New age Hero

We ride the latest Passion Pro

Well, not much different to ride. That may not necessarily be a bad thing though. The Passion when conceived, was an upgrade of sorts from the best-selling Splendor. Thus giving up on that name and changing the design overall could’ve been risky at a time when the company was diversifying into multiple segments. With a stronghold in the segment which matters the most in the Indian market, based on one product alone, it only made sense to deliver a new product to customers.

The Passion thus gave the same alternative to people that the Sleek once did for the CD 100 from erstwhile Hero Honda. Today, the Passion has grown to now have a Pro tag attached to its moniker. Hero MotoCorp has changed a lot in the new motorcycle. The new front cowl looks sleeker than before despite sporting the same headlamp, fuel tank is new with more contours for adding a bit of muscle, new side panel and tail section with a new tail lamp complete the aesthetic overhaul. Look below the tank and you’ll also notice a new engine that has a vertical single-cylinder layout than its previous model featuring the same horizontally laid out engine as in the Splendor of yore and now. Not just the layout but also internally. Mostly notably, the piston dimensions. The bore is wider by 3mm than before while the stroke length remains the same. The cylinder head design has also been altered and the Passion Pro’s runs 10:1 compression ratio compared to the 9.9:1 from before. With the changes, cubic capacity has gone up by 11.95cc to 109.15cc, compliant with the current standards of commuter motorcycles. The by

THE PASSION THUS GAVE THE SAME ALTERNATIVE TO PEOPLE THAT THE SLEEK ONCE DID FOR THE CD 100 FROM ERSTWHILE HERO HONDA

product was added power that makes the Passion Pro boast of 12 per cent better torque and horsepower than the previous 97.2cc engine. Gearshifts are smooth and power delivery is punchy in first gear, mellowing out in the next four. With short ratios, I found myself in fourth frequently enough in traffic while having ample throttle for various speeds. Hero claims a 7.45 seconds to 60kmph from a standstill although there was no mention of claimed fuel efficiency.

1. Stop-start function can be switched on or off with a switch on the right handlebar. 2. 240mm front disc brake offers good stopping power. 2. Basic instrumentation uses an a digital readout for fuel, trip and odo 1 2 3

Abhik Das Special Correspondent abhik.das@intoday.com @abhik616

1. New tail lamp design uses a conventional bulb to light it. 2. New 109cc engine brings the Passion Pro at par with others in its class