Engine- 106.7-cc, MCi-5(Micro Chip Ignited-5 Curve) single cylinder, air cooled four-stroke motor developing 8.4PS and a four-speed transmission producing a power 8.5 bhp at 8500 rpm and a maximum torque of 8.5 Nm at 5500 rpm. The above seems bookish right? I know it too, so writing the real thing below…
The engine is a noisy engine and you don’t expect an 110cc engine to shout that much, secondly it has a bad habit of cold starts and even more awkward situation is when it shuts down for no reason in 3rd and 4th gear sometimes while going up or down the gear ratios(I hope you’ll understand what I am trying to say or convey here; extremely sorry for my bad English :p).
The next part the gear ratios are bad like if you are in 4th gear and you really need that pull from the overtake sometime it won’t give you, you have to shift down and go again:p
The engine pulls up to 85km/hr with a pillion rider to account to its top speed but the engine does vibrate when above 50 km/hr.
Now comes the mileage which every Indian in the commuter section seeks or asks for before buying a bike; you may get disappointed here because the engine never gives the mileage or the mileage as claimed by the company(85.4km/lt) instead it gives a figure of 49-53 km/lts in the city traffic and 54-57kms/lts on highways.
Handling- The bike is really a comfort ride and won’t tire you in long journeys too(drove it 246 kms at a stretch). It does amaze me with its good road grip even on speeds above 70 i.e. does not turn to be a shaky machine on wheels.
Pricing- The bike is available starting from 46, 500 INR and does go up state wise because of different state taxes so do check out the local dealers for that.
After Sales- Another department where Mahindra Two Wheelers’ has to improve is definitely this section because the service center for most authorized dealers doesn’t have company trained company mechanics.
Verdict- After using the bike since November 2013 I feel that this bike shouldn’t be bought as a primary bike because of its bad engine till now my engine head has been opened thrice and still some or the other problem still keeps coming back like a chain of series. If you are eyeing for a bike with a good mileage this bike is definitely not meant for you, and the engine also does not seem to give you a worry free ride in the long run, but the features and looks may attract you and another positive thing for the bike is it’s pricing, I leave it to you to decide this bike’s future:p.
Don’t get duped by the Mahindra Motorcycles Facebook page likes and reviews on the page or some other pages as I observed each and everyone clearly since November and got to a answer that almost 70% of the reviews are paid reviews by the corporate house, the bad reviews and complaints on their Facebook page gets hidden(how do I know? I faced it:-() I lost my money and suffering so don’t want’s you to suffer like me.
To all prospect buyers who might think I should have complained to M&M people; yes I did and ended up giving mileage tests where it failed but the representative said it would improve after 2nd Service but to my dismay it deteriorated. :-(
Warning * - Strictly from my experience with the bike since Nov’13 - the engine won’t give a pain-free ride in the long run:-(