Hero takes on competition, revamps two of its scooters

When testing bikes made for our local conditions, there is nothing like taking them for a spin in classic Indian conditions — mid-day traffic, roads that spring potholes like nasty surprises, and 40-degrees-plus baking heat. Maybe that’s why Hero scheduled the first rides of their two revamped scooters — the Hero Pleasure+ 110 and the Hero Maestro Edge 125 — on a scorching summer day in Delhi’s airport area.

Hero’s scooter line-up did need a revamp, given how the competition from players like Suzuki and Yamaha is also heating up, apart from erstwhile partner Honda’s range led by the Activa. Hero launched the Destiny 125 last year, which the company claimed is doing well, and has added to the 125 cc premium scooter line-up. This space has the TVS NTorq, which has been doing well since its release in early 2018.

With the Maestro Edge 125, Hero has brought programmed fuel injection (FI) technology to scooters in the country for the first time. The company has also introduced a carburetted version of this scooter, which too gets Hero’s i3s innovation, a micro-hybrid style tech that lets you start the scooter from idle by just pulling on the clutch. We rode the FI version of the Maestro Edge 125.

Design and features

The Maestro Edge 125 reminds you of the Maestro Edge 110, with its lines and cuts on the sides and the front. The large headlamp along with the blade-like indicators on the front gives the scooter some heft that goes well with the increased size of the engine.

The tail-lamp assembly remains similar and the FI version gets a unique glossy paint job too and the test mule had brown insides that gave it a retro, premium look.

The instrument cluster now sports a side-stand indicator, a welcome carry-over from Hero’s motorcycles. There is an analogue speedometer and an LCD display next to it that shows you the fuel level, ODO, etc. Switchgear is standard and of good finish quality.

The 12-inch front wheel gets a disc brake while the 10-inch rear wheel gets a drum. The under-seat storage can keep a small half-face helmet but didn’t fit a full-facer. External fuel lid opening, charging port, and comfortable seats are all there too.

Engine and the ride

The air-cooled, four-stroke 125 cc mill churns out a decent 9.1 bhp of power and 10.2 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. We couldn’t exactly tell when the torque maxed out during the ride owing (among other factors) to the absence of a rev-meter. But there’s a healthy amount of pull that one gets after the 20-30 kmph mark.

The scooter’s acceleration is quick and linear and getting past 60 kmph shouldn’t be stressful at all. But we did notice that the engine can get a little loud, once the needle inches past these speeds.

Wring the accelerator all the way and thanks to the extra power from the bigger engine, the Maestro Edge 125 feels like a fun ride in city conditions; can be handy especially when you want something zippy to beat the traffic.

However, at 110 kg and the smaller rear wheel, that firm feeling of being planted and comfortable during the ride isn’t convincingly present at faster speeds.

Handling is smooth and the suspension is pliant and except for really bad patches where we rose a little off the seat to avoid jarring bumps, it handled the capital’s roads fairly well. The front disc brake had good bite and the rear did too, and apart from the rare instance where sudden braking gave rise to slight lateral movement at the rear wheel, the brakes inspired confidence.

The FI version has a five-litre fuel tank and is available in Pearl White and Panther Black at an ex-showroom price of ₹62,700. The carburetted version is priced at ₹58,500 (drum) and ₹60,000 (disc).

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