Bike – Page 3 – Mileage Reviews

Bajaj Avenger Vs. Yamaha R15

Today we will compare two very powerful bikes available in India today. The Bajaj Avenger is a 220cc monster that is technically much powerful than the 150cc R15. However, in terms of power, the variation is not as much as you would expect. The Avenger delivers a power of 19.03 PS whereas the R15 can deliver up to 17 PS of power. Again, the Avenger is not for the mileage conscious, but the R15 is even more of that. The Bajaj Avenger 220 comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 76,835 at Delhi whereas the corresponding price for the Yamaha YZF R15 is a whopping Rs. 1,07,500.

Let us first compare the major tech specs of both these bikes side-by-side.

Specification	Bajaj Avenger 220	Yamaha RZF R15
Displacement	219.89cc	149.8cc
Peak Power	19.03PS @8400	17PS @8500
Max Torque	17.5Nm @7000	15Nm @7500
Fuel Tank	14 liters	12 liters
Kerb Weight	168kg	136kg
Fuel Claim	49.8 kmpl	46.93 kmpl

If you are someone who is contemplating purchasing either an Avenger or an R15, the mileage should be the last of your concerns. Both these are power bikes that are built keeping the requirements of the power and style conscious customers. When a motorbike is built with power as the priority, fuel economy is something that has to be compromised and it shows. Remember the comparison of 150cc bikes we made earlier this year? The R15 is at the bottom of the fuel claims chart that is topped by Bajaj Discover that claims to offer close to 72.3 kmpl.

Also, the 46.93 kmpl that we are talking here is the fuel consumption reported under standard test conditions. In the real world, where you have city traffic and pot-hole laden roads, this number is expected to come down much more drastically. Let us compare how the Avenger and the R15 compare against each other in the real world as reviewed by various sources including real world customers.

Bajaj Avenger 220 Review

The Avenger is a cruiser mode motorcycle that is not known for its mileage by any chance. PriceDekho in their official review report having seen around 32-35 kmpl on city roads. On the other hand, BikeDekho as well as ZigWheels, the Times group auto-review magazine in their reports claim a much better city mileage – they both report a consumption 1 liter for every 40 kilometers of city commute on the Avenger. While customers who had put up their Avenger for sale on Olx reported an average of 38 kmpl from their bikes, a few unhappy people on the customer complaints forum noted their mileage to be around 35 kmpl.

Yamaha YZF R15 Review

We reviewed the R15 from four different sources. According to a comment posted by a customer on MotorBeam, the R15 could deliver 40 kmpl with proper care. In a similar vein, an Ibibo user reports around 40-42 under city conditions. There are not too many reviews of the R15 from the point of view of fuel economy. According to one small blog called KannanKing, the R15 can extract around 32-35 kmpl on city roads.

Bottomline

It’s evident that the R15 can return slightly better economy compared to the Avenger – maybe an additional 3-4 kilometers for every liter. However, the decision to purchase one over the other should not be based on these numbers. Avenger is for cruisers while the R15 is a powerful machine for a 150cc bike. Test ride both the bikes and see where you fit better and go for that one.

Best 100cc Bike In India

The entry level bikes segment is amazingly crowded with more than a dozen offerings in the 100cc to 110cc segment. Today we will compare some of these bikes side-by-side to see which of these bikes perform the best under city road and highways conditions.

First the specifications. At the entry level, you do not get a lot of power in any case. However, that doesn’t make this a feature that is not aspired among the customers. While you may not expect a 10 BHP from the 100cc bikes, a better power while maintaining a good mileage is always something that the customers will be interested to see on their bike.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the engine capacity, power, torque and official mileage as specified by the manufacturers of the various 100cc bikes we will discuss today.

Bike Model	Engine	Power	Torque	Official Mileage (kmpl)
Yamaha Crux	106cc	7.6PS	7.5Nm @6000	91
Hero Splendor Pro	97.2cc	7.8PS	8.04Nm @4500	90.1
Hero Splendor NXG	97.2cc	7.8PS	8.04Nm @4500	87.7
Bajaj Discover 100T	102cc	10.2PS	9.2Nm @6500	87
Honda CB Twister	109cc	9.1 PS	9Nm @6000	85.7
TVS Sport	99.7cc	7.4PS	7.5Nm @5000	83.9
Hero HF Dawn	97.2cc	7.8PS	8.04Nm @4500	82.91
TVS Jive	110cc	8.4PS	8.3Nm @5500	82
Hero Splendor Plus	97.2cc	7.5PS	7.95Nm @5000	80.6
Bajaj Platina	99.27cc	8.2PS	8.05Nm @4500	75 (city)
Hero Passion xPro	109.1cc	8.7PS	9.36Nm @5500	70 (city)

This is definitely not an apples-to-apples comparison considering that a couple of these bikes have an official mileage reported under city conditions while most of them are under standard test conditions. But what this table will tell you is how the bikes stack up when you sort them by the official mileage claim. Yamaha Crux is right there on top with a 91kmpl claim while the likes of Hero Splendor Plus are pretty much down at a claim of just 80.6 kmpl under standard conditions. And to see that Crux still offers a slightly higher power than Splendor Plus is a major setback to the latter in this comparison.

City Road Fuel Efficiency

If you have been reading this blog regularly, you will know that I normally review the city road economy by taking up reports from a number of sources (customer feedbacks as well as test rides) to give you a perspective of what you could possibly expect. But with so many bikes in the fray, it could be a little messy if I have to talk about these various sources like MouthShut or MaxAbout separately. So what I’ve done here is pick the median value of city mileage as reported from various sources for each of this bike. By this, I could eliminate the extreme values and take up what is the most likely fuel consumption that you could see on these various bikes.

Bike Model	City Mileage (median kmpl)
TVS Sport	70
Bajaj Platina	67.5
Bajaj Discover 100T	65
Hero Splendor NXG	65
Hero Splendor Pro	65
Hero Splendor Plus	65
Hero HF Dawn	65
Hero Passion xPro	62.5
Yamaha Crux	62.3
Honda CB Twister	57.2
TVS Jive	54.5

The table above is sorted in the descending order of the median mileage reported on the various 100 cc bike models we are reviewing. The biggest disappointment of all would have to be Yamaha Crux – this bike tops the list in the first table at 91 kmpl and on the second one is barely escaping the bottom at 62.3 kmpl. On a similar note, the bike that excites me the most is Bajaj Platina – it doesn’t create a splash as far as the official reviews go, but from real world reviews, it seems to be a great bet.

How has your experience been with the 100cc bikes you have tested? Tell us in the comments below.

Hero Splendor Plus Vs. Hero Splendor Pro

A lot of people who have decided to go for a Splendor bike are still undecided when it comes to which of the Splendor series bikes they should be going for. Today let us just check out two of the popular models against each other and see which of the two is a better deal when it comes to fuel efficiency.

First the technical specifications. Both the Splendor Plus and Splendor Pro are sub-100cc motorbikes with similar power and torque levels. Both bikes measure the exact same dimensions (1.97m long, 0.72m wide and 1.04m tall with an equal 159mm ground clearance. Both bikes have a 11 liter capacity fuel tank.To put it in one word, the engine and dimensions of both the bikes are very similar.

Spec	Splendor Plus	Splendor Pro
Displacement	97.2cc	97.2cc
Max Power	5.5kw @ 8000rpm	5.74kw @ 7500rpm
Max Torque	7.95Nm @ 5000rpm	8.04Nm @ 4500rpm
Kerb weight	109kg	109kg

The difference then is in the features offered and not the specs. So the mileage delivered by the two bikes should not be very different.

Customer Feedback on Mileage
Before talking about customers and test reviews, let us first look at the official claim. Despite the extremely similar features, Hero Motocorp claims on fuel are very different on the two bikes. Hero claims that the Splendor Plus can deliver 80.6 kilometers for every liter of petrol. In comparison, they claim that the Splendor Pro can offer 90.1 kmpl of economy.

Let us now look at what MaxAbout has to say. In their review, the website says the new engine on the Splendor Pro makes is much more responsive and quick. At the same time, they note that the Splendor Plus has one of the slower engines among all variants of Splendor. They report a pretty similar fuel consumption from both bikes in city conditions (65 kmpl). However, on highways, the Splendor Pro can deliver 79 kmpl while the Splendor Plus can only provide between 72-75 kmpl.

BikeDekho has a very different review of both bikes. They like the Splendor Plus for being a sleek and attractive “commuter cum executive bike” while they commend the Splendor Pro for its ultimate comfort and flat seating positions. From the fuel efficiency testing, they report 65-70 kmpl from the Splendor Plus on city roads which looks better compared to the 60 kmpl they report from the Splendor Pro.

To get a feel of what real world customers feel, we had looked into the reviews on the popular classifieds site, Olx to check out the fuel ratings offered on both the bikes by the bike sellers. When it comes to Splendor Plus, most of the bikes put up on sale are reported to be seeing an economy of around 60-70 kmpl although there were more than a couple in the 47-55 kmpl range as well. For the Splendor Pro, the range of reviews posted on the bike put the fuel consumption in the 50-65 kmpl range although barring for a handful most of the others were in the 60-65 kmpl range.

I have put down the reported fuel efficiency figures for both bikes as reported by various sources side-by-side below. As I can see it, it is a very close call and it ultimately depends on the price, the other features that you would want in a bike, and your personal test ride of both the bikes that should decide which of the two bikes you are going to go for.

Source	Splendor Plus	Splendor Pro
Official	80.6	90.1
MaxAbout	65-70(c)/72-75(h)	65(c)/79(h)
BikeDekho	65-70	60
Olx	60-70	50-65

Hero Glamour PGM FI

The Hero Glamour FI is a variant of the Glamour that we reviewed yesterday. The only significant difference between the two bikes is the fuel injection technology on the FI variant which is available at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 61,650 at Delhi.

Let’s take a look at the tech specs one time. The Glamour FI is equipped with a 124.8cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can crank up a power of 9.1PS and a torque of 10.35 Nm. The ignition is powered by a full transistorised ignition technology. The bike measures 2.005meters in length, .735 meters in width and 1.07 meters in height. Other features on the bike include a real time mileage indicator, a bank angle sensor and a new digital analog combo console.

Company Claimed Fuel Economy

The Hero Glamour FI is not very different in many aspects from the Glamour except for the ignition technology. FI is likely to add a wee bit of mileage to the bike. According to Hero Motocorp, you should be able to see 81.1 kilometers for every liter of petrol on the Glamour. While the company website does not seem to carry any numbers specifically for the Glamour FI, we expect it to be a little higher than the original variant.

Customer Reviews

MaxAbout commends the bike on the tinted visor with sleek cowl both of which have been introduced in the latest version of the Glamour FI. In their test ride, the reviewers were able to see 65-70 kmpl on city roads and around 75 kmpl on highways. This is around 5-6 kmpl better than what is offered on the original Glamour.

The BikeDekho review notes that the PGM FI is better than Super Splendor in terms of its “super cool” looks and features. However when it comes to mileage, I am not so sure. The reviewer reports a 60 kmpl economy which is lower than what one may have expected from this variant.

In their note on the Glamour FI, BikeAdvice calls the stylish graphics that are one of the bigger selling points as a bit over the top. Another area where the reviewer is not very enthusiastic is in the power output of the engine despite the superior technology in place. However, all that should not matter if fuel consumption is your biggest concern. The review reports an overall mileage of 75 kmpl which is pretty extraordinary for a 125cc motorcycle.

On IndiaGarage, a Glamour FI owner reports a fuel efficiency of around 60-65 kmpl on city roads and 75-78 kmpl on highways when riding in the 50-55 kmph range. The reviewer however notes that this bike may not please those who are looking for power and the grunt of the engine. Instead, if you are looking for a refined and smooth engine, this could be a thing.

There are 13 reviews of the PGM FI on the user reviews site, MouthShut. As expected, the reviewers have given the bike a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption. There are mixed reviews however in terms of fuel. While a bunch of customers are effusive in their praise saying they have been able to see between 70-80 kmpl on their bikes, a few others have reported disappointing results of between 40-55 kmpl. I do not have a dog in this fight and so I think the best thing to do is put both these reports here and leave it for you to pick.

Here is a summary of reviews from various sources we have covered above. Would I recommend this bike? Absolutely.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	81.1
MaxAbout	65-70	75
BikeDekho	60	—
BikeAdvice	75	—
Indiagarage	60-65	75-78
MouthShut	40-55 / 70-80	—

Hero Glamour

We wrote about the 125cc Hero Super Splendor just a couple of days back. Today, we will review one another 125cc bike from Hero – the Hero Glamour. The bike is equipped with a 124.7cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can deliver a max power of 9 BHP and torque of 10.35 Nm at 4000 RPM. At this power, the Glamour looks more or less similar to the Super Splendor and although this is lower than the likes of Phoenix 125 that cranks up 10.8 BHP, it is still in the mid-range since it is higher than what the likes of Slingshot Plus have to offer.

Speaking of the other specs, the bike measures 2.005 meters in length, 1.07 meters in height and 0.735 meters in width and comes with an average 150mm ground clearance. The kerb weight of the bike is around 125kg for the kick start variety. Overall, the Glamour comes at a price of Rs. 52,525 ex-showroom Delhi.

Official Word On Fuel Economy

When the erstwhile Hero Honda launched the Glamour way back in 2005, one of the primary selling points of the bike was the fuel economy at the higher power range. So it goes without saying that Hero has gone the entire mile in ensuring the mileage of the bike is not compromised at the expense of higher power or features. Hero Motocorp has claimed that the Glamour 125 can offer a mileage of 81.1 kmpl under standard test conditions. However, this is not the best fuel economy even among the 125cc bikes from Hero. The Super Splendor if you remember had an official claim of 83.1 kmpl.

Customer Reviews

Let us start with the review from MaxAbout. The reviewer is not so happy with the engine that he says is not as powerful as the rivals in the market. But the mileage is a huge plus. MaxAbout was able to notice 60-65 kmpl on city roads while on highways, this went up to 70 kmpl.

Next up, BikeAdvice. The main review is not so generous on the mileage front rating the bike as offering only around 50-60 kmpl after the third month of servicing. However, the comments there are from totally happy customers who consistently report mileages of between 60-70 kmpl.

The reports are pretty similar with Infibeam as well. While the reviewer commends the bike for its stylish graphics, things are not so great in the fuel consumption section. The website reports an economy of 55.2 kmpl on city roads that goes up to 58.3 kmpl on highways.

There are over 115 reviews for the Hero Glamour on the popular user review website. MouthShut. These users have together rated the bike 4/5 in terms of fuel efficiency. Talking about the mileage of the bike, one customer who has completed 10,000 kilometers says he gets 72 kmpl on highways and not below 65 kmpl on city roads. Another customer who has just had his first bike servicing reports 73.2 kmpl. Not every review is a happy one though. One user reports his bike’s mileage to have dropped to around 40. Overall, the average customer reports a mileage of between 60-70 kmpl.

So there you have it. The mileage reported for the Hero Glamour are consistently good and in my personal opinion, it is a definite buy – not just for the fuel economy it offers, but also because of the stylish looks that it comes with for the 125cc range.

Here is a snapshot of reviews as provided by the various sources.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	81.1
MaxAbout	60-65	70
BikeAdvice	50-60	—
Infibeam	55.2	58.3
MouthShut	60-70	—

Bajaj Discover 100T

One of the latest additions to the Discover stable is the new Bajaj Discover 100T which is one of the most stylish and better featured bikes in the 100cc category. Looking deeper into the technical specifications, we see that the Discover 100T has a 102cc 4 valve DTS-i engine that can crank up a power of up to 10.2 PS and a torque of 9.2 Nm at 6500 rpm. The bike is slightly longer than the other bikes we have seen in recent past with the length measuring around 2.038 meters and width around 0.714m. The bike is 1.07 meters tall.

The Discover 100T has a kerb weight of 121 kg and has a fuel tank that can hold 10 liters when full with 3.5 liters on reserve. You can buy a 100T at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 50,500 at Delhi.

Official Mileage Claim

You may have noticed that the kerb weight of the Discover 100T is much higher than other bikes in the 100cc segment. For example, the Hero Splendor Plus weighs 109kg while TVS Sport has a dry mass of just 95 kg. Technically, under such conditions, the mileage of the bike is expected to suffer because the engine now has to burn more fuel in order to pull the higher mass. However, if you go by the official metrics, the fuel efficiency doesn’t seem to have suffered much. According to Bajaj, the Discover 100T can deliver 87 kilometers for every liter of petrol under standard test conditions.

Test Ride & Customer Feedback

As always, let us start with MaxAbout. Considering that the bike is one of the new launches, there is still no official review from the website at the time of writing. Also, I am not sure if the mileage they have reported on the site is from official sources or what they have noted from their tests. In any case, according to MaxAbout, the Discover 100T will give you 65kmpl on city roads and 87kmpl on the highways.

MotorBeam has a solid test review of the new bike. From their test ride, the reviewer notes that the features on 100T are identical to what is available on the Discover 125ST. Along with the half chain case, Nitrox suspension and the conventional long mud guard makes the 100T feel like a larger motorcycle than it actually is. The website reports a fuel consumption of 70 kmpl which is pretty average for a bike in this segment.

xBHP in their review note that the bike is extremely durable and is built with the necessary “majbooti” that offers a tempting alternative to the “plain jane” offerings from Honda and Hero. While there is no scientific test of the mileage, the reviewers report seeing around 65 kmpl of fuel economy in their test.

TopGear doesn’t seem to have performed their own fuel economy test. In their review, they report a claimed mileage of 84 kmpl, although I am not sure about the source of this figure.

BikeDekho in their review claim that the 100T is the “best looking” bike in the 100cc category with “applauding shape and alignment of ergonomics”. While it is unclear if the reviewer actually tested the bike for mileage, he notes that the average FE on the bike should be around 70 kmpl which is on par with the rest of the reviews we have seen till now.

That is what we have got for now. AutoCarIndia is yet to come up with their review at the time of writing. MouthShut still doesn’t have any reviews from customers. We will wait for these reports and update this article as and when it is done. If you happen to read this article in a couple of months from now, do comment if I have not updated the article by then. Here is a snapshot of the economies as claimed by various reviewers.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	87
MaxAbout	65	87
MotorBeam	70	—
xBHP	65	—
TopGear	–	84
BikeDekho	70	—

Hero Super Splendor

This has been a rather splendid week as far as bike reviews go – we have already reviewed three Splendor bikes. Today we will review the fourth of the Splendor variants – the Hero Super Splendor. This model was launched close to three years back and is the only Splendor bike in the 125cc range. The bike is equipped with a 124.7cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can crank up a power as high as 9 BHP and torque as high as 10.35 Nm at 4000 rpm.

The Super Splendor measures 1.995m long, 0.735m wide and 1.095m tall. The wheelbase measures 1.265m with a ground clearance slightly lower than the rest of the Splendor bikes at 150mm. In terms of fuel capacity, the Super Splendor can hold 13 liters and is heavier than the rest of the Splendor bikes at 121 kg. kerb.

What this all means is that the Super Splendor with a higher power and heavier kerb weight could technically deliver a mileage lower than the rest of the Splendor variants as compromise. But we will have to look at the reviews to actually confirm if this is true. The Super Splendor is available at a price of Rs. 50,650 ex-showroom Delhi.

Official Claim on Fuel

According to Hero Motocorp, the Super Splendor will give you 83.1 kilometers for one liter of petrol. To give you a perspective on this number, here is the officially claimed mileage figure on all the four Splendor bikes that we have discussed now:

Bike	Official (kmpl)
Splendor Pro	90.1
Splendor NXG	87.7
Splendor Plus	80.6
Super Splendor	83.1

This is actually contrary to what we had predicted earlier. The 125cc Super Splendor actuavlly has a higher official number on its fuel than the likes of Splendor Plus. Also, at 83.1, I believe the Super Splendor has one of the best economies in the 125cc segment.

Customer Reviews

Let’s start with MaxAbout as usual. In their review, the website calls the Super Splendor “the most mature bike” among the various Splendor variants. The bike has been tested to reach 60 kmph in around 8 seconds and according to MaxAbout can deliver 65 kmpl on city roads with highways offering 75 kmpl.

BikeDekho doesn’t seem to have had an in-house review of the bike. However, according to a user who claims to own a Super Splendor, the bike offers “excellent mileage” of around 66 kmpl. This is on par with what has been claimed on MaxAbout as well.

To better understand what real world customers have to say about the bike, let’s check out the reviews on MouthShut. There are over 75 reviews of the Super Splendor on the website and the reviewers there have rated the bike 4/5 with regards to fuel consumption. However when it comes down to the numbers, it gets pretty confusing. I honestly could not find a pattern in the numbers reported by various customers. The reported mileage has varied between those reporting around 48-51 kmpl to those reporting 65-70 kmpl. There are others that claim around 50-55 kmpl as well.

On Olx, the story is something very similar. The reported economy is anywhere between 48-65kmpl. However, unlike MouthShut, there is more consistency in the numbers where the average falls around the 55kmpl mark.

So there you have it. Most official reviews point to a pretty decent mileage of around 60-65kmpl. However reviews from real customers put it slightly lower. Here is a summary of what we have seen reported by various sources.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	83.1
MaxAbout	65	75
BikeDekho	66	—
MouthShut	48-70	—
Olx	55	—

Hero Splendor NXG

We have been reviewing the mileages of the Hero Splendor motorbikes over the past two days. The Splendor NXG was launched by Hero Honda back in 2007 and since then has gone through more than a couple of upgrades. The Splendor NXG is regarded a ‘deluxe’ bike among the Splendor range of motorbikes.

Like the rest of the Splendor motorbikes, the Splendor NXG also has a 97.2cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that delivers a maximum power of 7.8 PS and a max torque of 8.04 Nm at 4500 rpm. The bike measures 1.965m in length, 0.720m in width and 1.095m in height with a total ground clearance of 160mm. The fuel tank capacity appears to be slightly lower than the other Splendor bikes with just a 9.5 liters fuel tank with 1.8L reserve. The basic kick spoke variant of Splendor NXG will cost you Rs.42,250 ex-showroom in New Delhi.

Official Mileage Claim

The fuel economy as claimed by the company for all the Splendor range of motorcycles is in the 80+ range. The Splendor NXG is no different either. According to Hero Motocorp, the Splendor NXG will give you 87.7 kilometers for every liter of petrol when rode on standard test conditions which is under extremely favourable highway-type road conditions. You will definitely see a lower mileage on a typical city road.

Reviews From Customers & Reviewers

MaxAbout praises the bike for its refinement and fuel efficiency and in fact says you can feel the refinement even as you start the ignition. In their road test, the website says they were able to see 65kmpl on city roads that goes as high as 70 kmpl on the highways.

BikeAdvice says the Splendor NXG which is designed for the ‘next generation’ could give the Platina and TVS Star City a run for their money and is pretty reliable with low cost of maintenance. Their test ride delivers a much higher fuel efficiency extracting 75kmpl combined on city and highways.

ProDease has a very short review and I am not sure if the mileage they claim on the review is something they were able to personally test or has been quoted from secondary sources. In any case, according to them, the Splendor NXG will give you an economy of up to 60kmpl with the average around 50kmpl. I would not vouch for this claim yet since it seems to be much lower than what other sources claim.

To validate this, let us dive right into MouthShut to see what real-world customers see. There are 21 reviews for the bike here and the customers have rated it 4 on 5 for fuel consumption. There are a few complaints that customers have posted that includes things like poor acceleration and that the bike is not really built for long rides. These are things that you should check out when you test ride yourself. However, on the fuel economy front, the bike is consistently rated between 60-70 kmpl which is pretty good for city rides. But I must note that there were at least a couple of unhappy customers who reported a lower mileage of between 48-52 kmpl.

On Olx, there are several Splendor NXG bikes put up on sale and if you look at the numbers reported by the sellers, it invariably falls between 55-70 kmpl. So I think the realistic expectation from the bike is around 60kmpl. Consider anything over this to be a bonus.

To conclude, I think the bike has a few issues to sort out as I see from the MouthShut reviews. But that apart, the bike appears to deliver great mileage on most counts. If you do not see it on your own bike, it could be because of some sort of wear and tear that you should get fixed at a service shop. Here is a summary of what the various websites have reported

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	87.7
MaxAbout	65	70
BikeAdvice	75	—
ProDease	50	60
MouthShut	60-70	—
Olx	55-70	—

Hero Splendor Plus

The Hero Splendor is one of the long serving brands in the Indian motorbiking segment having been introduced more than a decade back. The Hero Honda Splendor Plus was first introduced in 2004 and later, in 2007, relaunched it with modified fairings, alloy wheels and a few other improvements. After the split between Hero Motocorp and Honda, the bike has been marketed as the Hero Splendor Plus and continues to be one of the most popular products from the Hero Motocorp.

The Hero Splendor Plus engine has a displacement of 97.2cc and is air cooled with a 4 stroke single cylinder. It delivers a max power of 7.5 PS and a torque of 7.95 Nm at 5000 rpm. The bike measures 1.97m in length and 0.720m in width. With a ground clearance of 159mm, the bike is definitely on par with the other bikes custom built for the Indian road conditions. However, with a kerb weight of 109kg, the Splendor Plus is made to feel lighter and thereby contribute to a better fuel efficiency. The Splendor Plus is available in Delhi at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 42,950 for the Spoke model.

Mileage Claim From Hero

Although the Splendor Plus is built with an engine similar to what is available on the newer model, Splendor Pro, the mileage delivered is lower. According to Hero Motocorp, the Splendor Plus can give you 80.6 kilometers for every liter of petrol. Compare this with the 90.1kmpl claim on the Pro. But again, as we saw in the other article, the real world numbers may vary vastly considering these are numbers fetched from standard testing conditions.

We will do a side by side comparison of all the Splendor bikes later. Keep checking.

Customer Reviews

BikeDekho calls this bike a “commuter cum executive bike” which is both sleek and attractive. The website reports an economy of between 65-70 kmpl on city roads. With a 11 liter fuel tank, this means, you could go 770 kilometers at a stretch before going completely dry.

MaxAbout has a very similar review of the bike. They note that the engine used in this bike is comparatively slower than those used in the other variants of the Splendor. The fuel efficiency as reported stands at around 65-70 kmpl on city roads that can go as high as 72-75 kmpl on highways. On IndiaGarage though, a user claiming to be a Splendor Plus customer reports a mileage of just around 55 kmpl.

Let’s next look at MouthShut. There are over 70 reviews for the bike and the customers have given the bike an overall rating of 4/5 for fuel consumption efficiency. Reading through the reviews, we find that the average mileage that customers see on city roads is pretty impressive and is consistently between 58-65 kmpl. On highways, it seems to increase to as much as 69-70 kmpl. One customer however warns that you may not see a great economy in the first 2-3 months after purchase.

On Olx, most of the Splendor Plus bikes put up for sale have their fuel economy specified in the 60-70 kmpl range although there are more than a couple of bikes that are reported to be seeing 47-55 kmpl economy.

So there you have it. Here is a summary of fuel efficiency as reported by various sources.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	80.6
BikeDekho	65-70	—
MaxAbout	65-70	72-75
IndiaGarage	55	—
MouthShut	58-65	69-70
Olx	60-70	—

As a bottomline, it is pretty clear that Splendor Plus delivers what it matters. So if you are considering this bike, my suggestion is you should go for it.

Hero Splendor Pro

Hero Honda launched the Splendor range of motorcycles close to a decade back. Since the time, there has been more than a few upgrades and variants of the brand launched. After the joint venture between Hero Motocorp and Honda ended, Hero has been independently marketing the Splendor range. The Hero Splendor Pro is one of the latest variants launched in the market having been announced only in 2011.

The Splendor Pro comes with a 97.2cc single cylinder 4 stroke engine that can crank up a max power of 5.74 kw (7.80 PS) and a max torque of 8.04 Nm at 4500 RPM. The bike has a decent 159mm ground clearance and weighs 109 kg at the minimum (the self-start variety weighs 3 kgs more). The bike has a 11 liter fuel tank The Hero Splendor Pro is priced at a minimum of Rs. 45,037 ex-showrrom Delhi with price varying according to the feature you are going for (kick spoke, kick cast, self spoke or self cast).

Company Claims

Mileage is one of the most important features for a bike in the sub-100cc range. And the Hero Splendor Pro does not disappoint; at least as far as the official claims go. According to officials from Hero Motocorp, the Splendor Pro can fetch you 90.1 kmpl under standard test conditions. The keyword here is ‘standard’. So this should of course reduce when you test ride it on a city road. So check out the rest of this article to see what various people who have tested the bike have got to say as far as city riding goes.

Customer reviews

MaxAbout notes that the Splendor Pro does not look any different from any of the older variants. However, the new engine makes the bike much more responsive and quick. In the fuel economy department, the website says they were able to extract 65 kmpl on city roads and 79 kmpl on highways.

BikeDekho praises the bike for its “ultimate” comfort and flat seating positions. In their test, the bike review website has noted to have reported 60 kmpl of mileage on the Splendor Pro. BraveheartBikers, another blog from bikers commends the Splendor Pro for its very low maintenance charge and reports an economy of 65kmpl on cities which goes up to 75kmpl on highways.

Customers who have already owned higher priced bikes with better power may not find the Splendor Pro the best in looks, but MyIndiaGuide calls the Splendor Pro “very stylish and mind blowing”. In their review of the bike’s fuel consumption, the website reports having seen 65-70 kmpl which is indeed impressive.

There are a number of second hand Splendor Pro bikes available for purchase on Olx with prices ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 40,000. Most of these bikes report a mileage of between 50-65 kmpl. This is of course a wide range that does not serve useful to you, if you are a consumer but if it’s of any consolation to you, let me tell you that a majority of the reviewers have put the number at 60-65 kmpl with only a handful reporting mileage lower than that. Your mileage may literally vary.

So there you have it. The fuel efficiency of the Splendor Pro does paint a pretty positive picture of the bike. We do not find any reviews for the Splendor Pro on MouthShut. However, from what we see from the rest of the reviews both from real world customers as well as test riders, this bike is built to give you the most efficient ride and it will definitely not burn a hole in your pocket at the petrol pump.

Do you like the other features this bike comes with? Then you should definitely go for it because this is not a bike that should bother you in the fuel department. Check out a summary of reports from various reviewers.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	90.1
MaxAbout	65	79
BikeDekho	60	—
BraveheartBikers	65	75
MyIndiaGuide	65-70	—
Olx	50-65	—