My First Bike. Review on Hero Honda Splendor

My father bought Hero Honda Splendour on 2 Jan 2003 in Ahmedabad, and I have been using this bike for 3 years, still there is no problem in engine, soccer.

Speed & Engine:It has only kick start and never requires more than one kick. Even in 5o’clock in the morning! What an engine this is! I have got max speed 80 kmph on this bike.But I think it is only 97cc, 7.5 bhp engine, so I should not expect it to go 100kmph.It is performance bike. And no problem bike, you do not have to worry for the engine. If you ride it in right gears, it will remain as smooth as it was when the bike was new. Still, engine is very smooth. I never ride it in wrong gears.

0 to 10kmph: First gear.

10 to 20-25 kmph: Second gear, sometimes upto 25 kmph, when I love to accelerate it more, and when I have to overtake.

20 to 30-35-40 kmph: Third gear. Same reason as above.

30 to above:Fourth gear.

I think Its pick upto 40-45 kmph is very good. But after that it takes time to go up, and if I ride it above 50kmph, it cries too much, feels like I am riding it at 60-65kmph, but when I look its speed, it is between 50-55kmph. May be its meter was showing false. But I think this is due to small 97cc engine. It takes 12-13 second to go from 0 to 60 kmph.

Switches and Indicator:Its indicator switch has jammed due to rain. I got it right in service center but after some time it again got jammed. I have to free it again:(. But that is the different issue. You have to protect it from rain and take care of the bike; I think this problem exists in most of the bike, as I have seen people packed their switches with plastics. All switches are in the left side. No pass switch, no engine kill, no tachometer. It has fuel indicator and speedometer.

Battery:The battery is very weak, it was good up to 3 years, but after that it is losing its charge very early. I think I have to buy new battery, but again this is not bike problem, as battery is not produced by Hero Honda.

Weight & Height:Its kerb weight 117kg and dry weight is 109kg. It is small bike but has good weight, due to this it has good grip on road. It does not wobble when any heavy vehicle passes by it, unlike bajaj boxer. Seat height is 775mm, so good for short people, not good for tall people. I am 5’4’’ so I am very comfortable with this. It has low weight for 70-80kmph speed, at this speed difficult to control this bike.

Breaks:Both brakes are drums. Front is Drum type(130 mm Diameter) and rear is Drum type(110 mm Diameter). People are complaining that when they apply sudden break athigh speed, it skids from back. I have also felt that when I was at 40kmph and applied rear break suddenly when a cow had come down middle of the road. But I feel when I apply both breaks simultaneously It never skids. Did not applied sudden break at 70-80 kmph speed so does not know what will happen at that speed.

Tyres:Dealer tries to fool you in this department. If not careful, then they will give you TVS tyres and save some bucks. My bike had got Dunlop tyres. But Dunlop again not so good as MRF. Its rear Dunlop tyre life was only 3 years, I have to change it to a new MRF tyre. Both tyres are of 2.75 X 18 size.

Horn & Light:Horn sound is ok. But due to battery failure, it is not working.Poor headlight, it requires halogen bulb. Hero Honda should care about this.

Looks & Design:Good build, small and splendid looks! It has got very decent and good look. It suits on all guys of different ages, students, executives and old people. Not very flashy, it has simple and nice look. Pillion seat is slightly up from rider’s seat that will give you very comfortable and cushioned ride. Tank design is decent, has got cover over fuel filler neck, which is very good looking and stops rain water to get into tank. Due to its decent design, people are still buying it since 1994. While all other bikes production is stopped, it still continues to top in market.

Mileage:Mileage depends on your ride and petrol pump. Petrol pumps are stealing petrol. They will not fill exact petrol. Its usual mileage is between 50-59kmpl in city. Once I filled petrol at new opened petrol pump that had not started stealing petrol, then my bike gave me mileage of 65kmpl. On highway it will give you mileage of 65 to 70kmpl.

Reliability &Performance:Highest reliability ever in Indian market, its parts are costly but reliable. I did not ever need to change a parts still in these 6years except rear tyre. Less wearing and tearing that’s why it is no 1 bike in this world. Just ride and ride, and do regular services, it will remain new forever. No engine heat problem, you can do long rides on this bike, if you prefer riding around 50-60kmph. Overall no problem bike in real. Riding with pillion needs to accelerate more in all gears. Does not get speed quickly with pillion. But handling is good even with pillion.

Splendour is good for wriggling in between vehicles in heavy traffic. Well this bike does not handle corners smoothly and elegantly.

Suspension:Front suspension is telescopic hydraulic fork and rear is hydraulic spring loaded type with both side action. It has reliable suspension, still no problem, no lick.

Suitable for: Guys who are very busy in their work and want hassle free, starting problem free, maintenance problem free, durable, highly reliable bike can buy this bike. Guys who want power bikes, likes speed of 80-90kmph should not think about this bike, they should go for 150cc or bigger bikes.Guys, who do not need high speed, want long rides but at average speed can go for this bike. This bike will never leave you stranded except puncture and fuel problem. No back pain problem. Seating position is upright. Good for short people. Tall people have to seat slightly back at seat due to their tall legs.Then it will give problem to pillion rider.