Looking close to production, Hero HF Dawn might be the most affordable motorcycle on sale in India when it is launched soon
India is one of, if not, the largest 2W market on earth. Establishing dominance in this market is paramount. The best way to crack this market is to launch affordable commuters, which still forms the major chunk of sales. Hero has aced this genre and is taking the game to the next level with upcoming HF Dawn, which has been spotted testing recently.
Hero HF Dawn Spotted Testing
World’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, is the best-selling 2W brand in India. The company relies heavily on its 100cc portfolio with Splendor brand being the golden goose. Hero MotoCorp has been witnessing stiff competition from HMSI (Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India).
Hero has regained market leadership last month in domestic market, but only by a small margin. To expand its market share, Hero intends to pull out the big guns in the form of HF Dawn, which was discontinued in May 2017 owing to poor sales. However, times are different today and Hero needs a more affordable 100cc offering.
This is where the recently spied Hero HF Dawn comes into play. With less equipment and bodywork than every other Hero offering today, HF Dawn could very well be the most affordable Hero motorcycle and the most affordable motorcycle of any brand.
Currently, HF 100 is the most affordable offering from Hero MotoCorp and the upcoming HF Dawn will be positioned below that. Think, of a price point of around Rs 55,000 (Ex-sh), as opposed to HF 100’s Rs 59,018 (Ex-sh) pricing. We can see very basic componentry and equipment with HF Dawn.
The larger headlight setup with a cowl on HF 100 will be replaced with a simpler round headlight. This round headlight looks better, if you ask me. There will be a simple analogue instrument cluster and elements like a tachometer and fuel meter might be absent. Electric self start will be a “feature” on this motorcycle.
When will it launch?
Wheels are alloys, similar to the one seen in HF 100. Braking is via drum units at both ends. Seat is long and rear is suspended by twin shock absorbers and front gets RSU telescopic forks. All the lighting will be via halogen bulbs.
An exact launch timeline from Hero MotoCorp is yet to be announced, but the test mule spied recently looked production-ready. It will bear the same 97.2cc single-cylinder air-cooled unit with around 8 bhp of peak power and 8 Nm of peak torque, mated to a 4-speed gearbox. This engine might not get i3S stop/start feature to keep pricing competitive.
Also read – Hero Splendor+ gets first-in-segment front disc brakes
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
