Honda Shine

The Honda Shine 125 is the best-selling 125cc bike in India. Over the years, it got several small but crucial updates to stay relevant. The bike is well-known for its smooth engine, great mileage and reliable quality.

Design

The Honda Shine 125 has remained more or less the same over the years. However, it is not necessarily a bad thing as the Shine’s target audience love the way the bike looks. The design is neutral, with premium finishes in the form of chrome garnishing on the headlight cowl, neat, sporty-looking stickers, blacked-out underpinnings and a contrasting chromed-out exhaust heat shield. 

Engine, Mileage & Performance

The Honda Shine is powered by a BS6.2-compliant 123.94cc single-cylinder fuel-injected engine that churns out 10.74PS at 7500rpm and 11Nm at 6000rpm. Honda has implemented several friction reduction technologies in the engine to enhance its performance and efficiency. It comes with a 5-speed transmission, which should ensure better highway performance as opposed to a 4-speed gearbox. The engine also comes with a silent starter for convenient starts. 

Handling & Ride Quality

Armed with a telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers along with large 18-inch wheels with tubeless tyres at both ends, the Honda Shine 125 does a good job of absorbing bumps in city roads. Since the tyres are tubeless, they can handle punctures much better than tubed ones which tend to deflate quickly. There’s adequate braking power too, thanks to the 240mm front disc and a 130mm rear drum with Combined Braking System (CBS). If you’re more budget conscious, then there’s the option of a front 130mm drum too. However, we’d recommend the disc variant as it’s much safer compared to the one with the front drum brake. The 162mm ground clearance is also good enough for tackling bad roads.

Comfort

The Honda Shine 125 is a purposeful commuter, and hence comes with an upright riding posture with easy-to-reach handlebars. It gets a well-cushioned 651mm long seat. The seat height is also reasonably accessible at 791mm. There’s a body-coloured grab rail to keep the pillion secured. 

Features

Honda has equipped the Shine 125 with an engine kill switch, DC halogen headlight, bulb indicators and tail light. The instrument cluster is fully analogue with just a speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer, and tell-tale lights. Honda should’ve given the bike a semi-digital instrument cluster. Other noteable features include a side stand engine cut-off feature, and a silent starter for convenient, noiseless starts.

Should you buy the Honda Shine 125?

The Honda Shine 125 is perfect for those who want a no-nonsense 125cc commuter that’s refined, reliable, offers good mileage and can perform everyday commuting with ease. We’d recommend the disc variant as it offers better braking performance than the drum version.