Honda Shine 100

Honda's cheapest offering in India, the Honda Shine 100, has been introduced by the Japanese manufacturer to compete with the best-selling bike in India, the Hero Splendor. Let’s find out if the Shine 100 is worthy enough to be the perfect affordable commuter bike.

Design

The Honda Shine 100 takes design inspiration from its bigger sibling, the Shine 125. The headlight cowl looks stylish, complemented by the slim fuel tank. The sporty-looking side panels add a nice contrast to the simple tail section. In a lot of ways, the Shine 100 looks just like a mini Shine 125. That is not necessarily a bad thing, too, as the Shine’s target audience loves the bike’s simple design. While the overall styling is pretty neat, the body panels felt flimsy when we reviewed the pre-production version.

Engine, Mileage and Performance

The Honda Shine 100 gets a BS6.2 (OBD2) compliant, 98.98cc engine that produces 7.61PS and 8.05Nm, paired with a four-speed gearbox. It features a 9-litre fuel tank. As per our tests, the real-world mileage of the Honda Shine 100 stands at 67.5kmpl in a combination of both city and highway riding conditions.

The engine lives up to the Shine nameplate as it is super refined. It’s got decent low-end performance, and the power delivery is smooth too. The engine feels powerful enough even on inclines, that too with a pillion. The Shine 100 feels relaxed while cruising at around 60kmph. Vibrations are minimal, and even at speeds beyond 60kmph you feel just a slight buzz on the footpegs and the seat.

Handling and Ride Quality

The front suspension easily absorbs most bumps, offering a comfortable experience. In contrast, the rear suspension tends to be slightly firmer. Given that this bike is designed to carry a pillion or heavy loads, the ride quality smoothes out in such situations. The light kerb weight of 99kg, along with the tight turning radius, helps in going through tight city roads easily. Though the brakes have a reasonably good bite, the levers lack proper feedback, so judging braking distances may be a little tricky. Honda should have offered a front disc brake at least as an option. Also, Honda should have given tubeless tyres as standard as the Shine 100 anyway comes with alloy wheels, and tube-type tyres cannot handle punctures as well as tubeless ones.

Comfort

The Honda Shine 100’s riding position is upright, providing a relaxed and natural feel to the arms. With a height of 786mm, the seat is easily accessible, and its narrow profile enables shorter riders to place their feet flat on the ground. The seat is well-cushioned to ensure pillion comfort too. 

Features

The Honda Shine 100, being a basic 100cc commuter bike, comes equipped with a halogen headlight and an analogue dual-pod instrument console housing a speedometer, fuel gauge, and tell-tale lights. Additionally, it also gets practical features like a side-stand engine cut-off and an automatic choke. The fuel pump is located in a way to ensure easy access in case of repairs.

Should you buy the Honda Shine 100?

If you seek a budget-friendly, lightweight city commuter offering great mileage, a reasonably peppy engine, and excellent refinement, the Honda Shine 100 checks all the right boxes.