I have to agree that Hero has milked the Splendor brand name for almost two and a half decades. Even today you have four different variants of the Splendor on sale powered by the same engine since the early 90’s.
What makes the Splendor iSmart 110 different from your Splendor Pro and Classic, and every variant in between is that it’s an all-new bike. Rather than a sticker job, Hero has designed this bike from scratch with an all new engine and chassis.
An all new engine! Tell me more?
Yes that’s right. Hero is finally moving away from Honda’s engines and developing their own tech. Visually, there’s a clear distinction as the iSmart 110cc motor has a vertically-placed cylinder, unlike the horizontal setup of the older Splendor. The motor produces a maximum power of 9.4bhp and 9Nm of torque. Hero is quite confident about performance and also claims a range of 68kpl, thanks to the i3S stop-start technology.
Splendor and performance?
Fuel efficiency has been the Splendor’s forte, but performance we were not very sure about. All that skepticism was put to rest when we took the iSmart 110 out for a ride. The engine feels lively and reaches speeds of 70-80 kph without much effort. The extra grunt is also helpful for quick overtaking manoeuvres.
Adding a pillion rider to the equation didn’t change matters much. The iSmart 110 pulls off the line effortlessly. We don’t expect the Splendor rider to challenge a KTM Duke rider anytime soon; but smooth power delivery is a plus.
Tell me more about the i3S tech?
i3S ( Idle-stop-start system) is a Hero patented technology. It works pretty much the same way as start-stop tech works on cars. Click on the blue button on the right handle bar ( where the engine kill switch is usually placed) to activate the feature. At a signal, slip the bike into neutral and the engine automatically shuts off. To start the engine, press the clutch and slot it into gear. Though we had our doubts about the i3S, the system works well in the real world. Does it have any impact on fuel economy? We can’t say for sure till we dlo a proper test ride of the bike in the coming month.
Okay, enough of tech gyaan, tell me how’s the ride?
As you can expect from any commuter bike, riding the iSmart 110 around is a breeze. The well-padded seats, the light steering, and the upright seating position all makes the Splendor a comfortable bike to ride in the city.
Hero has gone for a softer suspension setup so you can expect the iSmart 110 to ride over most potholes easily. The only drawback being that the ride feels a bit bouncy once you cross the 70kph mark.
Surely top speed might be the last thing on the iSmart 110 owners mind. What will be a top priority is manoeuvring the bike in the city. Thanks to the tight turning radius and compact dimensions, the Splendor has no problem snaking through traffic.
Something that is missed?
Well the Hero Splendor iSmart 110 is a pretty decent package. It has the usual tech that you would expect on a commuter bike. The engine is peppy and we did enjoy pushing the bike every now and then. The only thing we sorely missed was a disc brake upfront, at least as another variant. Something that we think Hero should have prioritised over the daytime running headlight. Also a gear indicator would have been a welcome addition to the digital analog instrument cluster.
So can we finally call it an all-new Splendor?