Actual Motorcycle or My Little Pony Character?

A little while ago, we published a review of a motorcycle Honda produces for the Indian market called the Unicorn Dazzler. Yes, that’s the actual name of a production motorcycle designed by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, a Honda subsidiary. In his review of the 150cc motorcycle, Rajeev Gaikwad said the Honda Unicorn Dazzler was “a handsome commuter with an enthusiastic and proven engine” though it was underwhelming in terms of performance and handling as the higher-priced successor to the regular Honda Unicorn also sold in India.

To western consumers however, the name “Unicorn Dazzler” may seem a bit odd for a motorcycle. But it’s not the only motorcycle with a peculiarly cutesy name. In honor of the Honda Unicorn Dazzler, we decided we should play a little game called “Actual Motorcycle or My Little Pony Character.”

Here’s how it works. We’ve cobbled together a list of five motorcycles and scooters and paired them up with characters from Hasbro‘s My Little Pony line of toys and cartoons. We’ll give you a pair of names and you guess which one is the motorcycle and which one is the pony.

Let’s start with the pairing of Platina or Rainbow Dash. Which is the actual motorcycle and which is the My Little Pony character?

If you said Platina was the motorcycle, you’re right. We thought the name Platina would make a pretty name for a pony, but no, it’s a 100cc four-stroke from Bajaj produced for the Indian market. Consumers bought an impressive 500,000 units during the first eight months after the Platina’s debut in 2006 and it was named 100cc bike of the year in 2007 by Indian business news channel NDTV Profit.

Rainbow Dash on the other hand is a winged horse and one of the most popular My Little Pony characters. She gets her name by her multi-colored mane and the speed at which she can fly.

Up next we have two very similar sounding names: Scootaloo and Scooty. One of them is a scooter, the other is a pony. Can you tell which is which?

The TVS Scooty is one of the most popular scooters available in India. Originally marketed in 1994 for both genders, the Scooty proved to be much more popular with women than men, leading TVS to reposition it as a scooter for women. The decision paid off and sales of the 87.8cc Scooty continued to climb.

TVS later introduced a variety of spin-off models such as the Scooty Streak, the Scooty Pep+ and the Scooty Teenz which was also available in an electric version.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo is one of the younger characters in the My Little Pony world. Like her idol, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo has wings but alas, cannot fly.

Next we offer the names Medley and Splendor. One of them is among the highest selling motorcycles in the world, the other has wings and a long curly mane. Which one’s which?

Medley sounds like the name of a small displacement European scooter, perfect for short trips in busy urban areas. If you guessed it was the two-wheeler then you’re wrong. Medley is a turquoise winged pony with vibrant green hair.

The Splendor however is a 97.2cc motorcycle produced for India by Hero Honda, with customers scooping them up at a rate of about a million motorcycles per year making it one of the world’s top selling models. Hero Motocorp continues to sell the Splendor following its split from Honda, currently offering four variants: the Splendor+, the Splendor Pro, the Splendor NXG and the 124.7cc Super Splendor.

Next we have two very European-sounding names, Octavia and Estrella. Tell us, readers, which one is the motorcycle and which one is the pony?

Kawasaki introduced the Estrella in 1992 for the Japanese market as a retro-styled standard. Except for a brief foray into Europe and other markets in the mid-’90s, the Estrella has pretty much remained an exclusive model for Japan. The 2013 Kawasaki Estrella is a fuel-injected 249cc Single with a claimed weight of 352 pounds.

Octavia on the other hand is a musically-talented gray pony. She doesn’t have wings like some of the other ponies on this list, but she makes up for it with some mean cello playing. That’s pretty impressive for someone with hooves instead of hands.

Our final pairing is Rarity and Stunner. One is known in some markets as the Honda CBF125, the other is a unicorn with a flair for fashion. Can you guess which is which?

In most of the Western world, it’s known as the Honda CBF125 but in India, it’s called the Stunner. A 124.7cc Single with a half fairing and windscreen, the CBF125 is an affordable choice for beginners. In India, the Honda markets the Stunner for young males as a good way to attract women.

Rarity is a white unicorn with a royal purple mane. A popular character in the cartoons, Rarity is fashion designer who owns her own boutique. We’re guessing it’s less effective at attracting women than the Honda Stunner.

So how did you do? If you got crossed up on some of these names, we don’t blame you. We fooled a lot of people around the office here at Motorcycle.com as well. If you got them all right, you either know a lot about motorcycles – or a lot about My Little Pony. You can pick which badge of honor you choose to wear.