Just wanted to share the experience with my Hero Honda Splendor Plus 2005, red with golden sticker.
Mileage:
Long trips in city(Chennai) - 72 kmpl max; 60~ kmpl within Avadi city traffic and around 50-55 in worse case bumper to bumper city traffic when you have to pull in 1st gear i.e., stop go kind of traffic.(especially in morning and evening peak hours)
Maintenance is dead cheap and can’t be compared with any other bikes in market. Hero Honda Authorized Service Centre charges Rs. 170.00 for a general checkup with water service. Oil costs some 200 odd bucks. Charging battery another 40 bucks.
I finish of my oil change service once in 6-8 months within 450.00 bucks.(170+220+430+misc nuts / bolts). My average running is as low as 300 kms a month so a 6-7 month ride would come to 2000 km odo mark which requires an oil change.
Recent days, I have caught hold of a not-too-bad mechanic who does a more decent job than the Hero Honda, but charges the double.
Service Labour - Rs. 350
Water Wach - Rs. 80.00
Engine Oil - Rs. 300.00
TOTALS to Rs.** Rs. 730.00 **
Splendor has done till date 23, 500 km in past 9 years and still running good and smooth and above all reliable with no maintenance at all.(I don’t even wipe or clean or wash my bike at all)
BIG FAILURE:
Biggest con in this bike is the extremely bad stock head lamps which almost go off at night when u leave the throttle and very difficult to mange at dark unless u ride on a used to bad road.
My dad bought this bike for close to 45k in May 2005. Apart from regular services and oil changes, there are very few replacements that were done in this 9 years tenure.
Clutch plates were changed in April 2009 as my dad uses half clutch and brakes while accelerating as he is scared of all his neighbor riders who are non- violators of traffic riles.
-Rear Brake shoes changed twice. Thanks to my dad for his excellent riding.
-Speedometer Cable changed twice.
-Accelerator cable once.
-Clutch cable once.
-Carburetor float and needle once.
-Front Mud guard in 2011 Feb due to a drunkard cyclist crashing against my stopped bike. How sweet. People should continue doing this!
-Battery in 2010 and in 2014 January the 10th. The original battery had come for more than 5 and a half years.(stock one)
A major accident on 9th January 2014 on the way to office near Ega Theatre, PH Road, Chennai when a lorry in front of me suddenly stopped, so did I, and didn’t the over smart i10 driver, who said he couldn’t predict my stopping and crushed my bike against the lorry ahead and broke almost everything possible by him.
The i10 surprisingly was an automatic transmission car and it was too difficult to stop an automatic in sop go traffic. What poor technology. the driver was very much skilled, but the technology was wrong.
So, I had to change FR mud guard, front head light assembly, doom, visors, indicators, stay, bush, ribber, read indicators, tail lamp and what not! Fork bend work additionally. Total cost was around 4k, for the sake of the i10 driver having been skilled enough to save from crushing my limbs with the bike.
But otherwise the bike has been a real wonder. I would have recommended this bike to everyone if Hero Honda were still together. But now I won’t since one of my friends having the Hero Splendor+(not Hero Honda) had to replace the chain sprocket kit within 13000 km and I have heard a few bikes getting ceased with no valid justification.
I am happy with my Splendor and shall keep it for 10 more years.
Thanks and Regards,
Kumar.
72000-67199.
_
Update as on 20 December 2017, 10:00 AM
Had sold my 2005 Splendor Plus on 19th September 2016, more than one year ago to a known person directly, avoiding brokers and other issues, to a construction mason located in Selayur(Tambaram) of Chennai.
The person whom I sold my bike is an impressive person, who came down to Avadi, with Rs. 13000.00 in hand, with a firm idea of buying.
I met him at a bus stop, asked him to test ride the bike with trust(I didn’t pillion him during the ride). After 5-10 minutes, he came back stating the bike is a gem(11 years old - 32000 kms on Odo). He complained that the bike engine went off at very low speeds. I asked him to get the carburetter adjusted accordingly as I had got it tuned for mileage with low idling engine speed.
The quote posted in my Office Portal was Rs. 17000.00. I saw this person a humble, sub-middle class person. Incidentally he said his wife was carrying his second child and if I sold him the bike that day, he would take his wife for checkup in my(his - if sold) the next day. It was indeed an emotional / sentimantal touched, in which I was carried.
I stepped down to Rs. 15000.00 and offered to get the bike serviced completely before handover. He said he has and he can afford only Rs. 13000.00 and nothing more. I finalled on Rs. 14000.00 as deal, with the promised full service before hand over.
The buyer was smarter than I thought. He simply said "I shall take care of the service part, no worries. Just calculate a deduction of another 1000 towards service expenses and make it at Rs. 13000.00 as he badly needed a bike to commute to work, and also since his wife was nearing her due date for delivering his second child."
What, as a human, could I negotiate more? He was upto the point.
Asked him to pillion, took him straight to my home, offered a coffee, and asked him to sit and relax.
I collected all documents(Original RC, Xerox Copies, Insurance from HDFC Ergo that was renewed just a month ago(July 2016) and was valid till July 2017, all the keys of the bike I had, including 2 duplicate ones I had made, including a keychain(lucky one).
Invited him to my Pooja room, asked him to pray God, I and my wifey prayed, handed over my bike keys, all documents to him. Received Rs. 13000 as cash from him right there, and thus the deal was done.
Then we had a lot of discussions, about his business, my possible requirement of his services as I was about to initiate a construction of my second house. I took him to the site plot in my Splendor and received his suggestions and inputs on construction pattern. However, late then, the contract was given to another builder from my own contacts due to various reasons.
The buyer promised me that he would get the Name Transfer done for the bike to his name, took my father’s signature in the TO(Transfer of Ownership) form since the bike was in my dad’s name and hand over the transferred / endrosed RC copy once things are done.
I bid the saddest farewell to my Splendor, my work horse, my loyal darling with tears. I was gazing till its last view, when he exit my lane. I couldn’t practically part with it that easy. My family had to convince me a lot at that moment.
Thus the sale happened. The buyer within 3 months handed over the RC opy post name transfer showing his name in a different RTO Cheyyar as per his convenience. The bike orignially was registed in Ranipet(Vellor Dt) RTO in 2005(TN23AX).
Still today I miss the ride comfort and my warmth for Splendor.
Same day after sale, on 19th Sep 2017, a Sunday, I visited Hero showroom, and checked a couple of 110 cc bikes, I guess they were i3, Passion XPro, I guess, I have a bad memory. Didn’t want to go another Hero as it is no more a Hero Honda.
Vistied TVS Showroom at Avadi, named Vijai TVS same evening. Test rided Star City and new TVS Victor 2016. My elder daughter selected Victor over Star City. My younger daughter selected Blue Colour, that was famous in commerical ads during that period.
I was eager on Star City White with Gold Rims at Rs. 57250+ 1500 for gold rims. Wifey said its difficult to clean a white, and it is, since I am lazy and seldom clean my bike!
Compated specs for 15 minutes. The price difference was mere 8000. The TVS Victor Disc cost 64, 700.00 on road. I was carried by the Tachometer(first in segment of 110cc) as I never had a Tacho in any of my vehicles, Splendor, Activa and my Santro. Next the seat wide comfort especially for pillion riders, four way indicators, Battery Indicator, Service Reminder, Idling Indicator and looks.
To be precise this time I became a feature-expecting buyer and at once booked TVS Victor Disc Blue Colour by swiping my Credit Card for Rs. 1000.00 booking amount.
The very next day, Remaining Rs. 63, 700.00was paid. On 23rd Sep evening, my TVS Victor 2016 Blue(Disc Brake) was delivered.
It’s an excellent bike for daily commute of my 48 kms per day(up & down) with a Rs. 50.00 worth approx petrol, that costs me Rs. 1000-1200 per month for fuel. Mileage is 65 kmph average.
Detailed review of my new bike has been published by me under TVS Victor. Kindly go through and post your comments.