[MVM]

The bike that I am privileged to own is rather unique, and I would like to share the story of how I chose this particular bike amongst the myriad of bikes on the market and I hope that this will be a pleasant read for the members of this forum.

I love mechanical objects. Typewriters, film cameras, tape recorders and old bikes most of all. I loved old bikes without ever riding one and I was desperate to own one (my father will say that I still am). I especially loved the old Jawas and Yezdis. Just the sound of one and the experiences my father shared about owning one were enough to make me fall madly in love with these machines. For the past 2.5 years of competitive exam prep I motivated myself every day with a picture of a Yezdi Roadking pasted on the wall of my study table. I just wanted to clear the exam, buy a Yezdi and ride off into the streets of Bangalore. After my exams I started the hunt for my Yezdi. Browsing Olx and Facebook groups for new listings was a daily affair for me. I slowly began to realize that a Yezdi was not a great first bike and moreover I would be wasting a lot of time and money on what would essentially be an expensive hobby. Hence I decided to to ask the members of TBhp for advice.

]https://www.team-bhp.com/news/advice-needed-buying-using-30-year-old-yezdi-motorcycle-daily

After reading the responses and having a few discussions with my father about this I decided to drop the idea of buying a Yezdi.

My dad told me that I should first learn how to ride a bike safely before looking for a bike that requires tender loving care on a regular basis.
Hence I started the hunt for used commuter bikes but the issue was that I didn't know anyone who even owned a bike let alone someone willing to sell their bike to me. I felt that Olx and other used vehicle websites won't be able to get me a used bike that I could trust. Moreover any decent looking used bike wasn't available below 30000 rupees.
A few weeks later my dad and I were watching a program about the Hero bikes sold in India which was when we found out about the Hero HF100 and we went to the dealership to take a look. The Hero HF100 was the same bike as the more popular HF Deluxe with the only difference being the mode of starting. The HF100 is equipped only with a kick starter whereas the HF Deluxe is equipped with self start. I don't exactly know why but I love the idea of kick starting a bike. The feeling of actually doing something physical to start the bike rather than just pushing a button really appealed to me. It is in a way similar to how a stick shift car feels to drive when compared to an automatic.

The Price
Hero really missed out on marketing this bike properly. The ex-showroom price of the Hero HF100 is 49000 rupees which makes it the cheapest bike in the country. The on road price of the HF100 was 63000 rupees in Bangalore.

We booked the bike on a Thursday and just 3 days later the bike was ready for delivery. It has been 2 months since I have taken delivery of the bike and nearly 500kms later I have very few niggles to report about the bike.

The bike looks good from the rear and the side. I feel it looks a little too narrow from the front.
Here are some pictures of my HF:

Front



Side



Gauge Cluster



Rear Quarter



Rear




The picture of my bike after the first wax.



The wax used is Waxpol's Hard Cake Wax




The bike came with a few scratches and one tiny dent on the fuel tank which I was upset about but I was prepared to let it slide knowing that I can't expect concourse level quality from a large corporation which treats each bike just as a vehicle. My father felt otherwise and wanted to get the damaged parts replaced. Thankfully the dealer happily obliged and replaced the scratched parts.

Scratched Tail Light cover



Replacement Tail Light cover



Scratched Silencer Shield



Replacement Silencer Shield



The windscreen was scratched too, unfortunately I don't have a photo of the scratched part.
The Replacement Windscreen



The Tank also had a tiny dent and scratch. My dad wanted the dealer to replace the tank but I was not comfortable with the tank being replaced since I was afraid of any niggles that may show up because of the job. The problems that may arise due to the tank being removed and replaced improperly looked a lot larger to me than the dent hence I decided to let it be. I asked the dealer to polish the scratched area around the dent but they weren't able to make it much better. I managed to make it marginally better later on with some Motomax bike polish.



The Tank Scratch now after a light hand polish



After a week of ownership, I decided to install a seat cover and a tank bag to prevent the tank from being scratched and also to give me some extra storage. The tank bag and seat cover with installation costed 650 rupees.

Installing the seat cover was a timely decision because just a week after installing it this happened.

Damage inflicted by a bored stray cat.
Luckily only the removable seat cover has been damaged and not the seat itself.



A week ago, I decided to remove the tank bag to clean and wax the tank thoroughly and upon removing the tank bag I discovered that the paint surrounding the fuel filler cap had been damaged.

Paint Damage on the tank




How this happened is still a mystery to me and I am sure the members of this forum could help me with this. The only explanation I have is that fuel vapors from the tank upon prolonged exposure have damaged the paint. I have removed the tank bag because I want to see if the issue persists.I am going to be taking the bike to the dealer for the first inspection very soon. Any and all inputs are welcome.

Apart from these minor niggles the bike has been running perfectly fine. Since I haven't ridden any other bike apart from this one I am not qualified enough to say anything about the acceleration, handling etc.
I love to ride and take care of my bike and the fuel economy allows me to extract as many smiles per litre as possible.

[Abhyjith K.A]

Congrats on your new acquisition! I think this was indeed a great decision on your part (Having read your story about the Yezdi dream). Make sure to run her carefully through the break-in period, never miss a single service interval, and take care of her regularly and she'll take care of you for sure. Of course, this doesn't have to be said, considering the attention to detail you've shown here

Now, coming back to the Yezdi dream ; Never forget it and never go out of touch with it no matter what. Because that's what might have started everything, if you know what I mean. What I'd say is, this bike can be used to support the Yezdi dream. You can use this one for your regular commutes and as a backup whenever the "hobby" bike is out for maintenance, if it all it requires. This is a great backup mode of transportation. And considering it's brand new, I'd say it has a personal bond that you'll appreciate long term.

Reminds me of how I myself started. I learnt to ride and started riding on my uncle's Honda CB Shine. He doesn't use his bike at all as he lives away and doesn't require one at the moment, so most of the miles on it was put by me. It was only later that I took the plunge and got my Max 100 as I wanted something more retro, and most importantly, the two stroke ring-ding-ding!

My Max 100 has never let me down though, and provides all the entertainment with practicality a college student like me would ever require, including being extremely frugal on fuel as well. So sometimes, the CB Shine sits quietly a lot. It has in essence, "supported" my dream of having a two stroke. A teary tale. But I do take it out occasionally as no vehicle deserves any amount of neglect. And it's always happy to start up immediately with zero hesitation, no matter how long it sits. It's really a faithful companion.

Keep your new bike with you forever, as it's a real privilege to get something like this, that too, brand new at this age. And also keep saving up and get a classic bike as well. This is the right age to experience that and you'll hold memories for a lifetime for it. In the distant future, you'll find it's not practical thinking alone that'll make the best memories. It's what you do outside the box and more importantly, the pursuit of your own deepest desires.

Wish you a many wonderful & safe miles on your new bike.

Cheers & Happy Riding!

[Torino]

Originally Posted by MVM

The bike that I am privileged to own is rather unique, and I would like to share the story of how I chose this particular bike amongst the myriad of bikes on the market and I hope that this will be a pleasant read for the members of this forum.

Congrats and nice initial review on the present day 'fill it, shut it, forget it' bike. Reminds me of my 6 month ownership stint with the Honda CD 110 Dream back in 2015. What mileage does Hero officially claim for your HF100? Of late I've noticed that there is no mention of mileage figure in commuter motorcycle advertisements. I remember during late 90's and early 2000's when Hero Honda and Bajaj used to fight the mileage war by boldly highlighting their 80+kmpl mileage figures in newspaper & billboard ads. Quickly checked Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj website and surprisingly nobody mentions the mileage figure anywhere. Please share your real world mileage as you ride more.

[MVM]

Originally Posted by Abhyjith K.A

Congrats on your new acquisition! I think this was indeed a great decision on your part (Having read your story about the Yezdi dream). Make sure to run her carefully through the break-in period, never miss a single service interval, and take care of her regularly and she'll take care of you for sure.
Now, coming back to the Yezdi dream ; Never forget it and never go out of touch with it no matter what. Because that's what might have started everything, if you know what I mean. What I'd say is, this bike can be used to support the Yezdi dream. You can use this one for your regular commutes and as a backup whenever the "hobby" bike is out for maintenance, if it all it requires. This is a great backup mode of transportation. And considering it's brand new, I'd say it has a personal bond that you'll appreciate long term.

Thank you very much for your response Abhyjith. I loved reading the thread about your Max 100R and wish I could share such a bond with my bike someday. I don't think I can ever forget the Yezdi dream, and I am pretty certain I will get one someday. It's true that I got into riding motorcycles only because of the Yezdi phase before which I never had any interest in bikes or riding. But just not anytime soon. Since I already have a reliable source of transport for the next few years, I can comfortably own a project bike too. As for the service intervals, I dropped off the bike for its first service yesterday. The labor is free but I will have to pay for the consumable items which came to a total of 808 rupees.

An oil change is part of the service. I was surprised that the oil needed to be changed when the bike had done only 500kms but when I took some oil out of the oil fill hole I realized why.



I guess the color is due to the removable coatings on the brand new metal surfaces in the engine and crank.
I also told the dealer about the paint damage on the fuel tank and they offered to paint the damaged area under warranty (which I was very happy about). I will upload pictures of the painted tank once I receive the bike. The bike also shuts off sometimes when I am reaching the end of a steep slope. I told the service advisor about this issue. I felt it is probably because I have deliberately kept a low amount of fuel in the tank. I'll add a good amount of fuel after the serivce. Please share your thoughts.

[MVM]

Originally Posted by Torino

Congrats and nice initial review on the present day 'fill it, shut it, forget it' bike.

Thank you for the response, Torino. That tagline is perfect for this bike since it is basically a modern day CD100.

What mileage does Hero officially claim for your HF100?

Hero's claimed mileage figure is 65+kmpl. Since my riding style isn't very efficient, I haven't been able to extract much mileage. Also, I haven't been able to wrap my head around the fuel gauge which seems to have a mind of its own. My speculated mileage is 58 but I will have to conduct a proper mileage test.

[Abhyjith K.A]

Originally Posted by MVM

Thank you very much for your response Abhyjith. I loved reading the thread about your Max 100R and wish I could share such a bond with my bike someday. I don't think I can ever forget the Yezdi dream, and I am pretty certain I will get one someday. It's true that I got into riding motorcycles only because of the Yezdi phase before which I never had any interest in bikes or riding. But just not anytime soon. Since I already have a reliable source of transport for the next few years, I can comfortably own a project bike too. As for the service intervals, I dropped off the bike for its first service yesterday. The labor is free but I will have to pay for the consumable items which came to a total of 808 rupees.

An oil change is part of the service. I was surprised that the oil needed to be changed when the bike had done only 500kms but when I took some oil out of the oil fill hole I realized why.

Attachment 2382565

I guess the color is due to the removable coatings on the brand new metal surfaces in the engine and crank.
I also told the dealer about the paint damage on the fuel tank and they offered to paint the damaged area under warranty (which I was very happy about). I will upload pictures of the painted tank once I receive the bike. The bike also shuts off sometimes when I am reaching the end of a steep slope. I told the service advisor about this issue. I felt it is probably because I have deliberately kept a low amount of fuel in the tank. I'll add a good amount of fuel after the serivce. Please share your thoughts.

Glad you loved it! A bond is something that develops over time. Not all love is necessarily love at first sight Just enjoy your bike for what it is. Travel as much as you can on it and that in itself will be a bonding experience. Start from exploring your nearby areas and keep increasing the distance radius. You can have a lot of fun that way.

Since yours is a fuel injected bike, you have to rely heavily on the fuel gauge. It's not like a carburetted bike where you can afford to be careless and run out of fuel (Which while difficult at the time, lends itself to some pretty hilarious memories). I remember towing my friend's Classic 350 (The older carburetted version) with my Max 100 when it ran out of petrol. This has happened two times as of now

All FI bikes require a certain minimum amount of fuel in the tank since the fuel pump is also present in the tank itself and has to be fully submerged in petrol. Check your owner's manual to see it. What I'd personally suggest is to keep a minimum reserve of one bar above the red bars on the gauge. Treat your bike as if it had run out of fuel when it reaches that level.

I know it's difficult to do this at our age as students, but it's not worth the headache to diagnose and replace a fuel pump gone wrong due to lack of care. Keep the system healthy by taking care of it this way. It should also solve the problem of the bike cutting out on a slope.

A.

[MVM]

Originally Posted by Abhyjith K.A

Just enjoy your bike for what it is. Travel as much as you can on it and that in itself will be a bonding experience. Start from exploring your nearby areas and keep increasing the distance radius. You can have a lot of fun that way.

Exactly what I've been doing especially since my sense of direction in and around Bangalore is pretty bad despite living here for so long . But I use any excuse to ride my bike.

Since yours is a fuel injected bike, you have to rely heavily on the fuel gauge. It's not like a carburetted bike where you can afford to be careless and run out of fuel (Which while difficult at the time, lends itself to some pretty hilarious memories). I remember towing my friend's Classic 350 (The older carburetted version) with my Max 100 when it ran out of petrol. This has happened two times as of now

I underestimated the power of the Max 100.

All FI bikes require a certain minimum amount of fuel in the tank since the fuel pump is also present in the tank itself and has to be fully submerged in petrol. Check your owner's manual to see it. What I'd personally suggest is to keep a minimum reserve of one bar above the red bars on the gauge. Treat your bike as if it had run out of fuel when it reaches that level.
I know it's difficult to do this at our age as students, but it's not worth the headache to diagnose and replace a fuel pump gone wrong due to lack of care. Keep the system healthy by taking care of it this way. It should also solve the problem of the bike cutting out on a slope.

Thank you for the input Abhyjith. The owners manual states that the fuel must be added as soon as the needle touches the red area but I didn't want to put too much fuel since the bike was going for a service. The first thing I will do after picking up the bike today is fill the tank. The issue is most likely due to low fuel because I never had this issue when I had a good amount of fuel in the bike.

[kiranton]

I think they put your bike in a washing machine before delivery. Otherwise why would a new bike comes with so many scratches.

[Apex1815]

The topic of your thread has made me nostalgic remembering my first Two Wheeler.

I started working in the Year 2011.

At that time my Dream bike was Bajaj Avenger, which I could not buy because Avenger was somewhere out of my reach. Even if I would have financed it, the expenses of fuel + EMI was not something I could make up easily as I had just started working (Even then I visited different Bajaj showrooms for just to see Avenger closely and feel it).

At that time My daily commute was around 42 km across Bangalore city, therefore I needed a motorcycle which could give me excellent fuel efficiency. So, I purchased a TVS Star city 110 at On-Road Price of Rs 51,000. I had Star City with me for a period of 1.5 years and it used to return excellent mileage of 60+ in Bangalore city.

Later I bought Avenger 220 which is still there with me and rarely used now.

[KPR]

I love the way these 100-110cc bikes are engineered. Mostly trouble-free, gives stupendous mileage and costs very less during service. It is synonymous to Idly sold in south India. One cannot go wrong with both. In the long run I had understood that real warriors in Indian life are such commuter bikes and cars like Alto, Santro. I'm sure this bike will last for generations. I still love my Libero G5.

[VALLURIS]

Originally Posted by MVM

The bike that I am privileged to own is rather unique, and I would like to share the story of how I chose this particular bike amongst the myriad of bikes on the market and I hope that this will be a pleasant read for the members of this forum.

Wonderful Post. In a sea of high end and new car purchases, your post on the most affordable bike in India is a fantastic read.

Congratulations and Happy Riding. I read your previous pots on Yezdi and for starters you have made a right choice of buying the Fill it and Shut It bike.

[NiInJa]

What a refreshing read! Brings back the time when I was a student and just started work!

A <11 bhp vehicle is a good way to keep the energy of youth in check Just make sure you get a sturdy, well fitting helmet and ensure it is strapped on every time you ride the bike.

Let me tell you one thing, these bikes are keepers, 5-10 years later you will probably have more powerful bikes, but there will be times when you will yearn for simple pleasures and riding this bike is one of them. I still enjoy riding my cousin's HH Passion whenever I get a chance.

Ride the bike till the tyres go bald, the shock absorbers need to be repaired and handlebar needs to be tightened once in a while, adjust the chain slack, lubricate the sprocket, change the oil, charge the battery. Doing all these things on your own or under your supervision will make you understand your current and future bikes better.

[RGK]

Thank you for the nice thread and best wishes on your recent purchase.

This is a no-nonsense bike, just like the Hero Honda Splendour that I owned for more than ten years. On the other hand, poor braking and road grip are the concerns.

[100Kmphormore]

Nice write up. I was reminiscing yesterday about how I took delivery of my first bike 5 years ago, a V15. It served me well for 27k km despite being an inherent lemon. The signs were for all to see - not idling properly, heating up unusually, battery went kaput within a day of delivery - then being cajoled by the service guy that this is how it is. Inexperienced, excited me got the better of today’s informed, grounded BHPian me. Got rid of it after 2 chain sprockets, gear lever and shifter broken and multiple engine repairs when we exchanged it while buying my brothers MT15. However small a bike, do a proper PDI and number check. Your father was right in insisting a replacement- its brand new, not a preowned one.

[MVM]

Originally Posted by kiranton

I think they put your bike in a washing machine before delivery. Otherwise why would a new bike comes with so many scratches.

The worst part is that the pieces that they took off of my bike will probably be put on to another unsuspecting owner's HF100 or HF Deluxe.

Originally Posted by Apex1815

The topic of your thread has made me nostalgic remembering my first Two Wheeler.
.

Glad that my post could bring back fond memories.

Originally Posted by KPR

I love the way these 100-110cc bikes are engineered. Mostly trouble-free, gives stupendous mileage and costs very less during service. It is synonymous to Idly sold in south India. One cannot go wrong with both. In the long run I had understood that real warriors in Indian life are such commuter bikes and cars like Alto, Santro.

Exactly, bikes like these moved the country. Unfortunately most of the commuter bike market is being eaten up by gearless scooters. The first service cost of my bike was 755 rupees and I don't have to pay for labour for the next 4 services upto 12000kms. This bike sets a new benchmark for the term Value For Money.

Originally Posted by VALLURIS

Wonderful Post. In a sea of high end and new car purchases, your post on the most affordable bike in India is a fantastic read.

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it.

Congratulations and Happy Riding. I read your previous pots on Yezdi and for starters you have made a right choice of buying the Fill it and Shut It bike.

Thank you very much

Originally Posted by NiInJa

What a refreshing read! Brings back the time when I was a student and just started work!

Glad you enjoyed it.

A <11 bhp vehicle is a good way to keep the energy of youth in check Just make sure you get a sturdy, well fitting helmet and ensure it is strapped on every time you ride the bike.

I never knew that 10.6HP could be so much fun. It is all the power one ever needs in the city. As for the helmet I went for the Vega Cliff Helmet because it reminded me of a certain someone.

Let me tell you one thing, these bikes are keepers, 5-10 years later you will probably have more powerful bikes, but there will be times when you will yearn for simple pleasures and riding this bike is one of them. I still enjoy riding my cousin's HH Passion whenever I get a chance.

Ride the bike till the tyres go bald, the shock absorbers need to be repaired and handlebar needs to be tightened once in a while, adjust the chain slack, lubricate the sprocket, change the oil, charge the battery. Doing all these things on your own or under your supervision will make you understand your current and future bikes better.

I hope to never sell this bike. As for the DIY jobs, I would love to do them but the bike comes with a 5 YEAR warranty preventing me from doing much to it. But after those 5 years I will do most of the jobs on my machine.

Originally Posted by RGK

Thank you for the nice thread and best wishes on your recent purchase.
On the other hand, poor braking and road grip are the concerns.

Thank You very much. The braking is decent as the rear brake is a combi setup hence despite having drum brakes the bike still stops on a dime. The tire quality and road grip is subpar unfortunately. I feel the bike has been equipped with the cheapest set of tires available and the grip offered while turning is poor. At least it teaches me to be careful and patient while taking turns. Despite having alloys the bike comes with tube tires. Once these tires go bald I will surely make the upgrade to tubeless ones.