[sajo]

After dillydallying on a two wheeler purchase, a colleague of mine has decided to buy himself a fuel efficient bike for commuting to office. 100cc or thereabouts would do , with a bit of a flair (styling/looks) being an added advantage.
He has been riding a Bajaj scooter for close to two decades, but its registered in another state.
Now one of the 100cc Heros seem like a logical choice , but our question is, are they still as reliable post the Honda split ? Specifically asking about the Passion X-Pro. Other options being considered are the Honda Dream Neo and the Bajaj Discover 100T.
He stands at 5' (maybe a tiny bit over) tall and has never ridden a bike (or any other two wheeler apart from his old scooter) in his life.
The fuel efficiency part he is quite uncompromising about. Is there anything else in the market that we should be looking at? It will be a long term purchase, close to a decade or thereabouts.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by sajo

After dillydallying on a two wheeler purchase, a colleague of mine has decided to buy himself a fuel efficient bike for commuting to office. 100cc or thereabouts would do , with a bit of a flair (styling/looks) being an added advantage.
He has been riding a Bajaj scooter for close to two decades, but its registered in another state.
Now one of the 100cc Heros seem like a logical choice , but our question is, are they still as reliable post the Honda split ? Specifically asking about the Passion X-Pro. Other options being considered are the Honda Dream Neo and the Bajaj Discover 100T.
He stands at 5' (maybe a tiny bit over) tall and has never ridden a bike (or any other two wheeler apart from his old scooter) in his life.
The fuel efficiency part he is quite uncompromising about. Is there anything else in the market that we should be looking at? It will be a long term purchase, close to a decade or thereabouts.

Hero Splendor is a good bike and he won't be uncomfortable as it is good enough for short height. Fuel Efficiency is not a concern as my colleague has one and is getting 70 kmpl consistently.

The Passion Pro is a bit taller as a bike and the underpinnings are same as Splendor.

Anurag.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

The Passion Pro is a bit taller as a bike and the underpinnings are same as Splendor.

Thanks Anurag , the Passion X-pro I believe has a new 110cc engine against the Splendor's 97cc unit. Hence the reliability question...

[saket77]

Why not consider the Honda Shine? Checks all the boxes in terms of your requirement. Has a 125 CC engine and can easily give in excess of 60KMPL in city commute.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by sajo

Thanks Anurag , the Passion X-pro I believe has a new 110cc engine against the Splendor's 97cc unit. Hence the reliability question...

That's why I recommend the Splendor.

Shine is a bit taller bike which he may find it difficult.

Anurag.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by sajo

Is there anything else in the market that we should be looking at? It will be a long term purchase, close to a decade or thereabouts.

Ask him to evaluate the TVS Star City [110 cc] and TVS Sport [100 cc] too. These 2 bikes aren't very tall or heavy, and return decent real world mileage if the ASC folks [not showroom ] are to be believed. TVS service is decent and spares are also reasonably priced.

Disclaimer: I own an Apache, so my recommendation might be a little bit biased

Cheers,
Vikram

[sajo]

Thanks for the replies guys. I didnt know TVS still had contenders in the 100cc segment, maybe because I have hardly seen any new ones on the road.

[hellmet]

I would also recommend TVS, specifically the TVS Start City 110c since it's the same mill running on my TVS Victor. Bullet proof engine - the motor on my ride has been unopened, and clutch untouched for the last 10 years (66K km). Surprising, given how aggressively it was driven it's first 35K km (aah, young blood).

[amit_purohit20]

Here is another TVS Fan. I have a 10 year old Victor which I still ride and recently did a Pune Mumbai run on it. Going good no clutch wire, plates change infact no problems at all except regular consumables like brake shoes, oil etc and yes two times I replaced the plastic speedometer gear sensor, until I got a steel one which is still going strong.

Well I have a TVS Apache RTR180 also which was again bought based on the trust my Victor created in me. So I may be biased too.

But to be frank - TVS bikes mileage drops very rapidly over a period of time, where as I have seen honda engines still giving decent mileage even after clocking 50k + kms. The NVH in TVS engines is high and dont really sound refined. But the body work and plastics are of high quality.

I feel TVS Star City is made to cost a bike and dont find the same quality (refering to parts weight and quality) I got in my Victor.

I would suggest a Dream Neo instead.

[interc00led]

Hero splendor is one of the most reliable bikes out there no doubt about that. You can easily expect a mileage of 70+ in city from splendor.
With proper care, it can run for upto 1,00,000 before requiring any bore-piston change.
X-pro churns out a little more bhp so performance is little better, comes with an optional front disc brake and digital meter.(Mileage of 65kmpl + in city)
Both splendor and xpro are rugged bikes and can take a lot of abuse.

Try 0-90 on a splendor and shine and you will know how a splendor pulls smoothly till it's top speed is reached whereas a shine would vibrate like hell after crossing 60kmph due to very short gearing.(yes, I know it is not safe or feasible to ride a splendor or shine at that speeds)

To clear all the myths regarding quality and reliability after hero-honda split, I must say that Hero has actually improved to stay in competition.
All hero bikes are backed by 5 year warranty which only shows that they trust their products.

[F150]

Yes, the first thing that came to my mind is Hero Splendor.

You can also check Honda Dream Yuga, I am not sure about its height though.

[Octane_Power]

Guys, no one's suggesting anything from the Hamara Bajaj stable or 100-125cc Bajaj's aren't worth?
But IMO, the 1st thing that comes to mind when the words 'miserly' and 'commuter' come up is the Hero Splendour.

Still a favourite in rural India and its really one rugged machine as compared to others out there who would fail if not properly taken care of.

-Bhargav

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Guys, no one's suggesting anything from the Hamara Bajaj stable or 100-125cc Bajaj's aren't worth?
But IMO, the 1st thing that comes to mind when the words 'miserly' and 'commuter' come up is the Hero Splendour.

Still a favourite in rural India and its really one rugged machine as compared to others out there who would fail if not properly taken care of.

-Bhargav

IMO, Bajaj is not that reliable and a trouble free vehicle for a owner to have it for the next 10 years. Don't flame me guys but it is just my opinion.

I don't get Bajaj and reliability in one frame.

If 2-3 years ownership then I would think of a bit longer if will be a Honda or Hero bike/scooter. The OP says 10 years that's why it's Hero or Honda.

No offence Bhargav.

Anurag.

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

IMO, Bajaj is not that reliable and a trouble free vehicle for a owner to have it for the next 10 years. Don't flame me guys but it is just my opinion.

I don't get Bajaj and reliability in one frame.

If 2-3 years ownership then I would think of a bit longer if will be a Honda or Hero bike/scooter. The OP says 10 years that's why it's Hero or Honda.

Anurag Sir not at all offended, but we think alike. Even I have seen umpteen examples of the ol' Hero Hondas and Hondas having clocked some serious kms and going strong but none of Bajaj, that is why the question.

In fact I feel the same as you that Bajaj's can't be trusted for such long use, that is why I was curious to know if any BHP'ians endorse it.

-Bhargav

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

IMO, Bajaj is not that reliable and a trouble free vehicle for a owner to have it for the next 10 years. Don't flame me guys but it is just my opinion.

I don't get Bajaj and reliability in one frame.

+1 to this!

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Guys, no one's suggesting anything from the Hamara Bajaj stable or 100-125cc Bajaj's aren't worth?

Bajaj is your Tata in the bike segment - they come (relatively) cheap with freebies, any tom, dick & harry (mechanic) can repair your bike, they make a lot of noise, and are (relatively) heavy on long term maintenance with the only solace being cheap parts.

@OP - I'd recommend Honda for long term reliability - dunno on the mileage front.