I was a Splendor owner for a few years and never had a single problem with the bike and so wanted to stick with the HH company – there’s a lot to be said for their customer service. So, wanting to purchase a bigger bike I went for the Glamour (heard CBZs were getting terrible mileage so I ruled that model out). Because I travel on a near-daily basis close to 100 km on the ECR I was hoping for a little more stability and speed. The Splendor always vibrated around 60 forcing me to keep my speed down (not necessarily a bad thing). I put 1, 000 km on the Glamour and then pushed it over the 60 mark and on up to 70 where it cruises along very nicely - have pushed it up to 80 as well without any vibration. Smoothness, stability and comfort are this bikes greatest attributes on the open road. I used to feel bike fatigue after riding the Splendor on the 100 km daily grind but this does not happen with the Glamour. The cross winds don’t shake it in the least, it keeps a straight and steady course. And the mileage is everything HH promises – well over 70 kmpl. Also, HH managed to come out with a very nice color scheme for this model although I think they went a little overboard on the side stickers.
A few cons but nothing major - It’s not nearly as agile and flexible in city traffic as the Splendor was but still easy enough to handle. There’s no place for a bag bar or handle which makes getting it up on the center stand a bit more difficult as you have to stick your hand on the side moulding which has sharp edges. Without a bag bar carrying passengers proves difficult always having to wear a backpack which is anything but comfortable in the high heat. The seat is high (good for taller crowd) and forward placed so legs bend too much for comfort – it feels as though they placed the footpegs and brake/gear shift further back and up forcing the legs into a seeming unnatural position. (I cut the seat back and down to resolve this to a large degree.) Lastly, the bike is sluggish meaning it has no pickup – you don’t want to be in a crunch having to pass in a hurry on this bike because it doesn’t deliver. I would not consider the Glamour a city bike – but I wouldn’t own anything more than 100cc as a city bike considering petrol costs. Because I spend so much riding time on the ECR the sluggish pick up is not much of an issue for me.
A few more comments on the bike: The headlamp is so powerful I’ve not had any use for the high beams as of yet. Because they provided so much road clearance on this bike it moves the kicker up too high so the only person who can comfortable kick this bike would be a giant - also the kicker is extremely stiff, my back hurts alot and I find myself letting the bike run at short stops instead of putting myself through the kick again. I know this means the engine has good compression but it would have been better had they not designed the bike so high off the ground. Side panels are a royal pain to remove and the front ones keep popping out as there’s so much tension on them to stay in place. HH has failed to resolve this over the last 3 services. Most bike owners like to access under and around the seat and HH should have made this access a whole lot user friendlier.
Despite all my cons I like the bike but mostly for its stability on the open road which is where I do most of my riding. I think HH needs to put more consideration into the design of this bike - consideration for the owner’s convenience. A short remark on the stability - I hit a bike rider who swerved in front of me while trying to mount his bike on the ECR - I was going about 50 and his handlebars hit mine. He got knocked down and the Glamour barely responded at all to the impact. (Bike rider was okay and Glamour was unmarked!)
Is this the bike for you? You decide. It’s great on the open road, fantastic mileage, good looking, comfortable, and it’s HH. Hopefully they’ll resolve some design flaws in future generations.