BS6 Honda CD 110 Dream vs rivals: Specifications comparison

While the scooter segment in India is moving from 110cc to 125cc, the 110cc commuter motorcycle segment continues to thrive in India. These point-A-to-point-B machines are all about being practical and fuel-efficient, and that’s all that really matters to most buyers in this segment. As a result, these motorcycles are simple, but there are still quite a few differences between the four 110cc commuter we’ve chosen.

The CD 110 Dream is Honda’s most affordable offering, with a starting price of Rs 64,505. Rival manufacturers like Bajaj, Hero and TVS offer lesser-equipped 110cc models at significantly lower prices. However, for this comparison, we are considering 110cc commuters that cost a similar amount to the Honda and listing out what each has to offer.

Powertrain

The 110cc segment was closely matched before the shift to BS6 and it looks like nothing has changed. All four motorcycles produce between 8 and 9hp, and the biggest gap, which is just 0.9hp, between two bikes can be seen between the Radeon and the most powerful of the lot, the Passion Pro. All four bikes also produce peak power at around 7,000rpm. The similarities don’t end there as all four also make between 8 and 10Nm. The Bajaj with its 115.4cc makes the most torque at 9.8Nm.

When it comes to the power-to-weight ratio, it’s the Honda that leads the bunch with 78.5hp/tonne. Hero’s Passion Pro takes a close second place at 77.7hp/tonne. While the Bajaj is the most powerful, it’s also the bike with the highest kerb weight at 122kg and this gives it the lowest figure of the lot.

Features 

Like most other BS6 Honda bikes, the 2020 CD 110 Dream gets the silent-start feature. The bike also gets a new starter button that doubles as a kill switch and a pass light switch. There’s not much else when it comes to features and the instrumentation also continues to use an analogue setup. Moving on to the TVS Radeon, it also features a sparse features list, with a pass light switch and a USB charging slot being the biggest highlights. The TVS also uses fully-analogue instrumentation.

The Bajaj Platina H-Gear, on the other hand, has a slightly longer features list. Along with the pass light switch, it has a semi-digital instrument cluster that displays not just the gear position, but also a gear-shift indicator that suggests when to upshift and downshift, based on the RPM. The priciest bike of the four, the all-new Hero Passion Pro, is also the best equipped. It comes with the company’s start-stop feature, a pass light switch and a part-digital instrument cluster. 

Underpinnings

When it comes to the underpinnings, all four 110cc commuters are closely matched as well. All four bikes run conventional telescopic forks up front and twin shock absorbers at the rear. When it comes to the wheelbase, it’s the Honda that’s the longest at 1285mm and the Bajaj is the shortest at 1255mm. It’s the other way around with fuel tank capacity, where the Bajaj has the largest tank at 11 litres, while the Honda has the smallest one at 9.1 litres.

The biggest difference on these bikes are the brakes. While all of them have run the mandatory combined braking system, the CD 110 Dream doesn’t offer a disc brake option. The Radeon and Passion Pro, meanwhile, can be optioned with a disc brake up front at an additional cost. As for the Bajaj, it comes with a front disc brake as standard.

Summing it up

Unfortunately, we’ve not had a chance to ride any of the BS6 versions of these bikes yet, but the specifications do reveal some valuable information. At around Rs 65,000, the Honda CD 110 Dream does seem a bit expensive, especially when you consider that it’s the only without a disc brake option. That being said, it does have the highest power-to-weight ratio of all four. Honda is also offering it with a 6-year warranty (3-year standard and 3-year free extended warranty) for a limited period.

When it comes to Radeon, it’s quite competitively priced, but it’s also one of the least powerful of the bunch. That said, we enjoyed the BS4 Radeon long-term test bike we had and its neat styling touches will be appreciated by many.

Moving on to Hero’s Passion Pro, while it’s the most expensive 110cc offering in this list, it’s also the one that has gone through the biggest changes over its predecessor. The Passion Pro is also the bike with the most contemporary styling in the 110cc space. And finally, we come to the Bajaj Platina H-Gear, whose 5-speed gearbox, standard disc brake and competitive price tag make it the most value for money option here.