2014 HERO MOTORCYCLES
FIRST LOOK
P82
near Bangalore. But it's
the Honda model that is
most immediately in the
new Hero sportbike's
sights. That's because
in addition to undercut-
ting it pricewise by a
substantial 20 percent
when production be-
gins in September, the
new Hero has a clear edge on
paper over the quarter-liter seg-
ment's current market leader.
The Hero HX250R is powered
by a short-stroke 81 x 48.5 mm
liquid-cooled, six-speed, 249cc
four-valve single motor with gear-
driven counter-balancer making
claimed peak power of 31 hp at
9000 rpm, with maximum torque
of 26Nm and a dry weight of just
306 pounds. The current Honda
CBR250R weighs 367 pounds,
or a massive 20 percent more
than the Indian-made bike, de-
livers 25 hp at 8500 rpm, with
23Nm of torque – a significantly
inferior power to weight ratio on
paper.
The HX250R's engine is
wrapped by a tubular steel chas-
sis that integrates the motor
as a stressed member, with a
53.9-inch wheelbase. There's a
300mm front disc brake gripped
by a three-piston caliper from
Brembo's Indian outlet ByBre,
and 200mm rear, and these are
linked together. Plus there's an
optional ABS system, a first for
Hero. The bike is shod with 17-
inch Pirelli Sport Demon tires,
and thanks to its light weight is
claimed to accelerate 0-37 mph
in 2.7 seconds with a 100 mph
top speed, against a 3.5 sec-
ond/87 mph sprint for the Thai-
made Honda.
On paper at least, the Indian
newcomer looks to have the
edge over the present market
leader in a sector that's set to be-
come the global battleground for
major manufacturers in coming
years.
But in producing this key new
global contender straight out of
the box, Hero has also warned
its competitors – again, primarily
Honda! – that it has the next step
(Right) The Hero RNT
is an innovative hybrid
diesel design powered by
a 150cc 15 horsepower
diesel engine with
optional turbocharger.
(Far right) The Hero
Hastur 620 is the
company's all-new
middleweight project
bike. The Hastur is
powered by a liquid-
cooled, eight-valve,
parallel-twin engine with
chain-driven DOHC that's
projected to deliver 80
horsepower at 9600 rpm.
