Boon Siew Honda introduced its latest addition to an already strong product line, the Honda Wave Dash, just this past April and already sales have been encouraging.
According to Boon Siew Honda, the market for the mid-size cub segment in 2010 was 110,000 units; with the introduction of the Wave Dash, the local distributor of Honda bikes aims to capture 50% of the market in 2011.
It may seem like an optimistic goal, but it’s not hard to see why.
An everyman’s bike, the Dash is the second product in Boon Siew Honda’s “All Mode Mighty Series,” the first edition was the 2010 Honda Wave 110 RS.
Combining good looks with great comfort and agility, the new Dash makes urban commuting every bit of a breeze as it can be. And it’s no slouch either.
Based on the Wave, race bike of choice for a few teams at the Malaysian Cup Prix, the Wave Dash is capable of surprising the unassuming rider.
Weighing in at just 96kg without the optional electric starter, the bike feels nimble and is able to carve up a winding piece of tarmac, providing big fun at a budget. It may not be fast; I only managed to squeeze out about 120km/h out of it downhill, but then again outright speed is not what it’s for.
The engine is the same 110cc four-stroke unit that powers the 2010 Honda Wave 110RS but the power figures remain the same. The Wave Dash, like the 2010 unit, produces 8.34hp at 7500rpm and torque stands at 8.59Nm at 5500rpm.
May not sound like much but on the road it’s more than enough to zip around the tight nooks and corners that KL city has in abundance.
Gearshifts are via a four speed constant mesh box. I found the shift pedal to be a little too soft and had to stomp on it just to get it to shift gears, otherwise it will just get stuck between gears, effectively sending engine revs soaring.
Am not too sure if this is an issue with all the bikes, but it definitely hounded the test bike I had.
To be fair, any vehicle that is mass produced may produce some units with issues, so here’s hoping that the soft gearshift pedal plague only affected the test bike.
So it may not be built for speed, but if there’s one thing it is built for, its economy. I had the bike over four days and gave it a good working through traffic and some of my favourite back roads and I still managed to return the bike with a half tank of petrol.
Full tank fits 3.7 litres of petrol, that’s less than RM10 for a full tank of petrol that lasts half a week. Talk about fuel savings!
There were some issues while riding though. At cruising speeds on highways, there was significant vibration creeping up from the foot pedals. I was told that it’s normal for bikes in this category but what really impressed me was the amount of wind resistance, or rather the lack of it.
Apparently this is due to the aerodynamic design of the upper and lower cowl that reduces wind noise and resistance for the rider. The design sends wind above and around the rider rather than right into him; this lets you concentrate on your riding rather than on holding on.
I cover about 80km’s a day in my daily routine. Mostly on highways, and the usual traffic jams. My commute gives me a great chance to put to test some of the bikes that come my way, and it must be said that the Honda Wave Dash is definitely one of the easiest bikes to ride.
It’s like a good toy, you just can’t go wrong. It’s small, easy to maintain and it’s comfortable.
It’s great for the pillion rider too. Strategically mounted aluminium foot pedals ensure comfort while the heat protected exhaust keep painful burns away from the calves of the skirt-wearing ‘Minah’ seated behind.
Complementing the bikes fun factor and economy is its good looks. Really, it does look good.
While superbikes may get a lot of attention on the road and stares are quite normal, you would be surprised to have other riders staring at your ‘kapcai.’
It really makes you feel self-conscious, like suddenly realising you have left your zipper undone. But it just goes to show the overall appeal of the Wave Dash.
The upper and lower cowl work to keep the rider comfortable but also lends the bike a wide stance and the gold sports rim come standard for the RSR version, the RS comes with identical sport rims but in black. Either way, the Wave Dash gives its owner very little to do to make the bike look any better.
It’s also easy to live with too. A double-glow shuttle lock system works by having you cover the keyhole using the hexagon-shaped back of the starter key. Insert that into the similarly shaped keyhole, twist and a cover protrudes out to stop a thief from starting up the bike using his tools.
It also glows in the dark to help you see better when inserting the key in the dark.
The Honda Wave Dash is now available in two models; the RSR that comes with an electric starter (it has a kick starter as well), and the RS that comes with just a kick starter. The difference between the two is the choice of ignition, rim colour, and colour. The RSR is offered with two different colour options and the RS has three.
Pricing for the Wave Dash is RM5,268 for the RSR and RM4,998 for the RS, complete with one year comprehensive-single rider insurance.