Honda Shine 100

The Shine 100 is an entry level 100cc commuter motorcycle and keeping in mind the preference of such customers, Honda has kept the design sober and simple. The bike does look small but we will explain the advantage of that later in the ‘handling’ department. The Shine 100 gets a simple looking headlamp cowl with sizeable old school indicators at either ends. The bike wears a low cost 2.75 cm wide front tyre mounted on a 17-inch alloy wheel. At the back, the bike uses a 3.0 inch wide tyre, again mounted on a 17-inch alloy wheel. The ground clearance of 168mm is decent for the segment. The design theme is minimal and the slim tank is an example of that. This was done so that there is no hump or step up between the seat and the tank. The seat is long and ends with a proper grab handle at the back. The Shine 100 is sold in five colors - while the base scheme is black, the sticker work can be had in red, gold, blue, green and grey. Overall, the Honda Shine 100 is a simple looking motorcycle with few smart design angles thrown in.

The bike gets power from an all-new 100cc motor that offers 7.6 bhp of power and 8.05 Nm of torque. While these are low figures, the bike is lightest in the segment. At just 99kg, it is about 13kg lighter than say the HF Deluxe. The engine is pretty smooth and Honda has tuned it well to deliver oodles of torque at low engine speeds. The Shine 100 gets a 4 speed gearbox and you can slot the engine into the top gear at low speeds of 30 km/h easily. Overall refinement levels are great and this along with a smooth shifting gearbox makes this new Shine a good companion for city runs. The bike will easily reach 80km/h but the engine gets buzzy at these speeds. Honda isn’t revealing the mileage of the bike but its safe to assume that with a light right hand, it will deliver an easy 70-75 kmpl. This means on a tankful, the bike will have a real world range of over 600km. 

As the bike is priced aggresively and this is an entry level commuter market, the Shine 100, like other rivals does not come with a long list of features. There is only one version to pick from and it comes with alloy wheels, drum brakes at both the ends and an electric start function. The speedometer console is also basic and lacks a trip meter. It also comes with Honda’s ‘esp’ tech that is claimed to reduce friction and improve performance and fuel efficiency. The side stand engine cut off feature is also a good touch. Likewise, it comes with CBS or combined braking system which helps improve braking. At a later stage, Honda might launch a kick-start only version to further bring down the price of the bike. 

The Shine 100 is aimed to make riding a fuss-free affair. Thanks to the light weight of just 99kg, it is a very easy to ride bike in tight spots. Users will appreciate its agility specially in rush hour traffic. The turning radius is also very tight which is an important requirement in bigger cities. During our ride review, we found the suspension to be tuned pretty well, absorbing undulations with ease. It is a common sight to see small bikes being ridden with a pillion and luggage and with so much weight, like most other small Honda bikes, this too will shine. The small shortcoming here is that the rear suspension isn’t adjustable for load. This isnt a bike meant for higher speeds or highway usage and above 70-75km/h, it does not feel as stable as some of the other rivals in the price band. That said, brakes work well a drum set-up.