Honda CBF Stunner

Now, it’s not exactly as I expected it to be, is the new 125 from Honda, the CBF Stunner – 11bhp, 11Nm of torque, hydraulic shocks, analog meters and regular lamps.

But where it does leave the rest of the 125s behind is in the styling stakes – it does look like a more modern Karizma really with its half front faring et al. it also gets tubeless tyres and split seats.

It is what Honda calls a sporty 125 designed to appeal to the boys in their late teens – so it gets rearset footpegs and a toe-only gear shifter. One of my colleagues rode the bike and said it doesn’t feel as fast as Honda quotes it to be - 0-60kmph in 5.2 seconds. He also mentioned it should compare well with the Gladiator in terms of performance, ride as well as handling.

More on the bike is a weeks time.. till then here are the specs from the bike’s brochure.

Flame vs Gladiator

Promised you the Gladiator vs Flame shootout – so here it is…

Put the Flame and Gladiator side-by-side, and it’s difficult not to fancy the Flame - it’s sharp, well-proportioned, and has more road presence than the Yamaha. But, that’s not completely surprising given the latter is now an old design. Yamaha has, of course, tweaked the front fairing, strapped on an engine cowl and garnished the bike with aluminium and aluminium-looking inserts all over to spice things up, but, it still isn’t as alluring as the Flame.
The latter also gets an intelligent lockable cubby hole which is part of the fuel tank and can hold your wallet, gloves, and even a small water bottle. The tank knee recesses are deep and usable for riders of all heights as well. And then there’s the part analog, part digital instrument binnacle which besides looking good, especially at night, also reads out information on time, fuel level, instantaneous fuel consumption and service due among others.
The Gladiator isn’t as elaborate. But to its credit, it boasts of better, more comfortable ergonomics, a tachometer and an engine kill switch.

More importantly, though, the Gladiator gets a better drivetrain. It makes more power and torque. And though the difference isn’t significant, with the same being reflected in the spec sheet, it gets a five speed gearbox, and is more refined than the Flame too. Touch 70kmph and the Flame breaks into a frantic, noisy dance of vibrations, while the Gladiator is calmer, poised and has that fifth gear in reserve to smoothen things out further.

These apart, it is amazing how close these bikes are in every other respect, handling in particular. In the city, both bikes are brilliantly easy to ride feeling light and flickable at slower speeds; the Gladiator more so thanks to its better riding position. Around fast flowing bends it’s a similar story; both the Flame and Gladiator offer just the right chassis and suspension stiffness making corner carving fun and predictable. However, the Yamaha does manage to pull a slight advantage through a lengthy sequence of corners courtesy better brakes and sharper steering geometry.

Overall then, the bikes are pretty evenly matched. But, it’s the Gladiator that feels better to ride, and even though it isn’t styled as well as the Flame and lacks the digital console and the cubby hole, it still gets my vote. And to make the deal sweeter, at Rs 44,380 ex-showroom in Delhi, it’s also a tad cheaper to buy than the Flame.

Specs
TVS Flame Yamaha Gladiator Type SS
Engine
Engine capacity: 125cc 125cc
Max power: 10.5bhp 11bhp
Max torque: 10Nm 10.5Nm
Gearbox: 4-speed 5-speed
Performance
0-60kmph: 6.64s 6.66s
0-80kmph: 12.47s 12.45s
0-100kmph: 30.42s 30.64s
Top speed: 101.7kmph 102.4kmph
Price: Rs 45,990 Rs 44,380