We rode, what is perhaps, Hero Motocorp’s most important new motorcycle model – the Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 at the CIT – the company’s research, development and testing facility located in Jaipur.
Hero Motocorp are the undisputed king of the Indian commuter motorcycle market and to retain the dominant No. 1 position, the Indian two-wheeler giant has given their extremely popular Passion Pro a complete makeover. The Hero Passion Pro BS6 is not a facelift of a mere cosmetic upgrade but has been built from scratch as the new commuter boasts of a BS6 engine, new frame, suspension setup and, of course, a stylish design.
Hero Xtreme 160R unveiled at Hero World 2020, Jaipur
New Hero Motorcycles
Over the years Hero Motocorp has been building a team of engineers and marketing experts from India and other international brands, who have expertise in developing strong two-wheeler line-up, and have great marketing know-how. This talented, multi-national army of executives and engineers have been working at Hero’s CIT (Centre of Innovation and Technology, Jaipur) facility in a planned and synchronised manner to come up with a whole new range of products. The new range of bike, including the Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6, were recently showcased at the mega Hero World 2020 event – The Xtreme 160R, Glamour 125 and the Xpulse 200 Rally Kit. You can read bout it here. Let’s take a closer look at the changes of the new Passion Pro.
Design
The new Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 looks sharper now with its new body panel styling and trendy three-colour graphics. You might also have noticed the new headlamp and the new signature ‘H’ tail-lamp which give the 110-cc commuter bike a modern appeal. The 2020 Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 is offered in four colours — Sports Red, Techno Blue, Moon Yellow, and Glaze Black.
Features
For a commuter motorcycle, the 2020 Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 offers reasonable amount of features including the Auto Sail system, which lets the bike crawl smoothly ahead, without lurching forward. It also gets the i3S idle start-stop system when the engine is turned off and when the bike is stationary. As the rider engages the clutch, the bike automatically restarts. Look closer and you get a new semi-digital instrument cluster with real-time fuel economy indicator, which guides the rider to get the best mileage.
New BS6 Engine
Among the many changes, the most important one in the 2020 Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 is the all-new engine as it dumps the older 109.15-cc motor of the outgoing model. Unlike the older model which used a carburettor, the new Passion Pro is equipped with fuel injection to extract improved mileage and better performance out of the single-cylinder 113.2-cc engine. The commuter in its BS6 avatar delivers nine per cent more power and 22 per cent hike in torque, rated at 9.1 hp at 7,500 rpm and 9.79 Nm at 5,000 rpm.
Performance
We got a really rushed ride on the 2020 Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 and would have liked to test it for a longer duration to come up with a detailed report. On our short ride, the power delivery seemed linear and the engine remained fairly smooth in lower revs. Up the speed and there were traces of vibration in the foot-pegs, but nothing alarming. The four-speed gearbox has been tuned for city use and comes with a convenient all-up shift pattern. Overall performance is what you would expect from a small commuter motorcycle and improvements can be witnessed in practically all corners.
Suspension and Ride
Talking about improvements, the 2020 Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 now gets a new diamond frame chassis which embeds this commuter a nice and rigid skeleton. The suspension travel has been increased by 14 per cent at the front and 10 per cent at the rear, while ground clearance goes up by nine per cent. Riding the bike over the tortuous testing ground with cobblestone surface, the commuter did manage to remain fairly composed and promises better comfort than the older model.
Variants and Price
The new Hero Passion Pro has been launched in India and is being offered in two variants. The entry level version comes with drum brakes on both ends and is priced at Rs 64,990 (ex-showroom). We got to ride the top variant with a disc brake in front and a sticker price of Rs 67,190 (ex-showroom). This makes the 2020 Hero Passion Pro 110 BS6 about Rs 7,000-9,000 more expensive than the BS4 version.
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