Splendor means something meriting highest praise or regard. I don’t have any intentions of testing your English vocabulary or questioning English knowledge. But company must have at least something in mind or hand before giving such a name to their model. I am talking about a 4-stroke, 98 CC motorcycle which would need a bit of analysis before coming to or yielding to the expansive claim made by the manufacturers. I could best compare the bike with Hero Honda Caliber. Well not in terms of power but mileage, look and feel. I have driven the bike a lot during my engineering years.
My college used to be about 6 kms from my living place. The BAT University (well BAT stands for Babasaheb Ambedker Technological) is located in a remote area some 200 km from Mumbai. There are no good means of transport except rare and an antique piece called State Transport Bus. It’s completely out of question using the bus transport. So students who can afford their own vehicles have no problem and others use the Auto Rickshaw on share basis. Fortunately my room partner could manage a Splendor. In fact I got the chance of driving many bikes during my graduation years only. There are no bikes, which I don’t like. I which I had done Automobile engineering, that way I could have been more close to my passion.
This is a relatively old model by the Hero Honda the company. The 4-stroke engine with a displacement of 97.2 CC (to be exact) says it a lot. Today’s models either have a better displacement or great mileage. Take CBZ, Pulsar, Fiero or Eliminator for instance. Powered around 150 cc can only drive crazy. And for mileage stuff TVS Victor is unbeatable. I should say Splendor has a little of all. It has a more power and mileage than Scooter and previous models of competitor producers. Maximum speed of the bike is 90 kmph, which is ok for long highway drives. Maximum power at 8500 RPM is 7.2 Bhp. Now a bike like Fiero can generator power of 12 bhp at 7000 RPM. So the power is nowhere near but should do well at normal city driving conditions. In traffic conditions Power is a matter for bookkeeping. You can use your power bikes only for show and style.
The body structure or the frame of the bike is of a special double cradle tubular type, which makes it strong enough to sustain any shocks by impact. This is one of the few advantages of the motorcycle. The fuel tank capacity is 10.5 liters to be precise. 1.4 liters is kept for reserve. The average of the bike is certainly good if not the best around 60. Now a good average will do the owner a world of good to determine the worth of the money he/she had spent. I see no problem in that. Suspensions are sound with telescopic damper for the front and hydraulic for the rear. Brakes are drum based. Good ground clearance of 158 mm keeps the lower part of the body way above the ground. So I would say it is slightly better that CD 100. No harm in going for it. Maintenance shouldn’t be a problem except the regular visits required for servicing to the service center.