The country’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, Hero Motocorp, post the split with Honda 2 Wheelers is planning on launching a slew of new products in the Indian market both in the scooter and the motorcycle segment. The company has already launched its first off-roading motorcycle, the Impulse in the Indian market at an aggressive pricing. Now, the company is looking to increase its presence in the gearless scooter segment with the launch of a new vehicle, the Maestro in the month of March. Currently, the gearless scooter segment is dominated by Honda 2 Wheelers with its products like the Activa and the Dio attracting a couple of months as waiting periods.
The Maestro scooter is powered by an air cooled, 4 stroke, single cylinder 109cc engine that produces a power output of 8 BHP and a maximum torque of 8.5 Nm. The power and torque is transmitted to the wheels via a dry centrifugal clutch which connects to a variomatic transmission and then to the wheels. Under the body, the vehicle is designed on a high rigidity Underbone type chassis and has a kerb weight of 108 kgs. At the front and the back, the bike gets 130mm drum brakes as the stopping power.
Looking at the specifications, it is quite evident that the Maestro is nothing more than just a re-badged Honda Activa. The exterior styling gets a slight make-over while everything remains the same with the underpinnings. It will be interesting to watch how Hero Motocorp now positions the Maestro up against the most selling product in the segment, the Activa. We expect the pricing to be a bit lesser than the Activa as Hero Motocorp would be having a key focus on localization of parts.
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