HONDA SHINE 100

Honda's 100cc contender gets the basics right, but is it enough to sway buyers?

-  RITESH PATIL

The Honda Shine 100 is an important motorcycle for the Japanese bike maker since 100cc commuters account for almost 33 percent of the two-wheeler sales in the country and also because this is its first solo offering in the segment. The commuter is modelled around Honda's best-selling motorcycle, the 125cc Shine, and also shares the name. Is it enough to break into a tough segment with very specific requirements? Let's find out.

The Shine 100 borrows design cues from its 125cc sibling with a bikini fairing upfront, a familiar side profile and a long and flat single-piece seat. The blacked-out alloys are shod with tube-type tyres.

It is available with five shades of graphics - black, blue, green, red and gold, all of which get black as a common base, and I must say they lend the commuter an attractive look. Visually, the slim nine-litre fuel tank didn't really catch my fancy, but it is nothing out of the blue since most of the 100cc commuters feature a similar design choice. Apart from that, the overall looks of the Shine 100 are quite likeable.