Yamaha Gladiator versus Honda Shine

This is actually an interesting, complicated post to write. I’ve put more than 400 km on each bike so far, and I am a bit torn between the two. I am as surprised as you are, because I was expecting to vote for the Gladiator, and I might, but it isn’t a straightforward decision.

Engine/Gearbox
The Shine has the better engine overall. The Shine’s engine feels more refined, no, more engineered, more fresh and due to its early torque peak, more gutsy than the Yamaha. The Shine vibrates more than Yamaha, and it’s a noticeable difference. Purely because, the Yamaha does not vibrate AT ALL. Yes, no matter what the revs, the Yamaha is more or less silent and vibe free. It is an achievement, but as you will see, not without its pitfalls.

But, the Yamaha has the classier gearbox. The Shine’s four-speed box shifts all up, which is a bloody irritant. If Honda were to pay me a dollar (why bother with a Rupee in conjecture, eh?) for everytime I’ve found myself in neutral when I should have been in first, I’d be buying Bill Gates hi-tech house… about now. The shift quality is good, but the pattern sucks. The lever was scuffing my boots as well, so I had it hacked right off. Also, my bike seems to make a ‘zero’ shift now and then. The lever moves, but gets no work done. No false neutral… you’re just still in the same gear. The one-down, four-up Yamaha box is just butter smooth, always sure, ever positive. Perfect.

Performance
I’ m going to focus on the ‘feel’ of the performance, rather than the stopwatch okay? The Shine feels quicker to about 50 kph, and then the engine begins to hunt for something, anything that would give it more speed. Revving it is useless, and the quickest progress lies in shifting early and not bothering beyond, say, 65 kph. Top speed is, of course, in the 95-100 kph region, but as I said, not worth exploring. The Gladiator’s power is not concentrated anywhere and so, while it feels slow, especially if you’ve come off the Shine, it isn’t. There is always power to be had by twisting the throttle and riding it becomes pleasant because of it. However, the utterly spooky refinement makes the bike feel much slower than it is, so you’re almost always going faster than you think/intend.

Braking
Both of my bikes are disc models, and between the two, there isn’t much to choose. The Shine is sprung harder, but has more travel in the brake lever, while the Gladiator dives more, but the brake is sharp and alert. It’s a personal choice. My choice? Gladiator, I think it feels more er… up to the task.

Ride quality
A colleague rode pillion with me to his house yesterday and the Shine felt perfect. The road was smoothed out, potholes disappeared, serenity reigned. But that was not the case when I took the same route today. Today, the road is bumpy, jittery and bordering on the harsh. Why? Because like with the Unicorn, Honda is fixated on the fact that most Indian wifes are fat. And that they follow their hubbies around all over the place, always sitting pillion. Always sideways. You know this isn’t the case. But the ride quality suffers when you’re alone. Travelling light on the Shine is not the smartest thing you could do.

On the other hand, Yamaha have (finally) sorted the ultra soft suspension of the Fazer, and made it hard enough to feel good, without letting the road become too intrusive. The result is a well-sprung bike that feels firm, absorbs most of the worst and still does not interfere with road feedback. This is how it’s done. Even two up, the Gladiator more or less retains its stance, does not become front heavy or too firm/spongy.

Handling
The Shine’s handling, expectedly, is as you would expect it to be. It goes around corner. Period. That means no drama, no excitement, total compliance, you cannot complain. But that isn’t how it should be, right?

On the other hand, the Gladiator is quite possibly the best handler in the country. With most of the Fazer’s chassis carried over intact, its eye-openingly good. It’s friendly enough for novices but you can seriously play with it. As a colleague put it, ‘this is the bike to get your knee down on. I’m sure of it. No matter how much tomfoolery I do with it in a corner, it won’t bite.’ And that’s exactly how it is. I’d wager that falling off a Gladiator would require some serious stupidity. Or diesel in the corner (and that’s not hard to come by…)

Comfort
The Fazer was the most comfortable bike in the country, so the Gladiator should be an automatic. But it isn’t. The seat is good for short trips, but can prove too soft for two hours or more in the saddle. It does allow you to move around without a hitch, though. The Shine, on the other hand, is very comfortable even over longer spans, but the pillion perch sucks.

Headlight
Shine all the way. Super bright light. Gladiator is waaaay better than the insipid Fazer headlamp (a Yamaha chap actually told be two into 25W equals one 50W head lamp ).

Switches and meters
Okay, Gladiator and Shine are even. Super switches on the Shine offset the missing engine kill switch, and the engine kill on the Gladiator makes up for the flimsy, spongy feeling ex-YBX switch gear. Meters contain nearly the same info on both, so no winners here.

Fuel economy
I have not measured it, but I think the Gladiator has greater fuel economy. It also retains this property across a wider range of conditions and riding styles. The Shine responds very well to low-rev running, but raise the stakes and the numbers tumble.

Fun
Don’t even mention it to the Shine. It’ll blush. Gladiator all the way.

Style
Where? The Shine has no style. The Gladiator actually looks quite presentable when you see it in real life. But still, the Gladiator could have been even better looking…

After sales service/spares
Honda service used to be quite good when their sales volumes were lower. Now, they’re busy… Yamaha’s network has been going downhill for a while now…

Overall
If you’re a regular at this blog, love motorcycles and need to choose between the two, you’d do well to test ride a Yamaha Gladiator and decide your next course of action. If you couldn’t care less about motorcycles and just need a transport solution, take a bus. Or buy the Shine, whichever you prefer. Prices are almost even, though the Gladiator is cheaper by a notch.

Other posts about
All the 125s: Table
Hero Honda Glamour FI: Release
Yamaha Gladiator: Images Launch Expo photos Expo text Compared to the Shine
Suzuki Heat: Expo text Expo photos Zeus Ride Report
Honda Shine: Mumbai launch TVC criticism Launch Compared to the Gladiator
TVS Victor Edge/GLX: Launch

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