During the 2012 Auto Expo this year, Hero MotoCorp showcased three products, namely Ignitor, Maestro and Passion XPro, to be launched this year. Out of these, Maestro is a110cc scooter and Ignitor and PassionX Pro are 125cc and 110cc commuter bikes respectively. The one thing common in all these three products is that they carry Honda DNA in them. Maestro and Ignitor were launched earlier this year and now Passion XPro has also been launched silently. Few days back, we heard that Hero Passion XPro dispatches have been started and many dealers have received it in stockyard. The dealers have confirmed to us that the bikes are available with them for display but bookings have not yet opened because of some formalities which are yet to be completed.
Even after parting up, Hero MotoCorp and Honda 2-wheelers India had an agreement to share some technology. Taking the advantage of this, Hero has launched four products. Impulse is re-engineered Honda Bros NXR 150, Maestro has engine and many other parts in common with the Honda Activa, Ignitor is re-engineered Honda CB Stunner and now PassionX Pro borrows engine and other components from Honda CB Twister. The Passion XPro is powered by 109.1cc, air-cooled, SOHC engine which produces 8.7 PS of power at 7500 RPM and 9.36 Nm of torque at 5500 RPM. Fuel is supplied to the engine through a conventional carburetor and the motor can be started by kick or optional self-start.
Power is transferred to the wheels through a 4-speed gearbox. There is an option of having tubeless tyres, electric start and alloy wheels at an added cost. The suspension setup is tad similar to other Hero bikes. On looks front, this bike is typical Hero product which comes with heavy sticker job. The fuel tank now has plastic panels and side panel gets matte black treatment. Rest is similar to the existing Passion Pro and carries similar dual tone paint job. This bike comes in 8 different color options. Instrument cluster is also similar to Passion Pro which has combination of analogue speedometer and digital information display.
We can sum it up this bike as a Passion Pro with a heart of Honda CB Twister. Obviously, it has some advantages associated with it, like refined and reliable Honda engine and easy and less costly after-sales service of Hero MotorCorp. This will be the last bike from Hero Motocorp that will carry Honda;s DNA in it. The bookings for this may start just before Diwali or 2-3 days after it. Hero MotoCorp has priced the Passion XPro from Rs. 51,500/- for drum brake, kick start with spoke wheels variant to Rs. 56,900/- for front disc brake, self-start with alloy wheels variant (all prices, on-road Delhi).
