Hero Motor Corp has posted details of its upcoming bike, the Passion Xpro on its official website. Unveiled at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo, the bike will be launched in the next few days and will be the first commuter motorcycle from the Gurgaon based manufacturer after it split with erstwhile JV partner Honda.
The new bike will be powered by an air-cooled 109cc engine which produces 8.5bhp and 9.36Nm of torque. Hero has borrowed this mill from Honda as it the same engine that powers the CB Twister and the Dream Yuga. This is also the first time Hero is using a vertically inclined engine, as every model of theirs in this class starting with the CD 100 in 1986 has always used a horizontally mounted one. It has been mated to a four-speed -manual gearbox.
Hero is offering the bike in eight different colours, a first for a commuter bike and the widest range from any manufacturer. The Passion Xpro gets front disc brake, alloy wheels, digital analogue combination gauges, button start and tubeless tyres.
The current top-end Passion Pro (disc brake and electric start) retails for Rs 54,583 (ex-showroom Mumbai); so we expect that Hero will launch the new bike for the same cost but for an introductory period to boost volumes.
