Auto Expo 2018: Hero MotoCorp To Showcase New 300cc Bike

The new motorcycle is expected to be based on the Hero XF3R concept and be launched by the end of the year

Hero MotoCorp seems to be eager to shed its image as a commuter bike maker. In 2018, it plans to push towards performance motorcycling, with the Xtreme 200S launching on January 30 followed by the India preview of the Xpulse concept at the upcoming Auto Expo. 

Official sources indicate that Hero will have a 300cc motorcycle at its stall at the Expo. It will not be a concept but a close-to-production model. We expect it to be based on the Hero XF3R concept showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo. The concept version carried many outrageous design elements like an underseat exhaust, trellis frame, upside down forks and a sculpted single-sided swingarm. The production version, though, might drop many of these features in the interest of keeping costs down.

While Hero did not release any specs about the 300cc motor in the 2016 concept, going by the pictures, we could deduce that the motor was liquid-cooled and seemed to use fuel injection. This spec might be carried over given that the competition uses a similar configuration. We expect performance close to 27PS. It might get a six-speed gearbox and maybe even a slipper clutch. 

The production bike might retain the trellis frame but could skip the expensive upside-down fork setup for a conventional unit. Same might be the case with the rear single-sided swingarm, which might be replaced by a box-type swingarm with a monoshock. The outrageous looking underseat exhaust is not expected to make it to production. The front and rear disc setup might be retained though. It could also get ABS. 

We expect Hero to try and price the bike below Rs 2 lakh (ex-showroom) given that its competition like the Bajaj Dominar, Mahindra Mojo, KTM 250 Duke and Benelli TNT 25 all retail below that mark. This might just be Hero testing the waters, and if the response is well received, could contemplate getting a larger 650cc (read Hero Hastur) bike next.

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