Hero Motocorp

If you are selling millions of motorcycles every year, then you need production facilities like no other. It’s tempting to think of Indian companies such as Hero as operating out of Victorian-style factories, with little or no technology but, as these videos show, maybe we should reassess that assumption.

The beginning of this century saw the world views changing gradually towards climate change and the need to preserve the environment. This, along with stringent policies, has forced the manufacturers to develop motorcycles that can run cleaner fuel and extract the maximum economy from it, sometimes even at the cost of performance.

Bad news for people who seek the element of thrill, but a pretty good one for someone living in urban jungles where folks prefer commuting on a motorcycle rather thank a car for its practicality and frugal fuel-efficiency. Then there are us few who love the idea of putting serious miles on two-wheels and living the adventure.

We here have compiled a list to give you the best available tools for such situations and save some money on gas while at it.

Uber is the world’s largest cab aggregator which has invested heavily into running their service in multiple countries in the world. To get a stronger foothold, the firm had launched uberMOTO in few cities of India and Thailand on a pilot basis. “uberMOTO enables riders to tap a button and get a motorbike ride in minutes. It’s a great way for people to save time and money on short trips and provides last mile connectivity at the most affordable price”.

Now, they are working to strike a chord with the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, and start a full-fledged bike-taxis in three metro cities in their home country, India. With prices starting at just ₹20 for the first 3 kilometers (that is just 30 cents for the first 1.86 miles), they are more affordable than public transports.

After all the speculation surrounding Hero MotoCorp’s reported buy-out of Erik Buell Racing, the two companies have finally announced that a deal has in fact been agreed upon. The only caveat is that it’s not the full-blown acquisition that was initially reported.

Hero MotoCorp, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries HMCL NA Inc. and HMCL Americas Inc., announced in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had entered into a settlement agreement with Erik Buell Racing to purchase “certain tangible and intangible assets of EBR Entities” for a sum of $2.8 million.

So, what does that mean? The most important thing to remember is that Hero isn’t buying EBR outright. Instead, it will only buy a certain part of EBR’s overall business, leaving other aspects of EBR’s business still up for grabs through its Chapter 128 receivership.

Part of the acquisition allows Hero to retain research and development assets that EBR has been developing for the company. This particular wrinkle in the two company’s business dynamics came about when EBR signed a consulting deal with Hero to provide R&D services for the Indian motorcycle brand. As part of this most recent acquisition, Hero gets to keep all the technology EBR was developing on its behalf. That includes tech for the Hero HX250R, which would probably prove useful for Hero in the long run.

As expected, the deal between Hero and EBR has yet to be consummated because it’s still subject to approval by the Circuit Court in Wisconsin and the board of directors of Hero MotoCorp. The good news is that neither side expects to find any resistance so there’s optimism from both companies that the transaction will push through sooner than later

Continue reading to read more about Hero MotoCorp’s acquisition of consulting assets from EBR.

Erik Buell Racing may have found a lifeline in the form of Hero MotoCorp, the Indian motorcycle company that’s reportedly in the final stages of securing a buyout agreement with the American bike maker. No confirmation has been made on this front, but reports coming out of Thailand indicate that Hero has already acquired the entirety of EBR’s shares, which would make it the sole owner of the beleaguered US company.

The news comes as a welcome surprise for a lot of us who were hoping to see Erik Buell Racing find a new owner after falling into bankruptcy back in April 2015. The same reports also said that Hero MotoCorp has offered Erik Buell full-time employment and continue with his role as the driving force behind the company that bears his name.

On the motorsport front, Hero’s rumored acquisition of EBR could also mean the return of Team Hero EBR World SBK after the racing team was forced to abandon all of its competitive initiatives as a result of EBR’s bankruptcy. It’s worth noting that Hero MotoCorp initially said that it would continue funding Team Hero EBR shortly after news broke of EBR’s closure. But after the “recent bankruptcy of EBR and the re-prioritizing of efforts” by the company itself, it determined that cutting the cord on its involvement with the WSBK was the best course of action.

But now that Hero effectively owns EBR, there’s no stopping the company from bringing the team back to active competitive. That’s great news for fans of Team Hero EBR World SBK, but it’s even better for fans of Erik Buell Racing who have been waiting for the past three months to hear some good news about the company’s fate.

Hopefully, there’s a lot of truth behind these rumors. It would really be exciting to see the company back up and running again.

Continue reading to read more about Hero MotoCorp’s rumored acquisition of Erik Buell Racing.

The fallout stemming from the closure of Erik Buell Racing continues to be felt in the motorcycle industry. Hero Motorcycles is one of the companies that have been affected by EBR’s sudden closure and now, reports indicate that the effect of EBR’s decline has affected the expected launch of the Hero HX250R. According to Autocar Pro in India, Hero Motorcycles has decided to delay the launch of the highly anticipated bike to 2016.

No official details have been revealed regarding the reason for the delay, but most believe that it has something to do with the closure of EBR, which actually had a lot of design input on the HX250R with the model considered as the first motorcycle to be fully built through a collaboration between the two companies.

But now that Erik Buell Racing has closed its doors, Hero Motorcycles has lost its design partner and is now left with finishing up the model on its own. There are also whispers that the company is looking for a new partner to help finish the design of the HX250R, a task that EBR wasn’t able to complete before it closed down.

The decision to delay the launch of the HX250R could also be tied into a belief within Hero Motorcycles that not having a distributor in place in North America would be detrimental to its plans for the model. EBR would’ve filled that role if it were still around, but now that it’s not, it didn’t make a lot of sense for Hero to launch the North America-bound HX250R without having a proper network to receive it in that market.

Whatever the company’s real intentions are, it does look like we’re going to have to wait a little longer for the Hero HX250R. It’s a shame considering all the hype and momentum the sports bike has generated in recent months. With EBR closing, that momentum has been derailed, at least until Hero can find a new partner to get it back on track.

Continue reading to read more about Hero Motorcycles’ decision to delay the launch of the HX250R.

Team Hero EBR has officially announced its withdrawal from the World Superbike Championship, putting to rest all the speculation about the team’s uncertain future after the unexpected closure of Erik Buell Racing. The team initially said that it would continue racing, but after carefully considering all of its options moving forward, the team decided it would be much better to cut the cord on its involvement with the WSBK.

Pegram Racing owner Larry Pegram issued a statement, saying that the “recent bankruptcy of EBR and the re-prioritizing of efforts by title sponsor Hero” were the biggest reasons behind its withdrawal from the racing series.

With no sponsor and no bike, the team decided that there was really no point in competing this season. Pegram did say that the team will be back sooner than later, presumably with a new title sponsor and a new bike to compete in.

The team’s withdrawal from the WSBK really isn’t surprising given the recent closure of EBR. The writing was pretty much on the wall already and Pegram Racing understood that it needed more than just hopes and dreams to participate in a racing series as expensive as the World Superbike Championship.

Hopefully, all parties can recover from this setback better than ever. That’s the least we can hope for, even though there’s no guarantee of any of that happening.

Continue reading to read more about Team Hero EBR’s closure.

Erik Buell Racing’s unexpected closure yesterday is still a little difficult to comprehend. The ramifications were pretty big for a lot of people, but thankfully, I have some good news to report. Team Hero EBR, the World Superbike team that rides the EBR 1190RX will continue to compete in the series.

While it doesn’t quite alleviate the pain being experienced by all the employees of Erik Buell Racing who lost their jobs, it at least allays some fears from people involved with the team. Team Manager and rider Larry Pegram confirmed to WorldSBK.com that the team will continue to race on until the season.

That said, the team still plans to issue a press release next week addressing the situation involving Erik Buell Racing. What’s important for now is that the team will continue to compete in the series, something that it can probably thank Hero Motorcycles, the Indian motorcycle brand that purchased a majority stake in EBR last year.

Some people might not know this but Team Hero EBR is actually funded by Hero, not EBR. The latter supplies the machines the team races in, which in this case is the EBR 1190RX. But with EBR closing, don’t discount the possibility of Team Hero switching bikes in the middle of the season to become a little more competitive in these races.

I like the 1190RX, but let’s face it, the bike isn’t cutting the mustard in the series. Of the eight motorcycle manufacturers competing in the series, EBR ranks dead last with just three total points to show for it. I don’t have any inside info on the issue, but don’t be surprised if next week’s announcement has something to do with Team Hero switching bikes for the rest of the season.

But for now, let’s heave a nice sigh of relief knowing that for now, Team Hero EBR isn’t going to be affected by Erik Buell Racing’s closure.

Continue reading to read more about Team Hero EBR’s status in the WSBK.

Despite its humble character, the Hero Passion Pro TR has all it needs to be considered a fun and practical motorcycle.

It was carefully designed to meet the requirements of emerging markets, so is efficient, comfortable and easy to handle.

It is built around a 97.2 cc, air cooled, 4 - stroke single cylinder OHC engine which cranks out a maximum power of 5.74 KW (7.8 Ps) at 7500 rpm and 0.82 Kg-M (8.04 N-M) of torque at 4500 rpm.

The engine needs to deal with a kerb weight of 119 Kg and is fueled by a 12.8 liter fuel tank.

It is also worthy of being mentioned that the new Hero Passion Pro TR comes with Side Draft Carburettor Variable Venturi Type with TCIS, Digital CDI Ignition and a Multi Reflector Head Lamp.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Passion Pro TR.

The Hero Passion Pro is a versatile motorcycle that was especially created for the emerging markets. It features an ergonomic construction, a comfortable seat and a low handle bar. You also get a series of special graphics which underline the dynamic character of the bike.

Power comes from an air-cooled, 4-stroke single cylinder OHC engine with a displacement of 97.2 Cc. The engine generates a maximum power of 5.74 KW (7.8 Ps) at 7500 Rpm and 0.82 Kgf-M (8.04 N.M) of torque at 4500 Rpm. The engine’s power is transferred to the ground by means of a four speed constant mesh transmission with multi-plate wet clutch.

The motorcycle rides on 18 inch cast wheels which are wrapped in 2.75 X 18 - 4PR / 42 P front and 3.00 X 18 - 6 PR / 52 P rear tyres. The stopping power is handled by front discs and rear drum brakes.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Passion Pro.

Being 1750 mm long, 705 mm wide and 1100 mm tall, the Hero Pleasure is a pretty compact scooter that can deal great with the requirements of city riding.

It rides on a pair of compact wheels wrapped in 3.50 X 10 – 4 PR / 51 J front and 3.50 X 104 - 4PR / 51 J rear tubeless tires.

At its heart sits a 102 cc, air - cooled, 4 - stroke single cylinder OHC engine which cranks out a maximum power of 5.03 KW at 7000 rpm and 7.85 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm. The unit is mated on an automatic transmission and is fueled by a five liters fuel tank.

Jump on board and you’ll be greeted by an eye-catching meter console comes embedded with side stand indicator that alerts the rider about stand position.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Pleasure.

The Hero Passion X Pro is a no nonsense motorcycle that was built with efficiency and practicality in mind.

It features a sleek design, an upright riding position and a clean instrument panel which keeps you posted on various stats.

At the heart of the motorcycle sits 109 cc, air cooled, 4 - stroke single cylinder OHC engine which is fueled by a four speed constant mesh transmission.

In terms of power, the engine delivers a maximum output of 6.4 KW (8.7 Ps) at 7500 rpm and 9.36 Nm of torque at 5500 rpm.

The unit is housed by a tubular diamond type frame which sits on a front fork with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers and a rear rectangular swing arm with 5 step adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero passion X Pro.

The Hero Karzima ZMR is a sporty motorcycle that promises to deliver an easy handling and maximum efficiency.

The Hero Karizma ZMR weighs 157 kg and is propelled by a 223 cc, air cooled, 4 – stroke, single cylinder OHC engine with programmed fuel injection. In terms of power the engine generates a maximum output of 14.9 KW (20 BHP) at 8000 rpm and 19.7 Nm of torque at 6500 rpm. All this power is more than enough to propel you to a maximum speed of 129 Kmph.

The ride quality is assured by front telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers and a rear swing arm with 5 step adjustable GRS system.

You also get a diamond shaped frame, 18 inch aluminum cast wheels, tubeless tires and front disc brakes.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Karzima ZMR.

The Hero Karzima is a practical motorcycle designed for young riders who want a lively daily commuter that can help them deal effortless with the city traffic.

It is propelled by a 223 cc, air cooled, 4 - stroke, single cylinder OHC engine which cranks out a maximum power of 14.32 KW (19.2 BHP ) at 7500 Rpm and 19.35 Nm of torque at 6000 rpm. The engine is kept in leash by a modern gearbox and can deliver a maximum speed of up to 126 kmph.

The motorcycle’s backbone is represented by a diamond shaped frame which is combined with front telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers and a rear swingarm with 5 way adjustable shock absorbers.

The motorcycle rides on 18 inch DIE cast rims which are wrapped in 80 / 100 X 18 - 47 P front and rear 120 / 80 X 18 - 62 P tubeless tires.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Karzima.

The Hero Glamour is a compact, affordable and versatile motorcycle that puts efficiency on top of its priorities list.

The motorcycle weighs only 125 kg and is propelled by a 124.8 cc, air cooled 4 - stroke single cylinder OHC engine with programmed fuel injection.

The engine generates a maximum power of 6.72 KW (9.1 Ps) at 7000 RPM and 10.35 Nm of torque at 4000 RPM. All this power is transferred to the rear wheel by means of a four speed constant mesh transmission.

The motorcycle’s engine is housed by a tubular double cradle frame which sits on front fork with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers and a rectangular swingarm with 5 step adjustable hydraulic shock absorber.

The stopping power is handled by a front 240 mm disc and a rear 130 mm drum brake.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Glamour.

Meet the new 2013 Hero Splendor Plus – a practical motorcycle that was designed with versatility in mind. The 2013 model year comes with a fresh style, new allow wheels and a well cushioned seat.

As far as power is concerned, the Hero Splendor Plus is equipped with a 97.2 cc, air-cooled, 4-stroke single cylinder, OHC engine which puts out a maximum power of 5.5 Kw (7.5 Ps) at 8000 rpm and 7.95 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm. The unit is fueled by an 11 liter fuel tank and transfers its power to the rear wheel via a four speed constant mesh transmission with multi-plate wet clutch.

The motorcycle weighs 109 Kg and its backbone is represented by a tubular double cradle frame which sits on a front fork with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers and a rear swing arm with hydraulic shock absorber.

Hit the jump for more information on the 2013 Hero Splendor Plus.

Affordable, efficient and agile, the new Hero Splendor Pro is a practical motorcycle that can deal great with anything you ask of it.

The motorcycle is built around a 97.2 cc air cooled, 4 stroke single cylinder, OHC engine which generates a maximum power of 5.74 KW (7.8 Ps) at 7500 rpm and 8.04 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. All this power is transferred to the rear wheels by means of a 4 speed constant mesh transmission with multiplate wet clutch.

As far as suspensions are concerned, the Hero Splendor Pro rides on a front telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers and a rear swing arm with 5 step adjustable hydraulic shock absorber.

To be able to deal great with any type of roads, the Hero Splendor Pro also features a pretty high ground clearance that measures 159 mm.

Hit the jump for more information on the new Hero Splendor Pro.

The Hero Super Splendor is a pretty basic motorcycle that was built with efficiency and functionality in mind. The motorcycle weighs 117 Kgs and at its heart sits a 124.7cc, 4 stroke OHC, single cylinder, air cooled engine which delivers a maximum output of 6.72 KW (9 BHP) at 7000 rpm and 10.35 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. The unit is mated to a four speed constant mesh gearbox and can propel you to a maximum speed of 90 Kmph.

The motorcycle rides on 18 inch front and rear wheels shod in 2.75 X 18 - 4 PR / 42P and 2.75 X 18 - 6 PR / 48P tires. The stopping power is handled by 130 Mm disc brakes.

The ride quality is kept in check by a front telescopic hydraulic fork and a rear swing arm with 5 step adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers.

Hit the jump for more information on the Hero Super Splendor.