[msupercool]

As per your requirements Hero honda splendor is the perfect bike for you. Low on maintenance and gives a very good mileage. It has a good resale too but you will have to compromise on the comfort part.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by raghutk

My only concern is now Hero Honda is without the back up of Honda. Will it be still as good as it was before ?

As long as you don't get the dreaded call (Link to spoof MP3 - MUST listen), I think you should be okay

Seriously though, Hero Honda's current range will not be affected. They will continue to support their bread & butter bikes for a long time to come. It's only the future line-up that I'm worried about, as Hero has been complacent enough to avoid investing in any kind of R&D capability.

[rameshnanda]

I own Yamaha Gladiator 125 CC (Type SS). It returns 60+ KMPL consistently. And offers better ride and better seationg position, at least for me. I have previously owned Suzuki Max 100R and Bajaj Pulsar. I got horrible back pain with the Pulsar. I sold it in less than a year, less than 6k on odo.

Now, I am very much happy with Yamaha.

[raghutk]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

I own Yamaha Gladiator 125 CC (Type SS). It returns 60+ KMPL consistently. And offers better ride and better seationg position, at least for me. I have previously owned Suzuki Max 100R and Bajaj Pulsar. I got horrible back pain with the Pulsar. I sold it in less than a year, less than 6k on odo.

Now, I am very much happy with Yamaha.

How is the servicing of Yamaha bikes ? I am planning to go now and check out few Yamaha ones in perfect motors on lalbagh road in bangalore and update with my findings

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by raghutk

How is the servicing of Yamaha bikes ? I am planning to go now and check out few Yamaha ones in perfect motors on lalbagh road in bangalore and update with my findings

When I bought it in 2009, there were fewer service centers in Chennai. Now, they have expanded and I have got 2 service centers within 8 kms from my home. I feel their servicing is good, better than Honda. Yes, I also own Honda Aviator and till now I haven't got satisfactory servicing from Honda.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^I am sure some of the newer bikes may be better than Splendor. But if resale value and years of trouble free operation are important to you, buying them at this point may be a gamble.

I recommended Splendor from personal experience. Mine is 11 years/ 91000 KM old, still returns 61+ KMPL and is still stock. And I was offered a good price for it recently, in case I wanted to sell! TVS (not TVS suzuki) and Bajaj (the worst) products do not age as well in comparison and start coming apart at the seams, in my experience. If longevity is a criteria, stay away from these two.

Finally, my recommendation is only for an economical commuter that can remain trouble free for years and still fetch a good price! If what you want is fun quotient, you have to move up the chain and I can recommend different bikes. Splendor won't fit the bill.

Hi Gansan

My mileage figures were similar or marginally better than yours with the Splendor (when I was residing in South Delhi). But there were more problems related to performance, etc. These are as under:

1. Power (or absence of any such thing) - I was way underpowered as compared to whichever Bajaj, Yamaha, TVS bikes (100cc+ class) I have driven. Even after 10 years the power of Passion is same 7.7 bhp, whereas that of Calibre was at time 8.5 bhp (or probably 9.1 bhp, if I can recall from my cousin's manual) for the standard version up from 7.6 bhp when launched. TVS also quotes the same numbers for Starsports bike (8.5 bhp).

2. Mileage - I managed 60-65 kmpl in Delhi. I managed 60 kmpl from the Fiero F2 & P150 in similar conditions. When I moved to North Delhi, the figures (driving to Noida) only got better. I have reported the same in other threads as well.

3. Comfort (or absence of it) - I am a CA, & during my article-ship days, i had to travel to NOIDA SEZ from my South Delhi residence (around 35 kms one way) would end up tired to office, that too in the morning . That is why I have recommended the bike with wider seat.

5. Plastic & Other Parts - Another disappointing aspect of the bike. My headlight visor & mudguards had developed cracks over 45k kms use. But, my Fiero F2 & P150 have gone much beyond these mileage readings, & yet to develop any crack or rattle. The bike lock had to be replaced within 6 months of moving house & the bike had to be parked outside (in the old house, the bike used to be parked in the garage). The original Exide battery lasted longer than the lock of the battery cover of the bike.

At the end I was not satisfied with any aspect, despite regular servicing at the Khanna Auto-mobiles' South Delhi Service Centre at every 2.5k kms intervals. You may have good experience with the Splendor as you do not ride it regularly, but, those days when I was looking at cheap & efficient motoring nirvana, I was not getting closer to the same. I made the wise decision to sell the bike & never look at HH again.

I still have the guts to suggest at time others aspirants HH bikes, only because of the A.S.S., resale value & probably few other good points that I observe in bikes like the Hunk, ZMA, etc., but, still cannot convince my conscience.

[headbanger]

If the requirement is to commute 15-20 kms, good mileage, resonable ride, better resale and low maintainence, no other bike can beat HH Splendor. Just look around and you would find so many people who will stand by the aforementioned statement just like our own t-bhpian gansan.

However, if I were in your place, I would have probably picked a little bigger engine since Splendor is under-powered.

[Gansan]

@cardeep
My mileage till ~ 60k KM mark was 73+ KMPL, which has now dropped to 61 KMPL due to old age (of the bike,that is)!

As for power and comfort, please read my posts again! But it sure has a good bottom end. And don't be carried away by marginal 1 - 2 bhp increments of power, it is as good as NOTHING. Real power starts around 14 - 15 bhp, rest is all hogwash!

I had the 14 bhp Shogun, it had a good top end. I will stick my neck out and say the torque of the Splendor, with two on board, is a lot better in city traffic.

I repeat, if performance and fun are needed, there are other bikes. But TVS and Bajaj are not part of that club in my book!

[Aragorn]

100cc with just fuel efficiency and practicality -> As many say Hero Honda (Splendor or Passion)

100cc with little bit of fun -> Twister (took a small drive and immediately put a smile on my face)

[zulfi hansi]

I am not really comfortable with this idea in the first place, the reason is that I have had this idea several times (every time there is a petrol price hike), but it never really worked, in the last 10 years since I have been driving.

It goes this way, once you start riding you will enjoy it for a few days, but after about a month after all that summer sun that you would have absorbed yet feeling proud that you saved a lot of nature and a bit of money, your body starts to remind you of all that comfort you leave behind with those 4 wheels, the rains would have started by then and there drains your patience with the water lashing your face.

Face it you can never be a 5 days a week bike guy, never. So I suggest you ride your Activa since you already have it, at least that way it will be used. Imagine you running out of patience before your new bike has done the run-in mileage.

Save your Rs. 45K (approx. cost of the bike) and not Rs. 1,500 X 30 months. (approx. saving on fuel per month if you use the bike). Tell me what you think.

And if you do prove me wrong I will be really happy.

[alffrey]

Why not give the Passion Pro a try. Even though the engine and transmission are similar to the Splendor, I find it to be a bit more stylish and comfortable. I personally have been riding the old HH Passion for about 10 years now.

I also own an I10 Magna but prefer the bike for my daily commute since the traffic in Bangalore drives me nuts. With the bike you spend relatively less time stuck in jams. You can explore the by lanes and discover new routes. I take out the car only for long drives and during the rains.

I am a five days a week bike guy and the weather in Bangalore helps a lot.

[parimal_g]

Hi,
You can also try TVS Star City, i think it comes in 110 cc and 100 cc models,
you can find the report by bike guru here,

TVS Sport 100 Road Test by Dilip Bam

TVS bikes has very good LET, also check Jive if you can digest its plane looks.

[Gansan]

Another unique feature in the Splendor is the fuel cap. First you have to open a top lid with the key, and once open, you find the fuel cap which has to be removed to fill the fuel. This set up is similar to scooters, where you first lift the seat to access the fuel cap. The advantage is, water does not enter the tank during rains. This is not the case in other bikes where the water can enter through the key hole in the tank cap, and cause slow rusting of the tank.

I have not seen any other bike with this feature.

[abhinav.s]

Mileage & resale value - Hero Honda Splendor. None other can come close. We bought one last year for a family member. I admit i am all for power in a bike and felt the splendor to be way under powered. But today after 8 months of use and 9k on the odo, the bike is serving its purpose and is returning a handsome mileage of 70kmpl.
Personally, i would never buy a bike with power less than 10bhp but for someone looking for mileage and resale value, Splendor and its other variants are the safest bet.

Another alternative would be the Honda Twister. Very good bottom end and good pick up, with a mileage of around 60-65kmpl. BHPian jkdas has got one and you can pm him for further details if you are interested in the Twister.

[theexperthand]

I have no personal experience with Twister, but the bike looks horribly undertyred in the rear, though that should not be a deal breaker. Coming from Honda, I am sure the bike will offer a trouble free experience, if I am say anything by taking the experience I am having with my Unicorn as a reference.

We had a Splendor which we sold off after completing almost 1.25L, and the engine was never opened up. The bike always performed flawlessly, and always returned about 65kmpl. The bike was extensively used for long rides (Have done more than 400 km single day with 2 on board rides many times) and I have never faced any issue like what @cardeep have faced. The ONLY work we have done on the bike other than periodic servicing is replacing the coil and – no other work on the bike during all those years we had the bike with us.

I totally agree with @gansan: If you are looking for a fuel efficient bike with trouble free ownership experience and good resale value, go for Splendor. No other bike in the same category has the brand value of splendor when it comes to resale.

I have used pre DTSi Discover (both 100 cc and 125 cc) extensively, and was never impressed with them. Though it may be fun to ride, from my personal experience, Bajaj bikes does not offer the same trouble free service in long run, when compared to HH or Honda counterparts. (Among all the Bajaj bikes I have had or used extensively, I still consider KB100 RTZ as the best fun bike – that was a hoot to ride those days)