl on their test ride. BikeDekho did not have a similar experience. Their test only delivered around 55kmpl on city roads although on highways, the experience was better than what MotorBeam experienced at 70kmpl. OverDrive relatively had the worst experience of all. They report a 47kmpl fuel economy on city roads with the Dream Yuga.

In comparison, CB Shine has a relatively more consistent report. On IndiaGarage, users together report fuel consumption of between 50-55kmpl on city roads and between 58-62kmpl on highway roads. BikeAdvice says that although the average expected economy is around 50kmpl, you can still make it better through regular servicing and air checks. While the report on Yahoo Autos calls for users to expect between 55-60kmpl, the MaxAbout report averages out their test ride mileage at around 58kmpl which is almost similar to what Yahoo has noted.

On MouthShut, there is a more diverse reporting on the Dream Yuga. The customers there have reported numbers on a pretty wide range between 50-65kmpl. On the contrary, the customers who have used a CB Shine report a more consistent number of between 50-55 kmpl on city roads.

Let’s tabulate these numbers for easy comparison.

Source	Dream Yuga (kmpl)	CB Shine (kmpl)
Official	72	65
BikeAdvice	–	50
BikeDekho	55	—
IndiaGarage	–	50-55
MaxAbout	–	58
MotorBeam	58-60	—
MouthShut	50-65	50-55
OverDrive	47	—
Yahoo	–	55-60

As I see it, there is little to choose between the two bikes when it comes to the actual mileage delivered on city roads. The Dream Yuga is a little inconsistent with a wider reported range while the CB Shine delivers a pretty consistent figure between 50-55kmpl. So my take is that if you have those additional 8000 rupees to spend, why not go with the CB Shine? At least, you can enjoy a better power and performance at a similar mileage. What’s your take on this? Do tell us in the comments.

We have already discussed the Stunner CBF from Honda in the 125cc segment. One another bike in the same range is the Honda CB Shine. The motorbike comes with a 124.7cc engine that can deliver a maximum power of 10.12 BHP (7.55 kw) and a max torque of 10.54 Nm. If you compare this with the Stunner, the latter offers a slightly higher power of 11 BHP. Other features on the bike include a spring loaded hydraulic suspension on the front and the rear, a 4 speed gear and a strong but light weight diamond frame. The Honda CB Shine is priced well below the ex-showroom price of the Stunner. It is available at a starting price of just Rs. 54,782 ex-showroom, Delhi.

Honda CB Shine Mileage

If you are a Honda fanboy and are looking to buy one of these two bikes from the Japanese auto major, you have to compromise on either the buying price or the mileage. If you remember from our writeup last time, the officially claimed fuel economy on the Stunner is 68.3 kmpl. According to Honda, the CB Shine can deliver a slightly lower economy of around 65 kmpl under standard test conditions. It goes without saying that these are under ideal conditions and may not always be what you can see in real on city roads.

CB Shine Customer Reviews

Let’s start with the folks discussing the bike on IndiaGarage. According to the various posters, you can expect to see between 50-55 kmpl on city roads while this can increase between 58-62 kmpl on highways. Reviewers though point out other issues like noticeable engine vibration at higher speeds.

Deepak from BikeAdvice has reviewed this bike way back in 2008 and in his review, he points out the average mileage on the Shine to be around 50 kmpl. He however notes that you can optimize the fuel consumption by taking the right steps like maintaining air pressure and regular servicing.

In a discussion thread on Yahoo, people who have tested the bike report an economy of between 55-60 kmpl on the average that can rise to 62 kmpl on city roads.

MaxAbout has an entirely positive review at least as far as highways are concerned. According to their review, the CB Shine can deliver close to 58 kmpl on city roads that can go insanely high to 73 kmpl on highways. I would suggest you to take this highways economy with a grain of salt.

On MouthShut, there are over 158 reviews for the CB Shine and the reviewers have given the bike a rating of 4/5 with respect to fuel economy. The average mileage on city roads appears to be between 50-55 kmpl although some people report lower economies of around 42 kmpl. Again, depending on the driving style and conditios, this can also go to the other end of the scale of around 60-65 kmpl.

Overall, this seems to be a good bike with respect to mileage. Here is a snapshot of the fuel consumption as reported by various reviews. There are of course other issues as reported on various reviews. But regardless of that, if you think a mileage of around 55 kmpl is good for you, you should go for this bike!

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	65
IndiaGarage	50-55	58-62
BikeAdvice	50	—
Yahoo	55-60	62
MaxAbout	58	73
MouthShut	50-55	60-65