Hero Glamour vs. Hero Glamour PGM FI

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?

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.

Hero Glamour PGM FI

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.

Hero Glamour

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