Hi,
First Extremely sorry for writing splendor+ review in this section.I want to change my review I made earlier about spl+ and want it to be read by many people so that you come to know the reality of all HH bikes
I am writing this review after bad experiences with this splendor+ regarding performance and customer service in Pune.I sold this bike in 1.5 years and purchased new TVS Victor GLX 125 and came to a conclusion that never go for Hero Honda models manufactured after 2003 except Passion Plus
I dont know what is so special in Hero Honda bikes.They are largest selling bikes in world continuosly for six years but what about after sales service.It is so horrible that you cant believe.A free service costs 100 rupees in Pune but they only change engine oil and wash the vehicle but how is this possible.A 900 ml engine oil costs 160 rupees how can HH service center manage to do all the servicing in 100 rs
2) In reliability, performance and good value for money Victor is also as good as splendor
3) Star City and Platina are also good bikes with more features compared with Spl+, CD Dawn and CD Deluxe in 100 cc segment
4) Victor GLX, Suzuki Zeus and Honda Shine are far better than super splendor and glamour in 125 cc segment
5) Apache, Pulsar and Unicorn are very best than CBZ and Achiever in performance and in all aspects in 150 cc segment.Achiever uses the same engine which is in unicorn.
6) Apache RTR 160 is tremendous bike in latest biking trend in all premium bikes and it has capacity to overshadow all the other bikes in premium category where does CBZ extreme stands or new coming Hunk will be?
7) Customer satisfaction index is high for all TVS products(ranging from Max 100R, Samurai, Victor GL/GLX, star City, Apache) where as it is just above average for HH models(except Pasion+) .
The Cons of All HH models
1) Thin Rear tyres:- All 100 and 125 cc models manufacturers like Bajaj, TVS, Suzuki have 3.0 X18 rear tyres in 100 to 125 cc segment also yet all of them manages to give better mileage and handling than HH models.All models in 100-125 cc except Passion+ everyone has 2.75X18 rear tyres.What will you do by getting decent mileage but balancing is poor due to thin tyres you can skid very easily on wet surface or misbalance on turns.
2)Worst Headlight beam:- All bikes have 35 watts headlight and almost same halogen bulb but the reflector dome of all HH models give beam of poor quality so HH and Bajaj bikes are not very much suited for night driving.TVS is the best in headlight beam.I use the same 35 watt halogen bulb for my victor GLX but the beam quality cannot match with any other bikes .
I travelled alone on glx thru hilly area from Mahabaleshwar to Pune 125 kms during night time and in heavy rains but still I didnt have any problems in nonstop travelling on highways at speed around 50 during midnights and in heavy rain.I was able to see almost 125 meters distance clearly in upper beam and 50 to 75 meters in lower beam.No bike can give such beam quality I bet( except fiero and apache).I travel daily 35 kms during night from office to home without any problems now
With the same 35 watt bulb on spl+ I luckily avoided a accident when I was able to see a stone on the road 10 meters away I somehow controlled bike whereas from my Victor GLX beam I was able to spot a medium sized black colored snake crossing road, in dark night on a tar road near about 50 meters away.
3) Reliability:- I cant compare bajaj bikes with HH bikes for this case but TVS, Honda and Suzuki bikes are also reliable.They can also function properly after a nasty accident, Ride on rough roads, They are also tough and Sturdy as compared to HH models
4) Low End Torque(LET):- It is the ability of bike to run at low speeds in top gear without vibrations and scribbling sounds in engine.With Star city you can ride at speed of 17kmph in 4th gear with a pillon rider.Honda Shine and Discover LET is also good in 125 cc.This enables you to ride comfortably in city with minimal gear changes.Drive any HH bike below speed of 25 in 4th gear and observe.I dont need to tell anything you yourself will feel the difference
5) Costly maintainence:If your bike is more than 5 years old definately it starts giving some problems.Let it be any manufacturers.Even best HH bike like CD 100 SS is also not a exception to this.The spare parts of Hero Honda are costly, moderate in TVS whereas in Bajaj it is cheaper
Now CD 100 ss is not available in market so the only good bike HH manufactures is Passion plus
HH just take advantage of their name in market due to their previous achievements(four years ago)
They have tough competition from Bajaj and TVS.Remember TVS launching new models till november.Bajaj and TVS are too much focussing on R&D and hence we have very good indegenously developed succesful technologies like DTSI, VT-i, Duralife, i-Surge, RTR etc
Which is the technology used by Hero Honda except excessively fuel consuming TTFC in CBZ, very less heard but award winning PMFI of glamour(I think this award was sponsered by HH itself), Quantum Core of super splendor(Customers of CBZ very often asks bike experts how to disconnect this TTFC so imagine how much the cbz customers are fed up of that technology )
According to many bike experts Hero Honda models are less recommended
Check out on https://indiabike.com for mileage tests, road tests, reviews and verdicts on bikes by experts and customers
You will find the following after referring the above site
Star City best in 100 cc with good value for money(where are all the costly 100 cc HH models.Only Passion+ is near to star city but what about onroad price difference)
Victor GLX, suzuki Zeus and Honda shine best in 125 cc(Where is costlier super splendor and glamour)
Apache and unicorn best in 150 cc.Even pulsar is good but starts giving problems after 3 years(Where is fuel consuming, costly CBZ and Achiever)
Apache RTR 160 best bike(Better and cheaper than Karizma.Dont know about new coming Hunk)
Many people say that Cost comes for quality but show me the quality in Hero Honda bikes now.They are going the Bajaj bikes way in terms of quality.
What for people are going for Hero Honda models then.Many people(My friends, my colleagues at work, relatives and some people from small villages etc) I see who purchased HH models only as a status/prestige issue and I think think Hero Honda bikes are seen as a status symbol and may be that might be the only reason why these bikes are still hot sellers even after average performance
I am very happy to break the jinx of status symbol bikes and satisfied with bikes having real value for money for years