Hero Motocorp has just showcased its new 300cc+ adventure motorcycle concept at the Hero World 2020 event. The prototype on display was sans bodywork, giving us a close look of the new platform and other bits that will make Hero Moto Corp's new ADV.
The first thing you notice is the new steel trellis chassis finished in the same red shade as seen on the Hero Dakar Rally motorcycle. This will be the first Hero motorcycle to use a trellis frame and it will be interesting to see how it's setup.
A brand new liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine (another first for Hero) will power the new adventure motorcycle. While Hero hasn't announced power and torque figures, we are told that the engine will displace over 300cc, but we belive it is unlikely to be above the 400cc mark. Hero will not be going for huge power figures like the KTM engines, but the priority will be to produce healthy usable power from the motor. Power figured are likely to be well above the 30hp mark. The motor will be paired to a 6-speed gearbox and we expect the gearing to suit the on/off-road applications of the motorcycle.
An interesting point to note is that Hero is currently developing its own 450cc single-cylinder engine for its long distance rally bikes that compete in events like the Dakar Rally. This new engine is being developed alongside the Dakar motor and it will definitely received some technical inputs from that platform.
As for the chassis, the frame is a steel trellis unit with a bolt-on subframe. Hero has employed a fat USD fork at the front and a link-type monoshock at the rear. Suspension travel at either end appears generous and this should translate to capable touring/off-road machine. Keeping its off-road intent in mind, the bike has tube-type wire spoke rims, and the company says they can equip it with either a 19-inch or 21-inch front end, which leads us to believe there will be two model lines, similar to what Triumph does with the Tiger 800 (now 900). The prototype is shod with knobby tyres and we expect Hero Motorcorp to fit a slightly more road friendly tyre, like the Metzler Tourance, on the production version.
The concept bike uses Bybre sourced, radially-mounted calipers at the front and a single piston Bybre at the rear. ABS will be standard and we expect it to be switchable at the rear.
While these are the details of the motor and underpinnings, Hero hasn't revealed anything about the way it's expected to look, the seat height, equipment, etc. They do, however, tell us that like with the XPulse, there will be a priority placed on making sure that the ergonomics are as accessible to shorter riders as reasonably possible within the confines of the design and intention of the motorcycle.
The bike will certainly not go in sale this year but we expect to get more information towards the end of this year or early next year. Its too early to say, but a launch could take place sometime in the second half of 2021.
This new Hero is being built to take on the recently launched KTM 390 Adventure and BMW G310 GS. It has the potential to be a great middle-weight machine with serious off-road ability, so much so that it might just end up being an Enduro/ADV just like the XPulse is. In typical Hero fashion, prices should be competitive. The wait has begun!
Also see:
New entry-level Hero Xtreme 160R revealed
BS6 Hero Splendor Plus launched at Rs 59,600
BS6 Hero Maestro Edge 125 launched at Rs 67,950
BS6 Hero Destini 125 launched at Rs 64,310
from Autocar India https://ift.tt/2SzRU3M
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment