The Glamour has been one of Hero Motocorp’s highly visible motorbike brands. The Glamour is a 125cc 4 stroke engine bike that comes in two variants – one with the advanced microprocessor based ignition system and the other PGM FI model that comes with a full transistorized fuel injection technology ignition. Fuel injection is a much more efficient way to burn gas and as a result of this, the latter variant can offer a better fuel efficiency compared to the former. This increase in efficiency comes at a cost though – the Hero Glamour is priced at Rs.52525 ex-Delhi while the PGM FI comes at a price of Rs.61650 ex-Delhi.
Tech Specs
Before we compare the fuel consumption of both the bikes, let’s look into the specifications and features both these bikes have to offer. The Glamour has a 124.7cc engine while the PGM FI has a 124.8cc engine. Both bikes deliver a max power of 9.1PS @ 7000 RPM with a corresponding max torque of 10.35Nm at 4000 RPM. Except for the ignition system, most of the other specifications are comparable. The bikes weigh around 125kg on dry mass with the kick-start variant while the self-start variants weigh around 129kg. The fuel tanks have a capacity of 12 liters with an additional 1.5 liters in the reserve.
Fuel Efficiency Comparison
Let us now look at how both these bikes compare with respect to their fuel efficiency. According to Hero Motocorp, the PGM FI is built with a technology that offers a more optimal fuel consumption system that will ensure the mileage offered is better than what is delivered by Hero Glamour. So that’s a given. What needs to be seen now is how much better is the PGM FI compared to the Glamour to see if this justifies the extra cost of the bike.
Let us start with the review on MaxAbout. The site notes that the latest variant of the PGM FI has these tinted visor with sleek cowl that make it that much more alluring. As for the mileage, the PGM FI is reported to be offering 5-6 kmpl more than the 60-65 kmpl offered on the Hero Glamour.
BikeAdvice is not happy about the graphics and the power output from the engine. However, on the mileage front, the Glamour FI makes every bit of justice to the additional price. According to the review, teh Glamour FI could deliver close to 75kmpl on city roads which is way more than the 50-60 kmpl offered by Hero Glamour.
MouthShut, the popular user reviews site has had mixed reviews of the Glamour FI. While some reviewers are extremely happy with the 70-80 kmpl mileage they have noted on their bike, others report a paltry 40-55 kmpl. With the Hero Glamour, the reviewers on MouthShut report between 60-70 kmpl of fuel consumption.
There have been other reviews too. For Hero Glamour, the Infibeam reports a mileage of around 55.2 kmpl. For the Hero Glamour FI, we have BikeDekho that reports around 60 kmpl of fuel economy. Again, IndiaGarage, a bikers forum reports between 60-65 kmpl which is good but not as great as what a few other reviews have made the bike to be.
Here is a tabulated list of fuel consumption as reported by various news sources:
| Source | Hero Glamour | Hero Glamour PGM FI | Difference in kmpl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official | 81.1 | 81.1 | — |
| MaxAbout | 60-65 | 65-70 | 5 |
| BikeDekho | – | 60 | — |
| BikeAdvice | 50-60 | 75 | 15 |
| Infibeam | 55.2 | – | — |
| MouthShut | 60-70 | 40-55 / 70-80 | 10 |
| IndiaGarage | – | 60-65 | — |
Should you go for the PGM FI?
Technically, the fuel injection based Glamour should offer a better mileage. This is because fuel injection atomizes fuel and outputs a better air fuel mix to the engine. This should increase both the power and fuel economy by around 5-10%. From our review of mileages from various sources, we see that the PGM FI on an average increases the mileage by around 10 kmpl.
To be on the conservative side, let us assume 6kmpl to be the average gain in mileage going for the Glamour FI. Let’s now see how long it takes to recover the additional cost of the bike from these savings.
| Average cost of Petrol/liter | Rs. 75 |
|---|---|
| Additional cost of the PGM FI bike | Rs. 9125 |
| Increase in distance covered from 1 liter of petrol | 6km |
| Avg mileage on Hero Glamour | 60kmpl |
| Savings on every liter of petrol | 6/60*75= Rs. 7.5 |
| Fuel taken to recover additional cost of bike | 9125/7.5 = 1216 liters |
So by the time you fuel 1216 liters of petrol, you have recovered the additional cost spent on the Glamour FI. 1216 liters contributes close to 72,000 kilometers. So if you are someone who is going to travel so much with the bike, you should be definitely going for this bike. In any case, better fuel consumption is good for the environment and so it’s always good to go for a bike that offers better mileage although it comes with a cost.
So what would you be going for?
verry good all problems solved
super bike
A very efficient bike for petrol & looks
I think Glamour is good as compared to FI. No one bike has a life of 72000km.
I think GLAMOUR-FI will be more economical because it will save petrol and it is also environment friendly.
I had doubt with the mileage of my Hero Glamour. Then I took it to a service center. They detached the main oil pipe and adjusted an external mini oil tank with 100ml of petrol. Suprisingly my bike went upto 7.00 KM. ie. 7*10 = 70KM / Liter is the milage.
And its not Glamour FI , its normal glamour bought in Jan 2013.
I want to say that Glamour FI is one step ahead of a normal Glamour because it has electronic control unit, a back angle sensor and a sensor unit. Also, it has engine oil temperature sensor and a crank angle sensor. All these features are not available in a normal Glamour. The fuel injector is advanced compared to the carburetor. This injector supplies proper and accurate mixture of gas and fuel to the combustion chamber and it results in less knocking and good burning of fuel. On the other hand, the carburetor is not able to supply proper mixture of gas and fuel.
Now I’m one of the owners of Glamour PGM FI. I got 85 km/l milage in 50 km/hr speed. When I go on 35-40 km/hr, I get 95-105 km/l milage. Poor pulling is the only disadvantage. But compared to other 125cc bikes it is much better. It’s good for my pocket. Feeling very good riding with comfort and stability.
I’m a fully satisfied customer of Hero Glamour PGM FI.
How could you get 90-95 kmpl where the company itself claiming to have 60-65 kmpl…….I don’t understand the fact…..
Is Glamour better than Honda CB Shine in all regards? I want to buy a bike – please suggest. It’s urgent!
The main review is just like a silver lining to all those who are confused between the normal Hero Glamour and it’s new Fi variant. The manner in which the difference between the two has been illustrated here is bound to clarify the doubts off all. I’m thankful to the person who has taken up the trouble to put up all the necessary informations and for individually differentiating them in every respect.
I bought Glamour FI bike Dec, 14 and i noticed two problems on second day it self.
1) While down the gear from 4 to 1 it is very hard, i used to kink with leg on the gear to get it down.
2) Mileage is not giving more than 50kmpl itself but hero promised 80kmpl
and i have placed complaint against above two problems to the customer care 3 times but they havn’t done any thing.
last time they kept my bike complete 5 days in the showroom to resolve the issue but nothing improved mileage.
still it is giving 50kmpl on city roads.
guys please don’t waste money on glamour FI.
I got 75km/lit mileage in 65km/hr..