2018 Hero Super Splendor Launch Ride Review

What's new?

The new 125cc engine on the 2018 Super Splendor is from the new Glamour. It churns out 11.5bhp at 7500rpm and 11Nm at 6000rpm. That’s a 1.9bhp and 0.65Nm more than the outgoing model. The four-speed gearbox has also been borrowed from the Glamour but the gear ratios have been tweaked to suit the rural riding. Just like the most of the bikes in its family, this one too gets the i3S system. 

Being an entry-level commuter 125cc bike, the design needs to cater to a wider-customers base. So Hero decided to mildly update the design. The side panels have got a redesign, but the overall design language hasn’t been touched. Hero has equipped the bike with LED tail-lamp which is a good move for a bike in this segment. 

The ride feel

The 125cc motor felt very eager and peppy. Even though the bike has put on extra 3kgs, it feels light on its feet. The 125cc motor is quiet at idle, but as the revs start to increase, the handlebar and pegs gets buzzy. The tractability of the motor is impressive and there’s no issue crawling at 30kmph in fourth gear. Surprisingly, Hero doesn’t plan to launch a disc brake variant of the Super Splendor anytime soon. So for now, the drum brakes which provides decent stopping power will have to do the job. But the brakes won’t be of much help if the bike is at high speed and fully-loaded. 

Verdict

The Glamour gets most of the 125cc segment sales for Hero MotoCorp. But with the 2018 Super Splendor, Hero is hoping to bring more customers in the family, and keep Honda little away from the numero uno position. With a tractable motor, no-non sense cycle parts and design that is neutral, the 2018 Super Splendor might just do the job for Hero, provided it doesn’t play aggressively with the pricing. 

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi