Performance – The 2018 Discover 110 is powered by a long stroke, 115.4cc, 4-stroke, air-cooled single-cylinder, SOHC, DTS-i engine. This motor produces 8.5 BHP of power at 7000 RPM and a max torque of 9.81 Nm at 5000 RPM. The transmission duties on this long stroke and high torque bike are taken care by a 4-speed, all-down pattern gearbox. This bike produces the highest amount of power and torque (except for TVS Victor’s power) in its segment. Once you thumb the starter and shift into first gear with a heel-and-toe shifter, the bike immediately moves off the line. The main focus here is with the pillion being onboard, the smaller 110cc mill does not let down the performance delivery at all.
The Discover 110 has good low-end & mid-range torque but has vibrations
The Discover 110 seemed to be moving ahead with no stress and it even pulled away in second gear with a pillion rider without any fuss or drama. It cruises nicely till you reach post 60 km/hr where vibrations start to come in but anyway who is even going to do speeds near to 70 km/hr in the city. Keeping the pace between 35-55 km/hr and the motorcycle rides smoothly in fourth gear. The low-end and mid-range torque helps you cruise through traffic easily without letting you change gears much. The engine is refined and also the clutch and gear have a positive and crisp response. The fuel tank offers a range of 610 kms as the bike returns an ARAI certified fuel economy of 76.3 km/l while in the real-world, the mileage will be around 65 km/l.
Riding Dynamics – As said before, the Discover 110 offers an upright sitting posture but it is built on the same frame as its predecessor. However, this bike offers great rideability and that’s because of the new suspension setup. Both front and rear suspension get a 10 mm increase in their travel. So, the front telescopic forks have a 140 mm travel while the rear twin shocks (gas-filled) have 120 mm of travel. This is the longest travel suspension in its category and has vastly improved the riding dynamics of this motorcycle. The Discover 110 soaked up every bump and pothole that came in its way with pride without losing any bit of its stability, thanks to its highest weight of 118 kgs and longest wheelbase of 1305 mm, as they too contribute to the same.
Comfort oriented suspensions are what makes this bike a fun-to-ride motorcycle
Though it is a city commuter, it took corners well and felt stable and confident around one but it is not at all a corner-carving machine. The motorcycle gets an attractive price tag and hence misses out on a disc brake. And when it comes to braking, it does not get good drum brakes at the front. The front brakes lack feedback and are too soft to bring you to a complete stop under panic situations. The rear drum brake did manage to impress me with its better feedback and a great bite which eventually made me use only the rear brake during my test ride.